TIFF sequence DCPs and Expected DCP file sizes

[wyattrocks]

I am creating a DCP of my 1 hour film.  It is 2k resolution.  In having trouble with Wraptor DCP in Premiere Pro, I have instead created a TIFF sequence of my film by exporting from PP to be turned into a DCP in another program (DCP-o-matic).  My result was a 786 GB TIFF sequence from Premiere with each frame (image) being 8mb.  This is huge of course, but I want quality as well.  When adding this TIFF sequence into DCP-o-matic I was able to successfully create a DCP with upscaling audio which turned my stereo audio into faux 5.1 audio.  The overall DCP is still about 786 GB in size.  My question is specifically, Will this DCP size be acceptable, generally, to the U.S. theater projectors?  Is there a size limit on these things?  I would use Wraptor DCP to create this DCP, but do not have a plugin to produce 5.1 audio and do not have a budget to purchase one as most are over $150, etc.  In an experiment run of this film through Wraptor DCP, the film was a much smaller 20 GB in size.  Does it matter? Thanks for your input and comments on this stuff in general.

[cth103]

Hi there, your DCP should not be anywhere near that big.  Can you show us what files are in your DCP and how big each one is?  Also, I would suggest you listen to the upmixed DCP on a 5.1 system as the upmixer code is still in testing.  If you are stuck do come over and see us at dcpomatic.com/help

[wyattrocks]

Hello CTH103.

Attached are some screen shots of my DCP O Matic files/folders.  Does this appear to be acceptable?

Thanks!

Here is the overall DCP folder called THE GOBLIN

Here is the file within the "TheGoblin_FTR..." folder:

Here is the file within the "video" folder:

Are the files an acceptable size for a DCP?  thanks for your help!

[cth103]

That looks fine.  You could reduce it somewhat by changing the DCP bit rate in DCP-o-matic, and you probably wouldn't notice any drop in video quality.  I thought you said the DCP was 786Gb?!   The bit that the theater wants is just the TheGoblin_FTR_... folder, the rest is just DCP-o-matic's working files.  See Chapter 13. Generated files of the manual for some more details.

Have you set it to full frame?  That's fairly unusual and may cause problems.  What aspect ratio is your film?

[wyattrocks]

Thank you. This is great news! The overall folder size is 786GB and so I thought the DCP was.   The aspect ratio is 2048 x 1024 (I believe. I'm away from my PC). The full frame looks good in preview but other settings really crop the image negatively.

Also, what can I use to preview this DCP? Is there any free software that can show quality? I cannot find anything that does not make the file look terrible.  Can I watch it or see single frames with DCP o matic? I have not tried yet and do not know how to test the audio for alignment etc. I expect a premier in Los Angeles this summer and must be ready!!

Thanks again. 

⁣- Wyatt​

[cth103]

So your film is 2:1?  Most theaters will be a bit bamboozled if you give them a full frame DCP.  They will expect either a Flat or Scope container.  If your image is 2:1 I would select "Scope" for container in the DCP tab and make it that way (or use "Flat" and crop a little off the sides).

Preview is awkward as there isn't much free software in that area.  My list of suggestions is here: DCP-o-matic

You can import it back into a new DCP-o-matic project (with "Add folder") and skip through but you can't play it in real time.

What you really want is a test in a theater.  Perhaps there's a friendly local independent you could ask nicely?

[wyattrocks]

Thanks a lot. I am working a 12 hr night job and doing the film at the same time. So it takes me a while to respond. Thanks. I'll keep you posted when I get back to the PC.

⁣- Wyatt​

[Vidya Sagar]

Hi wyattrocks,

Please let us know the status.

Thanks,

Vidya