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MAUMEE -- The world of cinema in the Toledo area is about to take a giant leap forward into the digital age. 

Rave Motion Pictures, which owns most of the movie screens in the Toledo area and 12 other states, is upgrading its theatres from the old standard of 35 mm film to the new digital technology of computer hard drives. The  move has already taken place at the Fallen Timbers theatres in Maumee. 

Jeremy Devine, the VP of Marketing for Rave tells NBC 24 that this new generation of technology will actually improve the movie viewing experience and will mean enhanced entertainment options for the future.It will also make life easier for the movie theatres and the operators.  No longer will the projectionist have to cart around those hefty 50 pound reels of film, but instead will work with a two-pound hard drive that holds all of the content for a major feature film. When those hard drives are loaded into a digital projector, the operator only has to hit a button to choose whether it will show the movie in 3-D or a variety of other format options. Devine says it also means that movie theatres will be able to easily  increase their capacity to meet demand because every projector can be loaded with any movie so  they can add auditoriums for a movie's run if there is enough demand.  Devine says Rave will changeover Franklin Park Cinema and Levis Commons within the next few months.  

The digital technology not only means easier access for theatres to the increasing number of 3-D titles being produced but will also allow theatre's to offer live entertainment in 3-D, such a sports, and music concerts.  In fact, the Fallen Timbers Mall theatres will soon feature a series of live concerts in HD from the  New York Metropolitan Opera later this fall.