Düsseldorf—Apr 21, 2011
FTT and XDC to Implement Digital Rollout for FSF Cinemas
The German-based cinema group and XDC signed a preliminary agreement to convert the FSF screens into digital under XDC’s VPF funding scheme. The installations will be carried out by Film Ton Technik in Düsseldorf.
Under
the terms of the agreement which was signed during German KINO 2011 tradeshow
in Baden-Baden last week, FSF will equip their theatres Düsseldorf,
Recklinghausen and Stuttgart with state-of-the-art 2k DLP digital cinema
systems. Installations for the first screens will already start in May this
year. The remaining ones are to be completed by the end of 2011.
The
FSF group operates the 3 UFA cinemas in Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Dresden as well
as Cineworld Recklinghausen. The FSF operating company emerged from the UFA
cinema group and is currently managed by the Riech family.
“The decision for XDC’s VPF was well
considered,” said Marianne
Riech,General Manager of FSF GmbH.
According to her statement UFA believes in digital cinema as one keystone for
running a successful cinema business. “XDC‘s VPF model is the most convenient
one for our special purpose,” she added.
Thomas Rüttgers, General Manager of FTT, welcomed this decision: “We
have known each other for years as we are both Düsseldorf-based companies with
a longstanding family tradition. Therefore, we are happy to assist UFA with
taking their next step into the future.”
However,
not only FTT but also XDC has a common track record with UFA as Serge Plasch, XDC’s CEO, remembered: “When XDC started its first deployments in
Germany several years ago, UFA cinemas were among those pioneers that tested digital
cinema equipment and we are proud to be awarded with carrying out this
important transition for them.”
All
screens will be equipped with Barco Series 2 DCI-compliant digital projectors
and Doremi servers. The systems will be connected to XDC’s NOC (Network
Operations Centre) which will perform the hotline support and the preventive
remote maintenance. Thanks to the XDC’s CineStore Data web-based application,
the front-line support, with the possibility to have a full remote monitoring
of the digital systems will be directly managed by FTT who will also take care
of the installations and maintenance supported by XDC’s NOC services.
