That's been Barco's mission and ambition in cinema since Day 1.


With the digitization of cinema now approaching 100%, the screens that are being added to the digital count today are significantly different than those that were introduced in the early days. Whereas we initially saw digital projectors being installed primarily on screens 20 + meters wide, we now see more and more smaller screens being digitized. These screens are operated by small independent exhibitors as well as larger chains growing their international footprint. All of them are pursuing the same goal: taking digital cinema where it's never gone before.

Best-matching brightness

An important aspect of the perfect match for the smaller screen is having a projector with the correct brightness. Installing an over-dimensioned projector doesn't make sense from an economic viewpoint, and there are technical reasons as well. The main reason is the limited dimming possibilities of the lamps used in digital cinema projectors. As a light source for the complete projection setup, these lamps use a high brightness arc (lightning!) between two high-voltage electrodes. Dimming the light means reducing the voltages. At a certain point, it's simply no longer physically possible to sustain an arc between the electrodes. Before the arc drops completely, it becomes unstable - and this causes on-screen flicker and non-uniformity. Typical dimming values for Xenon lamps are down to 50%; UHP lamps can go down to 75%.

So, when selecting the perfect match for your screen, don't just look for the highest brightness: look for the best-matching brightness. This will help you achieve and sustain the best possible image quality.

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