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Is Regal’s New HD Simulcasting Digital Cinema? No, But Nothing Compares 2 Its Prince Concert By Debra Kaufman On March 29, pop star Prince’s Musicology tour opened to a packed stadium at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Simultaneously, the concert was viewed — live and digital — by audiences in 85 packed Regal Theatre theaters in 43 markets. According to Regal CineMedia VP of Business Development Dan Diamond, the concert played to approximately 25,000 viewers — more people in Regal theatres that night than the record sell-out crowd at Staples Center.

At the Staples Center, the concert was shot in 1080i HD with 5.1 Dolby Digital audio, transmitted live via satellite, encrypted with proprietary equipment, and then projected at the theatres via Christie RoadRunner L6 projectors (with native XGA resolution of 1024x768) and Dolby sound processors.

Though Regal would not comment on the profits made from the Prince concert, a Regal CineMedia spokesperson put them in perspective. “On average, on a Monday or Tuesday evening, five to seven percent of our seats are filled,” she says. “For the Prince concert, which took place on a Monday night, we were nearly sold out. For a special event like this, we can see anywhere from a 70 to 95 percent use of seats in the auditorium.”