Hong Kong—Jun 23, 2004
CineArt House becomes Hong Kong’s FIRST Permanent Digital Cinema Installation
2H Digital Limited (H2H) today announced the launch of Hong Kong’s first
permanent commercial digital cinema operations in Hong Kong pursuant to an
agreement signed with Sil-Metropole Organisation’s CineArt House, an independent
movie theater operator and film producer in Hong Kong and Mainland China.
Under the agreement, H2H supplied Sil-Metropole with a digital cinema server
and projector utilizing GDC Technology’s DFP 2000 technology for the digital
presentation of independent films, theatrical trailers, pre-show advertisements
and alternative programming and will act as CineArt House’s exclusive sales
representative for all alternative content, digital films and special events.
In order to enhance the promotion of the digital cinema, Cine-Art House and
Intercontinental Video Ltd are planning “Shaw’s Brother Film Festival” in July
2004. The festival will last for one month and present over 20 Shaw Brothers
titles. All films will be exhibited in digital format and provided by Celestial
and encoded by GDC to deliver higher quality and enjoyment to the audience. News
of the gala premiere will soon be released to the public.
“CineArt House, located at the Sun Hung Kei Centre in Wanchai, is the first
exhibitor in Hong Kong to be equipped with the necessary equipment – including
high speed dedicated bandwidth -- to show digital entertainment content. The
digital quality of the theatrical presentation, including the pre-show, is truly
superior to that of 35mm and will be unmatched in Hong Kong,” said Chui Hin Wai,
Sil Metropoles’ Manager of Theatre Management Dept. “We are delighted to
introduce our audience with the digital cinema experience, both in terms of
quality improvement as well as an expanded range of entertainment content. Shaw
Brothers’ Film Festival is the first project to introduce our digital system,
and paves the way for more and more digital exhibitions to be shown at Cine-Art
House”.
“We are very delighted to work with Sil Metropole, whose vision and
understanding of the commercial benefits deriving from digital cinema technology
puts Hong Kong on the digital cinema map in the region and demonstrates the
territory’s commitment to be a comprehensive digital hub in the region.” said
Renaud Palliere, CEO of H2H. “We are optimistic that other exhibitors in Hong
Kong will follow Sil Metropole’s lead in digital cinema and we look forward to
addressing their respective requirements, ” says Palliere.
H2H has assembled a “best of breed” team of visionary companies in the execution
of digital cinema for this project. PCCW Limited has installed a 100Mbps
bandwidth link over fibre network directly to CineArt House’s projection booth,
which is connected to a centralized data storage facility to capture
store-and-forward or streaming digital media from a distant source over
international fiber of satellite networks. “This permanent connectivity will
give CineArt House an immediate edge to exhibit live sporting events and
concerts,” says Paula Brillson, EVP of Business Strategy and Content Acquisition
for H2H. The digitized, encrypted and compressed content will be stored and
played from GDC DSR™ server, then projected onto the screen using digital cinema
projectors.
“H2H looks forward to reinforcing the trend to digital throughout Asia by
facilitating the availability of digital filmed entertainment to theatres,
including new content such as music and sporting events, Broadway shows and
digital advertising, which help theatres increase their revenue streams and
offer an expanded entertainment experience to their audiences,” says Palliere.
