Everything you need to know about Digital Cinema Packages — from the basics to the things that go wrong. Made by the people who deal with this every day.
A DCP (Digital Cinema Package) is the universal format for cinema exhibition. Learn what's inside a DCP, why you need one, and how it differs from regular video files.
Every DCP goes into one of two containers. Here's what they are, what screen types mean, and how to choose.
The history of CinemaScope and why the correct cinema scope ratio has been 2.39 since 1970.
23.976 and 29.97 don't exist in cinema. Everything you need to know about frame rate conforming, two-pops, and Academy Award requirements.
The 250mbps bitrate cap, the 2K substream problem, and why a well-encoded 2K DCP often outperforms 4K on most screens.
IMAX is a closed proprietary system — only IMAX can make a true IMAX DCP. Here's what that means for your film.
How DCP encryption works, when you need it, and why most independent films are better off without it.
Why your DCP name matters and how to get the ISDCF convention right every time.
Yes — but they need matching frame rates, consistent audio levels and compatible aspect ratios. Here's how.
Reverse engineering a DCP back to video — why it's a last resort, the colour space problem, and the DKDM requirement.
New Year's Eve 2023: Wonka stopped working in cinemas worldwide. The signing certificate had expired. Here's why it matters.
Video range vs full range. Why Adobe Premiere makes this worse. Why your credits can look washed out even when your grade looks perfect.
DCPs are progressive. Always. Why interlaced source material causes aliasing and combing on cinema screens.
Why Adobe Premiere's keyframe animation produces credit rolls that judder every few seconds — and how to fix it before it reaches us.
What DCP-o-Matic actually generates, where the DCP subfolder is, the double-upload problem, and a pre-send checklist.
The complete checklist of everything that needs to be verified before your DCP leaves you.
Projector calibration, brightness standards, dark grades and the 'gone pink' problem — and how to grade for the real world.
LeqM, cinema loudness standards, 5.1 channel mapping, and the Adobe Premiere channel collapse problem.
The phantom centre, what 5.1 gives you in a cinema, and how Nugen Halo upmixing compares to a proper mix.
The Dolby 7 standard, real-world amp levels, LeqM targets, and how to mix for the worst case scenario.
USB formatting, online delivery, Google Drive problems, ingest times, and why you cannot just send a download link.
EXT2 vs NTFS — the ISDCF spec vs what cinemas actually want, and what will definitely not work.
Why Google Drive silently breaks DCPs, UDP vs TCP, and why we recommend Filemail for DCP delivery.
Corporate events, presentation DCPs, playout systems, HDMI limitations, and venue choice.
Burned-in vs soft subtitles, OV vs VF, SRT vs Cinema XML, font sizes, title safe areas and the limits of soft subtitle control.
Audio description, hard of hearing closed captions, HI audio and BFI funding requirements explained.
The 20-minute caption device limit, SXSW, rating tags, distributor cards and reel structure explained.
From source material to cinema-ready DCP — picture formats, audio, frame rates, loudness, encryption and delivery. Everything an independent filmmaker needs to know.