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

If you are planning on screening your film or content in a cinema or entering film festivals, then yes.

Cinemas most often use DCP exclusively, and while some may have the capacity to run content off a laptop, Blu-Ray or DVD, DCPs always offer the best sound and picture quality.

We believe that a DCP should be made with as much care and love as the film itself. It is the first way most people will experience the film after all, and it can be disastrous if done wrong.

There are many ways to create a DCP that are widely accessible, but theatrical mastering is an involved process with multiple critical 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, distributors, and festivals also have strict requirements, which often 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. 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 Australian facility such as PostLab, Deluxe, or SilverTrak. As well as the fact that we all use industry-standard tools and processes that ensure our DCPs are universally 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 mastering services, as well as 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 occurred on our DCPs or delivery drives - which is a record we’re very proud of.

Starting at $250AUD, our pricing is competitive. That said, with no film being the same, and so many parameters we’re able to deliver to, pricing can vary significantly, so 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 clearly labelled 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 your content, we will prep it for the DCP, add any captions, and split the content into reels if required. We may also work with you to make adjustments or fixes if they’re 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. We will also run a spot check to ensure content plays and check it against the original to ensure any colour space transform has been done correctly.

If encryption is required, we will create a DCDM so it is ready for KDM generation and management. The encryption process requires a lot of management, so we generally only recommend this if this level of security is 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 just $50, so 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 projectors don’t actively downsample content, which, after extensive testing, we’ve discovered means that 2K DCPs usually look better on most screens. We therefore typically only recommend a 4K DCP when you have a particular venue in mind. If you require both, we recommend having separate DCPs created for each resolution for best results.

It’s worth noting that we charge higher rates for 4K DCPs as they require more storage.

KDMs (Key Delivery Messages) are an encryption process that allows us to restrict the usage of the DCP to a specific screen and timeframe.

To generate each KDM, which is requried for each screen, we request a technical certificate from each venue the film is to play at, allowing us to assign that equipment access for a limited window. As this requires a lot of management, it comes with a high cost, so we only recommend encryption where it’s absolutely required.

Yes! Ironbark Digital DCPs are fully compliant with the SMPTE RDD52 (Bv2.1) standard, so they can support specialty formats such as Dolby Atmos, HBR, IMAX (1.90), HFR, 3D, as well as all standard formats.

We also have the capacity to deliver in the legacy InterOp format if required.

We can also deliver audio tracks in non-standard channel configurations on request for integration with VR systems or other peripheral technologies.

Yes, we can apply captions & subtitles to the DCP either as a separate caption track, or a burn-in.

We usually recommend a burn-in for maximum reliability if captions are required on-screen. We can apply an Audio Description track to DCPs if we’re supplied with an AD track.

We can facilitate the creation of an AD track if it’s required through one of our preferred vendors, and we offer the creation of English closed captions in-house to the ACMA broadcast standards to ensure maximum accessibility.

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.

While 25fps is widely accepted throughout most of Australia and Europe, 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, 25 and 48fps are widely supported, and only 24fps is guaranteed to play correctly in all venues globally.

For use in a DCP, a Dolby Atmos mix must be created at one of these Dolby Atmos-Certified dubbing stages.

Nearfield Dolby Atmos mixes created at facilities with a Dolby Home Entertainment license are not compatible with the DCP format, but we are able to easily down-mix this to 7.1 or 5.1 for use in a DCP.

How quickly do you need it?

Our standard turnaround time is 2-3 business days. We also offer an expedited same-day service for a fee, depending on availability.

We can try! The vast majority of content delivered to us has some sort of technical issue that needs to be addressed prior to the DCP being created, but we are able to offer more advanced post-production services if the technical issue requires it. Please note any specific issues in the notes field of the quote request form.

Included in all DCP masters is a cloud download link, sent free of charge.

We also offer the following paid delivery options:

• Physical delivery on a CRU or specially formatted SSD, which can be either rented or purchased

• Physical delivery on a USB drive you supply (we will test and format it to ensure it is compatible with cinema equipment)

• QubeWire delivery to venues on the QubeWire network

• FTP transfer to a server you nominate

• Uploading of your DCP to a cloud-based sharing service (such as DropBox, Aspera, Digital Pigeon or CineSend) on your behalf