Entertainment Technology News

DLP Cinema 3D Technology Used in Making of Anticipated 3D Movie 'Avatar'

(Dallas, TX) Texas Instruments (TI) (NYSE: TXN) DLP Cinema� announces reaching the milestone of over 14,000 global theatre installations with over half powered by DLP Cinema 3D projection technology. The growing availability of digital 3D movies continues to serve as a catalyst for the adoption of digital cinema installations. With multiple 3D releases coming to theatres at the same time, demand among exhibitors for 3D installations will likely continue to increase, hailing 3D as one of the most important technical innovations since the advent of color.

This winter, DLP Cinema honors its heritage of providing the ultimate viewing experience with DLP Cinema projection solutions enabling theatres to showcase the highly anticipated motion picture epic "Avatar," from Twentieth Century Fox and "Titanic" director James Cameron.

"DLP's cutting edge technology will play an important role in bringing 'Avatar' to life for moviegoers around the world," said Bruce Snyder, Fox's president of domestic distribution. "The much-anticipated release of 'Avatar' will continue to bring attention to the contributions DLP Cinema has provided to the industry."

During the filming of "Avatar," DLP projectors were used for real time viewing of the footage being shot. Additionally, Cameron and his production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, used DLP Cinema projectors during the post production to provide superior contrast ratios, color calibration and sharp 3D imagery. DLP technology will be counted on again when "Avatar" the movie premieres in December 2009; it will be shown on DLP Cinema projectors in movie theaters worldwide.

"Eight years ago Lightstorm and DLP Cinema started working together to bring 3D imagery to life," said Geoffrey Burdick, vice president for production service and technology for Lightstorm Entertainment. "Thanks to this collaboration, audiences can now experience in the theaters 3D like they never have before."

Exhibition houses utilizing projectors from DLP Cinema's three OEM licensees (Barco, Christie Digital and NEC) provide the capability to light up theatre screens as big as 100 feet and 3D screens as big as 75 feet, which has typically been a challenge for competing technologies. Furthermore, DLP Cinema recently announced plans to incorporate enhanced 4K technology as an extension of the next generation electronics platform for DLP Cinema projectors which integrates multiple 3D platforms for live 3D broadcasting.

"This year, DLP Cinema celebrated its fifth anniversary of enabling 3D through the use of the DLP Chip," said Nancy Fares, business manager for DLP Cinema�, Texas Instruments. "DLP Cinema continues to be the industry standard for digital image quality and we remain committed to supporting the motion picture industry to bring onscreen stories to life through immersive experiences."

DLP Cinema projection technology is installed on every continent except Antarctica. Today there are more than 7,000 worldwide screens that offer digital 3D with the use of every pixel array in the frame for the brightest picture unlike other technologies. Since last year's introduction, IMAX� digital projection systems powered by DLP Cinema projectors have reached a total of 88 locations worldwide.



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Texas Instruments DLP Products: www.dlp.com
Texas Instruments: www.ti.com