Microsoft To Help Landmark Theaters Go Digital

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the stepping-forward dept

As theaters around the country have resisted the idea of moving to digital screens, saying it’s too expensive for too little benefit, Microsoft has apparently realized they may need to step in and jumpstart things. They’ve now partnered up with Landmark Theaters, who run a bunch of independent and art-house movie theaters around the country to upgrade their screens with digital technology, so that movies will now be played using Windows Media technology (does this mean we should expect to see “blue screens of death” at various points during our movie watching experience?). What I want to see is if a company like Landmark can really take advantage of digital projection technology to go beyond just offering movies. Right now, the plan looks like they’re just going to focus on movies – and use the new technology to offer opportunities for smaller independent movie makers to distribute projects to the theaters more easily than having to transfer digital movies to film and send it off. I’m a bit surprised that Microsoft is starting with such a small theater chain, though. You would think they would have tried to land a big, recognizable name.