The
list of firsts doesn’t stop there. The two Christie RGB 3DLP® laser projectors introduce EWD (Enhanced
Wavelength Diversity) technology to Spain for the first time. EWD uses a unique mixture and configuration
of Christie laser modules which reduces the impact of speckle and offers
spectacular viewing on silver screens.
“Christie is the only
projector manufacturer offering EWD projection, affording a much richer,
colorful, brighter and higher contrast image quality. And that means we can
give our audiences a truly unforgettable movie-going experience,” explained
Luis Millán, owner of
Odeon Multicines.
Luis Millán started out in
the cinema exhibition business back in 1984. Later on, he set up Equipo de
Cine, an integrating company that installed its first multiplex in 2003. The
experience he has accrued over the years through a large number of
installations has made him one of the major players in the digitalization of
cinemas in Spain. In 2012 he founded Odeon Multicines, which is now one of the country’s
most important chains, totaling 98 screens in the whole of Spain.
So it comes as
no surprise that Millán dreamt up the idea of Odeon Sambil
Dolby Atmos, recently opened on March 24, now Europe’s most advanced multiplex.
Located in the Sambil shopping mall,
next to Madrid’s main beltway, it can seat 2000 people over a floor area of
6000
square metres. The two largest theatres
at Odeon Sambil, with 18-metre screens, are equipped with Christie RGB laser
projectors.
Each one of these projectors uses eight laser modules to
generate 40,000 lumens – since each module can generate up to 5,000 lumens of white light. In
addition, the scalability of the platform
makes it possible to easily add, remove, activate or disable up to a dozen
modules depending on brightness requirements, meaning that it is possible to
produce up to 60,000 lumens if needed.
The other 10 screens in
the multiplex, ranging from 10 to 18 metres, have a combination of
Christie CP4220
(22,000 lumens) and
Christie CP4230
(34,000 lumens) 4K 3DLP Cinema
® projectors, all coming with
Christie IMB,
a DCI-compliant totally integrated media block to easily and efficiently run
the cinema content.
Largest Christie Vive
Audio/Dolby Atmos Installation in EuropeIf
that weren’t enough, it is the largest all
Christie Vive Audio and Dolby Atmos installation in
Europe. And, as Chris Connett, EMEA Market Development director for Christie Vive Audio stresses, it is also the most complex: “A
multiplex usually has one or two Dolby Atmos theatres, with the rest of the
screens offering 5.1 or 7.1 sound. But this complex has Dolby Atmos and a
record number of Vive Audio speakers and amplifiers in all its theatres. This
is totally unique and demonstrates Odeon’s strong interest in equipping the
whole complex with the best cinema sound available on the market.”
With a total of 514
speakers, the impressive Vive Audio installation at Odeon Sambil boasts the
whole spectrum of Christie LA2, LA3, LA4, LS4S, LS5S, LA3S, LA4S and LA3C
models for screen, surround and ceiling, and S218, S215 and S118 subwoofers, as
well as 217 CDA2, CDA3, CDA5 and CDA7.5 amplifiers.
“Christie Vive Audio is
the most advanced cinema sound system on the market,” continued Luis Millán.
“Christie’s line array (LA) speakers provide absolute sound fidelity and
produce higher sound pressure levels without disturbing the viewer because they
don’t generate any kind of distortion. Furthermore, they offer absolutely
uniform coverage across the whole theatre, meaning that spectators can hear
even the tiniest details, ensuring a superior immersive sound experience.”
Another
outstanding feature of the new multiplex is that the 12 theatres are equipped
with Harkness Clarus XC 170 silver screens. These screens are 3D ready, which
ensures that all twelve screens at Odeon Sambil can project 3D movies, another
first in Spain. The multiplex uses Get-3D’s passive 3D system.
Likewise,
all the 12 auditoria have
premium
leather
upholstered seats
designed
specifically for the multiplex by the Spanish company Josper. “These truly
high-end seats are designed to afford spectators unparalleled comfort, and not
just in one but in all 12 screens, something no other multiplex in Spain can
match,” Luis Millán emphasized. The
lobby is another of the multiplex’s distinctive features. Measuring almost 30
square metres, its gigantic video wall made of eighteen 75-inch LCD screens is
proving to be another talking point for visitors to the complex.
The
engineering and integration of the new multiplex was commissioned to the
Christie partner
Ingevideo, who did an impressive job working hand in
hand with Equipo de Cine, the company who looked after installing the
equipment.
These
companies introduced a whole series of technological developments into Odeon
Sambil that are still unheard of in most multiplexes. For instance, they
installed a Crestron automated control system to run the lights and doors of
all twelve theatres. They also integrated dimmer LED lighting in the Vive Audio
speakers to underscore the design, lending the theatres a unique cutting-edge
touch by changing the color and intensity of the speaker lights while screening
the advertisements.
“Honestly, we are proud to
have designed Spain’s most outstanding cinema complex to date,” said Miguel
Ángel Piqueras, director general of Ingevideo. “It was a genuine challenge
given the complexity of integrating so many groundbreaking new systems in
record time, but the end result is a world-standard multiplex where spectators
can watch movies with unbeatable image and sound quality,” he added.
Marcos Fernández, Christie
director for Spain and Portugal, who was at the helm of the project for
Christie alongside Chris Connett and Adil Zerouali, Cinema Director for
Christie Europe, explained: “We ought to underline just how exceptionally good
this multiplex is, completely unique at the current moment, when it is not a
common practice among many suppliers to seek excellence and offer spectators
maximum quality. In this case, I believe we have achieved our goal, not only
for the projectors and the speakers, but for the multiplex as a whole. The
experience the audience is going to have is only available to a few, and having
a cinema complex like this in Spain is something we are proud of.”
Adil Zerouali concluded:
“We are convinced that, thanks to the EWD RGB laser, Vive Audio and Dolby Atmos
in this new complex, people will rediscover the experience of “going to the
movies”; immersed in the vivid images and clarity of sound, they will be
completely caught up in the story.”
