China will try digital movies in rural areas, with 1,200 digital movie system (DMS) machines being delivered to eight provinces in October.
"Due to the low cost of DMS developed by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT), rural audiences can enjoy high-quality digital movies for only a few yuan," said Mao Yu, vice director of the SARFT digital program management center.
According to the SARFT, the test will cover 16 cities in eight provinces. Each village will be allocated one DMS set.
"To carry out the plan nationwide we would need 100,000 to 200,000 DMS sets," a SARFT source said.
"Watching movies is still one of the chief means of entertainment for farmers in China," said Zhang Hongsen, deputy director of the SARFT movie department.
He said China aims to boost the rural movie industry during the country's 11th Five Year Plan starting 2006.
(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2006)
