|
#Preparation before upload
#Info
#Mastering
#Versioning #Localization
#Encryption #Packaging #Our workflow
#Delivery
www.iwantdcp.com is powered by production company FRENEL based in Greece. FRENEL provides specialised post-production services. You can simply upload your film and let us bother with DCP authoring and any other deliverable without hidden costs. It’s a simple procedure. You can choose the package of services that fits your needs, you proceed with payment, upload your film and after two working days, you will receive your film in the digital form you requested. You can also ask for physical mediums (CRU, HDD, USB thumb drive) to be shipped to you. If this all geek to you and you just need your film to play in cinema or broadcast, feel free to contact us. Behind our screen, you can find Dimitris Manousiakis and Orestis Psomopoulos.
DCPs and other deliverables are created by specialized technicians and not by an automated computer. We use the latest versions of professional hardware and software such as easyDCP creator+, player+, KDM generator+, calibrated Flanders Scientific monitor and a full equipped color grading suite. We perform Quality Control during all stages of production to achieve the maximum quality in every single film. www.iwantdcp.com can provide the most common export files along with your DCP file. We can export your movie on formats for broadcast, internet, or cinema. Choose among the available options or just contact us and we can arrange a budget-friendly quote for your special export needs. We are experienced in delivering multiple versions, transcoded files with proper file naming, versioning, detailed metadata, reports, and quality check by software and humans.
Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is the digital negative of a film, in high quality and includes the picture, audio, subtitles, and auxiliary data elements. Each one of these elements follows strict specifications and standards during authoring to ensure that the final DCP is compatible with any cinema screen and DCP server around the world.
DCP is the only digital solution that can achieve performance, reliability, and quality in screening compared to other file formats such as PRORES, MP4, or DVDs offering the same quality of image and sound across the world. There is an option for encryption and easy delivery through the internet offering privacy, security and availability 24/7 around the globe. Accessibility for disabled people is now available through DCP’s capability to deliver captions and video with signed language for hearing impaired people and audio description for visually impaired people. Last but not least you can always re-version your film. New subtitles, new sound mixing, festival credits, or distribution credits can now easily be added, edited, or removed without the need to replace the original copy. Logistics are now easier. Supported resolutions:
FULL HD = 1920x1080 2K for 1.85:1 FLAT = 1998x1080 2K for 2.39:1 SCOPE = 2048x858 4K for 1.85:1 FLAT = 3996x2160 4K for 2.39:1 SCOPE = 4096x1716 Supported framerates: SMPTE DCP conformity: 2K resolution 24, 25, 30, 48, 60 and 4K resolution 24, 25, 30fps InterOP DCP conformity: 2K resolution 24 and 48fps and 4K resolution 24fps Bit depth: 12 bits per color component (36 bit total), 4:4:4 Color space: DCI P3 (Gamma 2.6, D63 white point = 6300K), Color Model XYZ Compression: JPEG 2000 Image bit rate: VBR, max 250 Mbit/s Audio: 24 bits per sample, 48/96 kHz, up to 16 channels, broadcast WAV with uncompressed PCM Sound mix: Mono (1.0), (3.0) and surround (5.1, 7.1). Stereo (2.0) sound mix not suggested but still supported. Timed Text: Open Subtitles, Closed Subtitles, Open Captions, Closed Captions Accessibility track: Visual Impaired (VI) and Hearing Impaired (HI) Multiple reels, Multiple compositions, High Framerate (HFR), High Dynamic Range (HDR), 2D and 3D content, AES encryption. You can send files in any resolution up to 4K DCI (4096x2160).
We also support upon request:
Color space and gamma have to be referred to in each file name. In any other case, we will not be sure how to read and interpret the color space of your film as the result of inaccurate color reproduction. It is considered to be a good practice to ZIP your files before uploading! We suggest using the tool Keka for Mac OS and 7zip or Windows. This ensures that an error message appears if something went wrong in the transfer. Below you will find the suggested file specifications for image, sound and subtitle files. We accept:
Once your resolution is different from the DCI specifications we can letterbox, pillarbox, or rescale (fit) in the closest resolution. We don’t mess with the original image apect ratio (crop or squeeze).
SMPTE DCP supports 24, 25 and 30fps. Drop framerates (DF) like 23.98fps, will convert to 24 fps without any extra charge. Not compatible framerates will fail to work on most common servers and need testing. If your file is interlaced (48i, 50i) we will first need to convert it into progressive with an extra cost.
In case your film is divided into reels, the audio files must have the same duration as the image files. It's usually preferred to embed the audio in the video file. The answer is clear … 5.1 or even more!
