Published:
14-Mar-07
GDC Technology, Asian server and digital cinema network management company, has launched a digital cinema integrated projection and server system into market from June 2007. DCI-2000 will start off being deployed in China Film deal (see below), as first 700 announced units. System will use either DP-1500 or DP-2000 projector, both newly released by Barco, with integrated server from GDC, backed up by a single service centre and offering a reduced cost to exhibitor. Move comes as GDC also launches a new server, SA-2100 DSR, which supports certain parts of DCI specifications, such as FIPS-140 security and Cinelink 2, a watermarking system, as well as JPEG2000.
China Film has chosen Asian server company GDC Technology to install 2,000 units of digital cinema projection equipment into cinemas belonging to China Film, first phase of which will see 700 units (including Barco projectors as per their deal) of equipment installed in top 100 cinemas during 2007. Deal also includes retro-fitting existing digital cinemas in China. GDC has a near 90 per cent market share of servers in China through the China Film deal, which are installed through Chinese company Shenzhen Digital Media Technology (Shenzhen IDMT).
Belgian digital cinema projector company Barco has agreed a substantial deal with China's GDC Technology for provision of 700 2K digital projectors over the next few years, which will be a part of the DCI-2000 integrated digital cinema solution put forward by GDC Technology. Barco has also just announced three new projectors catering to different sized screens and venues: DP-1500, DP-2000 and DP-3000, the latter being for screens up to 30m while the DP-1500 and DP-2000 are for small and medium sized venues.
Our take...
The state of digital cinema in China was the subject of some speculation, given that the early optmism and momentum had more recently slowed siginificantly, with only 32 new d-cinema screens added during 2006 to make a cumulative total of 156. The country intends to split the market into two technologies: d-cinema in urban areas with significant multiplex activity into which Hollywood will release their 20 revenue-sharing movies; and e-cinema in traditionally more rural areas that curently have little access to cinema of any kind. More recently, the territory had failed to attract Hollywood product because earlier deployments did not adhere to DCI level standards. China Film is now making a concerted effort to readdress that issue, with upgraded technology from GDC, including JPEG200 and minimum 2K resolution. The above deal refers to d-cinema and suggests that the internal discussions within China Film, the most important group in China,have been sorted out and that the digitisation of the territory is back on track.
China,
