Budget 3D-cinema as a business project

This article is about how to organize your 3D-cinema using the currently existing technologies at the lowest cost, that is exactly the budget option.
In this post, I will not consider the equipment for premiere films like in large cinemas, so I’ll immediately tell you why:
The premiere showing of films today is possible only on special expensive equipment certified under the DCI standard, this is such data protection from unauthorized copying.
To have an idea about the cost of professional equipment in question, it is about 3 million rubles. ($ 100,000) Agree, such investments in some cases may not be completely justified. I will offer a scheme, the so-called budget mini 3D-cinemas with an initial investment of 300 thousand rubles . ($ 10,000, sorry, for such a rough rounding) Anyone interested, please roll.

1. Where to start

The most important stage in order to start a business in the film industry. The first thing you should do is decide whether to take it. Immediately I will clarify that I am not some kind of narrow specialist in this field, I am one who has considerable experience and owns sufficient information, besides, I have already worked in this business (unfortunately, I turned down activities due to personal circumstances), so I want to share those knowledge that I gained. Perhaps the article will seem large to you, but those who are interested should evaluate it. And so, we will continue, I will offer the most successful requirements in order to start this business:

• if the city is big and has its own large cinemas, then taking a low-cost 3D cinema is very risky (it’s all about the premieres), you should consider the option of a VIP cinema or non-standard cinema , more on that below
• city ​​with a population of at least 20,000 without competition, preferably remoteness from major cities
• resort town, possibly with competition, should be taken into account seasonality
• a village, a city with a population of less than 20,000, only on the condition of low rental of premises or of its own, the risk that business will not go, is a big

If one of these points corresponds to the place where you want to open your movie business, then this is very good, so you have a chance to make significant profits and have your own 3D cinema. Very successful are the cities with a population of 40,000 and above, without any competitors. But I want to note that the main profit will depend on you, and on how you react to this matter. The development of this business began roughly since 2009, as many have already noted, after the release of Avatar in 3D. By the time there was very little information on the Internet that would start this business, then many had to experiment. Today there is already plenty of information, and I will try to gather it together. By the way, there are already a lot of organizations that are engaged in providing equipment for budget cinemas, but I will try to advertise them as little as possible, and do it on my own.

2. Legal aspect

Unfortunately, to cover everything that concerns the legal side of this business, I probably will not succeed. Therefore, I will be brief and tell only the most important thing. As you already understood to show the premieres that go in large cinemas, it becomes impossible. And this is a very big problem, because, wherever you open your cinema, everyone will be required to show them exactly what is being advertised on all TVs and all over the Internet. This problem among budget rooms has been solved for a long time, but unfortunately so far there is no hope for the near future. All that remains is to make budget cinemas show films that have already passed the premiere and came out on DVD or Blu-Ray (we are more interested in Blu-Ray3D). But even here there are difficulties, everything that you will be showing at the cinema is called a public show and for this you need to have permission from the copyright holders, or as they are called “Rights to a public show”. These rights, of course, are bought from copyright holders or distributors of these films, but not all films can be bought into public display rights. Although progress since 2009 in this regard is, but not significant. It sometimes happens that sometimes they sell the rights to the public display of films almost on the day of the premiere in large cinemas, but usually these are little advertised films. The approximate cost of the rights to public screening of films from 6 000 rubles. ($ 200) for 2 weeks of showing a single film, but the conditions and prices are different. The leader among sellers of public display rights is Magic KINO LLC, under the leadership of Konstantin Terekhov, who I think will be happy to advise you on all issues related to Public Video.
I will sin a little and say that we live in Russia and there is a place for piracy, so I will not hide the fact that many budget cinemas have to illegally twist some movies to survive. And while the conditions for a public display do not change, I think it will.
Since we touched on the legal part, we don’t forget that in order to make a public screening of films, you need to be either an IE or an LLC, respectively, with the indicated type of activity “Public Film Screening”, although I would not advise to register this activity as the main one, there will be less attention to you.

