Texas Instruments To Host ShoWest Breakfast, Demonstrate State-Of-The-Art DLP Cinemaô Projection Technology

At ShoWest 2000 (Las Vegas, Nevada, commencing March 6) on Thursday, March 9, Texas Instruments (TI) will host a breakfast which will be followed at 9:15, 10:00 and 10:45am by demonstrations of a DLP Cinemaô prototype projector similar to those which have been used, to widespread acclaim, in all-digital showings to moviegoers throughout North America and Europe in recent months. The ""Cinema Digital"" demonstration - hosted by Reynolds and Reynolds and Fireman's Fund - will take place in Bally's Jubilee Theatre, and will feature clips from several popular titles, demonstrating that improvements in key areas such as contrast and color management give DLP Cinema projection technology the ability to deliver outstanding image quality whether the action is dark or bright, naturally or artificially lit, indoor or outdoor. The demonstrations will also feature a side-by-side comparison with film. (Those planning to attend can obtain tickets for the demonstration by using their badges at the ETM machines located by the ShoWest registration office in the Paris Hotel.) ""Since the first-ever public showing of DLP Cinema projection technology at ShoWest last year,"" said Doug Darrow, Business Manager for Digital Imaging Cinema, ""we have seen significant progress towards the day when digital cinema will become a commercial reality. For anyone interested in seeing the state of the art in digital projection technology, this demonstration promises to be one of ShoWest's 'must see' events."" ""During the last twelve months,"" said Paul Breedlove, Business Development Manager for Digital Imaging Cinema, ""we have been working with Disney, Technicolor and several exhibitors in an extensive, worldwide field demonstration to determine the viability and reliability of not only DLP Cinema technology but also some of the other technologies which will be necessary for the all-digital cinema of the future. Based on our experience to date and the overwhelming positive movie-goer feedback, we believe that DLP Cinema technology is very close to where it could be rolled out on a commercial basis, opening the way for the creation of an all-digital movie distribution and presentation infrastructure. The field demonstrations will continue, and other studios, exhibitors and technology providers have indicated interest in participating in them during the coming year."" Since ShoWest last year, TI's DLP Cinema projection technology has been exposed to close to half a million movie-goers throughout the world, beginning on June 18, 1999 with all-digital showings at two North American locations of ""Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace"". This was followed in July when ""Tarzan"" was shown at three locations. In November, the number of all-digital locations was increased to six when ""Toy Story 2"" became the first-ever major motion picture to be released day-and-date in both film and digital formats. Following the opening of ""Toy Story 2,"" ""Bicentennial Man"" opened in all-digital form at an additional six locations. In February 2000, DLP Cinema achieved a global milestone with the installation of five prototype projectors in Europe, bringing the total to seventeen. A further installation is planned for Japan very soon. About DLP CinemaDLP Cinema technology is Digital Light Processingô (DLPô) technology specifically adapted for the needs of the movie industry. By comparison with the industry-leading large venue DLP-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 DLP-based projectors are designed primarily for video and graphics applications. At the heart of TI's DLP Cinema technology is the Digital Micromirror Deviceô (DMDô), an optical semiconductor chip: three of these provide an array of close to 4 million hinged, microscopic mirrors mounted on standard logic devices. These tiny mirrors operate as optical switches to create a high resolution, full color image. Today, TI supplies Digital Light Processing (DLP) subsystems to more than thirty of the world's top projector manufacturers, who then design, manufacture and market DLP-based projectors. Since shipments began in early 1996, TI has delivered over 250,000 DLP subsystems to its customers. There are now over fifty DLP-based products in the market. Source: Texas Instruments