As the DCP format gains popularity, it is important to be able to make an informed choice when choosing a DCP authoring facility.
We think we offer one of the most complete and competitive D-Cinema
Mastering services known to the film industry. The
D-Cinema content supply chain is complex and the industry rife with
misinformation and confusion over this new format. But we are some of
the best at what we do. We rely on our experience, talented staff and
cutting edge equipment to deliver reliable and great looking digital
cinema content across the world.
Ask them about...
Speed
DCP encoding is highly processor intensive. How quickly can they encode a DCP? If all they have is domestic software on a relatively fast computer, it could take 2 days. And, as is often the case, if you need several international versions, alternative languages, if you want to make a small gamma / sound level corrections or if something went wrong (like the computer crashing half way through), every subsequent version will take another two days.
ExpressDCP use a dedicated Open Cube server to encode at twice realtime speed. Once we have a finished DCDM on our server, a feature film can be encoded in around 45 minutes. For small changes to your DCP, we will not charge the earth. Just a small re-encoding fee. Of course, if we make a mistake (nobody is perfect), we will re-encode the DCP for free.
It's also worth mentioning that we have an on-site HDCAM SR deck available 24-hours a day. Our Sony SRW-5800 is an expensive piece of equipment and most small facilities like ours have to hire them in, which ultimately costs you more money and depends on availability. However, our deck is available and on-site around the clock.
Quality
Can your facility encode to a professional standard? Do they use equipment with the best available algorithms for encoding and scaling? The quality of our DCPs is second to none. Our system uses the best available JPEG2000 encoding hardware, 3D LUT management and we never encode below 250mbps. And with realtime DPX playback, we can pre-check even the most demanding source material so we can catch problems before the DCP goes for its final cinema QC.
SMPTE / Dolby Calibrated Preview Environment
Your film is about to undergo a massive and complex colour space conversion to XYZ. You've invested huge amounts in grading and sound mixing to get the film exactly as the director wants it. It is therefore essential that your facility can provide a calibrated environment in which to QC the finished product.
ExpressDCP provides QC sessions in fully SMPTE compliant, Dolby approved and calibrated digital cinemas. Our projectors and sound systems are checked and re-calibrated regularly. Your DI facility will love us!
Not only does this allow us to check the technical quality of the DCP, but also we are able to verify that the DCP files are working correctly, free from corruption and DCI compliant.
HD Vision and Sound Monitoring
Quality control isn't just about checking the finished DCP. It's also about checking the source material. Does your facility provide a professional environment in which they can ensure the source material has been delivered correctly?
We've seen just about everything that can go wrong in digital delivery. Incorrectly assigned sound channels, corrupt files, unbalanced levels, incorrect colour space and more. We've even had 3D material delivered with the left and right eyes the wrong way round. The advantage of having an engineer check source material is that they can put a hold on the processing so the material can be fixed. This saves you time and money. And it happens more often than you might think. Human error is inevitable. DCP encoding is all about checking.
ExpressDCP have a two stage QC process. All source material is checked in our lab before encoding. We are capable of realtime playback of DPX image sequences and we have full 5.1 monitoring over SDI. Once the DCP is encoded, it is sent to our digital cinema for a final check with the client.
Colour Space Handling
Does your facility have a technical understanding of colour space? This is a massive area and requires a great deal of specialist knowledge. Films are delivered in many different colour spaces from SRGB, REC709 to P3, all with varying white points and encoding methods such as Linear, Logarithmic Panalog and many more. To convert colour space correctly, it must be performed using a 3D LUT conversion.
ExpressDCP are experienced in handling all aspects of colour space using professionally authored 3D LUTs. We regularly consult with top industry colourists and engineers to check we are meeting the demanding standards of the international film industry. We are used to working with DI facilities to provide perfect colour matching to film stocks. We can even import their 3D LUTs onto our system. Also, can provide a butterfly preview in our theatre so the DCP can be seen as a split screen with the film print.
Professional Distribution
DCP distribution is both technically and logistically challenging. Does your facility distribute drives using industrial disk duplicators? Do they use industry standard DCI compliant CRU drives? Are they verified before being distributed? Are they backed up with 24-hour international technical support? How quickly can they turn-around 100 copies? Can they meet your deadline?
Also, Are they experienced in delivering to every known D-Cinema server on the market? Are they used to dealing with the various foibles and technical limitations of differing servers? Some are SMPTE, others are INTEROP. Some have SHA 256 server certificates, others old-fashioned 128 and require a different format of KDM. Some will take a standard Linux EXT3 drive, others require more specialist Linux formatting. And there is so much more we could send you to sleep with the details!
Needless to say, there is a lot to go wrong in DCP distribution. But ExpressDCP are extremely good at it. We have relationships with every server manufacturer on the market from GDC, to Doremi, to Dolby to Qube. We have worked tirelessly to build databases of information so we know everything there is to know about every D-Cinema server in the world.
Not only that, we use a custom made tracking and logistics database to keep track of our distributions. We know the location of every single one of our asset tagged drives as they circulate the globe. If one drive fails, we can locate the closest copy and get it couriered as soon as possible. If the DCP needs to be moved to a different server and a KDM needs to be changed, our technicians are on on call 24-hours a day, ready to make any required changes.
We provide our DCPs on industry standard, rugged and reliable CRU drives, which are protected in Peli cases. These kits are designed specifically for cinema servers and for round the world transportation. Cinemas can play back our DCPs directly from the drive, so, in case their disks fail, the show can still go on. All our drives are duplicated and verified using an industrial strength Kanguru hard drive duplicator and our disks undergo a complete sector scan and benchmark testing after every project. We also have CRU enclosures for our duplicators so our drives are never disassembled.
Trust
Can the facility be trusted with your digital assets? Security is a huge concern for all our clients. ExpressDCP are accredited by FACT (the Federation Against Copyright Theft) an organisation in the UK who fully inspect our premises once a year to make sure we meet their demanding needs.
Our site is alarmed and monitored 24-hours a day by CCTV. Clients assets are stored in secure fireproof lockers. Our archived hard drives are all fire proof and even waterproof. All long term storage drives are encrypted.
We keep constant records of all material that enters and leaves the building using barcode asset tagging and sign in / sign out forms.
Our staff are fully trained to FACT standards. Every member of our team is happy to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) for your project. We can even provide you with a standard NDA contract.
All our networked systems are highly secure and protected by firewalls. Most of our equipment is kept offline. All networked equipment is password protected and staff computers regularly checked.
We hope you take our advise on-board when deciding on a facility. And remember, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Please make sure you get a quote from us before making a decision and feel free to email or call with any questions you may have.
