Patent ID: 7034916
Filing Date: 2006-04-25
Classification: G06Q,G11B,H04N

Abstract:
1. A digital cinema system for exhibiting digital content supplied in a coded form to a central content management server in a multi-screen digital cinema theatre having a plurality of auditoriums, said system comprising: (a) plurality of digital projectors for projecting digital content in the plurality of auditoriums, each projector including a decoder for decoding the digital content into a device-dependent signal for projection; wherein at least one of the plurality of auditoriums includes a film projection system for projecting a motion picture film during a reserved time when the auditorium's digital projector is inactive, and wherein the cinema operating system generates a playlist for scheduling digital projection of digital content in association with the motion picture film, (b) a plurality of content player servers, each one devoted to a respective digital projector; (c) a cinema operating system for generating and scheduling playlists, each said playlist including components of the content stored in the content management server and representing a digital entity that is subsequently projected in the digital cinema; (d) a local area network linking the content player servers to the central content management server and to the digital projectors, whereby each digital projector is a network-enabled device that can communicate with any of the content player servers to display digital content associated with a selected playlist; and (e) an event tag for switching between digital projection and film projection corresponding to a predetermined condition or cue.