Y2K-Type Tech Issue Could Impact Many Cinemas in the Coming Weeks; Here's The Rub and What To Do

A Y2K-type of technical issue that if not addressed has the potential to see a large number of theater auditoriums go dark has some cinema insiders in what one source describes as “well deserved panic,” particularly with the upcoming releases of tentpoles such as Wicked: For Good. Others report progress and are optimistic, pointing out that affected exhibitors still have time to address the issue. This is why a growing number of companies, organizations and individuals are spreading the word.

Here’s the rub and what to do if you are affected: Certain early models of media servers—hardware that is required to securely play movies on digital projectors in theaters—carry certification dates for when the tech is secure and may be used, and they are soon to reach their expiration date. In order to continue to play movies after that date, each such server requires a “certificate extension,” which is not unlike a software upgrade. John Hurst of Cinecert, a DCI compliance test lab, estimates that there may be 50,000 such servers worldwide with expiration dates before the end of the year, with the vast majority expiring November 30.

“What’s unique about this, is this is super-old legacy equipment,” explains another source, “so if they do not update their certificates in time, they won’t be able to ever update the system or run it. So it would be completely inoperable.”

Some insiders worry that if they are not updated in large numbers, that could impact upcoming releases such as Universal’s Wicked: for Good (which opens Nov. 21) and Disney’s Avatar: Fire and Ash (Dec. 19). As these older server models are often found in smaller theaters, others suggest it could have greater impact on independent movies. The early servers may be two decades old, so it may be the case where affected cinema auditoriums would be those with Xenon-based projectors, not newer laser systems.

With weeks to go, it’s not evident how many such auditoriums still require this extension. One source says fewer than 50% of these servers have been reported as updated, though the source adds that it’s unclear how many more have been upgraded but simply not reported.

Dolby shared the following statement to The Creative + Tech Orbit: “We have seen progress on certificate extension and continue to work closely with the industry to encourage exhibitors to update their certificates. From what we are seeing, we remain confident that these updates continue to progress and we have mechanisms in place to follow up with parties who haven’t updated their certificates to help them hit their deadlines. For those who haven’t updated their certificates, we recommend working with your qualified service provider to update the software on your units to the latest versions viable on the Dolby Customer portal.”

It is understood that Dolby began to alert customers of the situation in 2023 while some additional tech companies, domestic and international industry user groups, studios (directly or indirectly) and individuals, as well as Cinema United (the theater owners org behind CinemaCon) have joined the effort to spread the word.

According to Dolby memos to customers, the DCP2000, DCP2K4, Doremi IMB, Doremi IMS1000, or Dolby IMS2000 servers are the models with certificates designed to expire November 30. “The servers must be updated before the certificates expire; otherwise, they will permanently stop functioning and cannot be restored to operation,” explains a Dolby customer memo that went out this week, which shares further procedural information including how to check if a server requires the update and, if needed, how to reach customer support.

The installation packages for the certification update have a new expiration date of January 14, 2038, according to Dolby materials.