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Technical recommendations for cinema operators during closure


As cinemas have been forced to shutdown across Europe and globally, exhibitors must continue to maintain their digital equipment in order to have them ready for reopening. We have included in this regularly updated post a list of the various recommendations and other helpful documents published by manufacturers and other industry stakeholders, which were shared with all UNIC members in the past days.

Test content

Before reopening, we encourage cinema operators to test encrypted content to ensure that their equipment is working efficiently. We have included below several test packages which are freely available, encrypted and will allow you to test all key system functions.

MPS has developed a test DCP of 15 seconds to easily test if playback is still possible. They have issued keys for all servers which will allow you to test encrypted playback. You can download the test DCP package here (zip file).

Dolby has provided a piece of encrypted content and keys for their equipment, to test that security is working correctly. Additional information is available on page 6 of this document

CinemaNext created a package which allows cinema operators to test the integrity of your system regardless of the equipment brand and model. The procedure is completely equipment-free and can be performed easily. More information available here.  

In France, the FNCF and the CST have collaborated on an encrypted test film allowing cinemas to ensure their equipment stays fully functional until reopening. This project was done in collaboration with Eclair in France. It is available for download here. 

The ISDCF created the SMPTE-DCP test package which is encrypted and tests all key functions of the system. Version 2.1 of the test content can be downloaded via this link (zip file). Test keys can be received by following the procedure included in this document.

 

Resources 

Please find below links to general recommendations and guidelines from industry professionals. 

In addition, you will find below a list of official recommendations from various manufacturers and integrators. Do get in touch with your local integrator if you want more detailed information or have any doubts about the procedures described in those documents. External links are included in red.

If you have more information or official recommendations available, please get in touch with gbranders@unic-cinemas.org


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