Digital Cinema Projector of Christie Adopted at All Shinjuku Piccadilly Movie Theaters

- Japan’s First Fully Digital Network Theater is Born -

USHIO INC. (USHIO) and SHOCHIKU CO., LTD. (SHOCHIKU）are pleased to announce that the DLP Cinema® digital cinema projector (DCP) CP2000 series manufactured by CHRISTIE DIGITAL SYSTEMS (CHRISTIE), a 100% subsidiary of USHIO, is to be adopted at all ten screens of SHOCHIKU’s Shinjuku Piccadilly Cinema Complex, one of the largest movie theaters in downtown Tokyo scheduled to open on July 19.

Shinjuku Piccadilly is equipped with CHRISTIES’s DCP and the digital cinema server necessary for projecting digital content, which are connected to form the network, at all screens. The theater opens as Japan’s first full-digital network theater. SHOCHIKU plans to introduce Japan’s first theater management system (TMS) by year-end, connected using DCP and digital cinema servers, to complete the next-generation theater operation that enables centralized management of the list of films and content to be played and their status information.

“Shinjuku Piccadilly is a premium theater that embodies the ideal movie theater for customers, creators and film companies. CHRISTIES’s DCP enables clear and deterioration-free digital images to be replayed, and a single projector is capable of playing a 3D film. Also, a server is installed for each of the DCPs to form a network, thereby enabling the introduction of TMS. Now that the screens for projection and schedule can be changed flexibly to suit the needs of customers, efficient theater management becomes possible. Moreover, CHRISTIES’s film projectors are also installed with all screens, to create the projection environment desired by creators who are very much concerned about film projection. In the future, we hope to use the advantages of DCP to show content other than movies, such as sport events and concerts, offering the full gamut of image entertainment at our theaters. Shochiku is exploring the future of digitized movie industry through Shinjuku Piccadilly.” (Teruki Matsumoto, Managing Director, SHOCHIKU CO., LTD.

“CHRISTIE has a history of almost 80 years, including its years with film projectors, and is highly respected in Hollywood and in other movie centers around the world. Today, the global market share occupied by CHRISTIE’s DCP tops 80%, and about 5,000 units have already been installed and are in operation, mainly in North America. The digitization of movies is underway in areas other than North America, such as Europe and Asia. In the near future, digitization is likely to get fully underway in Japan. It is also worth noting that by introducing DCP, film will no longer be needed, conserving resources. At the same time, the need for transportation is eliminated and this helps reduce CO₂.^*1　USHIO will continue to contribute to the digitization of movies in the world, mainly employing the projectors of CHRISTIE.” (Seiji Oshima, Corporate Executive Vice President, USHIO INC.）.

*1:Digitization reduces CO₂ emissions by 1,568kg per film. (When a two-hour film is produced in Los Angeles and distributed through telecommunication lines for a showing in Japan.)

USHIO INC. (President and CEO: Shiro Sugata; headquartered in: Tokyo; stock code: 6925) was established in 1964. Besides diverse types of lighting fixtures and halogen lamps for office automation equipment, the company handles exposure UV lamps used in manufacturing processes of semiconductors and liquid crystals, high-luminosity discharge lamps for data projectors, xenon lamps for movie projectors and other products. The company also manufactures and sells optical devices and movie projectors that incorporate lamps produced in-house, and many of the products have attained high market shares. The head office is located in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Consolidated sales in the March 2008 term was 148.1 billion yen and the number of employees was 4,681.　http://www.ushio.co.jp/en

CHRISTIE DIGITAL SYSTEMS, INC. (CEO: Kenji Hamashima; headquarters: California, United States), a 100% subsidiary of USHIO INC., was established in 1929 as a movie projector manufacturer. Since 1979, the company has offered diverse image devices and systems for business, entertainment, industrial and other applications, to leading companies around the world, as a pioneer in digital image systems. In 2005, the company launched the digital projector rollout program with several partner companies including movie production companies and digital content distributors in Hollywood. The cumulative number of DCP units shipped by the March 2008 term was nearly 5,000, including the sales other than through the program, and the company currently has the world’s largest market share.^*2 The company’s share of the market for digital movie projectors in North America is about 90%.^*3
http://www.christiedigital.com

*2,*3 　The figures for shares are as surveyed in-house.