La Scala Opera Goes Digital

A digital cinema service company, XDC, has signed a cooperation agreement with Emerging Pictures, a New York-based digital entertainment company, to provide, in selected European countries, digital mastering and distribution logistical services for La Scala opera titles.
The opera performances from La Scala, the legendary 229-year-old Opera house in Milan, as well as other opera titles distributed by Emerging Pictures, will now be digitally processed by the XDC Digital Content Lab in order to allow audiences in cinemas in Europe to enjoy the 'magic' of opera.
The initial agreement signed between XDC and Emerging Pictures is for the technology cinema services required for the distribution of content in digital file format to digital screens installed in Benelux, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and Spain.
Other territories should be added soon: "We are very proud to have been selected by Emerging Pictures as its technology partner in continental Europe.
"This results from our successful track-record for several years with hundreds of titles and thousands of digital copies processed by our Digital Content Lab," said Fabrice Testa, Vice President Sales & Business Development, XDC.
"We are used to serving a lot of cinemas all over Europe. Besides the digital mastering, we also offer added-value services like extranet applications, NOC (Network Operations Centre) services and a multilingual helpdesk available all the day and all the week."
The current digital cinema series of operas from the Teatro all Scala (La Scala) includes "La Traviata" (Verdi), "Aida" (Verdi) "Maria Stuarda" (Donizzetti), "Il Triittico" (Puccini) and "Tristan und Isolde" (Wagner).
The 2008/2009 La Scala season will begin with Verdi's " Don Carlo" and then Rossini's "Viaggio a Reims".
"The collaboration with XDC, Europe's leading provider of digital cinema technology services is a logical choice in expanding the digital cinema distribution of Emerging Pictures's programs of operas from La Scala and other Italian grand theatres, as well as Ballet from the Bolshoi.
"No other company has the experience and record of excellence in performance that XDC has demonstrated over the years as a pioneer in this field," commented Giovanni Cozzi , President of Emerging Pictures.
Bernard Collard, Executive Vice President & General Manager, XDC concluded: "We know Giovanni and his team for a while and we are really happy to be able to work with them.
"Alternative content programmes like operas are seen by exhibitors, equipped with digital equipment, as important contributors to expand their revenues. For sure, the superb operas of La Scala are offering amazing experiences on the big screen," Mr Collard said.
(BMcC)