Digital Cinema
Satellite delivery of digital films to movie houses is still in its infancy. For instance, Regal Cinemedia, which is a pioneer in this application, is still in the midst of rolling out digital delivery to its 562 theaters nationwide.
Still, Regal Cinemedia is making some progress. On July 20, 2004, director M. Night Shyamalan (of "The Sixth Sense" fame) took part in an interactive live discussion about his new film, "The Village" with movie goers in 41 Regal theaters across the United States. Held 10 days before "The Village's" premiere, the discussion allowed selected audience members to ask questions of Shyamalan, who was broadcasting from ABC's "Good Morning America" studio in New York City. According to Edward Douglas of
http://www.comingsoon.net, "Those in the audience at the Regal Cinema in New York's Union Square lucky enough to have made it out for this event were duly impressed with the evening and how Shyamalan came across."
Progress Favors Private Network Suppliers
The convergence of IP and digital technology is proving to be nothing for private network suppliers. Advances in digital technology mean that more and more data can be pumped through satellite transponders, resulting in better value for users, and more clients for service providers.
A third element of good news is equipment cost. The VSAT earth stations continue to come down in price. Once listed at $10,000, prices of $2,000 or less per site are becoming common. Moreover, the growing acceptance by customers of shared hub facilities means that suppliers can reduce infrastructure costs further, passing these savings onto their clients.
"One result of this trend is that we are now seeing companies establishing VSAT networks as small as 10 sites," says Spielman.
As IP ventures advance, the possible applications that can be carried by private networks will continue to grow.
James Careless is senior contributing editor to Via Satellite magazine.
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