Qube Cinema is a provider of end-to-end digital cinema technology and solutions. The company draws on decades of experience in cinema and provides a seamless digital environment for exhibitors, filmmakers and post-production companies with DCI compliant products that are flexible, reliable and cost-effective.
The Qube product line is well established globally, with about 7,000 installations across 48 countries so far and has digital cinema operations in 4,000 cinema screens across India which is almost 42% of Indian screens.
Qube Cinema has been a leading provider of technology in the film, video and audio domains and has pioneered several technology revolutions over the last three decades. The company was instrumental in bringing computer-based digital non-linear editing to India with Avid Technology, transforming the industry and forever changing the way Indian film and television programs were edited. The company subsequently brought digital cinema sound to India with DTS and helped Indian cinema leapfrog a generation, form mono sound directly to digital.
Milestones
2023
Qube Cinema appoints Juhi Ravindranath as Chief Business Officer.
Dolby chooses Qube as its exclusive and authorized service partner in India.
Qube Wire partners with Goldenduck to bring electronic delivery to Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Qube Cinema and Broadway Cinemas launch Tamil Nadu’s first EPIQ – Premium Large Format Cinema in Coimbatore.
Qube Cinema kicks off research initiatives with Qube Labs.
Annapurna Studios and Qube Cinema launch state-of-the-art virtual production stage in Hyderabad.
2022
PVR Cinemas selects Qube Wire for electronic content delivery to over 850 screens across India.
Qube Wire partners with Mega Filem Enterprise to operate an electronic delivery network across movie theatres in Malaysia & Brunei.
Qube Cinema introduces the Virtual WireTAP.
Qube Cinema introduces WireTAP Air, a theatre appliance, for content delivery to theatres via 4G & 5G networks.
2021
SS Theatres LLP, the investment arm of SPI Group of companies makes major investment in Qube Cinema, buying out existing investors. Kiran Reddy appointed as key shareholder.
2020
Senthil Kumar, Co-founder of Qube Cinema, is invited to be a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Qube Wire rolls out electronic delivery across nearly all the major chains in the Middle East and begins content delivery for the major Studios in the region.
Qube Wire delivers Christopher Nolan’s Tenet (English, 2020) to theatres across the Middle East just as theatres reopen post the COVID-19 lockdown.
2019
The National Company Law Tribunal in Mumbai does not permit the combination with UFO Moviez to proceed and the merger is called off.
Qube expands its electronic delivery footprint in Malaysia by signing up MBO Cinemas & Lotus Five Star Cinemas for chain-wide WireTAP installs.
Qube Wire rolls out electronic delivery in India, across multiple chains and independents.
Qube Wire rolls out electronic delivery in Australia & New Zealand. Begins installation across Village Cinemas and several independents in Australia.
Qube Wire partners with Scrabble Digital to roll out content delivery services and electronic delivery in the Middle East. WireTAP installs begin across Vox Cinemas.
Qube Wire rolls out electronic delivery in Brazil. Teams up with Auwe Digital as the in-country partner.
2018
During his acceptance speech at the 2018 Oscars, Jonathan Erland, recipient of the Gordon E Sawyer Award, acknowledges Qube’s contribution to his work on frame rates and expanding the cinema palette.
Qube Wire introduces electronic delivery with Qube WireTAP appliances. Installs its first appliance in Malaysia.
The New York Indian Film Festival selects Qube Cinema’s Qube Wire platform for content distribution and delivery.
Argentina's Mar Del Plata Film Festival chooses Qube Wire for content distribution and delivery.
Cinemex, the leading Mexican cinema chain, begins using Qube Wire to manage and publish its Trusted Device List (TDL) to key management service providers, along with Qube Wire's Universal Inbox to receive all keys through a universal email and route it automatically to the right screen.
Qube Cinema receives an important US and other international patents for its unique HDCP whitelisting security implementation.
2017
Qube Wire delivers its first movie, the multi-lingual blockbuster Baahubali 2 (Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, 2017) across the world in record time through its local partners in each territory.
Qube Cinema Technologies signs a definitive merger agreement with UFO Moviez Ltd.
2016
QubeMaster Pro is installed at Warner Brothers Post-production in both LA and London offices.
Moviebuff launches Moviebuff YouTube channels for the promotion of Indian regional language movies.
Moviebuff launches Moviebuff First Clap, India’s first theatrical talent hunt for aspiring filmmakers.
KeySmith is rebranded as Qube Wire with the inclusion of worldwide content delivery through local partners in each territory.
Qube Wire debuts its dedicated festival module to manage DCPs and KDMs for movie screenings at the 47th International Film Festival (IFFI), India’s largest film festival.
2015
Qube Wire’s security design wins the Silver Award at the prestigious 2015 RSA Conference.
2014
The Qube XP-I server demonstrates its tech prowess and plays The Hobbit (English, 2014) in HFR at a number of key locations worldwide, including the movie’s grand cast and crew premiere in New Zealand.
