Projectors Great and Small:

Barco @ CineEurope 2015

Introduction

As you would expect Barco had a large presents at CineEurope 2015, both on the trade floor but also with a number of other locations around the venue. Many visitors noticed the ‘Barco’ mini in the entrance foyer, something which became a bit of a photo opportunity for many. To give you a flavour of Barco at CineEurope, why not have a look at their highlights video:

 

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While Barco was demonstrating a number of different products at CineEurope, some of which are described below, for me the two new products of interest were Barco’s two new projectors which are at either end of the spectrum – the DP2K-6E projector which is designed for small screens and the DP4K-60L laser projector which is for the largest screens.

 

DP2K-6E

Barco launched a new edition to their DCP DLP projector range, the DP2K-6E a projector so small that it was able to sit on the roof of a traditional Barco red mini in the entrance to conference. The full technical specification of the new DP2K-6E can be found here. 

 

The DP2K-6E is designed for screens up to 7.4m (24ft) wide, making it ideal for installing into the smallest auditoriums or for community cinemas. The projector uses UHP Lamps rather than the traditional xenon bulb, allowing the overall size of the projector to be smaller, to not require additional extract systems, and to only require just over 1Kw of power.

Demonstrations were taking place in a seminar room, on a quick fold screen. The image quality was fantastic. The colours were rich, clear and bright, while the projector was pretty quiet. Its noise level (48db) was just slightly louder that would be ideal to have in the auditorium unprotected, but a couple more decibels quieter and it could happily live in the main auditorium.

 

Like many of the Barco projectors the DP2K-6E comes with the Barco Alchemy server integrated into the main body. This means that the projector and server have a very small footprint. In fact I think that it would be really simple to put the projector into a flight case to make it ideal to transport around to different events.

 

The visual design of the projector is slightly different from the more traditional Barco projectors. But like all other projectors in the Barco range it is a modular design and has a low cost of ownership.

This is a fantastic little projector giving a great image and is versatile. I think there are a number of great opportunities which this projector now fulfils. It is a natural addition to the family of Barco projectors.

 

Of course NEC, Christie and Sony all have a similar range of projectors, many of them also using the HPM lamp methods.

 

DP4K-60L – Laser Projector

At the other end of the scale from the DP2K-6E is the DP4K-60L, which is a ultra bright 6P laser projector which is design for premium large screens. The DP4K-60L is the first integrated RGB Laser Cinema which is DCI compliant (as of December 2014). The full details of the DP4K-60L can be found here.

 

With a claimed brightness which is twice that of any xenon projector (up to 56,000 lumens), the DP4K-60L is the world’s brightest cinema projector. There are a number reasons why everyone is getting excited about laser projectors. One of those reasons is that apart from the extra overall brightness, as mentioned above is that the image is greatly improved, with an increased contrast ratio. In the case of the DP4K-60L the contrast ratio is 2,500:1 (the DP4K-32B model is 2,000:1) and the range of colours is increased thus providing a more vivid image colour. This all radically improves the 3D movie experience which has had up to now always had light level issues due to the filtering required to make it work.

The DP4K-60L like the above DP2k-6E comes with the Barco Alchemy Integrated Cinema Media Processor (ICMP) and can project 4K content at 60 frames per second and along with 3D movies in 4K.

 

All the manufacturers talk about the cost of ownership in all their presentations and the DP4K-60L is no exception. The DP4K-60L consumes 40% less power than a xenon projector with the same brightness and the laser light source is meant to last 30,000 hours or more.

 

I was able to experience the DP4K-60L for myself in a demonstration and the images were some of the best I have ever seen, especially during the 3D material. I spent some time switching between having the glasses on and off. Normally you can see a distinct change in the light level when you do this, but with the laser there was no noticeable change. And for the second time during the day I got the sense that the whole auditorium was moving, such as when you are on a ride – the sense that real immersion was created.

 

Barco have made a 5 minute video about Lamp vs laser in Projectors, which you can view here:

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Barco Escape

This year the main demonstration on the Barco stand was a small scale Escape setup. You may have seen the article I wrote last year about visiting Barco Escape in Antwerop to see Maze Runner – it is available here. I was able to have a chat to Todd Hoddick who is leading the Escape project. He gave me an update on where the project was from both last year at CineEurope and also since I saw it in October 2014. One of the main changes has been the way that the screens are attached to each other, removing some of the gap which had been present before and was a major improvement.

 

There was also a range of content which had been created, either specifically in the Escape format or retrospectively. Some of it worked better than other material between it was all interesting to watch.

 

Barco has entered into a five year deal with 20th Century Fox to release a number of films in the Escape for format and a Barco Escape setup will be installed in a theatre on the 20th Century Fox studio lot as a result.

 

Barco Escape’s next project, a special performance event with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga filmed natively for the format, will be released later in 2015. To learn more, visit Ready2Escape.com.

Iosono

Something which I had missed was the introduction of the Iosono Core processor which is at the heart of Barco‘s IOSONO immersive sound systems. It comes with a variety of features ensuring an easy installation and adaptation to individual venues. The IOSONO CORE supports object based audio as well as all standard and future discrete multi-channel audio formats. More information can be found here. 

 

Barco introduces Barco Capital to provide equipment financing

Something else which I had missed was that back in April Barco had introduced something called Barco Capital which was aimed at helping to provide equipment financing. Barco Capital opens up new ways for customers to finance their investment in cutting-edge Barco technology to boost their business while balancing the payment spike. The Barco Capital portfolio is initially available for the Digital Cinema, Venues and Hospitality, and Retail and Advertising product portfolios, starting with customers based in Europe and the Americas. Further information can be found here.

 

Conclusion

As ever it was great to be able to see what the latest innovations which the manufacturers are making, especially Barco. The development of projectors for the real small screens is really interesting and I can see a real introduction of them into all sorts of boutique cinema screens in interesting and unusual locations. I also think that these small projectors may well find a home in the smaller community cinemas. At the other end of the spectrum are the Laser projectors which are designed for the biggest possible screens, but without compromising on the quality of the image, which we have perhaps seen at times. Apart from the ability to produce great images at large sizes the value of making 3D as bright as a 2D image may well help to see a reprise of the format again. Again however, the laser projectors are going to help to allow the development of new and interesting cinemas and experiences as a result. Finally for me it was great to see the development of Barco Escape, something which I continue to enjoy. I am interested in the development of cinema as an entertainment destination away from the living room, and anyone trying to create something special in the cinema environment gets my support. Cinema should be exciting and I think it is beginning to be so again.

 

You can find out more about the complete range of cinema products from Barco via their CinemaBarco portal site.