3. Technical part

Probably the most interesting part for habouriers is the technical or the equipment itself, on which the business project will be implemented. In order to choose the right equipment, I propose the following scheme, taking into account the possibilities of modern technologies:

About many technologies quite recently told us the article habrahabr.ru/post/154749 (right at the time of writing this), as well as there is an older article habrahabr.ru/post/79145 , but also relevant. Both of these articles do not mention such a technology as DLP-Link - this is a 3D shutter system, in which the points are synchronized with the projector's sync pulses from the screen. It is not used in large cinemas and this is not the Xpand 3D system , in which the points are synchronized with the IR transmitter. It is DLP-Link that I propose to consider as the most budgetary in comparison with others, the main disadvantage of this technology is the high cost of points, about 3,000–3,500 rubles ($ 100–120), and the limited distance of the glasses to the screen is 15 meters, therefore for large rooms it is not relevant. For large halls, with the number of seats from 30 and above, the system is better suited for polarization , I will not talk about this system in this article, maybe next time.
And so for the hall with 20 seats, as an example, we analyze all that we need.
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3.1 System unit

The requirements for the system unit are as follows:

• 4-core processor and above to play FullHD movies
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 series video card minimum, NVIDIA is required, with ATI everything is different
• at least 4GB of RAM
• blu-ray reader

Example, configuration:
Personal Computer
Intel Core i5-2400, 3.10GHz, 6MB, LGA1155, OEM
Blu-Ray Drive Pioneer BDR-S06XLB, SATA, Retail, Black
Thermalright X-Silent120 cooler, 120x120x25 mm, 1000rpm, for the case
1024MB, MSI N550GTX-Ti-MD1GD5, GTX550-TI, DVI, HDMI, VGA, GDDR5, 192-bit, OEM
DDR3, 8GB (2x4GB), PC3-12800, 1600MHz, Kingston HyperX Genesis, XMP, KHX1600C9D3K2 / 8GX, BOX
SSD 60GB, 2.5 ", SATA III, Corsair Force 3, CSSD-F60GB3A-BK
ASRock P67 PRO3 SE (B3), P67, Socket 1155, DDR3, ATX
Espada H322 Adapter 2x2.5 "to 3.5" Compartment
SuperPower M 610 CA, MidiTower, ATX chassis, black
Cooler Master S400 cooler, Socket 775/1155/1366 / AM2 / AM3 / FM1, RR-S400-18FK-R1
ATX 650W High Power 650HPC power supply, Active PFC, fan 12 cm
MS Windows 7 Pro 32/64-bit Russian

Do not forget about the licensed Windows. The price of such a computer is about 30,000 rubles. ($ 1,000)

3.2 Projector

The requirements for the projector are as follows:

• DLP projector type, with 3D support ( 120Hz )
• widescreen (for movies), i.e. 16x9 or 16x10
• a resolution of at least 1280x720 is desirable, but FullHD is not worth the money
• light flux not less than 2500 lumens

To date, the most popular is the ViewSonic PJD6553w projector - the luminous flux is 3500 lumens, I strongly advise it, there are simply no complaints, the resolution is 1280x800 (it is configured for 1280x720 to display movies). Claims only to nVidia due to the lack of it in the list supported by 3D Vision technology, but it can be solved. And the price of this projector is very reasonable, about 30 000 rub. ($ 1,000)

3.3 DLP-Link glasses

The points requirements are as follows:

• shutter type, DLP-Link technology
• comfortable
• the least blackout
• distance from the screen not less than 10 meters

There are a lot of similar glasses in nature, especially Chinese cheap imitations, which I would not advise taking, as well as Acer and BenQ official glasses, they are very large and uncomfortable, they press on the nose .
They look like this, these are NOT taken:

The most successful 3D glasses, this is Vidimensio , as they are often sold under the name Classic Solution 2. There are a lot of glasses similar to them externally, but Vidimensio glasses among them are the best in terms of price / quality ratio. Among the shortcomings, only their fragility can be attributed, this is a payment for their lightness and convenience, so you should be careful with them and warn visitors of the cinema about it. The cost of points 3 000-3 500 rubles. ($ 100-120) Suppliers can be found on the Internet, I will not advertise them directly.