Usually, in movies, dialogues come from the “Center” channel. These speakers are usually located behind the screen. With this setup speech and other key information, seem to come right from the screen where the audience is looking. A DCP with a stereo mix can be confusing in some venues. It could sound like the dialogue is coming from two places at once, even from behind the audience. In case there is only a stereo mix present, it is advised to have an “upmix” to 5.1 by professional sound experts. If it is not possible, we create the DCP with audio track on channel “Left” and “Right” and we leave all other channels empty.
Timed text style guidelines are mandatory for a proper screening. Netflix and BBC guidelines are international standards. We support modern Timed Text as Open Subtitles. If more subtitle languages need to be added to your film in the future, it can be achieved with the process of “Timed Text Versioning” with a small extra cost (unless the subtitles are burnt-in, in which case we have to create the DCP from scratch). Some festivals require the subtitles to be burnt-in the image. We can arrange that. Just inform us in your order.
Yes you can! Keeping the subtitles on a different track from your picture. This is usually achieved with the creation of a Supplemental DCP (VF) and the subtitles should be in the form of Timed Text. If the subtitles are burnt-in then the DCP needs to be created from scratch.
Supplemental or versioning files DCPs 101 or how I learned to stop worrying and love the VF3/9/2021
Let’s make it clear.
Original Version refers to the first version of a film. Supplemental or Versioning File (VF) are all the edited or new versions of the Composition Playlist (CPL), which means the different versions of the film. The term VF refers exclusively to the relation of a DCP with the Original Version (OV) and in particular to the initial CPL and not the type of packaging that could be completed or partial. Each Supplemental or Versioning files DCPs can be Completed (they can stand alone and playback without the need of any other files) or Partial (they refer to the reference track of other existing DCP that is needed for the playback). In case of Partial VF, the DCP server will recognize which elements are included in the partial DCP and which ones are on the reference DCP. The refrence can be the OV DCP, or another VF DCP. The screening is always smooth without interruptions. By using partial VF DCP we can logistics-wise reduce the size of files that need to be transferred. When we send partial VF DCP we also include a projectionist letter to help the projectionist select the right files without any problem. Each film can have one OV DCP and multiple VF. This is also a great advantage of D-Cinema support. For example, we use VF DCPs if we need to add a new subtitle language in an existing DCP, as long as there are no burnt-in sabtitles in the picture. The size of VF could be small including only the new subtitles. We could also add new credits, such as awards or official selection in film festivals before the opening credits. Edit the final credits correction mistakes, or even change or delete a whole scene of the film, or even add new sound mix or dubbing in other languages. All this is possible with a little help from Supplemental or Versioning Files (VF) DCPs. Versioning and re-packaging is the future of D-Cinema distribution. We can create and deliver multiple versions of your film at low cost. We are really happy if your film is accessible to impaired people. Contact us for the technical specifications.
One of the great advantages of DCP is the capability of content encryption with AES-256. To access the content, one needs a decryption key “Key Distribution Message” (KDM). Each KDM key refers to a specific DCP server (venue) for a specific period. The correlation of the KDM key with a specific DCP server takes place upon the creation of the KDM using the unique Server Public Certificate and choosing the desired period during which the reproduction of the film is allowed.
The only thing you need to issue a KDM is the serial number of the DCP server from the screen you want to project to, or it’s public certificate, and in less than 5 minutes you can have a KDM delivered. We can also deliver multiple KDMs at once. www.iwantdcp.com hosts a database that includes more than 420.000 DCP server Public Certificates (by serial number) and that is directly connected with all the major companies such SONY, DOLBY, DOREMI, CHRISTIE, BARCO & NEC. Till today, there is no single report worldwide of a violation of an encrypted DCP. We can create DCPs that are compliant with both SMPTE systems and InterOP (IOP). We usually choose SMPTE conformity as it is the new standard with great support from cinema venues. SMPTE DCP packaging allows for an expanded set of features, including higher frame rates, immersive sound, 3D subtitle support, and embedded metadata that makes it easier for the theater operator to understand the technical aspects of the DCP. The SMPTE DCP provides a great foundation for further innovation, automation, cost-saving and presentation quality.
