On the occasion of ShoWest 2010, digital cinema leader Barco has unveiled its brand-new line of Series-II digital cinema projectors, based on the latest DLP Cinema® technology from Texas Instruments. With this innovative DP2K product line, Barco builds on the proven benefits of its successful DP-series, while at the same time anticipating the 4K future and the spectacular rise of 3D cinema.
“Since the dawn of digital cinema more than a decade ago, Barco has been leading the market with numerous industry-first innovations, including a sealed optical engine, a user-friendly modular design, full-panel triple flash 3D technology, and many more breakthrough technologies. Our new DP2K-series surpasses our competition by offering exhibitors the brightest and most cost-effective projection solutions available today,” stated Todd Hoddick, Barco's Vice-President Digital Cinema in North America.
Barco's six new Series-II projectors are by far the most complete projector family available today. For small and mid-size movie theaters, there is a dedicated line of compact DP2K 'C-series' projectors, based on Texas Instruments' proven 0.98” DLP Cinema® chip. Within this C-series, the portfolio includes individual models for screens up to 12, 15 and 20 meters wide respectively. For larger venues, Barco unveiled the ultra-bright DP2K 'B-series', integrating TI's 1.2” DLP Cinema® chip. Dedicated models are available for screens up to 19 and 23 meters wide. Barco's flagship for the large chip range is its DP2K-32B, which is the brightest digital cinema projector on the planet, lighting up screens up to 32 meters wide at unrivalled light levels. All six projectors are fully compliant with the latest DCI and SMPTE specifications.
Barco's DP2K-series integrates the next-generation DLP Cinema® chip from Texas Instruments, ensuring consistent color uniformity, rich contrast and vibrant, accurate colors. Moreover, the new products are designed with a sealed optical engine to prevent dust from intruding in the DLP Cinema® chip. This guarantees the projector's brightness and contrast levels remain undiminished over the years.
With 25 years of 3D experience, Barco knows how to build high-quality 3D projectors better than anyone in the industry. “Our new DP2K product family not only represents the most complete line of 3D-ready cinema projectors on the market, it also includes the brightest 3D digital cinema projector in the world,” Todd Hoddick explained. “Thanks to its first-rate optical design and superior lamp efficiency, the unique DP2K-32B enjoys a record light output in excess of 33,000 lumens, making it the brightest digital cinema projector on the planet. For moviegoers, this superior light output translates into an unrivaled visual 3D experience,” he added.
All of Barco's new cinema projectors share a common modular platform. For theater owners, this modularity results in significantly reduced costs. Commonality of parts allows for a smaller stock of spare parts, and also speeds up technicians' learning curves. Depending on the exhibitor's preferred system configuration, the DP2K-series can be set up with either an integrated or external media block.
To ensure easy operation in a networked environment, all DP2K projectors come with Barco's proprietary Communicator software. This user-friendly tool provides one-click access to any model of the DP2K-series, be it from a standard PC or from an optional touch panel. In a networked theater complex, only one Communicator Touch Panel is needed to access and control any projector on-site and configurations can be cloned to any other projector. Furthermore, the system features an intelligent 'Diagnostics Companion' functionality, which, in case of a technical issue, guides operators through a number of steps to determine and solve the problem.
A final element that received close attention throughout the development process was total cost of ownership. Wim Buyens, Barco's Vice-President Digital Cinema commented: “In today's competitive market, exhibitors need to keep their costs low to enhance their profitability and find a sustainable competitive advantage. This is why, unlike other suppliers using expensive customized lamps, the Barco DP2K-series uses standard short-arc bulbs available from multiple suppliers. Because of this, the lamp operating cost of the Barco DP2K is up to 30% lower than our competitors, while still leading the way on light output. To reduce operating costs even further, the DP2K projectors also have the lowest cooling exhaust requirements in the industry and re-usable filters on all air inlets.”
New DP2K-series at ShoWest
Barco's new DP2K-series will be showcased at this year's ShoWest tradeshow, booth #1931, 15 through 18 March 2010, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Commercial availability has already started, with first units currently being installed at Cinemark theaters in the USA and Latin America.
