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Kodak Introduces Cost-Effective, Asset Protection Film


Sue Smith

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Kodak Introduces Cost-Effective, Asset Protection Film

Stock Offers Content Owners an Affordable New Option on the Only Proven Archival Medium

 

ROCHESTER, NY (August 23, 2012) – In response to the overwhelming industry concern about preserving today’s motion picture and television content long into the future, Kodak has developed an affordable, innovative color film specifically designed for asset protection. The new KODAK Color Asset Protection Film 2332 is optimized for content owners who originate or finish their productions on digital formats and want to protect their valuable media for the future. The stock offers over a century of dye stability when stored in recommended environments and Kodak’s proprietary ESTAR base guarantees high-quality physical performance.

 

“File-based projects often end up stored on tapes or drives, which need to be continually re-mastered or migrated, and run the risk of format obsolescence,” says Kodak’s Kim Snyder, president of Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division. “Our goal was to create an affordable film option designed for content owners working on television programs, independent features and documentaries to assure long-term access and preservation of their valuable content.”

 

KODAK Color Asset Protection Film 2332 is designed for exposure on digital film recorders and processed in standard ECP-2D chemistry. The product is built on current KODAK VISION Color Print Film 2383 technology with formulation changes incorporated to improve long term dye stability. This new film, along with KODAK VISION3 Color Digital Intermediate Film 2254 (which has been available as part of the company’s portfolio since 2010), boast ultra-stable dyes. When Kodak scientists performed tests on the new film, the results indicated dye stability of over a century when stored under recommended conditions, and decades-long performance even in ambient environments.

 

Additional features include improved speed for ease of use on film recorders, and consistent image structure with equivalent sharpness and grain to the 2383 print film.

 

“The industry acknowledges the need for a long-term strategy. The Digital Dilemma reports published by the Science and Technical Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have carefully outlined the risks of digital storage,” adds Snyder. “Film is still the one true archival medium, and this new, economical option provides a long-term solution for a variety of content owners.”

 

Kodak plans to add a black-and-white separation film to their asset protection portfolio later this year, which will join 2332 and 2254 to create a robust platform of archiving options for content owners.

 

KODAK Color Asset Protection Film 2332 is now available in the 35mm format.

 

For more information, technical data on the stock, or to place an order, contact your local Kodak representative or visit www.kodak.com/go/archive.

 

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About Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division

Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division is the world-class leader in providing film, digital and hybrid motion imaging products, services and technology for the entertainment industry. For more information, visit www.kodak.com/go/motion.

Follow Kodak on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KodakMotionPictureFilm), Twitter (@Kodak_ShootFilm) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/KodakShootFilm).

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It is nice to see Kodak releasing new products even under their restructuring. It can only be seen as a positive for their image and for the film community as a whole.

 

I'm also crossing my fingers that the outcome of their patent sale proves to be beneficial for the company. My understanding is that news of the sale, or lack thereof, should come out between today and August 30th.

 

-T

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It is nice to see Kodak releasing new products even under their restructuring. It can only be seen as a positive for their image and for the film community as a whole.

 

I'm also crossing my fingers that the outcome of their patent sale proves to be beneficial for the company. My understanding is that news of the sale, or lack thereof, should come out between today and August 30th.

 

-T

 

 

Yup. Sounds promising. Hoping for the best!

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Well, it seems like they had a meeting today and perhaps because whatever ends up happening with the patent sale -- as it is looking like it may likely be below their expectations, regardless -- they are exploring selling off by mid 2013 their "personalized imaging" businesses, which according to the article would included still camera film. Now, there is no mention of motion picture film being in that mix, and either that may be an oversight, or perhaps that is because it would make sense that motion would be categorized as a 'commercial' versus 'consumer' business. And seeing how it seems like commercial businesses will be their primary focus coming out of the restructuring, that may make sense. I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

You can read all about it below:

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444812704577607700939340864.html

 

"Eastman Kodak Co. EKDKQ -1.21% is exploring the sale of its personalized-imaging and document-imaging businesses, the company said Thursday, as an auction of its digital patents slogs on.

 

The company's chairman and chief executive, Antonio M. Perez, said the planned sales marked "an important step in our company's reorganization to focus our business on the commercial markets and enable Kodak to accelerate its momentum toward emergence" from bankruptcy protection.

