Kodak expands on its UK digital cinema success

London-Mar 15, 2007

Kodak expands on its UK digital cinema success

Kodak CineServer JMN3000

Kodak announced today that Empire Cinemas, one of the UK’s largest privately owned cinema chains, has installed the proven Kodak Digital Cinema solution, including the new Kodak Theatre Management System (TMS), for its six-screen multiplex in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

“We’re thrilled,” said Brian Kercher, Kodak Digital Cinema General Manager for Europe, “to be working with Empire Cinemas because their vision for the possibilities of digital cinemas matches well with Kodak’s. We’re confident they’ll find that the Kodak TMS, especially, will help them improve their workflow, automate content handling, and more fully realize the promise of digital cinema.”

Justin Ribbons, CEO, Empire Cinemas said: “The transition to all digital at our High Wycombe site is fully compliant with the highest industry standards of today and we are delighted to have made this happen in partnership with Kodak. It is important to Empire Cinemas to work with partners we can trust to deliver, such as Kodak, and demonstrates our commitment to delivering an improved and outstanding entertainment experience.”

The Kodak Digital Cinema system will work seamlessly with the cinema grade Barco DP90 and DP100 projectors, which meet industry standards and specifications. It handles 2D or 3D movies and automatically recognizes the compression format used – JPEG or MPEG – and employs that for playback. And, when used in fully network configurations with the Kodak Theatre Management System, it offers new capability, flexibility, and efficiency to the exhibition industry.

“Ever since the days of ‘you press the button, we do the rest’, Kodak has a long legacy of making complex technology easy to use – and we build that innovation into everything that carries our name,” said Kercher. “Our goal in digital cinema is to make the solution so complete, and the TMS so capable and easy to use, that exhibitors can worry about other demands of the job and let Kodak do what we do best – help them to deliver a great motion picture presentation.”

“Congratulations to Kodak,” said Max Bell, Managing Director, Bell Theatre Services, who is coordinating the installation. “Recently they announced that we were working together on installing their system into the largest commercial cinema chain in the UK – and now we are installing their solution into one of the largest privately owned chains. This is a remarkable accomplishment and proves they industry knows and trusts the Kodak brand.”

“This is an exciting new adventure for us all,” said Kodak’s Kercher. “When innovative companies – like Empire Cinemas, Barco, Bell Theatre Services, and Kodak – work together, listen to each other, and learn from each other, the result can be an enriched experience for everyone. In the end, that’s what digital cinema is all about.”