Texas Instruments And Technicolor Digital Cinema Detail International Expansion of DLP Cinemaô Technology Field Demonstration Program

New Installations In Germany, Korea, Mexico And Spain

13-Jul-00

Texas Instruments (TI) and Technicolor Digital Cinema announced details of the international expansion of the DLP Cinemaô technology field demonstration program in Europe, Asia and Central America. New installations of DLP Cinema prototype projectors will be made in Germany, Korea, Mexico and Spain together with an additional installation in Japan: international installations previously announced were in Great Britain (three sites), Belgium, France and Japan. All new sites will be operational from July 14, 2000, with the exception of the sites in Germany which will open on July 20. Theatres in Spain, Japan and Germany will open with ""Fantasia 2000."" ""Dinosaur"" will be the first DLP Cinema screening in Korea and Mexico.""So far, we have been delighted with all aspects of the DLP Cinema field demonstration program,"" said Doug Darrow, Business Manager for DLP Cinema products for TIís Digital Imaging division. ""Installations have been straightforward, projector reliability has been exceptional and, best of all, audience feedback has been incredibly positive. Moviegoers continue to express delight at the richness of the color, the sharpness and steadiness of the image and, most noticeably, the consistent quality of the image whether itís the first viewing or the one thousandth.""""However,"" he continued, ""these new installations will pose new challenges and add to our experience, providing valuable feedback as we continue to develop DLP Cinema technology."" In concert with TI, which is providing the projection hardware, Technicolor Digital Cinema is providing the digital delivery and installation technology as part of the DLP Cinema demonstration program. Along with creating the digital distribution medium - in the form of DVD-ROM - Technicolor Digital Cinema is providing the expertise to deliver, install, upload and then test each digital cinema installation. Additionally, the company is providing significant funding to help offset the costs of the demonstration systems, installation and service.""As the guardians of color and quality for the motion picture industry for more than 80 years, Technicolor Digital Cinema is committed to playing a major role in enhancing the movie-going experience,"" said Rob Hummel, Executive Vice President, Digital Development for Technicolor. ""Through the demonstration program, weíre taking an active, pioneering role in helping shape the digital age for movies. Weíre also gaining invaluable knowledge and insights that will keep Technicolor Digital Cinema at the forefront of the emerging digital film distribution industry.""New international DLP Cinema prototype projector installations will be:Country - Circuit - CinemaGermany- UCI - UCI Kinowelt Zoo Palast, BerlinGermany - UCI - UCI Kinowelt, D¸sseldorfGermany - Independent - Cinedom, K?lnJapan - AMC - AMC Tokyo DisneylandKorea - Independent - Seoul Cinema TownMexico - Cinemex - Mundo E, Tlanepantla, Mexico CitySpain - Kinepolis - Kinepolis Ciudad de la Imagen, MadridSpain - UCI - Cinesa Diagonal, BarcelonaInternational DLP Cinema prototype projector installations previously announced at:Belgium - Kinepolis - Kinepolis, BrusselsFrance - Gaumont - Gaumont Aquaboulevard, ParisGreat Britain - Odeon - Odeon Leicester Square, LondonGreat Britain - Warner Village - Warner Village Finchley Road, LondonGreat Britain - UCI - UCI Trafford Centre, ManchesterJapan - Toho - Nichigeki Plaza, Tokyo""These new installations bring the worldwide total to close to thirty,"" said Brooke Williams, Marketing Manager for DLP Cinema products, ""and we expect there will be a further ten or so new sites during the next three months. We also expect to see increasing involvement from BARCO, Christie Inc. and Imax Corporation - with whom we have announced agreements to develop digital cinema projectors based on DLP Cinema technology - as they bring their products to market later in the year.""TIís DLP Cinema projection technology has already been exposed to over three quarters of a million movie-goers throughout the world. These extensive field demonstrations began on June 18, 1999 with all-digital showings at four North American locations of ""Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace."" This was followed in July when ""Tarzan"" was shown at three locations. ""Toy Story 2"" opened on six projectors in November in the U.S., and opened on an additional six projectors in February and March in Europe and Japan. ""Bicentennial Man"" opened in the U.S. and Canada on six projectors in December, followed by ""Mission to Mars"" in March in North America and May in Europe. An additional four projectors were added in the U.S. for the opening of ""Dinosaur"" on May 19. DLP Cinema technology is Digital Light Processingô technology specifically adapted for the needs of the movie industry. By comparison with the industry-leading large venue DLPô technology-based projectors on which it is based, it features even higher contrast, together with color processing designed to replicate the visual experience of film: commercial projectors featuring DLP technology are designed primarily for video and graphics applications. At the heart of TI's DLP Cinema technology are three Digital Micromirror Deviceô optical semiconductor chips. The DMDô switch has an array of to 1,310,000 hinged, microscopic mirrors which operate as optical switches to create a high resolution, full color image.Today, TI supplies DLP subsystems to more than thirty of the world's top projector manufacturers, who then design, manufacture and market DLP technology-based projectors. There are now over fifty products featuring DLP technology in the market. Since early 1996, over 350,000 DLP subsystems have been shipped. Over the past four years, DLP technology-based projectors have consistently won some of the audio-visual industryís most prestigious awards, including, in June 1998, an Emmy AwardÆ from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.Texas Instruments Incorporated is the world leader in digital signal processing and analog technologies, the semiconductor engines of the Internet age. The companyís businesses also include materials and controls, and educational and productivity solutions. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and has manufacturing or sales operations in more than 25 countries.Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information on TI's DLP technology can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com/dlp.Technicolor Digital Cinema provides a complete range of capabilities to serve the emerging digital distribution needs for the motion picture industry. This includes the providing DVD-ROM and other physical digital cinema delivery mediums, on-site distribution, full-scale system installations, digital uploading to projection systems, theatre site testing and verification, and more.A leading innovator in motion picture technology since bringing color to the movies more than 80 years ago, Camarillo, California-based Technicolor is the worldís number one processor of motion picture film and the worldís largest independent manufacturer of DVDs, CDs and videocassettes. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Carlton Communications Plc (NASDAQ: CCTVY).