Tokyo—Jun 27, 2013
NEC Enhances Digital Cinema in Brazil
Providing digital projection systems for leading cinema chains
NEC Corporation (NEC:
TSE 6701) has signed a partnership agreement to provide digital projection
systems to Moviecom and Cineflix, two of Brazil’s leading digital cinema
chains.
Under the agreement, NEC Latin America, a
wholly-owned NEC subsidiary, will supply 100 digital projection systems to
Moviecom within the next twelve months. The company will also provide
approximately 35 systems to Cineflix in next twelve months, and a total of 100
systems by the end of 2016.
In recent years, the transition to digital
cinema has rapidly changed the face of the cinema industry. Traditional
film-based cameras are being replaced by digital video cameras and computer
graphics are helping to reduce filming costs. Moreover, digital projection
systems are easier to maintain than conventional equipment and images retain
their original high quality.
“Moviecom started migrating to digital
technology several years ago when we purchased our first 3D projectors from
NEC. In consideration of improving display quality and practicality, we decided
to invest more heavily in the process of digitizing our equipment,” said
Gustavo Ballarin, director of operations and marketing of Moviecom. “We are
particularly impressed with the quality of images produced by NEC equipment,
especially the colour, brightness, definition and depth.”
“Digital technology is expanding throughout
the world and this marks an important milestone in the evolution of the
Brazilian market,” says Gilmar Santos Leal, executive director of Cineflix.
“The digitization of our theatres is a strategic decision where NEC’s expertise
and quality of support play instrumental roles.”
“Programs such as
Virtual Print Free (VPF)* encourage cinema chains to digitize their theatres.
The Brazilian government is also committed to developing the segment by
implementing the Cinema Near You program and the Cinema of the City project,
which decrease investment and operational cost by at least 30% and consequently
enhance the popularity of the cinema," says Jorge Dantas, director of Digital
Cinema at NEC Latin America. “When citizens have easy access to theaters nearby
their workplaces and homes at affordable prices, they will tacitly want to go
to the movies. This will lead to higher revenues for exhibitors, which will
call for new private investment initiatives into new theaters. It’s a virtuous cycle
that positively contributes to people´s access to cultural services and events,
and this is in line with NEC´s corporate vision of technology innovation
supporting the sustainable growth of the society. We are very proud in being a global
technology leader in digital cinema solutions and support the Brazilian
digitalization process of movie theaters.”
***
Note:
Virtual Print Free (VPF): the subsidy
provided by a film distributor for the purchase of digital cinema projection
equipment
