Cinemeccanica extends its decades of experience at the service of cinema exhibitors to the field of digital projection

Vittore Nicelli,
Managing Director of Cinemeccanica, Milan

Cinemeccanica, a world leader in the production of analogical projectors, began to supply digital projectors with DLP Cinema^TM technology in 2005.
This new phase in the history of a company that has been operating in Milan, Italy, since 1920 began right there in the capital of Lombardy where, on 15 January 2005, the first CMC-D2 digital projector was installed in the Cinema Manzoni, followed shortly afterwards by the one destined for the Apollo, fresh from a radical transformation which had made it into an avant-garde urban miniplex. From this moment onwards, Cinemeccanica received a series of orders from various European countries.
Among these countries is France, where the first clients include both a chain, like Gaumont (the Marignan, in Paris, has a CMC3-D2 projector and a CMC-D2), and an independent theatre like the Cinéma Le Paris of Forbach. In the second semester of 2006 a digital projector was delivered to a venue as famous as the Rex in Paris.
Italy and France have been joined by other large markets such as Spain, starting with UIP in Madrid, and the United Kingdom (there are two Cinemeccanica digital projectors in the prestigious Odeon Leicester) and by a tiny but dynamic market such as that in Iceland, where 3 projectors have been installed in Reykjavik by the Samfilm Group. Outside Europe the first installation was in Colombia.

Appreciation for the Cinemeccanica digital projectors seems to be confirmed by the fact that, after an initial order, “early adopters” such as the Furlan and Giometti Groups, in Italy, have purchased a considerable series of digital projectors: respectively a total of 8 installed in the cinemas of North-Eastern Italy and 10 in the theatres of the Central Adriatic area.
“Our strength lies in a knowledge of the exhibitors’ demands and in the trust we have built up over 86 years operating all over the world. Companies that shift to the new experience of digital projection want to be able to count on a partner they trust”: this is how Vittore Nicelli, Managing Director of Cinemeccanica, commented on the positive start of the digital adventure from Venice, where Cinemeccanica provided two digital projectors in the Sala Grande and the Sala Perla theatres for the 63^rd International Film Festival, confirming their partnership with leading world cinema events from ShoWest to the Locarno Festival.

Digital projector CMC-D2: technical specifications
Digital projector with three DLP Cinema^TM chips – Resolution of 2048x1080 each – Contrast: 2000:1 (full white/full black) – DMD^TM cooled with Peltier elements and liquid circulation to guarantee high performance for long time – Big size radiator, liquid level control – Pump for high temperature liquid – Optical DMD^TM group perfectly sealed, to avoid dust and dirty deposit – Integrator rod liquid cooled – Automatic mechanical dowser – Extractor (250 mm diameter) for the hot air with a security micro-switch to check the air flow – Rack units available in the back side to locate video-scaler, video-server or any kind of video-processor – Touch screen panel in the back side to check the status of the projector and to drive its functions – Buttons to activate the macros containing a sequence of instructions to force the projector to change the format, select the source, open or close the dowser and switch on or off the bulb – Primary zoom lens in different focal length all approved by DLP Cinema^TM – Anamorphic lens ISCO 1.25x for the screen format 2.39 approved by DLP Cinema^TM.

Digital projector CMC3-D2: technical specifications
Digital projector with three 2K DLP Cinema^TM chips – Max resolution 2048x1080 – Contrast ratio up to 2000:1 – Light output up to 23,000 ANSI lumen* – Totally sealed optics to insure stability over time – Automatic mechanical dowser – Zoom primary lenses of different focal lengths approved by DLP Cinema^TM – Optional anamorphic lens approved by DLP Cinema^TM with motorized and totally automatic holder or with manual lens holder – Optional videoscaler to show alternative contents – Linear or electronic rectifier to supply xenon bulbs up to 6,000W – Touch screen control panel – Rack space at the back to mount the server – Fully self-aligning xenon bulb system – Optional spherical auxiliary mirror to cover very large screens.
*measured in operation with 1.8 screen gain.