CinemaxX Group is preparing for the future: By the middle of November 2009, Germany’s most well-known multiplex cinema operator will have equipped 56 of its cinema halls with new “CineAlta 4K” digital cinema projectors from Sony and 3D capabilities from RealD. The contractor for this project is Film-Ton-Technik Hannsdieter Rüttgers GmbH (FTT) of Düsseldorf. The company’s installation teams are responsible for managing the project as well as for the professional and timely installation of the projectors.
“By selecting the highest image resolution suggested by the DCI specifications, we aim to establish a high standard in the German cinema market”, explains Christian Gisy, CEO of CinemaxX AG. “Those who see a business opportunity behind 3D digitalisation are only going to be successful in the market if they take the right approach from the start. We are investing in a technology that currently occupies the top end of the market and has a great future. That’s why we consciously opted for equipment from Sony and RealD and for installation by FTT.”
“By selecting the highest image resolution suggested by the DCI specifications, we aim to establish a high standard in the German cinema market”, explains Christian Gisy, CEO of CinemaxX AG. “Those who see a business opportunity behind 3D digitalisation are only going to be successful in the market if they take the right approach from the start. We are investing in a technology that currently occupies the top end of the market and has a great future. That’s why we consciously opted for equipment from Sony and RealD and for installation by FTT.”
Each of the 56 “CineAlta 4K” projection systems from Sony (three of which are being installed in CinemaxX’s cinemas in Denmark) consists of an SRX-R220 Digital cinema projector, an integrated LMT-200 Media Block and LSM-100 screen management system software. The 3D system from RealD contains a 3D lens adaptor with filters specifically adapted to Sony’s “SXRD” technology. Fitting and removing the 3D lens is simple. CinemaxX’s projectionists are able to mount or remove the lens quickly and easily between screenings and a 2D 2K preshow can be projected directly through the 3D lens without requiring any changeover. This gives the cinema operators greater flexibility for their screenings: CinemaxX can use the new projectors to show digital cinema in 2K or 4K resolution as well as the increasingly popular 3D films.
“CinemaxX has always been one of the major innovators when it comes to cinema in Germany – from the design of the auditoria right down to the smallest technical detail”, says Oliver Pasch, Head of Digital Cinema Europe at Sony Professional. “By working with CinemaxX we can set trends for the cinema of the future. We are creating a whole new cinematic experience with a level of quality not seen before that makes it possible to screen alternative content, such as opera or concert transmissions, and therefore encourage new audiences to go to the cinema.”
FTT’s installation teams will install the 56 “CineAlta 4K” projection systems in CinemaxX’s cinemas – with support from Sony – in two waves and in time for the release of three spectacular 3D films. The first systems will introduce audiences to the magical world of Disney Pixar’s animated comedy “Up” from 17 September. This is followed by Robert Zemecki’s “A Christmas Carol” on 12 November and finally the long-awaited cinema highlight of the year “Avatar” from “Titanic” director James Cameron on 17 December 2009.
“By mid-November at the latest, we will have reached an important new milestone for digital cinema in Germany with the installation of the 4K and ‘RealD 3D on 4K’ systems at CinemaxX”, says Egon Gräfen, managing director at FTT. “With the nationwide rollout with Sony and CinemaxX, we will be helping to shape the future of cinema in Germany.”
Sony is currently the only manufacturer of commercially available 4K projectors for cinema applications. Their resolution is four times higher than that of Full HD or 2K projectors – the imaging device provides 4,096 × 2,160 pixels. In total, HDTV manages two million pixels while Sony achieves almost nine million. The quadrupled resolution is also noticeable when 3D films are shown. Unlike traditional 2K projectors – which, in order to project 3D films in 2K resolution have to show the images for the right and left eye frame sequentially – the “CineAlta 4K” projection system from Sony achieves a very natural, comfortable, non-tiring viewing experience for the audience by simultaneously projecting two 2K images.
Source: Sony