Richard Craig Lissaman of Calgary has become the first Canadian convicted under new movie pirating legislation for his decision to film the movie “Sweeney Todd” at a local movie theater last year.
Lissaman pleaded guilty on Friday and was sentenced to 12 months probation and a large fine of $1500 CAD.
The guilty party is now also banned from going to any movie theater as well as from owning video recording equipment (including a cell phone with the capability) while he is on probation.
Judge Skene said that Lissman’s crime was comparable to someone shoplifitng a cart of meat knowing that they will resell it for a profit.
“You can say he and his pals will watch the movie, but he has an item that is more supportive of taking something to be used to make a profit,” said the judge.
“It’s not a simple theft of an item for personal consumption.”
The motion picture industry was delighted by the ruling and admitted they spent six months investigating before having the authorities arrest Lissaman.
“Canada is a hotbed of movie pirating, which is a billion-dollar loss to the movie industry,” Mark Christiansen, executive vice-president of operations for Paramount Picture’s motion picture distribution.
“The perception is that Hollywood stars are the only ones hurt by this, but it affects everybody who works in theatres.”
Virginia Jones, director of policy and legal affairs for the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association, added, “We would have liked to see jail time, sending a stronger message. We hope this is just a starting point.”
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Result for: movie theater
Showing at its booth at the High End trade show in Munich, Pioneer has unveiled its latest HD projector, the KURO KRF-9000FD home theater projector.
The “Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) KRF-9000FD is capable of displaying 1920×1080 pixel progressive video at sizes up to 14.5 by just over 8 feet.” This is comparable to a 200 inch TV with even the minimum projected image about equivalent to a 60-inch TV screen.
The unit also uses a 2x motorized zoom lens allowing large images to be displayed in smaller rooms. The unit also boasts an impressive contrast ratio, 30,000:1. Another plus is Pioneer’s focus n reproducing true blacks, which is seen in all its KURO line.
The company also claims great flexibility, “thanks to a lens that allows 80% vertical and 34% horizontal adjustments without affecting the image, leaving it square on the wall or screen. The native aspect ratio is 16:9 and movie theater-like 2.35:1 is supported. Brightness is rated at 600 ANSI lumens.”
There are two HDMI ports, and one component, composite and S-Video, as well as a PC-friendly RS-232C jack.
The projector will be available in Europe next month for about 8000 euro, and there is no word on a North American release yet.
Result for: movie theater
After announcing the TV late last year, Sharp has finally begun selling the largest single panel HDTV on the planet, the LB-1085’s which stands at 108 inches diagonally. The company says the display is designed for public, outdoor use, and has a rich picture that at 1080p results in 76 million colors. In comparison, most commercial LCDs reach almost 17 million.
As is standard with all Sharp displays, the LB-1085 will have three HDMI connections, dual component inputs, one S-video, dual RCA connections, and computer input through both a DVI video port and a minijack input. For sound the TV is equipped with dual 15W speakers under the monitor.
The TV will go on sale in Japan in early July and already has one buyer, the Shinjuku Piccadilly movie theater. Other countries including the US will have soon have the chance to purchase the TV, for approximately $101,000 USD but it was unclear whether the build-to-order TV would be sold to individual customers or just companies.
