Frequently Asked Questions

or, Frequent Answers Given

What is a DCP?

A DCP is a Digital Cinema Project, essentially a collection of files that turns a digital file into a projectable folder. DCPs are the industry standard for final cut delivery of media.

Can I watch my DCP on my computer?

Simply put, yes. DCP playback is tricky because it's as if you've taken your digital film and broken it down frame-by-frame. VLC Video Playback is possible, and third party applications like Da Vinci Resolve allow for DCP playback on a personal device.

How should I deliver my film for a DCP?

While some editing houses have extremely rigid requirements for delivery, we pride ourselves on ease of workflow. Ideal is either a high-res TIFF sequence or a full export of the film as a ProRes 422 or 4444 file.

How do I make a DCP?

Technology has made enormous jumps in the last five years in terms of providing quality software for digital editing. But a DCP is particularly tricky because of the formatting requirements. While creating one on your own is possible, Quality Control and playability is very hard to guarantee without professional software. In short, making a DCP on your own is very difficult and quite risky.

Does a DCP change my film?

No, all we are doing is taking your film and creating a projectable version of it. Nothing regarding the quality, sound, or picture will be changed in the slightest.

Can you deliver a DCP on a harddrive? How about a CRU?

Yes, formatting one's DCP is critical. The most common is Ext2/3 but we offer formatting across the board.

A CRU drive is a specific type of SATA-II harddrive that's especially resiliant and reliable.

Putting your DCP onto a formatted harddrive ensures a consistent delivery from Festival to Festival.

What is Ex-Fat and NFTS?

Ex-Fat and NFTS are different types of formatting for external harddrives. Ex-Fat is associated with Mac Os and NFTS with Windows.

At EchoPark DCP, we provide the flexibility of delivery to suit whatever formatting is required.

What is a KDM?

A KDM is a Key Delivery Message. Some DCPs are encrypted, and require a specific key code to open them. A KDM allows greater control over who can view your content.

Can you convert a DVD or Blu-Ray into a DCP?

Yes, though we do suggest a digital delivery of a Film Master is possible to ensure the highest quality playback.

How long does it take to make a DCP?

Creating a DCP is both a time and CPU intensive undertaking. Depending on a number of factors, a DCP usually takes about 12 minutes to make for every 1 minute of film. So for a 10 minute short it take about 120 minutes to create the DCP.

This process takes much longer if the workflow is not streamlined.

How much does a DCP cost?

At EchoPark DCP we are committed to providing the most competitive price possible without sacrificing quality. While many companies have extremely expensive set-up fees or high per minute prices, we are committed to Hollywood quality without Hollywood prices.

How do I know if my DCP is good to go?

Our Quality Control process is comprehensive, utilizing several third party Verification Tools to guarantee a perfect playback. At EchoPark DCP, every second of your DCP is viewed before it is considered fully "QC-ed" so that you can rest easy your playback will reflect the hard work put in during the filmmaking process.