Last Tuesday, 9 December, was D-day for Barco’s DP4K-60L laser projector in Europe, as the Kinepolis group screened The Hobbit – Battle of the Five Armies on its brand-new laser projector. The première took place at the Kinepolis flagship cinemas in Lomme, France. While Kinepolis Brussels (Belgium) screened its first laser-projected movies on 10 December, the new technology will go live at Kinepolis Madrid tonight. Both Barco and Kinepolis are thrilled with this European debut of the award-winning new laser projector.
“The laser experience is truly amazing; there’s nothing like this on the market,” says Eddy Duquenne, CEO of Kinepolis Group. “We are confident that our investment in the laser-illuminated projectors will really help us bring the movie experience to new levels and offer our customers exceptional cinema moments. Barco is the perfect partner, as the company really leads the market with its vision of an immersive, interactive cinema experience. Just like Kinepolis, they are on a constant quest to introduce new, exciting technologies that help bring back the magic of the movies.” “Barco is just as excited as Kinepolis is,” adds Wim Buyens, Barco’s Head of Entertainment. “With the introduction of laser, we are setting a new standard for image quality in the cinema industry. This is another great milestone in our history as cinema innovator and we’re delighted to share this première with Kinepolis Group.”
Much brighter, lower costs Launched at CinemaCon in March this year, the Barco DP4K-60L laser projector is the most compact, fully integrated 6P solution for cinema. It is the first of its kind capable of showing 4K content at 60 fps and 3D movies in full 4K resolution. Because the projectors offer brightness levels more than double that of lamps, they ensure much brighter, more consistent images with vibrant colors and better contrast, thus improving the level of immersion. Moreover, the operational cost of laser projectors is lower as no lamp replacements are needed and laser light sources have a longer life span, while also consuming up to 40% less energy than traditional xenon lamps.
Strategic partnership
The Kinepolis group has been committed to providing Europe’s cinema-goers with a unique movie experience ever since its foundation. Barco has been its trusted technology provider along the way. In March this year, Barco and Kinepolis Group closed a strategic partnership to equip Kinepolis cinemas with a premium technology package from Barco. In October, they impressed the press and moviegoers with the European première of the panoramic Barco Escape theater configuration at Kinepolis Antwerp and Brussels. The laser projectors will now further elevate the immersive realism of motion pictures.
