All Kinepolis cinemas in Belgium are to be fitted with digital BARCO projectors
Kinepolis Group and Thomson's Technicolor Digital Cinema have signed a strategic agreement on the large-scale deployment of Digital Cinema in Europe. Technicolor Digital Cinema is to install Barco 2K projectors with DLP Cinema TM technology in the 130 cinema auditoriums run by the Kinepolis Group in Belgium. Around half of these, including the brand new, eight-screen Kinepolis cinema complex opening today in Bruges, are to be fitted with digital cinema systems by early 2007. The remaining Kinepolis cinemas in Belgium will follow suit by the end of 2007.
Kinepolis Group has been a pioneer in the field of digital cinema in Europe for years. Cinema-goers can already enjoy High Definition Digital Cinema (HDDC) in 21 Kinepolis auditoriums, 13 of which are in Belgium, five in France and three in Spain. The digitalisation of all its cinema complexes in Belgium will be completed by the end of 2007 thanks to the agreement reached with Thomson's Technicolor Digital Cinema. All auditoriums are to be equipped with Barco HD projectors. Kinepolis Group is the first company in Europe to conclude this type of strategic agreement with Technicolor Digital Cinema. Kinepolis Group is the world leader in digital projection, operating the highest number of digital cinema screens. In proportional terms, Kinepolis Group owns the largest share of digital auditoriums compared with the total number of auditoriums per complex.
Digital Cinema offers the very best in terms of image and sound in the cinema. In comparison with the traditional 35mm film, digital cinema offers outstanding picture quality, perfect subtitles and better colours. Digital technology also stands out in that it retains quality to a better standard over a longer period. The film is projected onto the screen using a computer server and a digital projector. It makes no difference whether the film is show once or thousands of times. The quality remains impeccable since there is no wear and tear as there is with the conventional 35 mm film.
This also opens up the possibility of offering more alternative content in digital format, alongside digital Hollywood productions, such as prestigious events, television series previews, live concerts, lives sporting competitions and a host of applications for companies, universities and the medical sector.
