Burbank, Calif.,—Aug 8, 2006
NEC Digital Cinema Projectors Installed at Two World Famous Premiere Theatres on the East Coast
NEC’s STARUS NC2500S Projectors Installed in Historic and Nationally Renowned Fox Theatre in Atlanta and Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan
NEC Corporation of America today announced the installation of its NEC STARUS™ NC2500S Digital Cinema projector in two of the premiere movie theatres on the East Coast. NEC’s STARUS NC2500S, the world’s brightest projector with DLP Cinema® technology from Texas Instruments®, will be projecting premiere movies at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia and Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan.
“NEC is proud that our STARUS NC2500S Digital Cinema projector is now the projector of choice for premiere theatres,” said Kurt Schwenk, general manager, Digital Cinema Division of NEC Corporation of America. “Premiere theatres set the standard for the industry, and we hope that all theatre operators soon appreciate the picture quality that NEC delivers to their screens.”
The Fox Theatre -- originally the Yaarab Temple Shrine Mosque -- was built in the late 1920’s and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Rich in design and ornamentation, the Fox Theatre attracts nearly three-quarters of a million visitors a year that range from Atlanta area residents to tourists to international dignitaries. With seating for over 4,500 patrons it has become the ideal location for many Hollywood industry premieres. NEC’s STARUS NC2500S was delivered and installed by NEC’s Reseller Strong Digital Systems, a division of Ballantyne of Omaha, Inc. (AMEX: BTN).
“The Fox Theatre is very impressed with the brightness and clarity of the NEC STARUS NC2500S projector that Strong Digital Systems installed,” said Ed Neiss, general manager of the Fox Theatre. “The NEC digital projector continues to impress our audiences with images that pop off the screen with fantastic resolution and extraordinary crispness. It's far superior to what audiences expect from a high definition experience and provides an opportunity to stand out by giving patrons a real reason to see movies at the Fox.”
Clearview Cinemas’ Ziegfeld Theatre, originally established in 1927 and relocated down the street in 1966, has a rich history playing host to the Emmy Awards in 1959 and 1961. A Manhattan entertainment icon, The Ziegfeld, as it is now known, features lavish red carpeting and abundant gold trim, and continues to be the venue for first run motion pictures and Hollywood industry premieres. The theatre features 1,131 seats, with 825 seats in the front section and 306 seats in the raised balcony section in the rear. Reminiscent of the original theatre The Ziegfeld displays photographs of the older Broadway theatre delivering a nice contrast to the cinematic innovation recently achieved with the installation of NEC’s digital cinema technology.
“Clearview Cinemas is dedicated to improving the movie-going experience at our famous Ziegfeld Theatre,” said Doug Oines, SVP and General Manager for Clearview Cinemas. “We recently installed the NEC STARUS NC2500S Digital Cinema projector which enhances the quality of the movies we run and is another reason The Ziegfeld Theatre will continue to be the destination for Hollywood’s hottest premieres on the East Coast.”
NEC’s STARUS NC2500S is the world’s brightest DLP Cinema projector for large-sized screens 49 feet wide or larger. Delivering 2K resolution and high contrast ratios (2000:1), the STARUS NC2500S digital cinema projector is easy to operate and requires minimal maintenance. It can easily achieve the industry required standard of 14 foot lamberts on the largest cinema screens casting a remarkable digital image and delivering amplified brightness, sharper graphics and eye-catching color.
The complete family of STARUS Digital Cinema projectors also includes the STARUS NC1500C for medium-sized movie screens, and the STARUS NC800C for smaller theatres, screening rooms, and post-production facilities.