Delegates from theSingaporean government's Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) are negotiatingwith Hollywood studios for the first cross-continent digital transmission (CCTx)of a full-length feature.

IDA officers and a host of partners including projection pioneer Christie,Dell, Texas Instruments, University of Southern California's EntertainmentTechnology Centre, Thomson Technicolor, and 1-Net recently transmitted digitaltrailers for Elektra, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and Star Wars: Episode III in a pilot project from the Digital CinemaLaboratory in Culver City, California, to Singapore-based 1-Net data centre.

The 3.3GB digital content file was then delivered via a managed ATM fibrestructure to Christie's Singapore site and played back from a XDC CinestoreSolo Server with Omega Decoder through a Christie CP2000 Digital Cinemaprojector.

The plan is to extend Singapore's status under its Digital Exchange programmeinto a digital Asian hub that will transmit content through to regional markets.

"The CCTx paves the way for a complete viable model that allows studios todeliver content digitally to Singapore, securely store it, localise it, andthen distribute it to the region," Hock Yun Khoong, assistant chief executive,industry, IDA, said in a statement.

"As a Digital Exchange, Singapore has the capability to ensure reliable andaccountable management, processing and distribution of digital content andassets from United States to the rest of Asia. The pilot is also attractingmore industry partners and support to address the issues facing digitaldelivery."

"We're very pleased that our Singapore-based digital screening facility withour CP Series projector has been selected as the official research site forthis industry-wide CCTx initiative," Christie director of sales Gordon Tay saidin a statement.

"By working jointly with some of the leading names in the cinema community,we're glad to be able to actively contribute to the evolution ofcross-continent digital transfer developments using our latest projectiontechnology."

To date more than 13 firs run digital features have screened in Singapore'sdigital cinemas, including Shark Tale, The Incredibles, Kung Fu Hustle, and National Treasure.