And of course, the technology is only going to get better. There's no stopping the process now. But if you really analyze it and do tests like I've done between the two formats, you find the only reason you use film is for sentimental value. If you thought the image quality was dreadful, you were right. Rodriguez is talking about the new Sony hi-def cameras that Lucas and a few others are using, projected on the new system that Texas Instruments has developed in conjunction with filmmakers, distributors and exhibitors.
Film never comes into play.
The cameras capture and image and store it on tape. At Franklin Mills, the image was downloaded from a satellite to a computer hard drive, which moved it through a TI digital projector and onto the screen. Seems unlikely given that cash-strapped exhibitors are hardly in a position to invest in new technology, but TI and Boeing and distributors are said to be willing to subsidize the conversion. This is a new medium, and the smart people are getting the technology in place now, and making themselves indispensable to distribution outlets. He, for one, can't wait for all-digital Hollywood.