Russian developer GRINN owns a growing number of shopping and entertainment centres, including multiplexes, dotted throughout Russia. The brand-new MEGA GRINN shopping mall in Kursk, southern Russia, is to open in September this year. For the centre’s new multiplex, GRINN wanted nothing but the very best projection and sound technology, to offer the audience a mind-blowing movie-going experience. Confident that laser technology is the future for movie theatres, the cinema exhibitor resolutely chose to install laser projectors. “We had great past experience with Barco’s xenon cinema projectors,” explains Pavel Greshilov, GRINN’s Deputy Director-General. “After visiting seminars and viewing Barco’s Flagship Laser projectors at work, we concluded that, once again, Barco technology really stands out from the others.”
Barco’s laser portfolio includes a very broad range of projectors, to bring superior image quality to every theatre. The two largest cinema rooms in the nine-screen Kursk multiplex will feature a top-of-the-range, ultra-bright Barco Flagship Laser projector (one DP4K-60L and one DP4K-45L). In the other rooms, Kinocomfort, the system integrator of the project, will set up three DP2K-15CLP and four 20,000-lumens DP2K-20CLP laser phosphor projectors. As the throw distance in the theatres is very short, the laser phosphor projectors will be fitted with ultra-short lenses (2K:1.0-1.29) to ensure a correct image ratio.
To offer its audience even more ‘magic’, GRINN has now decided to equip its all nine new theatres in Kursk with AuroMax, Barco’s immersive sound rendering technology. AuroMax combines the best of object-based audio technology by Barco Audio Technologies (formerly IOSONO) with the Auro 11.1 by Barco immersive sound format – which GRINN is already using in three other cinema theatres. It will help the Russian multiplex to further step up the premium movie-going experience with the most natural immersive sound possible at up to half the cost of a typical object-based sound system.
Stijn Henderickx, Vice President Cinema for Barco: “GRINN FILM has opted for the perfect mix between a high-end premium movie experience, with Barco’s Flagship Laser, and the cost-efficient and high-quality Laser Phosphor series. We really believe that this is the future of cinema. Together with Kinocomfort, GRINN FILM carefully calculated the return on its investment in laser, to conclude that it will really pay off, thanks to the absence of lamps and the top-line return from the premium cinema rooms. Auromax will take that offering to an even higher level.”
“We are extremely honoured that GRINN chose Barco for its cinema complex in Russia. With 2016 being the year of Russian cinema, we see great momentum for cinema in Russia and Eastern Europe. We’re proud to be part of that,” concludes Wim Buyens, Barco’s Head of Entertainment.