Madrid, January 7th, 2011.- Christie®, the world leader in digital cinema, is pleased to announce the deployment of projectors from its Christie’s Solaria™ series during the second phase of the introduction of digital cinema in 370 screens belonging to the Spanish chain Yelmo Cines, by far the biggest implementation of digital cinemas in Spain. And around 80% of the digital projectors to be installed by August 2011, the estimated date for finalising the rollout, will be Christie.

With 396 screens in 31 cinemas, Yelmo Cines is one of Spain’s leading film theatre chains. Arts Alliance Media (AAM), in conjunction with local Spanish integrator Grupo Kelonik, are responsible for implementing the installation and servicing. So far, AAM and Kelonik have already equipped 200 cinemas of Yelmo Cines.

In 2009, Christie was also the brand chosen to equip all the cinemas included in the first phase of the digitisation of Yelmo Cines, comprising a total of thirty screens. “We were delighted with the performance of Christie machines, their trustworthiness and excellent value for money. There was never any question that we would opt for Christie projectors again for our ongoing digitisation,” said Enrique Martínez, Yelmo Cines’s Technical Director.

Given the huge range of screen sizes and projection distances at Yelmo’s film theatres, it will be using all the different projectors from the Christie Solaria series, from the CP2210 to the CP2230 and the CP2220. “The two main reasons which make the Solaria series such an attractive solution for exhibitors is its modularity, and the fact that they can be upgraded to 4K, requiring no additional modification,” Martínez explained.

Yelmo Cines has not decided yet which of its theatres will be modified to 4K. “The screens eligible for upgrade are usually the biggest. However, in many of our theatres we have more than one large screen with 400 seats or more. Many have two, three and sometimes up to four screens of that size. It gives us peace of mind to know that upgrading is compatible with any screen size, and that we do not have to make the decision on the spot. We are convinced that we have made the right choice, and without extra costs too,” claimed the Technical Director of Yelmo Cines.

Approximately half of the screens are equipped with stereoscopic 3D, using the RealD XL system. Yelmo Cines is a pioneer in Spain in offering 3D High Definition live events, such as operas broadcast via satellite or concerts by international groups like U2, Bon Jovi or Spanish singers such as Alejandro Sanz and Enrique Bunbury. Besides, during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, several of the Spanish matches were broadcast in 3D for the first time by Yelmo.

All the film theatres will include AAM’s Theatre Management System (TMS) and Library Management Server, a software for managing content. Besides, every cinema will have specialised equipment for storing all the digital copies and live events broadcast via satellite thanks to AAM’s partner, Arqiva. With regards to servers, Yelmo Cines has opted for Doremi DCP-2000 units.

“We are thrilled that Yelmo Cines has once again placed its trust in our projectors for the second stage of this digitising process. We take it as a show of confidence and respect for Christie,” said Antonio Abad, head of Christie in Spain and Portugal. “Christie is manufacturing the digital cinema projectors most widely used today in the market, because exhibitors recognise that, apart from delivering superb image quality, our projectors offer the best light efficiency and lowest operating cost,” he added.

According to Yelmo Cines, working with the installer Kelonik, Christie’s Certified Service Provider, is proving to be a very rewarding experience. “The commercial relationship between Yelmo and Kelonik dates back well over 25 years. We are very happy that an enterprise such as Kelonik, experts in 35mm technology, has successfully coped with the upgrade to digital projection technology, supported by highly reliable manufacturers such as Christie”, Enrique Martínez pointed out.

By mid-2011, Yelmo Cines will have completed the digitisation of all its screens, making this Spanish exhibitor the first to digitise its whole business. “Nonetheless, our number of screens is growing at a rate of one new cinema complex per year, so that means we will still be purchasing new digital projectors in the future,” concluded Martínez.

Meeting all DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives) specifications, the Christie Solaria Series 4K-ready updatable projectors includes Series 2 DLP Cinema® technology by Texas Instruments. Its Christie Brilliant3D™ technology offers the brightest 3D projection of the market, delivering an output of 32000 ANSI lumens (CP2230).