Duplitech Relies on Cintel Scanner 2 for HDR Film Scanning

Blackmagic Design today announced that Duplitech, one of L.A.’s most respected independent media service labs, is using a host of Blackmagic Design gear, including Cintel Scanner 2 for high dynamic range (HDR) film scanning. Duplitech found that Cintel Scanner 2 performs exceptionally well on 16mm film, having recently worked with the element while onboarding the “Blondie” television series from the 1950s.
Duplitech provides a full range of content delivery solutions from encoding, authoring and disc production, to in house film scanning, color grading and restoration, technical editing and asset conform, standards conversion and more. In addition to Cintel Scanner 2, Duplitech uses DaVinci Resolve Studio for editing and SDR/HDR color grading, DaVinci Resolve Micro Panels, Teranex 2D Processor standards converter, Videohub router and Mini Converters Audio to SDI, with UltraStudio and DeckLink capture and playback devices rounding out the workflow.
Cintel Scanner 2 has processed more than 500 reels of film, and as COO Steven Johnson noted, it allows them to quickly test different elements during curation, including release prints, IPs, original camera negatives (OCNs), interpositives and more.
“Cintel Scanner 2 has proven to be a versatile and cost effective performer in our film department. We've relied heavily on it to evaluate and process hundreds of film elements, from OCNs to release prints, while curating film collections for our customers. It allows us to quickly onboard and evaluate these elements, identifying which ones can be used to assemble a gold master for restoration,” he said.
“Scanning interpositives are a core business for us, and Cintel Scanner 2’s HDR capability has been a game changer,” said Film Department Manager Blake Blasingame. “It makes virtually any element scannable and brings it to a usable level. Interpositives and release prints from 20 and 40 years ago are denser than the ones being made today, and HDR has opened the doors to scan and preserve those elements.”
“HDR captures much more of the element’s data, and Cintel Scanner 2’s improved latitude has been a major feature for us. It allows us to retain a wider range of color detail and a more accurate representation of the original film projection,” added Johnson. “We are an Ultra HD Blu-ray authoring house as well, and with Blu-ray, the output goes to physical media, which has a much higher quality demand than digital. Blu-ray is also a collector’s market, so the stakes are even higher. If it wasn’t for Cintel Scanner 2, we couldn't cost effectively work in HDR and deliver this content.”
According to CEO Tony Cunha, “Blackmagic Design shares similar DNA to Duplitech. We are both pursuing the most cost efficient process while maintaining high quality standards, breaking down barriers and making it easier for content owners and distributors to bring content to market. For many years we used Blackmagic Design gear in our workflow, and when we heard about the Cintel acquisition, we were really excited. We thought, ‘Here’s another industry that Blackmagic Design is disrupting by recreating the rules."