Barco offers DCI Ready Digital Cinema solutions - demonstrating leadership in evolving standards
Kortrijk, Belgium, 16 March 2006 - Barco is proud to announce that its D-Cine Premiere series, the world’s most popular digital cinema projectors, are being manufactured to comply with DCI hardware specifications. Those requirements, set by the Digital Cinema Initiatives consortium from major Hollywood studios, are intended to create uniform and compatible digital cinema equipment.
“Standards compliance is actually an evolutionary process,” said Glenn Wastyn, Barco’s digital cinema business development manager. “DCI made clear and challenging recommendations and we’ve incorporated them into our design and manufacturing process. Now the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers is writing the specific standards and, as they create those that apply to projector manufacturing, we will meet them. Our customers will know that an investment in Barco equipment is the right investment for the long term.”Under the guidelines of the DCI recommendations, special security precautions have been taken to register unauthorized entrance into the core of Barco’s DLP Cinema®-based projector. Barco projectors are compatible with the newest security standard, using Texas Instrument’s Cinelink™ technology to ensure secure data transmission between the server and the projector.
Kodak, who partners with Barco to provide a complete digital cinema solution, is also building their servers to DCI specifications. “As SMPTE writes the standards, we intend to provide a family of servers that meet D-cinema standards and can be used the way Studios and exhibitors expect,” said Les Moore, chief technology officer for Kodak digital cinema. “The new Kodak CineServer can play 2D or 3D MPEG content, as well as 2D JPEG movies. When they’re used with Barco projectors and the Kodak network, they put a full and polished presentation on the screen.”
Both companies applaud the industry’s drive to clear standards and consistent performance. “Barco invests about 10% of sales in R&D and Kodak’s investment is also significant,” said Wastyn, “but everything we provide is just a tool for the industry to use to deliver a unique cinema experience. Ultimately, standards are intended for one purpose: to improve the enjoyment of going to the movies on a worldwide basis and we support that.”
About DCI
Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC ( DCI ) is a limited liability company whose members include Disney, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Warner Bros. Studios. The venture was formed in March 2002. The purpose of DCI is to establish and document specifications for an open architecture for Digital Cinema components that ensures a uniform and high level of technical performance, reliability and quality control.
About Kodak
Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator, providing leading products and services to the entertainment, photographic, graphic communications and healthcare markets. With sales of $14.3 billion in 2005, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy, with investments and alliances resulting in products and services focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work.
More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com.
About Barco
Barco, an international company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, provides visualization and display solutions for professional markets. Barco designs and develops solutions for large screen visualization, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. Barco is active worldwide and has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco is quoted on Euronext Brussels and is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company (Euronext: BAR; Reuters: BARBt.BR; Bloomberg: BAR BB).
DLP Cinema is a registered trademark and CineLink is a trademark of Texas Instruments.
