LOS ANGELES, April 12 (UPI) -- Three movie studios have signed a deal with Technicolor Digital Cinema, moving Hollywood closer to digital distribution, The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday.
The paper said Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures and Sony Pictures have signed with TDC, a division of Belgium-based Thomson Multimedia, which also owns Technicolor. The deal allows the studios to move forward on conversion to d-cinema -- digital exhibition of theatrical features.
Technicolor and the studios named in the report declined comment. Citing sources, The Reporter said Technicolor will also develop a proposed economic model and business plan, including details on financing, usage and equipment.
The deal would also allow the other major studios, including Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox, to join the venture. The studios have avoided working together on digital conversion because of concern that close cooperation might violate antitrust regulations.
The rollout of digital movie cinema has stalled during recent months, said the paper, as financing parties have pitched business models to the studios. Digital cinema got a big boost a few years ago when the major studios formed a consortium to develop technical standards -- a process that The Reporter said is nearly completed.
