India—May 18, 2005
Christie Debuts India’s First 2K Digital Cinema Screening
Sathyam Cinemas to Screen “Stars Wars Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” with Christie CP2000 Digital Cinema Projector
Christie, first in DLP Cinema™ projection , announces
today Chennai-based Sathyam Cinemas has chosen the Christie CP2000 Digital
Cinema projector for its six-screen flagship theatre. Its first 2K digital
screening of “Star Wars Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” on May 20, 2005 will
be a major leap for India – Asia-Pacific’s largest cinema industry – to move
from analogue and electronic cinemas (e-cinemas) to digital distribution and
projection.
Located in the heart of Chennai, a city of more than four-million people in
Southeast India, Sathyam’s multiplex features a seating capacity of more than
2,900 seats and is the country’s highest attended theatre. At present, the
Christie CP2000 installed by Christie’s Indian partner, MRH Digital Systems Pvt
Ltd, in the 380-seat Shree cinema with the DSR™ Digital Film Server will be
used solely for digital screenings of Hollywood films since availability of
Indian content in high-resolution digital format, required for Digital Cinema
(D-Cinema), is not widely available.
In India, there are currently more than 100 screens which are said to have
installed digital projection systems. These are, in fact, e-cinemas established
primarily on making the latest content available at a faster pace and cheaper
rate rather than on improving presentation quality. In addition, none of these
existing digital projectors are approved by the Hollywood studios so they are
unable to be used to screen Hollywood productions.
“Sathyam is launching its D-Cinema with the screening of Star Wars Episode III –
Revenge of the Sith, the first-of-its-kind in India. By doing so, we hope
movie-goers in India will have a better in-theatre experience and appreciate
digital technology which offers enhanced quality and higher resolution. Through
this screening, they will also be able to differentiate between Digital Cinema
and the conventional analogue and e-cinema projection systems that they’ve seen
in the past,” comments Kiran Reddy, managing director, Sathyam Cinemas.
“Christie has been at the forefront of the cinema business for many years and it
was our obvious choice when we decided on going with Digital Cinema. Depending
on the response, we might consider installing a Digital Cinema projector for
each of the other five screens in the Multiplex,” continues Reddy.
“Sathyam’s decision to go digital is an extremely bold step for the industry. As
the pioneer in South India’s exhibition business and the owner of the most
prestigious multiplex in Chennai, they’re showing the world that India is always
ready to adopt new technology,” comments Ranjit Thakur, director, MRH Digital
Systems Pvt Ltd. “We deeply appreciate Sathyam’s decision to embark onto the
digital platform with Christie and I think this will be an example to the rest
of the other leading exhibitors in the country. The potential for Digital Cinema
in India will be huge and only time can tell where it will take us.”
Apart from this D-Cinema installation, Sathyam will also be replacing all its
Westrex Carbon Arc projectors with Indian Lamp Houses in its multiplex’s
existing theatres with Christie P35GPS 35mm cinema film projectors.