The service is provided in association with digital network solutions provider Arqiva and uses their international satellite infrastructure to distribute feature movies, trailers, and advertising content direct to their participating exhibitors and cinemas throughout Europe. Dolby Direct Distribution Services will simplify the cinema distribution process, eliminating physical delivery and manual upload of digital content onto individual cinema servers. The new services, coupled with Dolby's world class JPEG 2000 compression and two-pass encoding system, delivers Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) efficiently without compromising quality. The incredibly low file sizes offered by Dolby DCPs are a key element in the efficient use of satellite as a highly effective delivery platform.
Arqiva operates at the heart of the broadcast and mobile communications industry and is at the forefront of digital network solutions and services. The company provides much of the infrastructure behind television, radio, and wireless communications in the U.K. and has a growing presence in Ireland, mainland Europe, and the United States. "We see electronic content distribution as the future of cinema and satellite is the most efficient means of delivering content to multiple sites across countries and continents," said Barrie Woolston, Commercial Director of Arqiva's satellite and media division. "We are delighted to have entered into this partnership with Dolby which we believe represents an important advance for digital cinema."