Barco has announced that Dutch cinemas are choosing Barco’s digital projection technology. Barco has already been selected by almost 20 exhibitors – including major cinema chains like the Wolff Cinema Group – to convert over 200 screens. The rapid conversion is being made possible thanks to a nation-wide VPF (Virtual Print Fee) funding program.
Wolff Cinema Group, owned by the Wolff family, is one of the main cinema chains in The Netherlands and operates ten complexes across the country. The group ran some digital tests last year, and recently chose Barco’s DLP Cinema projectors for its full roll-out to digital. “We had the opportunity to test different projectors and decided that Barco is the best long-term solution for us,” said Jordi Wientjes, COO of Wolff Cinema Group. “Its DP2K series offers stunning 2K image quality, extreme brightness and vibrant colors – ideal for giving our audience a picture-perfect movie experience. In addition, these projectors have the lowest cost-of-ownership in the industry, which will help us save costs in the future.” Wolff Cinema Group has also installed Barco’s DP4K-32B, becoming the first cinema chain in The Netherlands to offer Enhanced 4K DLP Cinema to its audience. All projectors are being installed via integrator FTT Filmtronics.
The recent approval of the Dutch Digital Cinema Plan (Cinema Digitaal) is also opening the way for smaller cinema chains to convert to digital. This nationwide roll-out, building on the VPF program and government funding, will enable the conversion of a majority of the country’s cinema screens. The cinema complexes of the Movie Unlimited group are in the first group to be digitized as part of this plan. “We are very excited to be able to install digital cinema and to ride the 3D-wave that is fuelling the industry,” said Sipke Molenaar of Movie Unlimited. “Thanks to the installation of Barco’s digital cinema projectors, we can now also benefit from the current 3D successes. Barco’s DP2K-32B is the brightest digital cinema projector on the planet. Thanks to its record light output, it is the ultimate projector for 3D.”
CineCity and CineMec are also participating in the Dutch Digital Cinema Plan. “We have excellent business relationships with the Barco team,” said Ad Weststrate, owner of CineCity. “Their technical expertise and proximity have encouraged us to select the DP2K series for our digital conversion. The user-friendliness of these projectors, in combination with a low cost-of-ownership and maximum uptime, make them the ideal future-proof investment for our cinemas.”
Gerben Kuipers, owner of CineMec, has had previous experiences with digital cinema, but selected Barco for its complete digitization. “Barco has a full range of digital cinema projectors, which allowed us to match the most cost-effective projector to each screen,” he said. “In addition, we strongly favor their powerful modular design, extreme brightness and reliability.”
Other Dutch cinemas that have chosen Barco include Lido, Trianon, Kijkhuis, Jogchems Theaters, Utopolis, Service Bioscoop Zien, Smokey Stadskanaal, Euroscoop, Minerva, Mustsee, Fulcotheater, Luxor Reuver, Hollywoud, Luxor Theater and Wolff’s partner cinemas Figi, Cinem’Actueel, Cine Service and City.
