GDC Technology (“GDC”), a world leading digital cinema solution provider, is pleased to announce that it has signed a deployment contract with Strong Westrex Inc., a subsidiary of Ballantyne Strong, Inc. (NYSE Amex: BTN) whereby GDC’s innovative Integrated Media Block (“IMB”) solution is adopted in the latest round of digital rollout spearheaded by China Film Group Corporation (“CFGC”).
A total of 200 systems of NEC Series 2 DLP Cinema® projector integrated with GDC’s Integrated Media Block (“IMB”) and SX-2000 server have been adopted by CFGC in its 2010 digital cinema deployment scheme. Strong Westrex Inc. has been selected by CFGC in supplying and maintaining the NEC and GDC products under itsfull-service office in Beijing.
China Film Group Corporation is the largest and most influential state-run film enterprise in China. CFGC is involved in a variety of businesses which include film and television production, film distribution and exhibition, film importation and exportation, cinema circuit management, digital cinema deployment, print developing and processing, film equipment management, film and TV production, ancillary products, advertising, property management as well as real estate. For over a decade, CFGC’s subsidiary, China Film Import & Export Corporation, has been the sole government-authorized importer of films. CFGC’s film and TV production units include: the former China Film Corporation, Beijing Film Studio, China Youth Film Studio, China Film Co-Production Corporation, China Film Equipment Corporation, Movie Channel Production Center, Beijing Film & Video Laboratory and Huayun Film & TV Compact Disk Co., Ltd. GDC and CFGC have a long working history together dating back to 2002. The partnership has produced by far the largest number of installations in the country, currently standing at well over 1,000 units of GDC servers deployed in China.
GDC’s IMB is designed to integrate seamlessly into Series 2 DLP Cinema® projectors, the state-of-the-art IMB is another advanced digital cinema solution from GDC. GDC’s IMB and SX-2000 server allow customers to enjoy a digital projection solution that is both compact and future-proof based on Texas Instrument’s Series 2 DLP Cinema® technology, without compromising its well-known reliability and stability.
“CFGC has worked with GDC for close to a decade now and our faith in GDC has never been stronger,” said Han Sanping, Chairman of CFGC. “With over 1,000 GDC servers running in our cinemas tirelessly and reliably delivering picture perfect every time, it is easy to understand why we decide to stick to GDC in our latest round of deployment.”
“We have been in close working partnership with GDC in both the Americas and Asia,” commented Gary Cavey, President and CEO of Ballantyne Strong. “We are pleased to support GDC with NEC products in the CFGC digital cinema deployment, which is an extension of our very successful partnership with GDC in the U.S. With China expected to increase its digital footprint to fully digitize all the screens in the next three to five years, I am optimistic that our partnership with GDC will bring us more success.”
“We are honored to work with Strong Westrex in the latest round of digital deployment for CFGC,” said Dr Man-Nang Chong, founder and CEO of GDC Technology. “GDC’s innovative IMB offers its customers a digital projection solution that is both cost-effective and future-proof, and above all truly satisfying their actual needs. With a strong R&D base and forerunning technology in the industry, we have reached a new milestone in digital cinema.”
