Microsoft to Screen Film in Digital Format

Microsoft Corp. is expected to announce today that the independent horror film “Wendigo” will be screened at two theaters in March in the Windows Media digital video format.

The distributors of the movie--ContentFilm and Magnolia Pictures--plan to compress the film into a Windows Media file and transmit it digitally to theaters in Seattle and Dallas, where it will be shown via a digital projector.

Microsoft’s format is much more compact than the emerging standard for digital cinema files, which makes Windows Media films less expensive to transmit and store. But critics say one trade-off is in picture quality.

Microsoft is targeting independent film distributors, which may be most receptive to the company’s low-cost approach.

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Jon Healey