CinemaCon 2024 My Experiences
So, getting off the United plane on Monday, April 8, in Vegas was exciting since I was heading to Caesar's Palace to stay for the first time. After checking in, we (my long time friend, Troy, joined me to help record and manage production) immediately headed to the BARCO booth, which was a well set up, dedicated area. They were in the process of finishing up a meeting and just had their Demo ready to go for the next day when the show would begin. We attempted to check in first and for some reason didn't have an actual CinemaCon name badge ready to go but were given a brochure. It proved to be a daunting task to explain this was our pass to both hotel security and the vendors. After going back to the Press Headquarters and pleading our case, we were given real name badges which made us "official." So, heading back to BARCO, they were able to look me up in the time we were gone (google can be your friend) and welcome us in to see what their new, game-changing feature called Light Steering. What is this new innovative technology?
Barco’s Light Steering Technology is an innovative feature that significantly improves the contrast dynamic range of projectors. This technology enables precise control over the direction of light, allowing for enhanced contrast performance in projected images.
We were given a few minutes with who BARCO lovingly calls their "Jay Z" Joachim Zell. He is their Head of HDR Content Workflow genius! Jay Z (pictured below) demonstrated on a monitor exactly how they are able to achieve this new "HDR on steroids" look. He talked about the colorist generating content for their Light Steering and how it can go up to 300 nits with very deep blacks and HDR highlights with a colorspace of rec 2020. In a nutshell, it can redirect light away from unnecessary shadows and focus it into highlights, where it is needed most. So how was our Demo? Read on and find out...
We were lead around the dark corner behind the black curtains to some very comfortable seating. It was tough not to get too comfortable after the long flight and close our eyes for a catnap. Once the Demo began with a voice that I would use for my AV Processor Reviews (it was that good), my attention and eyes were 100 percent focused on their super large screen! I would love to show pics or video from that demonstration but it would not do it justice I'm afraid, as it did in person. It showed us butterflies, flowers and the eyes of a beautiful woman while the narrator explained what we were viewing...
They then showed us SDR scene stills followed by their Light Steering HDR comparisons, all to the newest Captain Marvel movie, with Katy Perry's Roar song playing loud and proud! You could easily discern a difference in all the images. The space ones were very impressive. I imagine movies like Gravity and Passengers would be pure eye candy. Here's a couple sample pics of what was shown:
No need to adjust your screen- the difference is definitely that revealing. This new projector from BARCO is the LS4K. I can say without an ounce of hesitation this is the best image I have seen in person. It will be available in early 2025, but they will take orders for some early release units this Fall. Before you get any at-home ideas this model weighs as much as a small tank and will cost quite a bit too. Of course, this is for commercial theater, but don't be too upset. I was able to learn they will be trickling out Light Steering on consumer models not too far into the distant future. That's amazing news!
The Demo then began a series of trailers. Kevin Hart's new Borderlands kicked off what proved to be a level not seen before by my eyes. Saying the image popped does not even come close to describing it. Then, Disney's new Inside Out 2 started. The colors were rendered so perfectly. Vivid details combined with beautiful bold depth prove BARCO's case for Light Steering as the next big thing. The new Planet of the Apes movie was next. After seeing the trailer, I am sold on seeing it! I was floored how in one quick moment you could see fire in the corner of the screen, yet it was as clear and sharp like it was in the center. The fire exhibited the brightest brights, while other parts of the image displayed the darkest darks. The rest of the trailer just looked so good. Lots of action as they chased humans (pretty Nova) around the forest and field. Wow! I was able to have a few really good laughs with the Deadpool Wolverine trailer. His red suit was very sharp and textured. Close-ups were so detailed. The ones of Wade were cringe-worthy. We are definitely looking forward to this rated R (as Ryan Reynolds pointed out) Disney movie. Last, we were spoken to by Top Gun Maverick Director Joe Kosinski and Colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld. They discussed how the new Light Steering HDR from BARCO was changing the way we view movies. The Maverick trailer was the best I have seen the movie look. And I have seen it plenty of times. Lastly, Jerry Bruckheimer spoke from the set where he was filming his new movie in the UK. He mentioned he was talking to us in BARCO's new HDR technology and that he hoped we enjoyed the trailer, which was done in it as well.
After being escorted off to our left behind more curtains, we were taken to another area which had more BARCO projectors on display. As I walked around, Sarah who greeted us before was able to get me an interview with Anders Ballestad, PhD, who is BARCO's Senior Director of HDR and their official spokesman. He was very nice and polite and beyond smart. BARCO has a tremendously strong staff that is well-rounded. I am a firm believer that a company is only as good as its workforce. BARCO proves why they are innovating the industry with their Light Steering HDR technology and their presentations with some of the smartest staff in the Cinema business. See for yourself with my two-minute interview with Anders. He spent a good amount of time teaching and entertaining us. I definitely feel like I have a great grasp on Light Steering after spending time with him.
As the narrator said in the beginning of our demonstration, the high dynamic range is so vivid and it's so real, you can feel it... HDR by BARCO's Light Steering is the pinnacle of 4K laser projection technology. Brighter highlights, in fact, do illuminate every detail. I can say this is the closest I have viewed a 3D-like image without the glasses. I have always believed that success breeds followers, and it's no secret the BARCO Demo was the talk of CinemaCon and their LS4K king of the show! HDR by BARCO's Light Steering doesn't just raise the bar it - actually reinvents it...
Thanks for reading, JoeRod HT Press.
JoeRod
4/12/2024
PART 1
