New Projectors on Display at Showeast

Perhaps the key to more widespread digital cinema adoption is a wider selection of projectors, particularly those created for smaller venues and post facilities that find the existing costs of entry far too prohibitive. At Showeast this week the appearance of mid-size 4K projectors like the new Sony SRX-R515 and entry-level models like Christie's Solaria One (above) and Solaria One+ signal a new strategy for DCP manufacturers: build it smaller and hope they will finally decide to come. Christie says it is aiming its new line at "emerging markets" like community theaters and boutique post facilities where average screen sizes are less than 35 feet wide. The company also claims the new line has the lowest total cost of ownership on the market, though exact pricing was not made public at the time of the announcement.

The new Solaria One projectors come with a lens, custom-designed Xenon lamp, a Christie Integrated Media Block (IMB), and Screen Management Software (SMS) that lets you easily operate and maintain the projector. The Solaria One+ features a motorized lens mount, a better lens suite (for image sharpness and uniformity), and brightness up to about 9000 lumens within the DCI color space. Both models include built-in dual DVI (HDMI) and network ports, so the display isn't limited to traditional feature content. The company recommends pairing the projectors with DCI-compliant, RAID5 external storage systems sold separately. Coming in at 119 pounds, the projector measures 831mm (32.7") x 688mm (27.1") x 395mm (15.6").

Built around the new Texas Instrument S2K chip shown at CinemaCon earlier this year, the Solaria One is also "3D-ready and HFR-upgradable," giving it future-proofing options beyond its immediate low-cost and low-profile advantages. But that makes sense coming from a company already actively evangelizing about high-frame-rate filmmaking. Of its primary goals in spreading the word, Christie says it is committed to "assisting leading-edge filmmakers and post-production companies in perfecting HFR movie creation, so the industry has the most engaging, entertaining content possible…and assisting exhibitors in showing these 3D HFR movies in all their glory."

For more information: Christie Solaria One and One+