“We wanted to be first to market
in Houston with laser projectors,” said Jason Ostrow, Vice President of Star
Cinema Grill. With the installation of
30 Sony 4K laser digital cinema projectors over three locations, starting with
College Station, Texas, Star Cinema Grill is accomplishing their goal.
“Houston is becoming a very
competitive market, not only with traditional theaters but also dine-in
theaters now,” he said. “We need to make sure that with any dine-in theater we
open going forward, we're doing whatever we can to differentiate ourselves. This
gives us a true competitive advantage.”
A Sony 4K customer since 2012,
Star Cinema Grill are familiar with the benefits a projection upgrade can
bring.
“When we first went from film to
digital many years ago, we immediately saw we were delivering a much more
consistent presentation, no scratches, nothing out of frame,” Ostrow said. “There
was a noticeable difference, from the guest perspective and on the business
side. We didn't have to have projectionists dealing with brain wraps and
interlocks, and prints getting thrown off platters, everything that used to
happen with thirty-fives. Digital created a much better experience for
everybody, and now even more so with laser technology.”
The importance of that experience
is heightened now as exhibitors are competing to attract consumers who have
more high-quality entertainment options available to them.
“In the dine-in world, the
technology side hasn't been as important because we had the advantage of just
offering a different experience than traditional theaters,” Ostrow said. “But
now that more and more dine-in theaters are opening, we can't rely on that to
be the only differentiator anymore. That's why we do whatever we can to always stay
ahead of the curve, and these laser projectors are a next step in that
evolution.”
The College Station location will be outfitted with nine
laser projectors, with the rest planned for Richmond and Spring, Texas,
facilities through the first half of 2019.
Ostrow sees a combination of benefits resulting from this
technology upgrade, from increased traffic and a better overall customer
experience to real quantifiable cost savings.
“From a business and operation standpoint, we hope for
ease of use and not having to maintain the bulbs,” he said. “From the guest
experience side, this roll-out will result in better picture quality, which leads
to a better guest experience, which makes people choose our facility over a
competing dine-in facility that doesn't have this technology.”
The Star Cinema Grill team is confident the new projectors
will make as much of a difference behind the scenes as they will in the
auditoriums.
“What’s
attractive about the Sony systems is they are all-in-one installations,” said
John Walsh, Vice President, Star Cinema Grill. “With other brands, you need a
different server, and other separate components. With the Sony systems, everything
is the same at every location. They’re built in a way that they’re easy to
operate, so our theater teams can focus on taking care of the guests and not
worrying about the projectors.”
Maintaining that customer focus has been a key theme for
Star Cinema Grill throughout its seven-year relationship with Sony. “We're
comfortable with the technology, it’s been reliable for us,” he said. “All
brands have their unique characteristics, but one of the main reasons we went
with Sony, is our long-term relationship with their team.”
Star Cinema Grill is a privately held Houston-based
company, focused on growth through new construction as well as acquisitions and
new brand development. Star Cinema Grill has become Houston’s largest dine-in
theater group with seven locations in addition to other brands including
District Theatres and Hollywood Palms Cinema.
The chain is continuously updating its portfolio through remodels and
new store openings. Star Cinema Grill
has grown aggressively over the past two years and plans to continue their
expansion throughout the greater Houston area, as well as other markets including
Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Chicago.
Learn more at
www.starcinemagrill.net.