The company launches Justickets, an incredibly fast and highly scalable movie ticketing website and mobile apps.
Qube Cinema Technologies achieves ISO 27001 standards compliance across its entire digital cinema mastering, content management & licensing process.
Real Image sets up Real Image ME for digital cinema and OTT mastering, and localisation of Arabic content in partnership with Front Row Entertainment.
Qube Cinema launches Qube KeySmith – a digital key management and reporting application.
2013
The company launches Moviebuff, an exhaustive movie metadata website that includes all content made in India and provides an API layer for other services to use this information.
In a world first, the Qube XP-I server synchronizes playback to 5 DCI projectors at Comic Con International in San Diego, delivering a series of stunning presentations while rigorously enforcing the DCI compliant security model, and utilising a single standards-compliant DCP.
2012
The Qube XP-I digital cinema system streams TRUE 4K 3D to two 4K projectors from a single server, an industry first, at the Giant Screen Cinema Association’s Digital Symposium in Galveston, Texas.
The Qube Cinema TRUE 4K 3D system is installed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, one of the largest screens in the United States.
Qube achieves DCI compliance for the Qube XP-I Server and Qube Xi 4K Integrated Media Block.
Qube Cinema completes the digital upgrade at the Kuwait National Cinema Company with 39 screens installed with Qube XP-D servers and Barco projectors.
2011
Qube Cinema introduces the Qube Xi 4K Integrated Media Block at the CinemaCon Show in Las Vegas. This revolutionary product includes support for 4K resolution, stereoscopic 3D and High Frame Rates up to 120 fps.
Qube Cinema showcases QubeMaster Xport at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. The software provides digital cinema package creation capabilities within Apple’s Final Cut Studio product line.
Qube Cinema continues its tradition of serving La Biennale di Venezia, the Venice film festival.
Qube Cinema unveils QubeMaster Xpress 2 at the IBC Show in Amsterdam. This Windows software product provides fast and easy digital cinema package creation for non-technical people.
2010
Qube launches a cost-effective yet secure non-DCI 3D digital cinema server that makes stereoscopic digital cinema accessible to independent and regional filmmakers.
Qube Cinema enhances its digital cinema mastering software, QubeMaster Pro with faster than real-time digital cinema package creation, the first DCP creation system in the world to achieve this milestone.
Barco partners with Real Image to usher in a new era in digital cinema projection in India.
Guzaarish (Hindi, 2010) becomes the first Hindi feature to be mastered in 4K resolution. This was mastered and released by Qube and using its QubeMaster Pro software.
2009
Real Image works on Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru (Tamil, 2009), the first Indian feature that was completely shot using digital cameras and released only in digital cinemas.
DTS Digital Cinema and Qube Cinema form a strategic sales and marketing alliance to offer a co-branded digital cinema server.
Qube excels as the digital cinema partner at the 66th Venice International Film Festival with Qube XP-D servers in all screens at the Venice Lido.
The Qube XP-D digital cinema server is selected by D-Cinema Korea as part of a rollout across CGV locations in Korea.
Indian cinema pirates are caught using Qube's forensic watermarking to identify the cinema that pirated the movies Dostana (Hindi, 2009) and Maharathi (Hindi, 2009).
The Qube advertising network is branded and launched as the Qube Cinema Network to emphasize the wide reach of the platform.
2008
Real Image works on Margazhi Raagam (2008), India’s first concert movie. This was distributed to theatres across the world exclusively as a digital cinema package.
Scrabble Entertainment chooses Qube’s digital cinema servers and mastering services for its digital cinema rollout in India.
Australia's Sun Theatre chooses Qube servers for its historic Melbourne location. This is in partnership with Digital Cinema Network.
Qube Cinema provides content mastering services and digital cinema systems for the 65th Venice International Film Festival with over 300 hours of content projected digitally at the Palazzo del Cinema.
Real Image is granted two key patents in centrally controlled, remotely played advertising, both in India and the United States.
Nomura invests in Real Image to help fund the Indian rollout of digital cinema.
2007
Qube Cinema introduces forensic watermarking and 3D playback capability in its digital cinema servers.
Qube Cinema announces QubeVault, an archival solution for digital cinema content.
The Kuwait National Cinema Company and Qube Cinema partner to bring DCI digital cinema to the Gulf Region.
The Qube XP-D DCI Compliant Digital Cinema Server is installed at BAFTA’s screening room in the UK.
Sathyam Cinemas selects Qube for all screens of its flagship multiplex at Chennai, equipping all six screens with Qube XP-D DCI Compliant digital cinema servers and Barco DP-100 DLP Cinema™ projectors.
Guru (Hindi, 2007) becomes India's first film to be mastered and released as a DCI JPEG2000 digital cinema package and the first Indian feature to be shown internationally on digital cinema during its grand premiere in Toronto with cast and crew.
Sivaji – the Boss (Tamil, 2007), mastered and released by Qube, achieves distinction as India’s first 4K theatrical release.
