e-Cinema is a very simple and efficient solution, using digital technology, to cut the problem of film piracy. Adlabs Films Ltd, the country’s largest film processing company, have already helped 130 cinema halls to upgrade to `e-cinema’ using digital projection. The investment required per screen is Rs 10-12 lakh and is done entirely by the Adlabs. The cinema owner is only required to share revenues for the next three years.
One of the main reasons for film piracy in India is the time that it takes for Bollywood films to reach smaller towns. Given the total number of cinema halls in the country at over 16,000, it takes six months to a year for the last cinema hall in the chain to get a new release. Adlabs digitises every new film and downloads it into the servers of 130 cinema halls that it has helped retrofit with digital projectors and servers. That enables the viewers in small cities to watch the movies at the same time as their counterparts in the metros.
Soon, the process is set to become faster with the company tying up with VSAT (very small aperture terminal{rcub} operators to download the content via satellite directly into the cinema hall’s servers.
It has another benefit. If you don’t want to shell out Rs 100 for a movie in a top multiplex all the time, opt for e-Cinema theatre. The highest ticket cost at an e-cinema is Rs 22.
The company has not only upgraded halls in smaller towns in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal, it is also taking the concept to metros where people are not willing to shell out in excess of Rs 100 to watch a movie at a top multiplex. Accordingly, two e-cinema halls have been opened in Mumbai.
Business Line
