News Broadcasting
Kodak keen to bring digital cinema to E. Asia
MUMBAI: Joshua Chan is a man with a mission. The business & Asean marketing manager – entertainment imaging of Kodak Singapore is keen to bring digital cinema to east Asia.
And he does not let the fact that he is facing an uphill task bog him down. Like Moses on the mountain top after he received the 10 commandments, Joshua, the digital cinema evangelist sermonizes, “There are close to 110,000 screens globally. There’s tremendous potential to convert them to digital as only 100 of them have taken that path.”
Chan points out that 70 per cent of the digital converts are in the US, 25 per cent in Europe and just five per cent of them in Japan. “The rest of Asia does not have any. In fact, we have seen that a lot of the screens are not permanently digital, the digital projector is rented, and then converted to the normal screen after the show.”
The major hurdle, he believes is price. “The normal film projector costs $3,000, the digital projector costs $150,000,” he points out. “Who is going to bear the cost, the producer, the distributor or the exhibitor is an issue?”
Additionally, there is also the fear of piracy amongst Hollywood studios. “Questions about the safety of encoding and decoding technology are asked which are possibly slowing down the spread. The studios believed that DVD technology safe,” he reveals.
Chan will be speaking at the Asian Film Market Conference in Singapore in early December to try and educate attendees about the pros and cons of digital cinema and “to cut out the hype” in his words.
Despite all these rumblers, digital cinema will become a reality, he says. “At Kodak we have been the pioneers of filmed entertainment for over 100 years,” he adds. “We are working hand in hand with industry with various partners like JVC and IBM on a cinema operating software and others on digital mastering. We will soon be announcing a Kodak Digital Projector with the highest clarity. It’s an evolutionary process. Give digital cinema five to 10 years and you will see it reaching increasing neighbourhoods.”
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
