Below is a compilation of announced cinema roll outs from the major players.
Dolby
Dolby Laboratories, Inc. said that Wanda Cinema Line Corporation Ltd. plans to purchase 800 units of Dolby digital cinema processors, including 790 units of the Dolby Digital Cinema Processor CP750 and 10 units of the Dolby Atmos Cinema Processor CP850, to deploy in its new and existing cinema screens in China through the end of 2017.
Dadi Cinema Group plans to purchase 750 Dolby ShowVault/Integrated Media Blocks (IMB), 400 units of the Dolby Digital Cinema Processor CP750 and 25 units of the Dolby Atmos Cinema Processor CP850. Dadi plans to deploy the Dolby ShowVault/IMB solution in both new and existing cinema screens and the Dolby Digital Cinema Processors in new cinema screens in China by the end of 2017.
The Dolby Digital Cinema Processor CP750 is intended to provide easy-to-operate audio control in digital cinema environments while integrating with existing technologies. The Dolby CP750 supports 5.1 as well as Dolby Surround 7.1 premium surround sound, and it will receive and process audio from multiple digital audio sources, including digital cinema servers, pre-show servers, and alternative content sources.
The Dolby Atmos Cinema Processor CP850 is similar but adds Atmos playback up to 64 speaker feeds, configurable between 16 analog outputs and a Dolby Atmos Connect output. The Dolby CP850 supports Dolby Surround 7.1 and 5.1 digital playback as well as common Dolby formats used with alternative content in cinemas: Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby E.
The Dolby ShowVault/IMB includes all hardware and software features of the digital cinema package (DCP) platform with numerous features, including dual 3G HD-SDI inputs, HDMI 3D input with HDCP, 4K playback support, and scaling capabilities to 2K or 4K resolutions. The Dolby ShowVault is a dedicated storage server capable of playing back 2D, 3D, and high-frame-rate (HFR) DCI-compliant DCPs, and has been specifically developed to interface with the Dolby IMB.
Reel Cinemas, the cinema brand under Emaar Entertainment, plans to open multiple Dolby Cinema locations across the Reel Cinemas portfolio in the Middle East. Among the first sites expected to open later this year are the Dubai Marina Mall and the flagship Reel Cinema location at The Dubai Mall.
Barco
Barco also announced the completion of installations with Reel Cinemas in 2016. This included “an extensive fleet of Barco flagship laser projectors in The Dubai Mall Cineplex, making it the largest all-flagship laser theater in the world,” according to Barco. Reel Cinemas is now adding 19 flagship laser projectors to its portfolio, which Barco Gold Partner CineTech ME JLT will install this year. In addition, Reel Cinemas has invested in Barco Escape, Barco’s three-screen panoramic movie theater.
Barco Escape combines a 170º field of view with Barco Alchemy processing to deliver up to 120 frames per second on each of three screens. Theaters can be built to accommodate the format or retrofitted to do so, and are capable of displaying regular movie formats when the Barco Escape setup is not in use.
Japan’s first two theaters featuring Barco’s Smart Laser (laser phosphor) technology were revealed at CinemaCon. At both its Miyazaki and Omuta locations, cinema chain Central Cinema has replaced two existing projectors with Barco DP2K-20CLP projectors. In this way, the exhibitor intends to offer the audience high-quality laser images while reducing maintenance costs and maximizing profit.
Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea will now use two flagship laser projectors. Barco’s DP4K-60L projectors will illuminate the 34-meter wide screen in Lotte Cinema’s Super Plex G theater, the largest screen on the planet. It seats 622 spectators and is part of Lotte’s Super Plex brand of premium auditoriums, which includes an ultra-wide screen, immersive 3D audio and extra-bright 3D imaging with a 2.4-gain screen.
To illuminate the screen, Lotte started operation with four non-Barco xenon projectors in 2014. In 2015, however, the company discovered Barco’s flagship laser projectors at the CinemaCon trade fair in Las Vegas (US). After thorough testing, Lotte was convinced by the technology’s combination of exceptional image quality, simplified operations and reduced operating expenses. Since then, the exhibitor has installed a total of four DP4K-60L and one DP4K-45L at its Super Plex theaters.
With over 900 screens in three countries, Lotte Cinema is one of the fastest-growing cinema exhibitors in the APAC region. In Korea, the company – a subsidiary of premium department store Lotte Shopping – operates 105 sites. It is the most prominent multiplex — the largest in Asia, in fact — features a total of 21 screens and seats 4,615 people. It is located in Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in South Korea, and will open at the beginning of April.
