Every Clip Needs to Be a DCP
Cinema servers play DCPs. They do not play MP4 files, ProRes files, etc. A modern venue may allow playing from a laptop via HDMI into the projector but it is not ideal. If you have ten clips you want to play on a cinema screen, you need ten DCPs. Each requires the same technical process — encoding, QC, naming, verification. Lock your content as early as possible: late changes mean new DCPs and potentially ingest pressure at the venue.
The HDMI Workaround — and Why It Is a Compromise
Some cinemas offer an HDMI input that allows a laptop to connect directly to the projector, bypassing the cinema server. For a simple presentation with slides and casual video, this can seem like an attractive shortcut. But a laptop HDMI signal feeding a cinema projector will not be colour-managed correctly — the projector is calibrated for DCP colour space, not a standard video signal. Results may look incorrect in ways that are hard to predict without testing. Audio through the cinema system will be stereo at best — the subwoofer and surrounds will not be engaged. For a board meeting in a screening room, this may be acceptable. For a client event where the cinema environment is meant to enhance the presentation, it is a significant step down.
The Stop-Start Problem
Cinema playout systems were designed to do one thing: play a film from beginning to end, uninterrupted. Stopping mid-programme, handing back to a live presenter, taking questions, then cueing the next clip is not what cinema playout was originally built for.
Older generation cinema servers require projectionist involvement from the booth — which may be in the basement — via headset with whoever is running the event on stage. The interface is not designed for live event operation under pressure. Modern TMS (Theatre Management System) equipped venues allow a venue manager to control playout from a tablet on the auditorium floor, cueing clips and adjusting volume in real time. This is a fundamentally different operational experience.
We work regularly with the Everyman cinema group for presentation events and premiere work. Their venues combine high-quality screening environments with modern, flexible playout infrastructure and staff experienced in non-standard event formats. For stop-start playout managed from the floor, Everyman are our first recommendation.
Planning a cinema presentation event?
We make DCPs for presentation events and work with the right venues. Get in touch early.
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