Rome—Jul 16, 2007
Kodak And Supercinema Clarici Bring Digital Cinema To Italy
Kodak announced today that Supercinema Clarici, in Foligno, Italy continues its transformation into one of the country’s finest cinemas with the installation of the proven Kodak Digital Cinema solution. The Kodak installation includes the versatile and flexible Kodak Content Player JMN3000 and an NEC NC2500S cinema projector supplied by Prevost, NEC’s Italian distributor.
The Kodak system was installed in early July, in time to show a digital print of the Warner Bros. feature, ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’, when it opened on July 11th. To showcase the new system, Supercinema hosted a special event for journalists and other cinema owners in conjunction with the screening.
“We’re grateful to Mr. Clarici and his team for selecting Kodak,” said Enrico Ferrari, Kodak Digital Cinema manager for Italy. “Since reopening their fully-redecorated cinema in 2003, they have continued to improve the entertainment experience. Their vision for the possibilities of digital cinema matches well with Kodak’s and we are pleased to be working with them.”
Mr. Pier Domenico Clarici, owner of Supercinema Clarici, said: “Our challenge is to combine the best of Italy’s rich movie traditions with the finest on-screen presentation. We need to respect yesterday, but to serve the movie audiences of today and tomorrow. Digital cinema will be a critical part of our future and this new association we have with Kodak is an important beginning to that.”
The building housing the three-screen Supercinema in Foligno opened in 1936 and has operated as a movie theatre ever since. In 2003, the cinema was reopened after having been fully renovated in ways that preserve its historical integrity but offer modern comforts and conveniences. The site has three auditoriums.
“We installed the Kodak Content Player on the largest screen, in the 300-seat main auditorium,” says Kodak’s Ferrari. “Full project management, installation and training are part of the Kodak sale, so when movie-goers see presentations in the Supercinema Clarici, they can be sure the cinema’s team is delivering a top quality digital performance.”
“Through the years, we have known Kodak, of course”, said Mr. Pietro Clarici, the cinema’s technical director, who provides leadership and energy for their continuing innovation. “In the demonstration Kodak gave, we were impressed by how easy their equipment was to use; it almost seemed intuitive to our projectionists. We trust their brand and their reputation so we said, ‘let’s work together…’”
The Kodak Content Player JMN3000 works seamlessly with the cinema grade NEC2500 projector to help create a system that meets industry standards and exhibitor expectations. The Kodak Player handles 2D or 3D movies and automatically recognizes the compression format used – JPEG or MPEG – and employs that for playback. Because it accepts both compression formats, it’s flexible enough to use for studio features as well as local language movies, documentaries, and other content.
“Kodak has a legacy of making complex technology easy to use,” said Ferrari, “and we continue to build that into everything that carries our name. Our goal in digital cinema is to make the solution so reliable, flexible, and simple that projectionists at Supercinema Clarici can take care of other demands of the job and let Kodak do what we do best – help them to deliver a great cinema presentation.”
The Claricis have earned a reputation for innovation and are widely respected as a knowledgeable and informed member of the industry. They understand the power of having the right partner as the cinema business evolves.
“We are at an important stage in the life of motion picture entertainment,” said Mr. Pier Domenico Clarici. “It is a time for great brands to work together, listen to each other, and learn together, because the result can be an enriched experience for everyone. In the end, that’s what this relationship with Kodak is all about.”
