Filmmaker & Post-Production Specialist 

DCP Service

Creating solid Digital Cinema Packages yourself can be tricky and risky (playability or quality often suffers). Let me do it for you!

I offer DCP creation following global DCI regulations and professional cinema mastering in Berlin and via online transfer.

Introduction

DCP has been the global cinema standard since 2002 and is not a single file anymore; all assets need to fulfill strict guidelines. DCP creation is not just clicking a button but careful evaluation and conversion to guarantee not only the highest possible audio-visual quality but also 100% compatibility and playability worldwide.

Be it for a festival or regular theatrical releases, digital cinemas worldwide need such a Digital Cinema Package. You put so much work and effort into making your project, cinema screenings are the best way to experience it. Professional DCP mastering makes sure that it really is, do not neglect this step. BluRay or video files (MP4/MOV) on USB media are not supported on real DCI cinema equipment.

My Involvement

I will be at your side with my years of experience to advise on how to export your master or check your delivered audio/video files for any needed adjustments to fit cinema requirements. I also provide QC, drive cloning and subtitles if needed.

Costs depend on length and services needed. I do provide special pricing solutions for independent or student productions as well as short content like ads.

Overview & Process

Basic services include:

– Conforming to conservative, safe interOP (IOP) specs, meaning:
24p only*, 2K flat/scope with 3.0 or 5.1 audio

  • Lossless 25p > 24p conversion (4% speed/length change)
  • High-quality HD > 2K image scaling/cropping
  • Stereo to surround audio upmix (space panning)
  • Color & gamma space conversion for DCI P3,
    matching your original look as intended.
  • Volume normalization to match cinema sound specs,
    for example, 82 LEQ(m) for ads and trailers.
  • Validation/QC of the final package to ensure compliance

– Online transfer for DCPs up to 49 minutes (50 GB) with 30 days of download accessibility (ZIP). All assets are kept in my archive for 90 days in case of changes or redeployments.

Extra services include:

  • Soft DLP subtitles (can be turned on/off in the cinema) made from provided, valid caption files like SRT/STL/SSA, or
  • Hardcoded, burnt-in subtitles following universal formatting standards, also made from the above-mentioned files.
  • Full subtitle re-sync or placing based on a timed transcript
  • Linux hard drive DCP delivery clones in EXT2 (inode 128)

DCPs over 49 minutes in length (over 50 GB) should be delivered on HDDs or flash drives, which are compatible with USB 2.0 and formatted in Linux EXT2 inode 128 to be 100% DCI-compliant.

Checklist – What you provide:

– ProRes 422 HQ/4444 as MOV or MXF:

  • Rendered in maximum depth/quality if coming from Adobe
  • Use your original aspect ratio/resolution (UHD/4K best), with a minimum of full HD, 1920x1080 (16:9)
  • Use your original project frame rate (e.g. 25p or 23,98p)
  • Tag export as rec.709 gamma 2.2 or BT.709 g2.4 (Resolve)
  • Include external (surround) audio mix in the ProRes file, following standard SMPTE channel mapping*.

– Optionally:

  • Surround mix (if separate from a sound studio) as stem tracks in PCM 24-bit 48 kHz with clear channel labeling.
  • Valid and in-sync captions file (e.g. SRT) for DCP subtitles
  • Login access to your transfer or cloud storage provider if you want me to deliver DCPs over 50 GB fully online (P2P).
  • USB 2.0-compatible HDD under 500GB for each physical linux copy/clone—you can have it directly delivered to me.

Send me a hard drive, bring it by or give me a download link for your source assets. I can order suitable HDDs for linux clones for you, adding their costs (+ shipping) to your bill. Ask me anything!

Get Estimate | Place Order

Side notes / FAQ:

  • Only restrictive interOP offers guaranteed global compatibility. If you explicitly want to use SMPTE, e.g. to enable 25p, you need to know that all targeted cinemas support it.
  • Regular DCPs are either 2K flat (1998x1080, aspect ratio 1.85:1) or 2K scope (2048x858, aspect ratio 2.39:1)
  • While technically compatible, 16:9 content (like full HD, 1920x1080) is usually resized and cropped to 2K but can also be padded with black bars on the sides. On curved cinema screens, those may look distorted.
  • Avoid padding, do not resize or conform yourself
  • Source files should not be compressed (e.g. MP4, H264)
  • Stereo is not recommended. If you don’t have 5.1 sound, you could provide 3.0 (dialogue separated on a mono track).
  • No need for a special Dolby audio mix, but consider at least R128 or a max. peak volume of -3 dB.
  • If you include 5.1 sound in your export, use standard channel mapping of: L-R-C-LFE-Ls-Rs, resp. on Tracks 1-6
  • Soft DLP subtitles (optionally turned on) for DCP do not support any formatting besides italic and global font color.
  • SSD media is unsuitable for delivery (no USB 2.0 support)
  • Some cinemas or festivals might allow delivery drives formatted in NTFS and use USB 3.0
  • You cannot fully evaluate a DCP outside a (certified) cinema; instead, you should arrange for a test screening if unsure.