CineBUZZ - CINEMA NEWS REPORT / 14 July 2012

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK'S CineBUZZ REPORT

- How Large Should You Go
- Fandango Hits It Big With Mobile Sales
-Consumer Bill of Rights Will Impact Cinemas
-Yes, House Calls Do Still Exist


HOW 'LARGE' SHOULD YOU GO !



SMPTE recommends 30 degrees

When speaking with cinema customers, I have (more than a few times and recently) fielded questions on home entertainment and where I think it is headed. The most asked question being: What size TV should be purchased? Answer: as big as the room will fit and you can afford.   OK, that answer is sort of snarky but there does exist a size and distance correlation which should be observed.

Clearly, the farther away you sit the smaller the image appears.  What you strive for is an image that fills 'your field of view'.  THX/Lucas recommends a viewing angle of 40 degrees.  Translation: multiply the seating distance (in inches) by .84 which gets you the size of TV required.  For example, if you are sitting a distance of 8 feet the screen should 'ideally' be 80" diagonal (8x12x.84).  Hmmm.... quite large. SMPTE (Soc. of Motion Picture & TV Engineers) on the other hand recommends a 30 angle of view - multiply seating distance by .625.  So, under their standard the required screen size at 8 feet would be 60" diagonal.  C/NET, the premiere site for info. on all tech products, goes another route and recommends sitting no closer than 1.5 times screen diagonal.

Go Figure: Room size for Panasonic's 152" dia. screen

But do all of these recommendations mean anything in real terms?  Not really.  What matters is resolution.  Meaning that, an extremely large TV in a small room may not look quite as good if you are sitting really close - as you are viewing more than the TV was designed for you to see.  This is especially evident when viewing regular broadcast content vs say a Blu-ray.

In the end, its all about preference and budget.  If you are a sports fan or gamer (as I am) the preference is: the bigger the better!



MOBILE TICKET SALES
UP 107%


Fandango's mobile ticketing app

Fandango, the ticket sales folks, reported this week that mobile ticket purchases increased 107%, year-over-year, and was the main reason it achieved its best quarter sales in the company's 12 year history.
Mobile purchasing is just getting started as more and more consumers are using their phones and tablets to make movie ticket and other event purchases.  Jessica Yi, Fandango's Chief Product Officer, told CGM that, "The consumer's comfort level with mobile shopping is on the rise. Fandango's surge in mobile ticket sales is definitely evidence of that and a strong indication that consumers enjoy the convenience of purchasing movie tickets on the go.  Mobile purchasers now comprise 27% of our overall ticket sales."

Fandango sells tickets for nearly 20,000 movie screens nationwide and just inked distribution deals with AOL's Moviefone and Microsofts's MSN on-line ticketing systems.  Fandango apps have been downloaded 25 million times with mobile downloads accounting for 49%.  Yi, explained that, "Our goal has always been to make movie going easy.  To that end, we aim to provide movie show times, tickets, theatre amenities and directions, fan and critic reviews and information wherever consumers are, and mobile has clearly emerged as one of the top channels for getting that information."

Fandango is smart to have a major presence in the mobile space and movie exhibitors should take note.  Folks that read CMG with regularity know that I have been a huge advocate of the use of mobile devices for point-of-sale admission and concession purchases at theatres.  So, it goes without saying, that a tie-in with Fandango is one marketing tool that every modern cinema must utilize.


'PRIVACY (INFORMATION) BILL OF RIGHTS'

Who's Watching Your Data

As cinemas become more and more technologically advanced and 'digitized', information collected on moviegoers and on the operation of the cinema itself comes into play.  Can cinemas sell or distribute information they have collected on patrons - email addresses, credit information, viewing preferences, etc.? What are the rules of Privacy you must afford customers and, indeed, what information on your business and yourself should have protection, if any?

Currently, in the U.S., a Privacy Bill of Rights, is moving through Congress with the endorsement of the Obama Administration. Talks started last week between industries impacted, lobbyists, privacy activists, Congress, and the Administration to make the Privacy Rights law.  Here, in shorthand, are the highlights of the Bill and the principles to be followed by Internet content, access, and advertising enterprises

-Individual Control: Consumers have a right to exercise control over what personal data companies collect from them and how they use it.
-Transparency: Consumers have a right to easily understandable and accessible information about privacy and security practices.
- Respect for Context: Consumers have a right to expect that companies will collect, use, and disclose personal data in ways that are consistent with the context in which consumers provide the data.
-Security: Consumers have a right to secure and responsible handling of personal data.
-Access and Accuracy: Consumers have a right to access and correct personal data in usable formats, in a manner that is appropriate to the sensitivity of the data and the risk of adverse consequences to consumers if the data is inaccurate.
-Focused Collection: Consumers have a right to reasonable limits on the personal data that companies collect and retain.
-Accountability: Consumers have a right to have personal data handled by companies with appropriate measures in place to assure they adhere to the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights.

It all sounds good. Hmmm ..... let's see how far these Rights get.


YES, HOUSE CALLS ARE STILL MADE

The conversion to digital movie distribution/exhibition is inevitable, so to assist in this transition, Entertainment Equipment Corp. will perform a free site visit to determine your cinema's or drive-in's unique needs for digital conversion - so don't hesitate to request a visit.

Additionally, EEC provides turn-key solutions as they acquire, install, train, and provide after-sales service on all of the digital cinema equipment you decide to purchase.  And, as a full-line supplier EEC represents all of the digital equipment manufacturers.

So, contact EEC today (800-448-1656) - they'll do their best to answer all of your questions and concerns and - if you wish - pay a visit to your theatre.


I would like to receive your comments.

Best and Happy Movie Going !
Jim Lavorato