Qube Cinema strengthens European presence and reports key sales in Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic.
Cisco and Reliance Capital also invest in Real Image as a continuation of the round of investment by Intel Capital.
2006
Qube Cinema installs digital cinema servers across Landmark Theatres in the US and plays an integral role in the release of Steven Soderbergh’s Bubble (English, 2006). This was the first movie release day-and-date on both home video and theatrically.
Qube Cinema adds JPEG2000 playback capability to its digital cinema platform, taking a major step towards compliance with the DCI Specification released a year earlier by Digital Cinema Initiatives.
Qube strengthens European presence through additional resellers in Czech Republic, Spain and Italy.
E-City Digital Cinemas chooses Qube digital cinema systems and solutions for their 500-screen digital cinema roll out in Western India.
Pudhupettai (Tamil, 2006), mastered and released by Qube Cinema, becomes the first Indian movie released in D-Cinema as a MPEG-2 Interop digital cinema package.
Krrish (Hindi, 2006), again mastered and released by Qube Cinema, becomes the first Hindi language movie released in D-Cinema.
Intel Capital invests in Real Image to help expand the company’s technology efforts and international presence.
2005
Real Image sets up RedeCine, the world’s first movie-on-demand cinema network in partnership with Bartholomeu Digital Cinema and Gigalink in Portugal after winning the order against worldwide competition. The RedeCine Network consisted of 20 theatres and was operated by the Institute of Cinema and Multimedia under the Portuguese Ministry of Culture.
Qube rolls out commercial digital cinema systems in 35 screens across Tamil Nadu, releasing two blockbuster movies, Chandramukhi (Tamil, 2005) and Mumbai Xpress (Tamil, 2005). Chandramukhi went on to run for over 100 days in multiple screens using the Qube digital cinema system.
Abirami Mega Mall in Chennai installs the Qube digital cinema system on all screens and becomes India's first all-digital cinema complex.
Disney's Chicken Little (English, 2005) is the first Hollywood Studio film played on the Qube digital cinema system, thus bringing the company into the elite D-Cinema club of Studio approved products.
Real Image introduces the concept of a centrally controlled digital cinema advertising network.
2004
The Qube digital cinema system was installed at Chennai’s AVM Rajeswari theatre on the 100th day of the hit movie Perazhagan (Tamil, 2004) and continued to flawlessly play the movie digitally for a further 100 days, thus establishing the reliability and quality of digital cinema to the movie industry.
Intel's then CEO Craig Barrett features actor Kamal Haasan along with Real Image Co-founder Senthil Kumar and discusses the Qube digital cinema server as an outstanding product from India during his keynote at an event in New Delhi.
Streetedge and Novastar invest in Real Image to help the company expand its technology development efforts.
2003
Real Image introduces Qube Digital Cinema, an end-to-end solution for mastering, distribution and exhibition of movies that vastly improves quality and consistency while offering improved economics to the industry.
2000
Media Artists and Real Image demonstrate the potential to mix a feature film entirely within a computer using Avid Pro Tools for the ultimate in precision and creative flexibility.
Media Artists receives the National Award for Best Audio for Mani Ratnam's Dil Se (Hindi, 1998).
Real Image launches QJam, a centrally controlled interactive digital jukebox in cafes across India.
1999
Real Image partners with Barco to show a comparison of digital cinema and film projection, playing content from the movie Dil Se (Hindi, 1998) on a prototype Barco DLP Cinema projector at Mumbai’s Aurora cinema as part of the MAMI Film Festival. This was the first showing of digital cinema in India.
1998
Real Image introduces virtual set production with Orad and helps Indian television go on air with real news from virtual environments.
1997
Real Image and Navodaya work together to complete the restoration and re-release of India’s first 3D feature film, My Dear Kuttichathan (Malayalam, 1984) with DTS sound. This becomes the world’s first 3D feature film with digital sound.
1996
Real Image and Ayngaran International work together to release Karuppu Roja (Tamil, 1996), the first Indian feature film with DTS digital sound.
Media Artists receives the Tamil Nadu Government’s award for Best Audio for this film.
1995
Real Image signs an agreement with Digital Theater Systems to license the DTS digital cinema sound format for the Indian market and thus help India leapfrog from mono sound directly to digital surround sound.
Real Image demonstrates DTS digital cinema sound to Indian exhibitors and rolls out systems to the first 20 theatres in the country.
1994
Media Artists receives the National Award for Best Audio for Mahanadhi (Tamil, 1994).
Media Artists does the audio post-production and final mix for Mani Kaul’s Cloud Door (German, 1994), the first film to be mixed in Dolby Stereo in India.
1993
Real Image introduces the concept of computer-based digital non-linear editing into the Indian film and broadcast industries and brings Avid Technology’s Media Composer to the Indian market.
Real Image and Raaj Kamal Films International work together on Mahanadhi (Tamil, 1994), the first feature film to be edited on a non-linear editing system outside the United States.
1986
Media Artists was established as an audio post-production company.