 

The document-imaging business includes document and photo scanners as well as software. Personalized imaging includes Kodak's photo kiosk business, photographic paper and still-camera film products. Kodak said it plans on completing a sale by the first half of 2013.

Kodak plans to focus on its commercial, packaging and functional printing-solutions businesses, as well as a business known as enterprise services, the company said.

 

The Journal reported earlier that Kodak could start selling off businesses and try to bring home cash from overseas as part of contingency plans following the result of a prolonged auction of its digital patent portfolio. The auction isn't expected to raise as much cash as Kodak initially hoped, forcing the company to turn find other ways to raise money to repay more than $660 million owed banks including Citigroup Inc. C -2.97% that provided a bankruptcy loan, as well as other creditors.

 

A consortium including Apple Inc., AAPL -0.93% Google Inc., GOOG -0.06% Microsoft Corp. MSFT -0.93% and patent aggregators have been in discussions with Kodak on buying patents. The auction began Aug. 8 with competing investor groups later merging to form one suitor.

Bids have come in all different shapes and sizes. People close to the matter said Kodak appeared close to some kind of deal, though the details remained unclear.

 

Kodak put the 1,100 patents on the block a year ago to raise cash after Chief Executive Perez's strategy of milking the patent portfolio through suits and licensing agreements ran dry. Mr. Perez has been trying to transform Kodak into a company that sells consumer and commercial inkjet printers, moving away from traditional off-the-shelf print film and other older businesses.

 

Kodak exited some of its consumer businesses in February, announcing plans to shut down production of digital cameras, video cameras and digital picture frames. In April, it sold its Kodak Gallery photo sharing website to Shutterfly Inc. SFLY +0.35% for $23.8 million. Kodak's camera business and photosharing site were both unprofitable, according to people familiar with the matter.

 

On Thursday, the 132-year-old photo pioneer called a press briefing with Mr. Perez. Mr. Perez, a former Hewlett-Packard Co. HPQ -8.15% executive, became CEO in 2005. The company only had one profitable year under his leadership, and filed for bankruptcy protection in January after failing to sell its patents to raise much-needed funds."

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Well, it looks like if they were to sell off the above mentioned "personalized imaging" businesses, they would still sell film to the commercial markets (including the movie business). All according to the article below:

 

 

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-23/kodak-to-sell-imaging-units-as-patent-auction-continues

 

"Lazard Ltd. (LAZ) is advising on sales of the units, known as personal imaging and document imaging, which are targeted for completion in the first half of 2013, the Rochester, New York- based company said today in a statement. The sales would leave Kodak selling consumers only inkjet printers, and film just to commercial customers including the movie industry.

The patents for sale relate to the capture, manipulation and sharing of digital images while the kiosks include those used by consumers and by theme parks to capture passengers on rides. Kodak is selling the imaging units and patents to fund a turnaround after seeking Chapter 11 protection in January. At the same time, it’s pursuing a plan to shrink the company and focus less on photography and more on commercial, packaging and functional printing and enterprise services.

“We have to make some tough choices to build our future and this is one of those choices,” Chief Executive Officer Antonio Perez said today on a conference call. “Kodak’s goal is not simply to emerge but obviously to emerge as a profitable, sustainable company and today’s actions are moving us decisively along that path.”

Perez is pushing ahead with the digital patents sale amid legal fights with device makers, including Apple Inc. (AAPL), over the ownership and validity of some of the patents. As bidding continued beyond initial deadlines, Kodak has said it may not sell the patents if retaining them is “in the best interests of the estate.”

Portfolio Decision

“The company reiterates that it has made no decision to sell the portfolio and Kodak may, in consultation with creditors, retain the portfolio as an alternative source of recovery for creditors,” Kodak said today.

 

In court documents, Kodak has said the patents may be worth $2.21 billion to $2.57 billion, based on an estimate by patent advisory firm 284 Partners LLC. Kodak said it has generated more than $3 billion in revenue by licensing some of the digital- imaging patents to users, including Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. (066570), Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Motorola Mobility unit and Nokia Oyj. (NOK1V)

“The path to emergence is becoming clearer for us,” Perez said on the call. “Our patent auction continues, and we are still engaged in discussions around the potential sale of our digital imaging portfolio. Going in we expected this to be a complex process and it has been all of that and more.”

