-- In a continuing effort to bring the excitement of digital cinema to movie-goers, Texas Instruments, announces that 94 screens worldwide will show Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones utilizing DLP Cinema digital projection technology.

TI DLP Cinema technology will enable movie-goers to see Star Wars: Episode II in its original pristine format with the brilliant light, dramatized detail and extraordinarily true color of digital projection throughout the theatrical run of the movie. More than 50 new screens have been added over the past month through the collective efforts of TI DLP Cinema licensees and projector manufacturers Barco and Christie; and systems integrators, technology enablers/distributors and financiers Technicolor Digital Cinema and Boeing Digital Cinema. All theatres worldwide offering digital cinema utilize TI DLP Cinema(tm) technology. TI DLP Cinema technology enabled the first digital cinema viewing of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace in June 1999. Star Wars: Episode II is the first major live action motion picture to be captured, produced and projected digitally, without a single roll of film. "If you actually want to see the film we made and see it in the way in which we want you to see it then the only way you can do that is digitally," said Rick McCallum, Lucasfilm producer.

TI has been working with the motion picture industry for more than five years to develop a technology that meets creative needs and solves many of the problems plaguing film projection, such as color fading, jumps, scratching, pops and weave. After continuous adaptation and enhancement based upon industry feedback, DLP Cinema digital projection technology offers high brightness and contrast, more vivid colors and stable, sharp, digitally pristine images that are 100% faithful to the original every screening.

"Digital cinema is very compelling and Texas Instruments is excited about the momentum, with rapid increase in installations now occurring worldwide," said Doug Darrow, Business Manager, TI DLP Cinema Products. "Through the bold, industry-guiding steps of a core group of enthusiastic exhibitors, studios and supporting technology companies, the digital rollout has begun and audiences worldwide are experiencing the promise and visual excitement of digital cinema."

Lucasfilm announced on Tuesday that 94 screens in 17 markets around the world will display Star Wars: Episode II on digital screens, all enabled by DLP Cinema. To locate the theatre near you, go to http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/digitalproj_list.html.

TI's DLP Cinema projection technology has already been exposed to over five million movie-goers throughout the world. These extensive field demonstrations began on June 18th 1999 with all-digital showings at two North American locations of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace". Since that time, close to 40 movies have been released in all-digital form - including 'Toy Story 2', 'The Perfect Storm', 'Spy Kids', 'Shrek', 'Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within', 'Jurassic Park III' and 'Monsters Inc.'- for showing on DLP Cinema(tm) prototype projectors. The total number of installed DLP Cinema(tm) projectors is now more than one hundred, with installations in cities around the world from Los Angeles to London, from San Diego to Seoul and from Boston to Brussels. Further installations are expected in the coming months.

Texas Instruments has announced agreements with BARCO and Christie Inc. under the terms of which those companies will develop and market digital cinema projectors based on DLP Cinema technology.

DLP Cinema technology is Digital Light Processing(tm) technology specifically adapted for the needs of the movie industry. By comparison with the industry-leading large venue DLP(tm) technology-based projectors on which it is based, it features even higher contrast, together with color processing designed to replicate the visual experience of film: commercial projectors featuring DLP technology are designed primarily for video and graphics applications. At the heart of TI's DLP Cinema technology are three Digital Micromirror Device optical semiconductor chips. The DMD switch has an array of 1,310,000 hinged, microscopic mirrors, which operate as optical switches to create a high resolution, full color image. More information may be found at www.dlpcinema.com.


Source: TI