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CinemaCon <strong>2018</strong> Unveils<br />
New Innovations for Cinemas<br />
by Rob Rinderman<br />
The <strong>2018</strong> edition of CinemaCon is<br />
fading fast in the rearview mirror,<br />
leaving multiple memories, meeting<br />
follow-ups, prospective new biz leads and<br />
a wad of business cards from industry attendees<br />
we’ve met, all while trying to recall<br />
what next steps, if any, should be taken.<br />
There was lots of cutting-edge technical<br />
innovation on display in the suites<br />
and on the tradeshow floor (technically,<br />
two floors—in the Augustus and Forum<br />
ballrooms—connected by a somewhat<br />
confusing escalator ride for those new to<br />
CinemaCon or the otherwise uninitiated).<br />
The industry’s leading Hollywood studio<br />
brass were in attendance, joined by several<br />
newer, up-and-coming entrants. Those<br />
included Amazon, which again emphasized<br />
their appreciation and willingness<br />
to respect and abide by theatrical release<br />
windows, stressing the importance of collaboration<br />
with their worldwide exhibition<br />
partners.<br />
Collectively, studios and distributors<br />
showed off the best of their upcoming attractions.<br />
In many cases, they also invited<br />
some of the world’s top onscreen talent to<br />
join their senior execs at presentations to<br />
address an eager, often-packed house of<br />
theatrical exhibitors at sessions held on<br />
the Colosseum main stage (which, outside<br />
of CinemaCon, hosts entertainment<br />
superstars like Elton John, Jerry Seinfeld<br />
and Celine Dion, to namedrop a few) and<br />
in Caesars Palace ballrooms, over breakfast,<br />
lunch and dinner.<br />
Tom Cruise graciously accepted the<br />
Pioneer Award on Wednesday night—<br />
surprisingly the first-ever actor to receive<br />
this prestigious honor. Hopefully, he<br />
won’t be the last. James Corden proved to<br />
be an often-amusing and self-deprecatingly<br />
amiable emcee. A brief but excellent<br />
musical performance showcased the musical<br />
talents of Leslie Odom, Jr., who previously<br />
graced the Broadway stage in the<br />
role of Aaron Burr in the hugely popular<br />
musical Hamilton.<br />
Below is a sampling of the many techrelated<br />
highlights from the uber-busy<br />
week in Vegas…proving what happens<br />
there doesn’t always stay there.<br />
Dolby’s array of engineering and technological<br />
solutions is helping worldwide<br />
cinema owners reduce their all-important<br />
TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). This<br />
initiative includes a focus on reducing<br />
equipment power consumption and heat,<br />
while lowering electricity costs. According<br />
to Michael Archer, VP of worldwide<br />
cinema sales, the company is installing<br />
new Atmos immersive-audio screens<br />
around the world at an impressive average<br />
clip of three per day.<br />
Dolby is providing complete solutions<br />
for the exhibitor’s entire complex, a compelling<br />
value proposition for theatre owners<br />
and operators. Prior to CinemaCon,<br />
Dolby announced an upcoming slate of 20<br />
Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos tentpole<br />
titles from The Walt Disney Studios,<br />
including Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War<br />
and Lucasfilm’s Solo: A Star Wars Story.<br />
These films were added to the growing<br />
slate of titles presented in Dolby Cinema<br />
locations across the globe. The company<br />
also announced its first Dolby Cinema<br />
partnership in Japan, teaming up with<br />
Shochiku Multiplex Theatres. It also continued<br />
its ongoing expansion in China,<br />
inking a recent agreement with Jinyi.<br />
Christie proudly displayed its wide<br />
range of illumination technologies, ranging<br />
from the lowest TCO Xenon models<br />
to state-of-the-art RGB laser projection<br />
systems. Boasting an innovative, patented<br />
and all-in-one, direct-coupled RGB illumination<br />
system, the Christie CP4325-<br />
RGB utilizes next-gen, pure red-greenblue<br />
direct-emitting laser technology to<br />
deliver an authentic, immersive cinematic<br />
experience. It offers the advantages of<br />
a high-performance laser projector in a<br />
compact, “all-in-one” form factor, which<br />
eliminates the need for sub-ambient<br />
external cooling, while providing rich<br />
colors, high contrast ratios and a relatively<br />
low overall TCO.<br />
Christie's CP4325-RGB laser projector<br />
Under Christie’s LightTIME Guarantee,<br />
exhibitors can opt for one of three<br />
different illumination packages appropriate<br />
for their individual screens. Once<br />
purchased, the projector ships with two<br />
lamps and subsequently the cinema owner<br />
will automatically receive additional lamps<br />
as the customer requires, based on the<br />
illumination package they choose. The<br />
company also disclosed that it has installed<br />
its Christie Vive Audio system in more<br />
than 1,000 auditoriums since introduction.<br />
At CinemaCon, the company also debuted<br />
two new Christie Vive Audio S Series<br />
subwoofer models, ideal for cinema LFE<br />
(Low Frequency Effects).<br />
Founder/CEO Dr. Man-Nang<br />
Chong of GDC Technology highlighted<br />
several new corporate innovations during<br />
CinemaCon week, including the SR-1000<br />
Standalone Integrated Media Block.<br />
The company’s sixth-generation digital<br />
62 FILMJOURNAL.COM / JULY <strong>2018</strong><br />
024-068.indd 62<br />
5/23/18 3:38 PM
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