Projectors By Digital Projection Play A Critical Supporting Role At The Academy Awards For The Eighth Consecutive Year

4-Mar-05

Digital Projection International (DPI) announced 13 of its LIGHTNING 28sx projectors were used during the 77th Annual Academy AwardsÆ ceremony on February 27 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Show producers have relied on 3-chip DLPô projectors by DPI as critical set elements for eight consecutive years.Hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and broadcasted in High-Definition on ABC, the 2005 Oscar program featured DPI's 16,000 ANSI lumen, 3-chip DLP LIGHTNING 28sx displays projecting dazzling video images onto a variety of projection surfaces throughout the venue. Creative Technology North America, an international audio and video solutions provider and authorized DPI staging partner, managed the integration and inventory of the display technology in the 180,000 square-foot facility.The most dramatic use of DPI's LIGHTNING 28SX projectors was in the set's ceiling screen assemblage, which was used throughout the evening to display a combination of graphics and video. Along with eight LIGHTNING 28sx projectors, the assemblage consisted of 25 rear-projection screens of various sizes separated into four quadrants, all of which were hung at a twenty-three-percent angle. To match the unusual screen orientation, Creative Technology installed the 28sx projectors at the same angle and used DPI's ultra-short-throw .8:1 lenses because of overall space limitations.""To create the ceiling assemblage, the projectors were one of the first things to be installed, going in 20 days before the show,"" said Frank McMinn, Vice President of Entertainment, Creative Technology Los Angeles. ""Once installed, they were nearly impossible to access, so their reliability was of vital importance. We depended upon DPI's projectors to deliver the performance and reliability that lives up to our expectations, and we are very happy with the results again this year.""Three of DPI's LIGHTNING 28sx projectors equipped with 2.5- 4:1 zoom lenses were also utilized on the set's ""Best Picture Screen"", a major set element which was flown in and out during various times of the show, most often as visual support during special awards announcements and acceptance speeches. For additional audience viewing inside the theatre, two stationary 6 x 12-foot screens each employed one 28sx projector.""In terms of visual impact, the show producers and Creative Technology outdid themselves this year, especially with the magical use of the ceiling flown screens, which added amazing dimension and scale to the to the magnificent venue,"" said Mike Levi, president of Digital Projection, Inc. ""Considering the tireless creativity consistently positions the Oscars as the world's most innovative and prolific Awards broadcast presentation, we are honored that our products continued to be an integral artistic tool for the eighth year in a row.""In addition to the Oscar'sÆ, DPI's high-performance LIGHTNING, THUNDER and HIGHlite displays have been used for many other televised broadcast Awards program, including the Emmy'sÆ, Grammy'sÆ, Blockbuster© Music Awards and the American Music Awards. The company's projectors have also been a trusted display solution for high-profile film festivals and major broadcast events such as the 2004 Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

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