KODAK SELECTS IBM AS COMPUTER SUPPLIER FOR DIGITAL CINEMA INITIATIVE.

Eastman Kodak Company has announced it has selected IBM as the key supplier of computer servers, storage units and other peripherals for the new Kodak Digital Cinema Operating System (COS).

Kodak's Cinema Operating System is at the heart of the company's Digital Cinema System, which includes the preparation, protection, distribution, and digital projection of images on cinema screens. The company demonstrated recently the full Kodak Digital Cinema System, including the operating system and an advanced model of its prototype projector, at the Cinema Expo International Conference in Amsterdam, Holland. The company said it expects the first Kodak Digital Cinema Operating Systems to be installed later this year.

The COS will provide a "digital backbone" to theaters, equipping them with the storage, scheduling, and playback capability they need to upgrade pre-show advertising content today and eventually to show digitally-projected movies and other entertainment. This is the infrastructure cinemas will need to take full advantage of the promise and potential of digital cinema.

"Kodak has a long-standing relationship with IBM," says Bob Mayson, general manager and vice president of Digital Systems for Kodak's Entertainment Imaging business. "We chose IBM not only because they are a trusted technology partner, but because of their business experience and know-how. The Kodak Digital Cinema Operating System will be built on open standards and will enable cinemas to extend and enhance the entertainment experience."

The Cinema Operating System will benefit from the combination of IBM's information technology leadership with Kodak's unrivalled knowledge of image science and software. IBM will provide core elements of its digital media technology, including IBM eServer systems running on the Linux operating system. Kodak will provide the software and overall system design, as well as training, service and support.

"Kodak has created a solution that will enable theater owners and content owners to deliver exciting new capabilities in theaters," says Steve Canepa, vice president of IBM's Media & Entertainment Industry Group. "This new digital infrastructure will benefit from IBM's leadership in Linux and open-architecture servers, and our proven record of delivering solutions that manage and distribute digital content. We are delighted to have been selected as the technology enabler for Kodak's exciting new digital cinema initiative."

The Kodak operating system is scalable to handle all the screens in a multiplex - and was designed with advice and support from cinema managers, operators and experts in information technology.

"Theater people understand our operating system," says Sean Lohan, Kodak's operation manager for Digital Cinema. "They tell us it feels intuitive to them, and that it works the way they are comfortable working. They can see immediately how it can simplify their job and help them to streamline routine tasks. And they like the fact that the Kodak system works today and is ready to handle more in the future."