01Delivered
The filmmaker runs a package check before delivery.
DCP Validation for Film Festivals
DCPs should just play.
DCP Gateway catches package-level problems that can stop a cinema-server ingest: missing files, broken XML references, size mismatches, and failed hashes. It flags them before the package reaches your projection booth.
The Problem
Festival inspectors aren't DCP engineers. They shouldn't have to be.
Some of the most preventable failures happen before projection: package XML that will not parse, assets missing from the ASSETMAP, truncated copies, and files whose SHA-1 hashes no longer match the packing list. A local pre-check can surface these package-integrity problems early.
[ PICTURE ]
Picture asset references
Confirms that picture assets referenced by the CPL are represented in the packing list and present in the selected folder.
[ AUDIO ]
Sound asset references
Confirms that sound assets referenced by the CPL resolve to files included in the package.
[ SUBTITLES ]
Subtitle asset references
Flags subtitle references that do not resolve through the packing list. It does not test subtitle rendering or sync.
[ PACKAGE ]
Metadata & packaging
Parses ASSETMAP, PKL, and CPL XML; checks cross-references, declared file sizes, missing assets, and optional SHA-1 hashes.
The Fix
One gate, in front of every submission you accept.
DCP Gateway sits between your submission portal and your projection booth. Filmmakers select the DCP folder in a local browser utility that checks XML structure, required asset references, declared file sizes, and optional SHA-1 hashes. Nothing is uploaded. This is a package pre-check, not MXF essence decoding or full SMPTE Bv2.1 conformance.
You get a clear pass/fail report per title, days before your screening. Not an hour before.
See how it worksWhat we check
ASSETMAP / PKL / CPL XMLReferenced file presenceDeclared file sizesCPL-to-PKL referencesOptional SHA-1 integritySMPTE / Interop naming
The Process
From delivery to acceptance.
A clear workflow. Reliable results.
02Checked
Automated local checks test XML structure, referenced assets, declared sizes, and optional SHA-1 hashes.
03Reviewed
Exceptions surface in a plain-language technical manifest.
04Accepted
The festival receives a clear result before the projection booth.
Who It's For
Studio-standard checks, at festival budgets.
A film that plays correctly is not a premium feature. Every festival deserves the technical confidence a studio mastering house gives its releases, and the cost of that confidence should scale with the size of the festival rather than gate it. We price on how many films you program.
For Festivals
Put a package pre-check in front of your submission pipeline. Each DCP can be checked locally before your team handles it, with a clear record of structural and file-integrity results.
Learn more →For Filmmakers
Check your package before you submit it. The local check runs in your browser, costs nothing, and tells you in plain English what a festival would send back.
Learn more →