Kortrijk, Belgium—Nov 17, 2006
Kinepolis launches XL Gaming with Barco 2k Digital Cinema projectors
From Saturday 18 November onwards, gaming enthusiasts at Kinepolis Bruges will be able to play on the big screen with the help of Barco’s latest Digital Cinema Solution. The gaming concept is also to be rolled out to other Kinepolis complexes in 2007. With this move, Kinepolis and Barco are taking their first steps in the world of interactive entertainment.
Kinepolis' most recent complex in Bruges will shortly be offering gaming enthusiasts the chance to game on the big screen on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. The pilot project, known as XL Gaming enabled with Barco DLP cinema projectors is to be launched on 18 November. In 2007 visitors will also be able to game in the other Kinepolis cinemas in Belgium.
Many of the cinema-goers welcomed by Kinepolis Belgium (10 million in 2005) are also entertainment and gaming enthusiasts. Gaming currently appears to be the fastest-growing industry in the entertainment sector. Kinepolis is now planning to combine cinema and gaming in a unique and revolutionary concept.
Gaming in the cinema is being made public for the first time. The giant screen and the optimal technical facilities will give gaming enthusiasts the feeling that they really are in the game, making it all the more exciting to play.
XL Gaming is being launched at Kinepolis Bruges, Kinepolis' newest complex (opened in July), which boasts a number of pioneering innovations and forms a conceptual reference for the other Kinepolis complexes and for the international cinema market in general. There are many striking features, the high quality of the images being just one. Other interesting elements are the main foyer, the seat booking facilities, the ticket pricing and checking system and the extensive digitalization of film, information and communication channels.
XL Gaming is the latest digital cinema application, based on the revolutionary DLP-Cinema® technology. Kinepolis Group has been a pioneer of digital cinema in Europe for many years now. In July, Kinepolis concluded an agreement with Barco and Technicolor Digital Cinema to digitalize all their cinema complexes in Belgium by the end of 2007 which includes a total of 131 auditoriums. Thanks to the widespread digitalization of Kinepolis cinemas, Kinepolis is developing further ‘alternative content’ in conjunction with Barco and Technicolor. In addition to digital full-length films, cinema-goers can now also experience more and more alternative content in digital format, such as prestigious events, television series, live concerts and sports competitions - and now XL Gaming, too.
Nico Vernieuwe Vice President Sales & Marketing, of Barco’s Media and Entertainment division stated, “This is a clear example of the additional opportunities for cinemas across the world for extra revenue generating ventures and broadening horizons and using the full benefits of the technology.” He continued “Moreover, not only can the cinema benefit from the increased revenue from gaming but the cinema visitors get a whole new experience, gaming is after all one of the fastest growing leisure activities at the moment. These are certainly very exciting times for Digital Cinema.”
As well as films, Kinepolis also offers entertainment, including gaming in general and XL Gaming in particular. The new concept gives games distributors the opportunity to launch new games on the big screen, organize exclusive previews or arrange superb games events in a cinema environment.
Recognized as the industry standard for Digital Cinema, Barco’s 2k digital cinema projectors are based on DLP Cinema® technology of Texas Instruments, which enables it to deliver the benefits of 2K display resolution, as well as DLP Cinema®, CineBlackTM, CinePalleteTM and CineLinkTM image control, the perfect tool to answer the demanding needs of the digital cinema industry.
More information on www.kinepolis.com/xlgaming