[SatNews] As cinema owners worldwide begin to embrace new digital technologies via satellite, audiences are being given more ways to enjoy an evening at the movies. ESA has assisted a consortium of Italian companies to develop a secure, cost-effective networked cinema system called Innovative Satellite Interactive Digital Entertainment, or ISIDE. Cinema operators can browse a catalogue listing hundreds of movies, order their selections online and download these via satellite. The network also supports new forms of entertainment such as the live broadcasting of sporting events in 3D, opera and ballet, music concerts and other cultural events.

Satellite capacity is a costly resource—however, ISIDE brings the convenience of satellite technology within reach. To make distribution via satellite cost effective, the same content has to reach a sufficient number of cinemas. When multiple locations in the network download a film, the costs of satellite capacity are shared among them.

“This is possible thanks to the unique capability of satellite delivery, where movies and live events are multicast once and hundreds of cinemas receive them at the same time,” says Walter Munarini from OpenSky.

In 2010, Microcinema and OpenSky in Italy started using ISIDE. They are now European leaders, providing operating services to around 1000 digital cinemas in Italy—more than 90 percent of the national market. Most of these cinemas are equipped with the state-of-the-art ISIDE transceivers and players. The two companies have different target audiences and this is reflected in how they use ISIDE. Microcinema is oriented to more cultural content and delivers live opera from European theatres and cultural films and events to 300 cinemas around Italy.

Since the launch of ISIDE, there have been about 30,000 screenings with about 2 million tickets sold, making 12 million euros at the box office. Microcinema provided the one-off screening of the opening night at La Scala opera house in Milan. In just one night, 35 000 tickets were sold. The cult rock concert ‘Hungarian Rhapsody – Queen live in Budapest’ drew 45,000 people to screens all around Italy.

OpenSky operates on the first European network to deliver live, HD, 2D and 3D movies from major Hollywood studios, national studios and live events. This is done in collaboration with Eutelsat on a European distribution via satellite network called DSAT. This network serves 320 cinemas in the Italian market, and delivers to about 950 cinemas around the rest of Europe, mainly in Germany, France, Spain, Benelux, Poland and the Czech republic. By 2012, OpenSky had delivered more than 220 digital movies and 100 live events.