Barco Completes First Major Cinedigm Phase 2 Deployment With Premiere Cinemas

A global leader in digital cinema technology, Barco, has just completed the first major rollout in Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp's Phase. 2 with Texas-based Premiere Cinema Corp.
Since 2007, Premiere has been working exclusively with Barco to provide digital cinema to their theatres, with 138 screens deployed to date. Todd Hoddick, Vice President of Digital Cinema for Barco, North America, said: "The successful completion of Cinedigm's first large-scale Phase 2 deployment is another milestone for Barco and the digital cinema industry.
"Premiere could not have been a better partner, and we're very proud to have provided the best and brightest viewing experience for their screens. We continue to be impressed with Cinedigm and their intense focus on ensuring a great experience for both the exhibitor and their customers."
Premiere operates theatres in Texas, Florida and Alabama, and plans to complete the digitisation of their remaining complexes by year's end - bringing the company's total number of Barco installations to 180.
Premiere also has several new state-of-the-art digital cinema theatres under construction, which are set to open in 2010. Gary Moore, CEO of Premiere Cinema Corp, said: "Premiere is pleased to announce the completion of our first 138 digital systems under our deployment agreement with Cinedigm's Phase 2 initiative.
"The installation was professional and on-schedule, thanks to the support, guidance and expertise of Cinedigm and Barco, in combination with Premiere's in-house technical staff. After the sale, Barco's customer service was superb. We are delighted to be teamed with quality partners such as Cinedigm and Barco, who share our commitment to a future of digital cinema excellence and ongoing customer satisfaction."
As a true industry trendsetter, two of Premiere's Alabama theatres opened in 2008 without mezzanines. At these two innovative locations, the Barco projectors are mounted on platforms in the rear of each auditorium.
The associated servers, theatre management systems, audio racks and peripherals are located on the main floor in unique "control rooms", enabling the patrons to view the high-tech hardware through lobby windows.
Bud Mayo, Cinedigm's Chief Executive Officer, also commented on the deployment, saying: "I have a great deal of respect and confidence in the Barco team. I value their partnership with Cinedigm as we jointly bring turnkey digital cinema solutions to the industry."
Chuck Goldwater, President of Cinedigm's Media Services Group, said: "This deployment is a great first step with our partners at Barco. We look forward to continuing to grow our relationship with the Barco team, as we work together with more exhibitors in our Phase 2 digital cinema rollout program."
(KMcA/BMcC)