Next Generation Digital Cinema Projectors

[Lucas Iaccarino]

Hello all,

I have been wondering which will be the next tech step on Digital Cinema Projection. On the institution where I work, we are planning investments for the next 3 years and, besides I´m really happy with my Christie 4230, I would like to think which will be the needs of next years.

For example, I have been reading all the white papers about HDR, but talk with several local post production houses and no one has a standard for mastering HDR DCP.

Which do you think will be the "must" in the near future? As the 4K and 3D were 6 years ago.

Thanks!

[Steve Guttag]

4K has hardly been a "must" as the majority of cinemas still run at 2K. It is nice to see that 4K features are finally becoming quite normal instead of the rare. 3D was never a "must" though it was a fad a decade ago. The overwhelming majority of our cinemas do not have 3D and those that did don't use it anymore...we'll see if they fool with it for Avatar 2. Thus far, they didn't do anything with it for the reissue of Avatar.

I consider 4K more of an evolutionary thing...as time progresses it will become the norm but all three of the projector companies have brought out 2K versions within the last 12 months, so, clearly 2K isn't going away just yet.

HDR conveys numerous things to numerous people. There are high contrast projectors but they just improve black levels. HDR normally denotes that the range is extended at both ends but it is poorly defined, at this time. An issue with increasing the brightest areas will be getting the extra light on screen. it's great to go from 14fL to 30fL...but will exhibitors double their projector brightness to do it? The cost for these, relatively, short lived projectors does not go up linearly. Going from a 20,000 lumen projector to a 40,000 lumen projector (times however many screens one has) is non-trivial. And, that is for the normal contrast projectors...so, one's black levels come up with it. Keeping the black levels low while increasing the white levels is difficult and expensive. I'd say that anyone investing in that, right now, is investing in cutting-edge and less stable technology that will quickly becomes antiquated.

Barco is working on a light-steering technology that looks interesting. The showed it before the pandemic (2018) and have begun showing it again. What is cool about that is that it makes the most use of what light is available. So, rather than getting a bigger/brighter projector, allow the projector to take light from areas of the image that aren't using it and put it to where it can brighten it. The demos I saw looked very interesting but clearly content would need to be mastered for it. What i saw had an exaggerated feel to it...like turning HDR on a TV on for non-HDR content.

Clearly, laser projection is the current (not even the future anymore) but that is an evolutionary thing. I don't think one will get much marquee appeal boasting about laser projection any more than putting "4K" projection will do anything. I wouldn't pitch a xenon projector for a laser one. I'd argue that the xenon projector puts out a better image (color wise). Laser normally wins on contrast but I've seen some pretty crappy laser images too (low-contrast...S2K imagers).

[Lucas Iaccarino]

Dear Steve,

Thanks for your quick answer. I completely understand and agree with what are you saying. I have seen 5 years ago in CineEurope an exhibition of EclairColor (working with 30fL) but never again seen it on exhibitors or with DCP mastering for that system.
Meanwhile 4K is not a must as you say for regular Cinemas, my kind of exhibition requires myself to be prepared for the next tendencies, but I feel it´s not clear yet. As you said let´s wait what happen with AVATAR 2. Your appreciation about laser is very useful, as I´m not so sure about that kind of projectors right now.

my main intrigue is where to aim for next 5 years,

I have been told that Disney is asking the integrators to do a list of all the cinemas equipment and their fL, I guess trying to fix a plan for Avatar 2 and the technical requirement it "suppose" demands.