Christie Taking First Orders For New DigiProô Digital Cinema Projectors - Available By Third Quarter 2000

27-Jun-00

Christie Inc., the first OEM selected to manufacture digital cinema projectors using Texas Instruments DLP Cinemaô chip, has announced that it will have projectors available for delivery by third quarter of 2000. The new line of digital cinema projectors, called the Christie DigiProô, will enable exhibitors to bring the power and clarity of digital technology to the movie screen. ""The Christie DigiPro digital cinema projector displays a crisp, clear and clean picture from the first day of release to beyond the one-thousandth showing, and can fill the entire screen with bright, high quality images,"" states Michael Mooney, Director, Digital Cinema, Christie Inc. The DigiPro projectors provide natural, film-like 24 frames-per-second motion without image jump, weave, flicker or ghosting. These features, combined with the DigiPro's ultra-high contrast ratio, ensure brilliant screen images.Christie's new DigiPro digital cinema projector is similar to the DLP Cinema prototype projector, which is successfully being used today in over 24 field trial sites. These digitally released movies are being shown by major cinema circuits such as AMC (U.S.A.), Edwards (U.S.A.), Cinemark (U.S.A.), Harkins (U.S.A.), Famous Players (Canada), Warner (U.K.), Gaumont (France), Kinepolis (Belgium), Odeon (U.K.), Buena Vista (U.S.A.) and Toho (Japan).These real world field trials feature the DLP Cinema projection technology (the only high contrast/high resolution technology supported by Hollywood today) and the Christie DigiPro Reference console, considered by the industry to be the standard light source for brilliant illumination. These technologies, working in tandem, deliver screen images of the highest quality and performance available in the market. ""We intend to become the digital powerhouse in the rapidly evolving Digital Cinema projection technology. Christie's continuing goal is to work closely with exhibitors, post-production facilities, distribution companies and the developers of the software and hardware required for encryption, decryption, compression and file server technologies,"" adds Craig M.Sholder, Director of Marketing, Christie Inc.Christie, Inc. was founded in 1929 and is a leading manufacturer and distributor of theatre projection equipment, including award-winning gearless projectors, EPICô electronic film projectors, xenon consoles, industry-standard Autowindô film handling systems, Xenoliteô bulbs, the Prodigiô series of DLPô projectors and now, the DigiProô Digital Cinema projector.