Digital Blog

Welcome to our Digital Cinema blog

If you've just joined us, the first blog is at the bottom of the page and each new blog entry is placed at the top of the page.

Blog updated 9.20pm Thursday 15th December

Blog Entry No. 8 - Thursday 15th December 2011 @ 9.20pm

Digital conversion process complete!

All screens now playing in digital!

Just a few minutes ago we finished the last task in Screen 4 and now all four screens are playing in digital.  We have already started returning all our old fashioned 35mm prints!

We had a problem with the sound in screen four today which regrettably resulted in us having to cancel two performances, sincere apologies to any customers affected by this.  It turned out the brand new £2700 digital sound processor is faulty and requires a replacement.  This won't be with us for a few days, but we have managed to put together a terrific sound system using existing unused parts from other equipment and a very high quality domestic sound processor and it sounds almost as good as it will when we get the replacement digital sound processor installed.  As it stands, it's a huge improvement on the sound that was in there anyway.

It has been an emotional and very tiring week for all of us at the pavilion, but we got there in the end.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to the 3 digital projection technicians from Sound Associates who slogged on from 8am to late evening for 4 days getting us converted - guys, YOU ROCK!

For our customers you now have in the Borders a four screen cinema with some of the best projection equipment money can buy, giving you the best possible picture and sound quality the likes of which you simply haven't seen here before.

If any customer would like a tour of the new equipment, just ask at your next visit and we'll be happy to give you a quick tour.

We all look forward to seeing you in the cinema in the near future.

Enjoy the movie!

Blog Entry No. 7 - Wednesday 14th December 2011 @ 9.10pm

Screen's one, two and three are all running in digital tonight.

Screen 4 digital projector is in and running perfectly and also giving us an excellent picture.  We're working on screen 4's audio as I type. This is a bigger job than the other halls because screen 4 previously only had a very simple set up with front and surround speakers - 2 channel.  We're upgrading this to full 5.1 digital with new front speakers and a nice new meaty sub base to blow your socks off in this small cinema hall.  You're gonna love it!

At the moment it looks like our plan to be a fully digital cinema by Thursday will be realised.

We've also realigned the black side masking and curtains to give an extra THREE FEET of screen image in cinema 3.

Blog Entry No. 6 - Wednesday 14th December 2011 @ 11.50am

Either you're all too polite to say, or no-one has noticed, but I've fixed all the dates on the blog entries to reflect the fact we are actually still in the year 2011, and not 2012.  OOps.  My bad.

So, we are in full swing installing the digital projectors.  Current state is:

Screen 1: Installed and ran in digital for the first time last night.

Screen 2: Currently being installed with a more powerful digital projector than had been installed previously. Scheduled to show in digital from Thursday.

Screen 3: Installed and scheduled to show in digital today.

Screen 4: The projector previously installed in screen 2 has been moved to screen 4 and will be installed over today and tomorrow.  Scheduled to show in digital from Thursday.

Here's a wee pictorial journey of our adventures so far.

Now surplus to requirements.

Screen 1 ready for digital projector.  the unpainted "V" marks the location of the platter system which used to feed the 35mm projector.  This platter system has been relocated to the other side of the projection room (out of shot).  Actually it's lying in twenty pieces waiting to be reassembled.  We'll get round to it sometime before next summer.

Digital projector in location ready for engineers to install.

Projector is calibrated for showing films in screen1

Starting to strip out screen 3 35mm equipment.

Screen 3 pretty well ready for the digital projector.  It still needed a good clean, but you get the picture.

Work begins in stripping out screen 4.  The patter and lamphouse have both been removed.  All that remains is the pedestal and projector head.

All empty, ready fro Digital.

A Christie CP2220 front view showing the lens assembly.

Looking down the lens assembly barrel - no lens in place - showing some of the components of the image head.

Blog Entry No. 5 - Saturday 10th December 2011 @ 7.45pm

All the equipment arrived this afternoon for our digital install next week.  Early delivery is good because it gives the sensitive electronic equipment time to acclimatise in the projection rooms before being put into use.

It's like Christmas has come early at the Pavilion, and we're all piling into the boxes and going... "ooooh!"  and  "aaaah!"  and  "That's not right.  They've sent the wrong cable.  Hang on, I gotta make a call!"

Here's some pics to feast yer eyes on.

'

One of the bases the projector sits on, all wrapped up to protect it during transport.

A Christie Digital Cinema CP2220 Projector.  Inside the box.  Obviously.

Boxes everywhere.  Christmas comes early this year.

A "Digibase", partly assembled in the factory, ready to take the digital projector.

The beast itself.  Well, one of them.  This is a Christie Digital Cinema CP2220 ready for install in Screen 3.  Another two are sitting waiting to be installed in Screen's 1 and 2.  Screen 2's existing CP2210 (itself new in June this year) is being moved to Screen 4.

Blog Entry No. 4 - Tuesday 6th December 2011 @ 10pm

We've just created a picture album of the 35mm projection equipment which is being ripped out next week.

We all accept that digital is the way forward but that doesn't mean we can't still hold a candle (or a carbon rod) for 35mm film.

This gallery, we're calling it the Bone Yard, is our homage to 35mm film in the Pavilion.

View the 35mm Bone Yard here.

Blog Entry No.3 - Sunday 4th December 2011 @ 3.50pm

The projectors being installed next week are:

3 X Christie CP2220's.

1 X Christie CP2210

The 2210 is already installed in screen 2, but we feel this isn't bright enough for 3D films, so it is being moved to screen 4 which has a much smaller screen.

The CP2220's are capable of creating a much brighter image and will be installed in Screen's 1, 2 and 3.  Screen 3 will also be 3D, giving us two 3D screens.

For our tech-interested customers, you can see more information on Christie Projectors here.

A Christie CP2220 Digital Cinema Projector.

Blog Entry No.2 - Saturday 3rd December 2011 @ 9.30pm

Some background to put the current system into context...

For over 100 years, cinema's around the world have replied on a tried and trusted film presentation system which involves film passing through a mechanical projector, each frame being momentarily stopped at the same time a shutter opens to allow the light to shine through the film and onto the screen.  This process occurred 24 times a second, which give the illusion of a moving image on the screen.

Here comes the science bit...

In the early days of cinema, we used to use a material called nitrate.  Nitrate was incredibly volatile and would explode into a fireball if you so much as suggested Darth Vadar was NOT Luke's father.

In the early 1950's we moved on to acetate, as this was a much more stable product and in the early days was called Safety Film due to being inflammable.  But even acetate had it's drawbacks - it wasn't very strong, it broke easily in a projector, became brittle and scored easily if mistreated.

Enter polyester in the 1980's.  Incredibly strong, much more resistant to wear and tear and also still very safe.

Digital is completely different; no film, no risk of fire, no scratches, no clicks and bangs on the soundtrack, no hair in the image and no change-over dots in the top right corner.  Most importantly every single performance will be like the first performance!  Perfect!

More to follow....

Blog Entry No.1 - Saturday 3rd December 2011 @ 8.30pm

Digital Cinema is coming to the Pavilion!  Well, really it's been here in one of our screens for almost 5 years.  But week commencing Monday 12th December we are installing digital projectors across all screens.

This represents a massive investment for the Pavilion (£100,000+) and it should be seen as our faith in YOU our loyal customers in supporting us in the many years ahead.

We've decided to blog our adventures over the coming days including the install week, keeping you up to date with what's happening.

So, keep an eye on this page - we'll keep linking to it from the home page too - for regular updates.