Twelve years on from the big transition from 35mm to digital cinema, projection is undergoing another overhaul — this time to replace high-pressure mercury and xenon lamps with laser light illumination. Not only does the newer technology deliver superior picture quality (colour reproduction, higher contrast ratios, consistent illumination), but significant energy savings for cinema owners.
“Laser is a natural transition in projection technology as it offers serial benefits to cinema owners, including potentially huge cost savings,” says Phil Lord, manager at cinema technology company Christie Digital Systems.
Laser projection was first introduced in 2014 with systems costing around $327,000 (€300,000). Sales were sluggish with exhibitors content to wait for the end of life of their current systems before making the upgrade. Now soaring electricity costs and industry-wide attention on sustainability have refocused buyers’ minds. Around 13% of the 200,000 cinema screens worldwide are installed with laser, but with lamp-based product contributing less than 20% of new projectors sold, and with the costs of laser projectors falling to $38,000 (€35,000), the number is expected to tick upward at pace.
“Laser is a key enabling technology contributing to the wider sustainability of the whole industry,” says Carl Rijsbrack, chief marketing officer and head of innovation at projector manufacturer Cinionic.
One environmental and financial gain is that lamps no longer need to be replaced. Xenon bulbs typically last 500-1,000 hours before burning out. Lasers can power light for 50,000 hours before eventually fading below industry-benchmark specifications, provided the system is properly operated and maintained. “This means no lamp delivery and no lamp disposal,” says Lord. “It also means an engineer doesn’t have to visit the cinema to change lamps.”
Laser is more energy efficient compared to traditional lamp-based technology. It generates less heat and does not require external cooling or ventilation systems, reducing energy consumption further. At this year’s UK Cinema Association conference, Mark Williams, director of WTW-Scott Cinemas, which operates in southwest England, demonstrated that in illuminating similar-sized screens, laser used 70% less power than lamps. That is the same figure Cinionic claims theatres powered by its laser projectors can save over a product lifetime.
Investment return
Further data from supplier Sharp NEC suggests that based on current market costs for energy, it would take 30 months to return investment in a laser projector installed in a standard small screen. The period is less than five years for larger screens.
Manufacturers offer online ‘ready reckoners’ for exhibitors to input screen number, screen dimensions and current electricity costs and calculate approximate operating costs between legacy projectors and rival laser products. “The arguments are compelling but a main issue for exhibitors is finding the upfront finance,” says Mark Kendall, business development manager at Sharp NEC.
A xenon kit is cheaper to purchase. While NEC, Cinionic and fellow supplier Barco have all discontinued production, Christie continues to manufacture three xenon models and has even reinvested in the technology. “There is demand in certain territories for xenon,” says Lord. “Some post-production facilities have been using xenon for years and want to carry on, others where capex is a big issue.”
Since the guts of the digital light processing (DLP) chip set in any projector are fundamentally the same whether a xenon lamp or laser pushes light through the lens, theatre owners can upgrade their current projectors with a new laser source. This can double the working life of machinery, says Rijsbrack. Cinionic also enables cinema owners to lease its laser equipment.
Costs for the purchase of the laser are subsidised by governments in some territories including Italy, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, as part of wider green and energy-saving initiatives. There is no such scheme in the UK.
Christie has developed a laser optical system that, according to the company, further enhances system efficiency. “New laser diodes are much more efficient and more field replaceable,” explains Lord. “An engineer can easily swap out a laser module on site as opposed to having to ship the projector back to a lab.”
Panels of direct-view LEDs are an alternative technology that eliminates projectors and projection screens altogether but, according to Kendall, this is far more power-hungry.
“All the major circuits like Odeon and Cineworld are looking at how much everything costs, from projection to sound systems to the Slush Puppie machine in the foyer,” says Lord.
All contend that, among the technologies in the building, a move to laser projection will bring the greatest environmental and financial saving.
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