RED RAY PRO PLAYER - 4K server - ALIVE!!

[Jay Gannon]

Any news of rough pricing? even low/high 4 figures or 5 figures info would be good.

[Curran Giddens]

Any news of rough pricing? even low/high 4 figures or 5 figures info would be good.

I know it isn't $1K. That was the price of the standard player.

But is it over $5K? If it is over $8K then I'm not interested as much...

[Joseph Hutson]

I saw you guys over there like 50 feet from me as I was in the hall. I wish I would have been nosy enough as usual to join you all.

[Jay Gannon]

Comparitivly I'll be happy if its under 40k

[David Rasberry]

The exhibition market (both public and private) has to be several orders of magnitude larger than the acquisition market.

I suspect that Red Ray Pro (and it's smaller sibling) have the potential to even larger impact technologies than the cameras.

Bring it!

-sc

Over the long haul, I think Red's compression technology IP will be far more valuable to them than the cameras.

[Joseph Hutson]

You could not tell a difference on the HUGE screen.

I thought people were hyping it up a bit too much, but it was like looking through a window almost. I can't image 5K in 3D...

[bradvr]

EVERY THEATRE with a 4K projector is going to have one of these 4K servers.

Making high quality, affordable distribution in 4K will (should) make folks with 1080 acquisition as the end product a bit concerned. Kudos to RED for thinking and following through with the entire process - acquisition through distribution.

[M Most]

I don't think I can really say anything else - except - specs and features are amazing and much more powerful and WAY BEYOND current DCP servers - and of course .... YES to 3D.

Mark my words - EVERY THEATRE with a 4K projector is going to have one of these 4K servers.

I appreciate your enthusiasm, and I'm sure it works quite nicely, but.....

Does it support the industry standard FIPS 140-2 based encryption methods? Is it based on open source components? Will Red make the codec non-proprietary? You know, just as I do, that the DCP format is what it is because the industry as a whole - and that means all of the players that basically control theatrical distribution worldwide - decided on very specific guidelines for a digital distribution package that included all of the things I've just mentioned, and they did that for a number of good reasons. It's never been about the lowest data rate, the lowest price, or even the best possible quality. It's been about security, open development, not using proprietary formats at any level, and defining things like color space in a way that is not restrictive and allows for future development and improvement as display methods change. That's why the essence container is MXF (and not Quicktime), it's why the CPL, Packing List, Asset Map, and Volume Index are all XML files (rather than some new proprietary format), it's why the color space is defined in XYZ coordinates (rather than RGB or YUV), and it's why the entire encryption and key delivery system is based on published government security standards. For "every theater with a 4K projector" to be able to deal with the major distributors, Red will need to present their system for DCI and SMPTE approval, and to get that, they will need to meet all of the criteria I just outlined. I'm not being negative here, I've also been impressed with where they seem to be going with this. But it doesn't matter if they don't meet the criteria that the industry has already adopted. This isn't a new market they're trying to sell to, as it was with their cameras. This is an established system that is already in place and supported by those who feed it. I think there are a lot of uses and venues for a well done, efficient, proprietary format server that can handle high resolution footage. I just don't think theatrical distribution and exhibition of motion pictures from major distributors is one of them, because that ship has already sailed.

Oh, and you and I also know that the DCP format already supports 4K and has since the beginning. Not all servers do, but that's more a matter of interfaces than it is software.

[JD Holloway]

Very good points.

Then there is the other route? Put a couple of hundred thousand out in private hands, starting with Redusers, then small indy theatres and post houses, then "the enthusist"... and provide content to an audience. See where it goes.
With IP on demand content, broadcast standards are starting to lose their significance IMHO.

Someone once said "there's a world market for only 5 computers".

[Steven Caesare]

Mike-

I'm sure those are all valid points, however I'd point out that Mark didn't say that the Red Ray PRO was going to DISPLACE existing DCP infrastructure (at least immediately), rather he said that every theater with a 4K projector will HAVE one of these. If the cost of entry for one of these things is $8K, it's simply a no-brainer.

Cinemas like to use their auditoriums for coporpate events, sell advertising to local vendors, etc... Additionally, some smaller distibutors may opt to forego the hassle and cost of creating DCP compliant packages if what Red Ray PRO provides is a sufficient equivilence of functionality (i.e. color space, XML playlist/asset functionality, etc...) at a fraction of the equipment/autohring cost... especially if the vastly lower bitrates allow for ease of distribution not possible with DCP.

There's no reason that a theater can't have both playback mechanisms installed.

Now who knows what will happen in the future when there's sufficient installed base of RRP's such that customers can be assured they can distribute their exhibition on either format without penalty. There are MANY standards designed by committee that, while complete, are unwieldly to implement and are ultimately abandoned when something else more practical comes along.

-sc