To coincide with the CinemaCon show in Las Vegas, Barco made a raft of cinema-related announcements last week.
The company launched its 6P laser-illuminated projector (pictured) at CinemaCon. This projector, which uses Barco Laser3D technology is the first DCI-compliant laser projector that is capable of showing 4K content at 60fps and 3D movies in full 4K resolution. It is also the most compact 60,000-lumen projector on the market. The new projector offers superior brightness levels for 3D movies (addressing a long-standing concern about 3D from some industry commentators and critics).
With Barco Laser3D, all the lasers are housed within the projector itself, which is said to increase the optical efficiency and performance of the system compared with systems that ‘pipe in’ the laser from outside. Barco’s laser projector is also claimed to be unique in its ability to minimise speckle – even on a silver screen – eliminating the need for a mechanical screen-vibrating system to achieve the desired image quality.
The company also became the first projector manufacturer to commercialise its cinema laser projector with a sale to longstanding customer Cinemark. Following the Cinemark deployment, Barco will be installing its laser projectors in the US and China during Q2, and throughout Q4 2014 in the rest of the world.
Three leading Chinese exhibitor chains will also adopt Barco’s advanced laser projectors, including Guangzhou JinYi Media Corporation – which will begin by installing a dual-projector system in the brand-new Mudu Jinyi cinema in Suzhou, which has a giant 35m screen.
Barco also announced last week that its Integrated Cinema Media Processor has achieved full DCI compliance. This module, which combines the functionalities of an integrated cinema processor and media server into a single board, is at the heart of the new Barco Alchemy digital cinema projector range. It is also fully compatible with all Barco Series 2 digital cinema projectors already in the field.
Finally, Barco has expanded its footprint of the Auro 11.1 immersive cinema sound solution. This has been installed at over 150 screens around the world and another 300 are committed for deployment in 2014.
