CGV, a subsidiary of CJ Group and South Korea’s largest multiplex cinema chain, is the first exhibitor in the world to be equipped with Christie’s revolutionary RGB laser projection system featuring increased wavelength diversity to countermeasure speckle on silver screens.
The system consists of a Christie CP42LH 3DLP® 4K RGB laser projector and laser modules that generate white light from multiple combinations of RGB primary color wavelengths. This type of laser system provides better speckle performance than 6P systems when used with silver screens and passive polarization-based 3D glasses. It has been installed by Christie’s Korean partner, Ray & Resources, at SphereX CGV Youngdeungpo in Seoul. CGV’s SphereX is a specially designed, one-of-a-kind curved silver screen to maximize immersive 3D experience. The auditorium at Youngdeungpo has a 19-meter wide curved screen and 387 seats–resulting in a spectacular viewing experience with remarkable speckle performance. This is CGV’s second auditorium in Korea to deploy Christie’s pinnacle cinematic projection technology, following the installation of Christie’s 6P laser projection system at CGV Starium in October 2015.
Nochan Park, sr. manager, Cinema Technology Team, CGV, commented, “Having experienced the impressive brightness and performance of Christie’s 6P laser projection system in CGV Starium, we would like to implement this top-of-the-range laser projection system in our SphereX auditoriums which are equipped with curved silver screens. After much deliberation, we have decided to deploy a Christie CP42LH laser projection system at SphereX CGV Youngdeungpo. It has been optimized with additional laser modules to diversify wavelengths, with the objective of minimizing speckling for this technically challenging, custom silver screen when viewed with passive 3D glasses. This is by far the best solution possible for silver screens and we’re very pleased with the results.”
The installation includes a state-of-the-art Christie 4K laser projection head, RGB laser modules, a modular laser light farm with fiber-optic delivery, Christieintegrated media block (IMB) and Network Attached Storage (NAS). This particular system is designed to achieve exceptional brightness in 3D with a light output of close to 40,000 lumens; and is easily upgradable in the future if more light is ever required. The CP42LH installed in SphereX CGV has been officially commissioned and commenced regular movie screenings December 24.
“While our dual-headed 6P laser architecture has been proven as the most light-efficient 3D technology on the market, we now offer a solution to address the issue of speckle when our laser projection system is used in theaters with silver screens and passive 3D glasses,” said Henry Khang, general manager, Christie Korea. “By configuring the laser modules used for the projection system with even greater wavelength diversity, we can effectively overcome the issue of speckling on silver screens. As a result, exhibitors now have the option of using an existing silver screen without having to replace it when installing our laser projection system, which translates to significant cost savings.”
Lin Yu, VP, Christie Asia Pacific, added, “We’re absolutely delighted that CGV has once again acknowledged the superiority and flexibility of Christie’s revolutionary RGB laser projection system in delivering an unparalleled laser projection and viewing experience. With the world’s first installation of our CP42LH at SphereX CGV Youngdeungpo that uses a curved silver screen, we have demonstrated the versatility of our laser projection system. We look forward to seeing more exhibitors installing our RGB laser projection system in their premium large format theaters, even if they are equipped with silver screens.”
Anchored by the Christie Freedom® laser illumination system, the CP42LH produces a color gamut that exceeds the DCI P3 color and replicates the Rec. 2020 space, making it the most advanced RGB laser cinema projection system available. It consists of rack-mounted laser modules where each module can produce up to 5,000 lumens of light. Because of the scalability of this platform, up to 12 laser modules can be easily added, removed, activated or disabled depending on the brightness requirements. This provides up to 60,000 lumens per rack. Each laser module is also independently cooled, providing built-in fault protection, improved efficiency and ultimate reliability.