If you wish to screen your film in a Digital Cinema with old equipment (more than 10 years) then you should need interOP conformity. Please inform us in the comments field. If for any reason you need an extra backup copy of your SMPTE DCP in InterOP that could be arranged at an extra cost. InterOP supports 24fps and 48fps at 2K and 24fps at 4K. If your film has a different framerate we can transcode your film in a supported framerate (picture, sound, and subtitles) at an extra cost. Please choose “conform framerate” in the Services page. InterOP does not support OSUB timed-text encryption. In our lab, we follow all the recommended guidelines of the Digital Cinema Initiatives LLC. DCI was created in March 2002, and is a joint venture of 5 Hollywood major Studios. DCI's primary purpose is to establish and document voluntary specifications for an open architecture for digital cinema that ensures a high level of technical aspects. The SMPTE DCP provides a great foundation for further innovation, automation, cost-saving, and presentation quality. All the projection systems can upscale or downscale a DCP with a different resolution than the projector has. FLAT (or F) stands for 1.85:1 aspect ratio and SCOPE (or S) stands for 2.39:1 aspect ratio.
If your film is 2K there is no reason for a 4K DCP delivery. For example, if a film is 2K FLAT with a bitrate of 250Mbits/s that would mean 4.694bits/pixel. The DCP of the same film in 4K FLAT at the maximum allowed bitrate of 250Mbits/s would be 1.173bits/pixel. One could observe that each pixel of a 4K DCP has the ¼ of the data compared to the 2K version of the same film. The bitrate remains the same but the compression factor is 4 times bigger. As a result, screening the 4K version of this 2K film in 2K cinemas, would mean a 75% loss of the initial data information. We always recommend the closest resolution and aspect ratio for your film. You don’t have to include a sync leader as long as the duration of sound and subtitles is the same as the picture duration and both have the same sync point at the start. However, it is advised to use an 8” academy sync leader as a good practice. You should check synchronization and other possible errors before delivering your film to create a DCP.
We always recommend at least 1” second of black frames at the beginning and the end of the film. This is a must if the screening starts “parked on pause”. Good news! You can try our services for free. Choose the service “demo request” and we will render 15 seconds for you.
Each DCP we author is created by a specialized technician and is not an automated procedure by a computer.
This makes it possible to guarantee quality control in all the stages of production, from the project preparation to the final file-sharing, using all the latest tools in software and hardware along with the experience of our technicians.
Let us repeat. All this procedure is a typical Quality Control that we apply on EACH DCP. So far, it works 100% safe and we are happy about this. The maximum allowed bitrate in 2K or 4K DCP is 250Mbit/s or ~31.2MB/s. This would mean that into a film in 2K 1.85:1 FLAT 1998x1080 the picture will use 243Mbit/s or ~30.3MB/s and the 5.1 surround sound will use 6.91Mbit/s (~0.9MB/s).
The final size of a DCP is related to the bitrate of the source file. For example: A film with a duration of 10 minutes 2K 1.85 FLAT, at 250Mbit/s, 5.1 sound, will have a file-size of about 18.2GB. With the same specifications, a film with a duration of 100 minutes will have a file size of 182GB. The same duration film in 4K would result in the same file-size DCP since the bitrate remains constant at 250Mbit/s and the only thing that changes is the compression factor. The actual final size of a film may differ since the compression of each frame is done in a Variable bitrate in JPEG 2000 codestream, not Constant bitrate as the examples above. High bitrate SMPTE DCPs are still exmperimental. Yes, it is possible. In most cases, common computers at home will not support real-time playback. Be aware of the color space transformation process, otherwise colors will be inaccurate or completely off. EasyDCP Player is a great tool but only for 15 seconds of playback. NeoDCP is also an option. Davinci Resolve Studio 17 is great but keep in mind that Davinci does NOT read timed text files (such as open subtitles) and supplemental DCPs.
In any case, we recommend a proper screening in a D-Cinema. We make films for live audiences and cinema venues! If you have in hand a CRU disk or a USB flash with a DCP ready to play in Digital Cinema, formatted in EXT2/3 file format please don’t connect it to a conventional PC. There are software applications, such as MacFUSE, extFS for Mac, or extFS for Windows that are buggy and may destroy the file structure! Be carefull. We recommend connections faster than 10Mbit/s for upload and download.
For example, a 20GB file at 5Mbit/s transfer speed needs 10 hours, the same file at 10Mbit/s transfer speed needs 5 hours, and 100Mbit/s needs only 30’ minutes. Once you arrange your payment, you are redirected to a safe AES-256 webpage where you upload your film. If your film is large or your connection is slow or unstable you can use as an alternate option the free and reliable desktop application “Filemail app” (windows, mac, Linux), with supported maximum speed 1000Mbit/s and HTTPS, AES-256 encryption. Send to our email address hello@frenel.gr.
|