3.4 Screen

There are no special requirements for the screen, it is worth relying on your capabilities and abilities. It is better, of course, to use branded factory screens with a light-amplifying coating, which is important for 3D. It is possible to use both spring-loaded or motorized, and tension screens. You can even paint the wall, which is very budget. Shutter technology frees us from using a special silver screen, which greatly reduces the cost of their cost.
For an example, the ScreenMedia wall screen 3 meters wide can be taken for 9 000 rub. ($ 300)

3.5 Acoustics

Since we are considering a budget version of a 3D cinema, I will propose quite a budget acoustics. Home theaters 5.1, where the player will be used as a receiver and decoder (Dolby Digital and DTS), are well suited for this. The sound from such a system is quite decent, for small rooms. The total power of the documents preferably not less than 500W , the more the better. In general, the configuration of acoustics can be very much, especially professional. The more you invest in it, the better the result. 7.1 systems for small rooms should not be taken, since all films still come with 5.1 sound.
I can recommend as an option home theater 5.1 LG HB906TA total power of 1100W (less in reality). The price of such a system is about 12 000 rub. ($ 400), cheap and cheerful.

3.6 Optional equipment

1) A very important element, at the same time useless, in this technology is the emitter from the NVIDIA 3D Vision Kit . Unfortunately, it is not sold separately, and a kit with glasses costs about 3,000 rubles. ($ 100) Unfortunately, sharing DLP-Link glasses (synchronization with the projector) and the 3D Vision Kit (synchronization with the emitter) will not work, the signals of each other are interrupted. But why do we need an emitter (pyramid)? His task is to run the NVIDIA graphics card in 3D mode, without pyramid not to do this, such requirements NVIDIA. There is a pyramid emulator, but unfortunately his work is not yet stable. Therefore, glasses from the entire set will not be needed and they can be sold without a pyramid. Ask why you can not use the glasses 3D Vision Kit for 3D cinema? This is due to the signal coverage area, not more than 5 meters from the pyramid. For a home 3D cinema, this is acceptable, but not for commercial, although there are small rooms (up to 6 seats), where this is quite a good option.
2) HDMI cable version not lower than 1.4a (high bandwidth), to connect the projector to the system unit. It should be immediately noted that the length of such a cable, without amplification, does not exceed 10m. Therefore, the location of the system unit and the projector, it is desirable not to scatter strongly. You can use a VGA cable, there is no significant difference. You should not take cheap cables, often their quality does not match the declared.
3) Also, depending on the acoustics, we need to connect it to the system unit. For acoustics LG HB906TA, specified in the example, it is better to use a Toslink optical cable.
4) Ceiling mount the projector to choose, depending on the room. Usually, the higher the projector to the ceiling, the better. Sometimes the projector, if it has a long focus, is located behind the last visual row on the ledge or, like in large cinema halls, in separate rooms behind the wall of the hall.
5) External hard drive - it is convenient to store images of Blu-Ray discs on it, which is quite legal. And you can take home, throw trailers. An external hard drive is preferably at least 2TB and with USB 3.0 interface support, provided that USB 3.0 is on the motherboard, the speed is higher and you can watch movies directly from this disk.
6) Trivia, such as a keyboard and mouse, preferably wireless, is more convenient. CR2032 spare batteries for shutter 3D glasses and microfiber for wiping them.
Perhaps with all the equipment.

4. Software part

Already have the equipment, but what do we play movies and how to make everything work.
First, we need to start the projector in 3D mode. To do this, go to the NVIDIA website http://www.nvidia.ru/object/3d-vision-requirements-ru.html and check whether our projector is supported by 3D Vision technology. If yes, then go straight to the next stage, if our projector is not there, for example ViewSonic PJD6553w, then first of all we replace the driver (.inf - file) of the projector , to the one that is supported. You can get drivers and see instructions on how to do this using the link http://sibboi.ru/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5 . For the ViewSonic PJD6553w, the driver from under the Acer H5360 projector fits, only the projector will work with a resolution of 1280x720 (out of possible 1280x800), you should not pay attention to this, because we all have widescreen movies, so we would not use the cut pixels. Also in the settings of the projector, you need to set the aspect ratio of 16x9 and turn on the “3D-sync” mode .
And so, then you need to configure NVIDIA to work in stereoscopic mode . To do this, download the official drivers on the video card, put them and make settings. How to do this, there is this link with pictures http://www.thg.ru/display/home_cinema_3d_vision/home_cinema_3d_vision-01.html
After we passed the NVIDIA test and finally saw the long-awaited 3D. You can even play 3D games with glasses, but for the cinema we need a video player.

