"It is part of our studio mandate to create a digital end-to-end system," a Warner spokesman said. "Every studio will go there if they are not there already."
Warner says its editors use HP Media Storage to access digitized raw film via their computers to manipulate sound tracks, special effects or other aspects in a way that cuts costs while providing quality on par with celluloid.
Films are then ready for "digital cinemas," mobile devices, DVDs, or Internet television. Master copies of films as rich in data as celluloid are preserved on HP machines in Warner digital archives.
"The world is changing," HP director of broadband and media solutions Peggy Dau said. "This is becoming more and more widely used in a continuous transformation from the old celluloid world to the new digital world."
HP works closely with DreamWorks Studio to customize computer systems for increasingly vivid and realistic animated films such as Shrek 3.
Palo Alto, California-based HP said it is creating systems for filmmakers in India's flourishing Bollywood as well as in legendary Hollywood, and "opportunities are being pursued" in China.
Warner said it's using the new technology to "mine" pristine reels of classics such as Gone With the Wind and Robin Hood to make digital versions with more visible detail than the original celluloid movies.
"This goes way beyond basic dirt and scratch clean-up to enhancement of what is there," the Warner spokesman said. "As a movie buff, I'm very happy about that."
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