Christie has announced that it is collaborating with Dolby to develop the next generation of Dolby Vision laser projection systems.
Cinema laser projection systems have long been due for a major upgrade. I personally think that one of the reasons movie theatres are struggling is that they haven’t been able to keep up with the times. The rapid leap in display technology at home and the quality of streaming has certainly meant that less and less people are opting for the movie theatre experience.
This next-generation Dolby Vision projection system will build on the moviegoing experience that filmmakers, moviegoers, and exhibitors have come to expect since Dolby Cinema was introduced 10 years ago. It will have more than twice the brightness of typical cinema presentations, and a contrast ratio well exceeding a million-to-one.
For highly saturated and real-life colors, this new 4K projection system will use RGB pure laser illumination to enable Dolby’s Wide Color Gamut 1.0 — which is nearly twice the color gamut of Rec. 709 and 122% of DCI-P3-capable projectors.
The next-generation Dolby Vision laser projection systems are claimed to deliver superior long-term performance and ease of operation. According to Christie, their lighter-weight design, and smaller chassis, will integrate more easily into a range of premium theatrical offerings, extending the reach of Dolby Vision to even more audiences. This includes Dolby Cinema, Dolby’s pinnacle cinematic experience, as well as the recently announced Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos solution aimed at exhibitor’s own premium auditoriums.
The biggest issue I see is whether or not movie theatres will be willing to invest in new technology when they are already struggling, however, I think that they really need to if they want to survive moving forward.