CMX, a subsidiary of Cinemex, the sixth largest cinema chain in the world, has partnered to equip the new CMX Theater at newly opened, $1 billion+ Brickell City Centre in Miami, Florida with Barco’s Smart Laser cinema projectors. When it opens in April, the cinema will deliver the region’s best movie presentation quality while operating at a significantly lower cost than traditional xenon-powered theaters.
Barco and Cinemex have a long standing relationship resulting from the digital cinema conversion of 1,800 screens for the exhibitor’s theaters in Mexico in 2013. Since then, Barco has grown its market share of the Latin America cinema market to 80%, while Cinemex is ranked the sixth largest cinema chain in the world.
With more than 300 multiplexes in Mexico, Cinemex has just begun its expansion into the United States. The CMX Theater at Brickell will be the first site, to be followed by other locations all over the USA. The Brickell cinema features 10 auditoriums in a nearly 36,000 square foot multiplex.
Christie
Christie has announced that Cinema Sunshine Aira Theatre, owned by Sasaki Kogyo Co., Ltd., will deploy the advanced Christie CP42LH RGB laser projection system in April. A state-of-the-art Christie enhanced wavelength diversification (EWD) system, comprising a single 3DLP 4K RGB laser projection head and an EWD laser light farm with fiber-optic delivery, will be fitted in Auditorium 5 of the theatre.
The Christie system will illuminate a 16-by-7 meter Cinema Sunshine Aira Theatre screen with 30,000 lumens. The Cinema Sunshine Aira project will boast nine screens when completed, offering 1,288 seats, with an anticipated annual attendance of 300,000-plus. Auditorium 5 will be premium theatre, aptly named Bestia, for its delivery of the Best Immersive Audiovisual experience. A DTS:X immersive sound system from GDC will also be installed along wit a 4DX system in Auditorium 6.
The recently opened Odeon Sambil multiplex in Madrid is the first multiplex in Spain with all its screens equipped with 4K projectors – all from Christie. It is also the first to include Dolby Atmos and Christie Vive Audio sound in all its theatres, and the only multiplex in Spain with more than one laser screen. In this case, Sambil has two screens equipped with laser projection, both with Christie Solaria CP42LH RGB projectors.
The two largest theatres at Odeon Sambil, with 18-metre screens, are equipped with Christie RGB laser projectors. Each one of these projectors uses eight laser modules to generate 40,000 lumens – since each module can generate up to 5,000 lumens of white light. In addition, the scalability of the platform makes it possible to add, remove, activate or disable up to a dozen modules depending on brightness requirements, meaning that it is possible to produce up to 60,000 lumens if needed.
The other 10 screens in the multiplex, ranging from 10 to 18 meters, have a combination of Christie CP4220 (22,000 lumens) and Christie CP4230 (34,000 lumens) 4K 3DLP Cinema projectors, all coming with Christie IMB, a DCI-compliant totally integrated media block to run the cinema content.
It is also the largest all Christie Vive Audio and Dolby Atmos installation in Europe. This complex has Dolby Atmos and a record number of Vive Audio speakers and amplifiers in all its theatres. “This is totally unique and demonstrates Odeon’s strong interest in equipping the whole complex with the best cinema sound available on the market,” said Christie.
The lobby is another of the multiplex’s distinctive features. Measuring almost 30 square meters, its gigantic video wall made of eighteen 75-inch LCD screens is proving to be another talking point for visitors to the complex.
Finally, Christie and James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment, Inc. announced they have renewed an exclusive, five-year agreement that sees these two industry leaders sharing know-how and ground-breaking technology to propel the future of immersive cinema experiences.
According to James Cameron, “Several years ago we began our relationship, which has worked well, so I’m pleased to be forging ahead again with Christie at my side.”
Christie will equip Lightstorm with a variety of current and planned projection systems including the new all-in-one RGB laser projection series now under development. The units will be spread across Cameron’s production facilities and come with 24/7 access to the Christie Network Operations Center (NOC), call center support, and replacement parts as per Christie’s warranty services to all exhibitors.
In exchange for knowledge sharing, equipment and services, Lightstorm will share with Christie its own findings into 3D, HFR and high-dynamic range (HDR) enhancements, as well as formatting and color space requirements, for achieving the optimal viewing experience. This knowledge in turn will aid Christie in creating market-leading projectors, media servers and tool kits for a variety of applications including cinema exhibition, location-based entertainment and post-production markets. – CC
