Munich, Germany—Aug 29, 2006
Kinoton’s Digital Cinema Showcase started with “Pirates of the Caribbean 2”
Movie-goers visiting the Admiral Filmpalast in Nuremberg (Germany) or the UCI Kinowelt Millennium City in Vienna (Austria) can enjoy Jonny Depp’s furious performance as Captain Jack Sparrow as classical film projection as well as in state-of-the art Digital Cinema quality. The new D-Cinema equipment was installed by the German cinema technology manufacturer Kinoton.
In the long-established Admiral Filmpalast, two of the five auditoriums have been upgraded for Digital Cinema. Pre-show and feature film can be optionally presented in 35 mm film or digitally. Thanks to their space-saving design, the new DCP 30 Digital Cinema Projectors could easily join the existing Kinoton FP 50 D film projectors in front of the projection windows. Besides, the possibility to place operating controls and integrated server rack flexibly on the DCP 30 projector’s console facilitates operation and maintenance especially in tight places.
Said Reiner Maurer, director of the Admiral Filmpalast: “Our audience were swept off their feet by the first-rate image quality and crystal-clear sound. They have glowingly described the digital performance of “Pirates of the Caribbean 2” as an extraordinary thrilling movie experience. What is more, we do not have to worry about film wear anymore.”
The UCI Kinowelt Millennium City, with its 21 auditoriums one of the largest megaplexes in Europe, had Kinoton DCP 70 Digital Cinema Projectors installed in three projection booths as an addition to the classical film projection. Up to 1230 viewers can now enjoy immaculate and spectacular digital pictures on screens up to 24 meters. The connection to the existing cinema automation system offers a trouble-free combined operation of digital and film projection without delay, ensuring that the tight schedule fundamental for the operation of large multiplexes goes off without a hitch.
Managing director of the UCI Kinowelt, Ralf Schilling is enthusiastic about this digital solution. “D-Cinema is a milestone in cinema history and will surely become a major competitive advantage in the future. The audience was very pleased with the digital picture and sound quality of “Pirates of the Caribbean 2”, and the shows were especially well-attended. Besides, digital content is easier to handle than film spools,” he says.
The projection systems for these new D-Cinema projects were not only supplied and installed by Kinoton, the German system provider also carried out the project planning and coordination as well as the integration of the existing cinema automation and electronic advertising systems. This complete service and fulfilment goes far beyond the actual installation: More than 80 international sales and service partners guarantee fast service and maintenance of Kinoton equipment worldwide. This is extremely comfortable for busy cinema owners who prefer a one-stop business contact to grappling with different companies.
Kinoton’s new DCP Digital Cinema Projector line has attracted quite an interest in the entertainment business. Managing director Renate Zoller states: “Our DCP Digital Cinema Projectors were specially designed for daily use in movie theatres and are easy to integrate into the existing cinema environment. They are absolutely compliant to the DCI specifications, and were recently certified by Texas Instruments as to their DLP Cinema® technology. And of course the DCP projectors are equally suitable for E-Cinema and alternative content.”