CinemaCon 2011 is the new home of the largest cinema conference in the world. (This replaces the old Showest conference)

This year has been very eventful for cinema exhibition with a number of major developments.  This includes the predicted death of film in the US region, 4K availability and the push towards innovation in the display of films.  Specifically faster frame rates such as 48 or 60.

This year I was able to collect a rich set of videos covering many aspects of these developments at CinemaCon2011.

Please view this video to get my overview of the show plus see some of the new technologies shown on the exhibition floor.

This year at Showest 2010, Barco released a 2 new range of Projectors.  The first series based on the 0.98 TI chip and the second on the 1.2 TI chip.  The 1.2 will be upgradable to the 4k TI chip early net year with the 0.98 to follow at a later date.

Barco has an impressive assortment of projectors giving them a very good fit to any theatre.

Some highlights of the new projectors include

1. amazing fault tolerant rectifier solution.
2. in depth trouble shooting system built into the projector with diagrams and instructions displayed based on diagnostics coming out of the the projector.

NOTE: This video is LATE as it could not be released until DCN was a qualified Barco Dealer. DCN (www.dcnaustralia.com.au) is sponsored this video.

Recently here at digitAll the company I part own released the dcpPlayer (Available now as demo and purchase at www.digitall.net.au **Obvious self promotion**)       A cool feature of the dcpPlayer is the ability to view 3D content.  In this video, I do a quick demonstration of different methods available, Side by Side, Above and Below and Anaglyph for example.

dcpPlayer is a great tool for playing 3D content based on a world wide (Soon to be SMPTE) standard the DCP. Something I feel the non-cinema 3D world needs.  I have seen many hacks to get 3D going for niche applications.  Now with the DCP, creators can make 3D content and know it can be taken to any part of the world and it just works.

Xpand 3D http://www.xpandcinema.com/ and Michael talk to us about how the Xpand LCD shutter system works. How it is secured to your cinema. The robustness aspects and new features such as child size glasses arms.
We also talk about DLP link and how it works but is not suitable for cinema. It is designed for education.
The new X103 universal domestic glasses. They work on any 3D system from cinema to multi vendor LCD screen. They are also far more comfortable to wear. Defiantly an interesting product for 3D fans.

Sponsor: digitAll (http://www.digitall.net.au)

Showest 2010 – University presentations:

3D Presentation Quality – Putting Up a Great 3D Picture and keeping in that way.

By Paul Panabaker of MasterImage.

Archiving Appropriate Light Levels on the Screen for 3D by Andrew Robinson of Harkness Screen

This is a very interesting talk mainly because it is the first time i have seen an independent industry person put on paper the actual light levels of each of the 3D system.

With all the marketing hype, this is a good place to start with deciding on what system best suites you.

Showest 2010 UNIVERSITY: Overview of 3D Systems Available in the Marketplace and new developments.

A great talk by Bill Mead.  Get up to date fast with how 3D makes it to the Cinema screen in every incarnation.  Plus a nice overview of the history of where it came from.

Very interesting.