I recommend PowerDVD 12 for Blu-ray3D playback, for that it is very good. And for the rest of the Stereoscopic Player . Do not worry, both players support the Russian language, links are provided on their official sites.
With the settings PowerDVD no difficulties should arise. To configure the Stereoscopic Player there is useful information on the link http://torrents3d.ru/viewtopic.php?t=602 . Do not forget about the purchase of licenses for these products. PowerDVD costs up to 3 000 rub. ($ 100), and the Stereoscopic Player depends on the type of license http://www.3dtv.at/Shop/Index_en.aspx , for example, for a room for 20 people costs 320EUR.
Of course, there are other programs, but I would advise them as the most proven ones. You can do without PowerDVD or only Stereoscopic Player, but it’s better to have these two players at once.
The main disadvantage of the DLP-Link system is that it is necessary to check the angles before launching each session, that is, so that the left image in the film goes to the left eye, and the right to the right. This can easily get the hang of it and it will not be a big inconvenience.

5. The room

On the room will be the following tips:

• It is advisable to choose the area closer to the center and where there are a lot of people, this is additional free advertising and more influx from passers-by. Well suited shopping and entertainment centers, rooms near the amusement parks.
• Ceiling height of at least 3m and the higher the better.
• The square will depend on the desired number of places, it can be pre-calculated, for this we start from the following. The best distance from the screen is 1.5 screen widths, it is desirable that this would be the center of the room. The first row at a distance of the width of the screen, it can be a little closer, but not much differently, the audience will turn his head. The row width (distance between the backs of the seats) is at least 0.9m, better than 1.2m. Actually, the width of the screen, you must also choose the appropriate, preferably on the entire wall, a little backing from the edges.
• The steps on which the chairs will be located should be made at least 15 cm high and should be made even higher than the ceiling below. It is better to experiment with the usual chairs before doing the steps and to check whether the rear row does not interfere with the rear row.
• Many of the halls make VIP-cinemas, a bit of luxury in the form of comfortable sofas instead of chairs, as well as tables and private sessions. And have a good success.
• I note that about 40% of cinema profits come from additional services, that is, from popcorn and drinks, so you should think about it right away.
• Do not forget about fire safety and sanitary standards, you can consult with the relevant institutions
• The darker the room and less reflective surfaces the better.
• Some places require sound insulation or the use of acoustic materials.

You can give a lot of advice, but this is the main thing that requires attention. It is also good to take advantage of the fantasy and make the room more luxurious and pleasing to the eye. It is also possible to organize the display of art-house films, or in other words “non-standard cinema” - relevant for large cities.

6. Summarizing and calculation

Calculation on the example of a small hall for 20 people:

Name	Price in rub.	Price in $ (approx.)
Computer	30,000	1,000
ViewSonic PJD6553w Projector	30,000	1,000
3D DLP-Link glasses 20 pieces	60,000	2,000
3m wide screen	9,000	300
Acoustics - Home Theater LG HB906TA	12,000	400
Emitter NVIDIA 3D Vision Kit	3,000	100
Fasteners, cables and peripherals	6,000	200
PowerDVD 12 Player	3,000	100
Stereoscopic Player	15,000	500
Total	168 000	5600

That is, the equipment itself will cost about 168 000 rub. ($ 5,600) . But it does not take into account the cost of finishing the room, chairs or sofas, transportation costs, costs for the first launch and advertising, public display rights and other expenses. So you can still add almost the amount of equipment and get 300 000 rub. ($ 10,000). So, it turns out quite budget. And you can enjoy your own 3D cinema, and outside the sessions you can go on your own or play 3D games on the big screen or watch any movies! Payback, in real life from 1 year. Rarely faster, and it happens that does not pay off at all, this is how it goes. But always the equipment can be sold.
As for the final quality, one can argue with me, but I have never seen a better quality , even comparing large cinemas, including IMAX, and I have been to many cinemas. And visitors say the same thing. I hope the article was helpful! But what should happen in the end are some photos of existing halls from the Internet (there are discrepancies in the equipment with this article):