Nagra claims digital cinema world first

Content security and TV technology specialist Nagra has claimed a world-first in the history of digital cinema with the successful use of cloud technology and HEVC compression with myCinema, the company’s cloud-based Content as a Service (CaaS) offering.

Emagine Entertainment, a US movie theatre circuit and myCinema exhibition licensee, collaborated in the deployment of the Nagra technology at its Royal Oak Cinema in Detroit, with the presentation of the first-run movie Ideal Home starring Paul Rudd, earlier this summer.

According to Nagra, the platform makes use of robust content distribution technologies and security components from its cloud-based OTT streaming and security services platforms to provide a significant reduction in content distribution and storage costs for cinema owners while improving the content’s visual quality. Nagra’s DVnor post-production media asset management services provide the myCinema CaaS with secure and quality-controlled H.265/HEVC compressed movies and special event programming directly to cinema projection rooms.

myCinema is currently ramping up its content portfolio and currently accepting bookings for movies including The Landing, an award-winning science fiction thriller about the Apollo 18 crash, and a trio of Spanish-language films.

“This is the first-time audiences have enjoyed a feature length film leveraging advanced digital compression technology via a Nagra-secured myCinema theater premise equipment. The plug-and-play experience of the myCinema solution offers a significant leap in digital cinema distribution technology, alleviating enormous costs experienced with traditional Digital Cinema Prints,” said Jean-Luc Jezouin, SVP Business Development at Nagra.

“Since the successful launch of myCinema at CinemaCon 2018, Nagra has licensed dozens of myCinema exhibition partners, representing more than 200 cinema properties. To complete this exciting new era of technological innovation we have licensed the cinematic distribution rights for first-run movies, alternative content, foreign language films, esports, live play, opera and other offerings.  This new cloud-based distribution system offers an innovative way forward delivering tangible ROI for theaters from a continually growing database of content.”

Nagra is exhibiting at IBC on stand 1.C81.