INDUSTRY

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- A host of Hollywood hits now in release or premiering this month -- Spy Kids 2, Crocodile Hunter, XXX, Blue Crush and We Were Soldiers -- are among the first feature films ever to be entirely digitally mastered in the United States. The digital masters were created by EFILM(TM), a cutting-edge digital film laboratory in Hollywood, which is a subsidiary of Panavision, and wholly owned by Panavision and Deluxe Laboratories. EFILM's parent companies plan to expand its operations both domestically and internationally. To better serve the groundswell of interest in digital mastering from filmmakers, EFILM recently purchased three SGI® Onyx® 3400 visualization systems, 30TB of SGI® Total Performance 9400 (TP9400) storage and the high speed connectivity to link its three color timing suites with three simultaneous streams capable of real-time 2K resolution, 24 frames-per-second data scanning. EFILM is now using the SGI® equipment to create digital intermediates, which include high-resolution scanning, color correction, laser film recording and video mastering. Using proprietary software developed on the SGI® IRIX® operating system, EFILM creates one high-resolution digital distribution master that can be used for film output, digital cinema releases, and home video all designed to meet national and international theatrical and video delivery requirements. "EFILM's major purchase is a prime example of how SGI is successfully redefining its focus to meet the greater creative, technical and business challenges of our entertainment customers as they migrate to digital cinema production. SGI and its IRIX development partners have moved to the next level of innovation by bringing the highest image quality, multiple resolutions for universal mastering, real-time performance and collaboration to production," said Chris Golson, senior director, Media Industries, SGI. "EFILM is a pioneering company in Hollywood, looking to go as fast and as far as the technology will take it, and we are very pleased they have chosen SGI Onyx 3400 visualization systems and SGI SAN technology to get them there. We look forward to meeting EFILM's expanding needs for many years to come as it pushes the envelope for digital laboratory services." EFILM President Joe Matza, who has used SGI computers in the film industry for more than 15 years, chose SGI Onyx 3400 visualization technology for its reliable data speed, flexibility and the open-system benefits that the SGI IRIX operating environment provides for EFILM's proprietary research and development cycle. "Our technology team selected SGI because it's the only supercomputing company that can provide a robust development environment and handle our high speed data requirements. The graphics processors in the Onyx 3400 system allow us to display our images at up to 2K resolutions and in real-time," said Matza. "We need to move a lot of data extraordinarily fast to meet our client's needs. SGI systems, in combination with our proprietary Elab(TM) software and hardware, allow EFILM to design and configure multiple systems for multiple tasks. We are not trying to build a single suite but rather multiple systems each working on a different project with a number of parallel processes all happening at the same time. SGI met the spec we needed." "The most important aspect of digitally mastering feature films with this new technology is that it presents a new visual palette to the Director of Photography and the Director," said Matza. "Primaries, secondaries, multilayered windowing and a multitude of other powerful visual processes all become part of the tool set for the feature filmmaker. Bottom line, creatives and producers can now bring better content to the screen. The SGI visualization systems, storage and the fundamental flexibility of SGI's architecture system have played an important role in helping EFILM make all this happen." Last year, using a Silicon Graphics® Onyx2® system and their IRIX OS-based proprietary color-correction software, EFILM was the first digital laboratory in the United States to digitally master a film at an authentic 2K resolution- Paramount Pictures' We Were Soldiers. "SGI played an important role," said Matza. "They were very supportive throughout the entire process, and it worked quite well on an Onyx2. However, we wanted more flexibility and speed, so we started discussions with SGI on its new Onyx 3400 and SGI Origin 3400 systems and high-speed disks. We did a lot of benchmarking and had many discussions and that has brought us to this powerful new technology system that allows filmmakers to much more precisely color-time and finesse their images, do certain types of dissolves, digital opticals and repositions, and actually create new frames." EFILM's Onyx 3400 system-based digital color-timing suites are designed for theatrical release content. The company's focus for the last five years has been dedicated to building its digital laboratory services in general. This includes scanning and recording images for visual effects for feature films, movie trailers or theatrical release commercials, as well as videotape-to-film conversions from digital video up to 24p HD. EFILM is currently using the SGI Onyx 3400 visualization systems and SGI® TP9400 high-speed storage to work on several new digital mastering projects including Frida for Miramax.