Rancho Cordova, Calif., USA - 15 May 2012 - Barco, the
global digital cinema technology leader, impressed hundreds
of attendees at this year's CinemaCon, demonstrating
ultra-bright 4K laser projection, a never-before-seen
exhibition of High Frame Rate movie footage at 120 fps per
eye, its premier 3D multi-channel cinema audio solution,
and a stunning 3D projection mapping show on Caesars
Palace.
Laser projection promises a bright future
One of the most eagerly anticipated highlights of this
year's convention, Barco's Laser Projection Showcase
attracted more than 300 movie exhibitors and other industry
professionals eager to catch a glimpse of the Cinema of the
Future. Attendees witnessed the first-ever showing of
Hollywood movie footage on a 4K laser projector with
several clips featuring 4K resolution, High Frame Rates at
48 frames per second (fps), and the industry's brightest
3D. The demonstration broke all previous records for
large-format movie projection, presenting movie content at
55,000 ANSI lumens on a 70' x 30' screen, the largest to
date.
The centerpiece of the laser projection demo was an
extended clip of Samsara, a non-narrative film created by
filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson. The movie was shot
at 65mm format, scanned at 8K resolution, and subsequently
reduced to create a 4K Digital Intermediate/4K Digital
Cinema Package. The result: a stunning display of
ultra-bright, brilliantly-colored imagery, described by
reporter Alex Billington of
firstshowing.net as follows: "Today I saw a laser
projection demo and whoa - this is the future I
cannot wait for. It was spectacular. I could view every
last little detail as far back as I could see, and it
looked stunningly bright, but not too bright."
Although digital cinema laser projection isn't expected to
be commercially available until late 2013 at the earliest,
Barco offers its DCI-compliant Enhanced 4K and 3D cinema
audio solutions now.
Shaping the cinema of the future with cutting-edge
technologies
"We are close to achieving the pinnacle of immersive
cinema, employing our diverse array of pioneering
technologies in light, sound and processing to create the
ultimate movie experience," commented Todd Hoddick, VP
Entertainment for Barco North America. "In this day and
age, moviegoers expect to be 'wowed' on every level, and we
can state unequivocally that we are armed with the tools
and capabilities to shape the cinema of the future, today."
High Frame Rates scale to 120 fps
In addition to presenting its 48 fps High Frame Rate
demonstration during the Laser Projection Showcase, Barco
also made cinema history by projecting 3D movie footage at
an astonishing 120 fps in a special presentation at the
CinemaCon Directors' Luncheon. The demonstration used
two stacked Barco projectors to show a combined 240 fps
projection driven by a single Qube XP-I server to send 120
fps per eye.
"The 120 fps per eye presentation was a fascinating
experience! Thanks to our partners Barco, ARRI and
Stereotec, we were able to create a spectacular viewing
experience to share with a very wide audience at CinemaCon,
making a great first impression," commented Siegfried
Foessel, Head of Department, Moving Picture Technologies of
the Fraunhofer Institute.
3D Audio - the perfect match for visual 3D
Barco presented its best-in-class multi-channel Auro
11.1 cinema audio solution, characterizing it as the
perfect match for visual 3D. Auro 11.1 is an
easy-to-install, backwards and forwards compatible 3D sound
format providing the most enveloping cinema audio available
today. Supported by content providers, such as Lucasfilm
Ltd., Bad Robot Productions and Jerry Bruckheimer, and
exhibitors worldwide, Auro 11.1 delivers a totally
immersive, multi-sensory experience with breathtaking
reality when combined with 3D movie formats.
Barco projection amazes beyond digital cinema
Flexing its projection technology muscle in the live events
industry, Barco enlivened its annual Belgian Beer Bar with
a
gigantic 3D pixel mapping display enveloping the
exterior wall of Caesars Palace with a first-ever pixel
mapping of the building. Leveraging the power of its newest
HDX-W18
large venue projectors, Barco partnered with nationally
renowned event production company DWP Live and content
creator Monster Media 3D to create a visual spectacular
worthy of the Las Vegas strip. Three stacks of four
projectors were used to create a huge panoramic image
covering a 96' x 125' area featuring a single 3,072 x 2,160
pixel edge-blended image. See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVu_HlMbzwk.
"Barco's high lumens event projectors offer the perfect
combination of ultra brightness, true color reproduction,
image uniformity and reliability - attributes that are
especially critical for creating any outdoor show,"
commented Danny Whetstone, Founder of DWP Live. "We've
relied on Barco for years because of their superior
versatility, brilliant color rendition and unparalleled
light output due to their advanced processing. Their
dependability is also a huge reason we chose them for this
year's Super Bowl halftime show and other high-profile
events - they always exceed our expectations no matter what
the environment."
A long history of industry firsts
During the past 18 months, Barco has chalked up numerous
digital cinema industry firsts in rapid succession. Among a
growing list of technological achievements, Barco evolved
its world record-winning DP2K-32B into an
Enhanced 4K DLP Cinema® model to become the first to
project movie footage in 4K resolution on an 80-ft screen,
the first to pit digital 4K against 15/70mm film
presentation in a side-by-side comparison, and the first to
present numerous 3D technologies in a single venue. Earlier
this year, Barco made history by demonstrating the
industry's first laser projection showcase, the first 3D
comparison of high frame rate content, and the first cinema
experience in the US integrating Auro 11.1 - all on a giant
screen at the 2nd Annual
Moody Gardens Digital Cinema Symposium. See the video
here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmafk22NPAA
About DWP Live
Multimedia production company DWP Live is an
expert in 3D mapping projection and a single source
solution for production services, audiovisual design, and
equipment rental. The company has experienced 100 percent
growth year after year and is a key partner for trade
shows, corporate events, concerts, or in permanent
facilities around the world. DWP Live specializes in
using Coolux Pandora's Box and is primarily a Barco house. For more
information please visit www.dwplive.com
About Barco
Barco, a global technology company, designs and
develops visualization products for a variety of selected
professional markets. Barco has its own facilities for
Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing
in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco (NYSE
Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries
with more than 3,500 employees worldwide. Barco posted
sales of 1.041 billion euro in 2011.
© Copyright 2012 by Barco
For more information, please contact
Annette Davis
Press & PR contact US
Barco n.v.
Telephone 678.475.8183
annette.davis@barco.com
Li Shen
Press & PR contact Greater China
Barco n.v.
Telephone +86 10 5650 2288
li.shen@barco.com
Lynn Ryon
Press & PR contact EMEA & LATAM
Barco n.v.
Telephone +32 56 36 8166
lynn.ryon@barco.com
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