Sony has long been part of the film industry, both as a film studio; owning  Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and Screen Gems and as an equipment provider with their professional lineup of cameras and viewing screens which help bring the movies to the screen. Being a big supporter of all things HD and 3D, Sony is now contributing to the movie screens as well with their lineup of 4k digital cinema projectors. Sony is of course no stranger to the cinema realm with Sony’s audio SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound) being a standard audio format for movies. Now, the Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC (“DCI”) has deemed Sony’s new 4k digital projectors as DCI complaint which provides 8.85 million pixels, more than four times that of full HD. Another feature of these digital based projectors (rather the film based) is that they also provide access to servers which can stream movies directly to the projector. This alone gives directors the ability to fine tweak their movies till the last day and release as many versions as they want (different versions for different projectors and cinemas like IMAX, 3D etc.) and be practically carried on a hard drive. If a movie is instead brought over on traditional film, weeks before the film release, the movie needs to start creating and producing the different versions which physically need to then be shipped to cinema locations. Of course, it’s also in Sony’s best interest to make sure  that audiences get the most out of their cinema and 3D experience., seeing how the company also offers a full lineup of consumer HD and 3D products.

Hit the jump for a full press release.

 The DCI Specification defines the standard specification for digital films and projectors, in particular it emphasizes movie content protection security.The DCI Specification prescribes the data file format called “Digital Cinema Package” (“DCP”), which includes encryption for digital movie content. DCP file can be distributed by satellite or delivered to theaters on a hard disc drive (HDD). The cryptographic key is also separately delivered to theaters. The DCP file is decrypted with the cryptographic key by the cinema server, and screened by the projector. The DCP is embedded with an electric watermark (forensic mark) to prevent illegal recording of projected content. Security measures such as an anti-tamper function are also incorporated in the projection system to prevent DCP files from being stolen, eliminating the possibility of pirated production.The DCI compliance test for Sony’s system was conducted by Keio University’s (Japan) Research Institute for Digital Media and Content , which is authorized by DCI to conduct compliance testing. The compliance test consists of two parts including the procedural test to confirm if the devices work in accordance with the DCI Specification, and the design evaluation to examine if their security designs meet the requirements of the DCI Specification.

Through the completion of the test, Sony’s “Integrated Projection System” was certified by DCI as the industry’s first working system that is compliant with the DCI Specification.Sony’s 4K digital cinema projection systems have been widely accepted around the world, as Sony has signed agreements to digitize many major theater chains, including Regal Entertainment Group theatres and AMC Entertainment Inc., which are two of North America’s largest theater circuits; National Amusements Inc., which operates theaters in the US., U.K., and Latin America; VUE Entertainment, which operates movie screens in Europe; and TOHO Cinemas Inc., which is the largest theater chain in Japan. Sony’s cumulative projector shipments were 6500 units as of December 2010 and is estimated to reach 7900 units by the end of March 2011.