DCP Delivery — Fast, Secure, and Festival-Approved
Choose How You Deliver Your DCP
At DCPready, we offer two fully supported delivery options — both designed to meet professional cinema requirements and minimize your stress before screening day.
Cloud Delivery — Instant and Secure
Perfect for festivals, distributors, or screenings that accept digital transfers.
- Fast upload and verified transfer — your Digital Cinema Package is checked, zipped, and sent through a secure cloud link.
- Integrity-verified — we confirm checksums so your DCP arrives identical to the mastered version.
- Reusable storage — we can safely host your DCP for future festival submissions or re-deliveries.
- No shipping delays or customs issues — your film reaches the projection booth faster.
Ideal for: festival submissions, distributors, and international deliveries.
Physical Delivery — Drives Prepared to Cinema Spec
Some cinemas and festivals still require a physical DCP on a formatted drive.
We prepare, test, and ship your DCP following ISDCF and DCI guidelines for maximum compatibility.
- Drives formatted in EXT2, EXT3, or EXT4 (as required by the cinema’s tech sheet)
- CRU / DX115 drive preparation available for professional cinema servers
- USB 3.0 drives supported for most ingest workflows
- Drive labeling and ISDCF naming convention for easy projection booth handling
- Checksum verification before shipment
- Worldwide tracked shipping with fast turnaround (24–48 h typical)
Every drive is tested and confirmed ready for ingest — so your DCP plays the first time, every time.
What’s Included in Every DCP Delivery
When to Choose Cloud vs. Hard Drive
Not sure which you need? We’ll review your festival or cinema tech sheet and handle it for you.
Why Filmmakers Trust DCPready
- Hands-on experience — we run a cinema and a film festival, so we know how projection teams work.
- Technical precision — all DCPs are verified for format, frame rate, color space, and drive compatibility.
- Global reach — cloud and physical delivery anywhere, adapted to your deadline.
- Personal support — real humans, quick answers, no technical guesswork.
- Future-proof workflow — we safely archive your DCP for future screenings or re-delivery.
Olga M.
"I find DCP creation the most stressful part of the whole filmmaking process and always just prefer a post house to do it."
Kyle G.
I just got accepted to my first film festival and had to teach myself what a DCP is. DCPReady made the full process easy
Gus R.
Creating a DCP with DCPReady gave my film access to festivals that would have been out of reach otherwise
David D.
This is so awesome and can't wait to dive in. We saw the cinema recording DCPReady provide us as real theatre QC and looks amazing
Frank H.
I'm really very grateful for the work you've done and I can't thank you enough, as I've stretched the limits of my efforts on the film and its small budget
Cristina L
It was my first time creating a DCP, and seeing my film on the big screen looked incredible.
Pricing & Turnaround
- Cloud delivery — included with Digital Cinema Package mastering or available standalone.
- Physical delivery — custom quote depending on file size, including drive formatting, QC, and tracked shipping.
- CRU/DX115 delivery — available upon request with professional carrier and case.
Turnaround: typically within 24–48 h after approval.
How It Works
- Send your DCP (or let us master it for you).
- Select delivery method — cloud or physical drive.
- We format, verify, and test your DCP following DCI standards.
- Delivery confirmation: secure link or shipping tracking sent to you.
- Your film is ready for projection — no surprises on screening day.
FAQs
What hard drive format should I use for a DCP?
Most cinemas request EXT2 or EXT3 drives. If not specified, we’ll recommend the safest option for ingestion.
Can I deliver my DCP on a USB drive?
Yes. Many cinemas accept USB 3.0 drives. We’ll verify the cinema’s requirements before preparing your drive.
Do I need a CRU/DX115 carrier?
Only if the projection booth uses a CRU bay system. We can prepare and ship a fully mounted CRU kit when needed.
Is it safer to send my DCP online?
Absolutely. Our secure cloud delivery ensures your DCP is checksum-verified and encrypted, avoiding customs and delays.
What if my festival only accepts physical drives?
We handle that too. We prepare your EXT-formatted drive, label it per ISDCF specs, and ship it with tracking worldwide.
How large can a DCP be for online delivery?
We support large DCP packages (up to several hundred GB) with optimized compression and verified transfer integrity.
Why is DCP so expensive?
Because a DCP isn’t just a video file — it’s a professionally mastered cinema package that meets strict DCI standards. It requires specialized encoding (JPEG 2000), audio mastering, and quality control to ensure perfect playback in digital projection systems. At DCPready, we streamline this process to keep costs fair while maintaining full theatrical quality.
Can you convert DCP to MP4?
Technically yes, but it’s not recommended for projection use. Converting a DCP to MP4 removes the high bit depth, uncompressed audio, and cinema-grade color space that make DCPs suitable for theatrical playback. However, DCPready can create MP4 preview files from your DCP for marketing or private review purposes.