 

Signed Agreements Kodak said in June that 20 parties had signed agreements to view confidential information ahead of potential bids. The identities of unsuccessful bidders will be kept secret under auction rules.

Kodak and its creditors agreed to extend the auction deadline beyond Aug. 13 “in light of continuing discussions with bidders” without providing a revised target date.

 

Kodak filed for bankruptcy after years of burning through cash while digital photography eroded its film business. The company had spent $3.4 billion on restructuring before bankruptcy, including payouts to fire 47,000 employees since 2003, closing 13 factories that produced film, paper and chemicals, and 130 photo laboratories.

 

The bankruptcy case is In re Eastman Kodak Co., 12-10202, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan)."

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As I understand it, the personal imaging is the consumer side of films... still in this case, and vacation kiosks, put your picture on mug ect. This will probably kill the "Max" film, that b/w C41 film, if they even still make that. stuff like Porta, Elite Chrome, ect I think will be fine.

This is all conjecture as who will know what parts of the company they'll shuffle 'round before they sell. Motion picture, however, will probably be one of the last things they get rid of, as as far as I know, it makes them money.

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Kodak Introduces Cost-Effective, Asset Protection Film

Stock Offers Content Owners an Affordable New Option on the Only Proven Archival Medium

 

This also, once again, neatly highlights the inherent weakness which those involved with digital imagery never wish to acknowledge.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19366113?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=

 

eeek! No more medium format film? Fark that's sad.

 

They'll be continuing the production, but they are looking for a buyer. And to be honest, I think this might be the best thing to happen to Kodak still film -- this way there is at least the possibility that some smaller company dedicated to film business will buy it and take good care of it. Under current Kodak CEO there are no great things promised for film: it's printers and commercial printing he sees as the future of Kodak.

 

So I for one hope for the best -- something that happened to Ilford bw films (was bought by Harman and is now thriving).

 

And yes: commercial film doesn't include any still film. Only such things as medical films, aerial photography, and industrial imaging.

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Statement released by Kodak on CML:

 

"Please be assured that Kodak's motion picture films are not part of this announcement. Motion Picture will remain with the company as the largest driver of film manufacturing volume. Film manufacturing is not included in the sale. It will remain within the Graphics, Entertainment and Commercial Films group, including consumer and professional still film.

 

In addition to manufacturing film, we are pursuing market demands that will utilise our technologies for a variety of alternative and exciting products. This includes Functional Printing applications as well as Thin Film and Specialty Chemicals growth opportunities.

 

And if you haven't caught up with this news yet, we have just launched a new Kodak Asset Protection Film, an affordable, innovative color film solution optimised for content owners who originate or finish their productions on digital formats and want to protect their valuable media for the future.

 

http://motion.kodak.com/motion…../index.htm

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Below is a link to a research report on the 'Functional Printing' prospective markets. It is very detailed, but you get the idea that this is part of the lucrative commercial market that Kodak is trying to capture coming out of restructuring. It seems very plausible that they can do well here. And it also, perhaps, gives the current Kodak management some credit for what they are trying to do. As it seems that many of us are probably ignorant in our thinking that Kodak is trying to just make consumer inkjet printers and cartridges and turn around the company that way. It seems promising that if Kodak can cut the fat and become a leaner company, that they have a chance if things start to line up for them. There is no doubt they have some of the best chemical scientist working for them and talent in those areas in spades.

 

Link to 19 page report:

 

http://www.flextech.org/documents/nanomarkets_reports/InkJetPrinting_ES.pdf

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This also, once again, neatly highlights the inherent weakness which those involved with digital imagery never wish to acknowledge.

 

And lets not forget that film is format agnostic. It can always be retransferred to the latest greatest digital innovation, usually with an increase in quality.

Films made in the 60's and 70's that get retransferred decades later seem to hold up quite nicely even on newer and better HD formats.

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And lets not forget that film is format agnostic. It can always be retransferred to the latest greatest digital innovation, usually with an increase in quality.

Films made in the 60's and 70's that get retransferred decades later seem to hold up quite nicely even on newer and better HD formats.

 

I made a 16mm short and had the negative transferred to HD. It was projected on the big screen via Blu-Ray and looked utterly AMAZING. And tha's just 16mm.

 

In my opinion, for Hollywood to just do away with film would be extremely foolish. It is still the only format that is tried and tested for every step of the filmmaking process.

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