[SatNews] DSAT Cinema, the Eutelsat and dcinex joint-venture company specializing in satellite delivery of films and live events, has announced that 1,000 cinema complexes in Europe, representing approximately 7,000 screens, are now fully equipped for satellite reception. This makes DSAT Cinema's satellite network the most comprehensive in Europe.

With the steady expansion of digital cinema, the dematerialized transmission of films via satellite is a fast, secure solution for broadcasting content to an unlimited number of cinemas in a given coverage area. Using satellite technology, DSAT Cinema also broadcasts live events from locations that include New York's Metropolitan Opera, Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre and the Royal Opera House in London. DSAT Cinema is installing equipment in cinemas that comprises a dual-feed satellite antenna and a professional decoder from International Datacasting powered by SensioHiFi 3D technology.

Fabrice Testa, CEO of DSAT Cinema, said, "Using capacity on the EUTELSAT 5 West A satellite, DSAT Cinema is able to broadcast digital content to all fully-equipped cinemas in Europe, irrespective of their location, at uploads speeds of up to 70Mbit/s. By combining this capacity with a second transponder on this satellite or on EUTELSAT 8 West A, it is possible to achieve aggregate throughput of up to 140 Mbit/s, enabling a 150Gbyte digital film to be delivered in less than three hours." All decoders are controlled from the DSAT Cinema network operations centre to ensure fast and secure delivery of the content.

One thousand in Europe are now under contract and equipped with a full installation. The company's client portfolio includes major cinema chains like GaumontPathé, UGC, CGR, UCI, Kinepolis, The Space and many independent cinemas.

DSAT Cinema's network of fully-equipped cinemas is mainly concentrated in Italy and France, which each account for more than 300 complexes, as well as Austria, Germany and Switzerland that together account for more than 200 cinemas. A further 150 sites are located in Spain, Benelux, Czech Republic and Slovakia with the remaining installations principally in Poland, Romania and Scandinavia.