A DCP (Digital Cinema Package) is the industry standard file format for playback of high quality digital film content in cinemas

If you are planning on screening your film or content in a cinema or entering into film festivals, then yes. Cinemas most often use DCP exclusively, and while some may have capacity to run content off a laptop, USB, Blu-Ray or DVD, DCPs always offer the best sound and picture quality.

There are many ways you can create a DCP for free, but it is an involved process with multiple crucial steps that can easily go wrong. There is also no way of reliably verifying or testing content without the proper tools, specialist knowledge, or equipment. Most venues and festivals also have strict QC tests which result in DCPs made by hobbyists being rejected, even if they are made correctly.

The cost of having a DCP created professionally is low compared to the time-consuming process of DIY, and there should be no compromise on quality when it comes to film presentation.

We will always recommend creating a DCP with us or another reputable facility such as JORR, PostLab, Deluxe, or SilverTrak. As well as the fact we all use licensed tools which automatically flag our DCPs as compatible with all DCI compliant equipment during any testing or verification processes distributors or festivals may choose to run, professional mastering facilities also come with a wealth of experience they can draw on from years spent troubleshooting and working directly with the venues & projectionists to ensure a smooth delivery process in rare cases where things have gone wrong.

We ourselves have actively tested all sorts of different parameters and formats on a variety of cinema equipment made by Christie, Barco, NEC, Sony, Dolby and Doremi, with the aim of these tests to create faults so that we know what the limits are and confidently work within them.

Our service is operated by filmmakers, for filmmakers, and we strive to achieve the best presentation quality possible, without the headaches.

We believe we offer one of the best end-to-end solutions for DCP creation at an accessible price-point. We also go above and beyond with our delivery & format options and exceptionally fast turnaround times that rival industry-leading facilities.

The vast majority of our customers use us exclusively, and we’re trusted by independent filmmakers and production companies alike. We also come highly experienced having delivered content to all sorts of venues in over 10 different countries, and not one failure or error occurring on our DCPs or delivery drives - which is a record we’re very proud of.

Starting at $250AUD, our pricing is competitive and can be viewed in our rate card available on the previous page. Please contact us for a quote.

We can accept content in pretty much any digital video format, however we usually recommend delivery in Apple ProRes 4444 or 422HQ. Audio tracks can be delivered embedded in the video file, or separately as interleaved or split PCM tracks. If you do not have a 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos mix, we can up-mix a mono or stereo mix to 5.1 or 7.1 for a fee using our specialised up-mixing process.

Once we receive the master of your film, we will prep it for the DCP, add any captions, and split the content into reels if required. After a technical QC on a calibrated display, the film is then accurately converted into the DCI XYZ colourspace as a 12-bit JPEG-2000 image sequence.

We will set the bitrate based on the characteristics of content itself, and optimise for maximum quality whilst minimising excessive data rates (e.g. a higher maximum bitrate is set for content with more detail and grain/noise than clean imagery).

Audio is mapped to the correct channels. While DCPs sound best with 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby ATMOS configurations, we can accept mixes in Stereo or Mono and create a 5.1 or even 7.1 surround mix to ensure the mix properly fills the space.

Once the DCP is generated, we verify it with a rigorous verification process to ensure compliance and integrity. If encryption is required, we will also generate the necessary DCDMs and KDMs you require. This process requires a lot of management, so we generally only recommend this if this level of security required.

Once it passes our checks, the DCP is sent via our cloud delivery platform, and, if required, the QubeWire network, or as a physical delivery on a specially formatted delivery drive to venue(s).

If you would like to see the amazing results for yourself, we can also facilitate a test screening at your local cinema.

Absolutely! Holding slides are a great way to further enhance an audience’s enjoyment of the presentation, and are one of the most common requests we get. We can create a DCP holding slide for a much lower rate than a standard DCP. We also have an amazing in-house graphic design service that can design your slide from scratch!

While all venues are able to play 4K DCPs, 2K systems don’t actively downsample content, which after extensive testing, we’ve discovered means that on balance, 2K DCPs usually look better. We typically only recommend 4K DCPs when you have a particular venue in mind. If you require both, we recommend having separate DCPs created for each resolution for best results. There is no price difference for creating a DCP in either 2K or 4K, however some delivery method costs are based on file size.

KDMs (Key Delivery Messages) are an encryption process, which allow us to restrict usage of the DCP by to specific screens and timeframes. We only recommend KDM encryption where it’s required as it is resource-intensive to manage and can come with a high cost.

Yes! We can deliver DCPs in most specialty formats such as ATMOS, HBR, IMAX, HFR, 3D, as well as standard formats, however only recommend it in instances where you are sure the venue can play that format. Otherwise, we generally recommend 2K SMPTE DCPs for best compatibility with cinema equipment. We do also have capacity to deliver in the legacy InterOp format, however industry has adopted SMPTE as a standard. If in doubt, we can check with the venue or distributor and recommend best the process based on that.

Yes, we can apply captions & subtitles to the DCP either as separate metadata or a burn-in. We usually recommend a burn-in for maximum reliability if captions are required. We can apply an Audio Description track to DCPs if we’re supplied with an AD track. We can also facilitate the creation of an AD track if its required through one of our preferred vendors.

While Ironbark Digital DCPs are SMPTE compliant, meaning we can theoretically deliver in rates other than 24fps, not all venues are capable of playing all framerates, so we generally recommend DCPs be made at 24fps. Throughout most of Australia and Europe, we’ve found 25fps is widely accepted, however 24fps is still the global standard. If your film is in a frame rate other than 24fps, and we’re unsure of where it’s playing, we’ll contact you to discuss the options with conforming it to 24fps. If the venue you have in mind is able to accept a non-standard framerate, we can create DCPs with composition rates of 24, 25, 30, 48, 60 and 120fps, but be aware that only 24 and 25fps are widely supported, and only 24fps is guaranteed to play correctly in all venues globally.