There was a time not very long ago when there were those who doubted whether digital cinema (DC) had a future – and those who understood how it worked were few and far between. Now, Barco has announced that its worldwide DC training program – it has training centres in Beijing and at the company’s headquarters in Kuurne, Belgium, and has just opened a third centre in Sacramento, California, with a fourth planned for Sao Paolo, Brazil – has turned out more than 1,000 certified service technicians since its inception two years ago. Barco says that this means that the company tops the list of digital cinema projector manufacturers, and clearly illustrates the company’s deep-rooted commitment to the cinema industry, including service partners, projectionists and exhibitors.
“The spectacular growth of digital cinema has created a huge need for in-depth digital projection training,” said Carol-Anne Ormsby, certified service partners manager at Barco. “Within the DC community, exhibitors and service partners grow increasingly aware that having the best possible projector technology simply isn’t enough; you also need the right skills and knowledge to support you as you move from analog to digital technology.”
Barco’s training curriculum consists of two levels, each of which is presented in a classroom plus hands-on format. In level one, participants are taught the basics of projector installation and maintenance. Level two covers advanced diagnostics and more complex service interventions. Upon successful completion of each class, participants are tested on both the theoretical and application-specific aspects of Barco digital cinema projectors. Ultimately, in order to gain the ‘Approved Service Partner’ certification, each technician must successfully pass a practical and a theoretical examination.
In a separate announcement, Barco said that all six of its digital cinema projectors have now passed the full DCI compliance test.
