CinemaCon - Laid-back and Relaxed

Forget the Oscars, Cannes, Sundance, Emmys, and all the other media mega-shows and festivals - the best in 'show' is CinemaCon.  If you really want to get into the Hollywood scene - rub elbows and slap backs with the stars and tinsel-town honchos - then going to CinemaCon should be on your agenda.

The least hyped of the movie industry's annual gatherings, CinemaCon (the Las Vegas Convention and Trade Show) is attended by roughly 3,000 theatre owners, studio execs, and cinema and concession equipment manufacturers and distributors - not to mention lots of movie stars.  However, unlike all the rest of the shows, CinemaCon is laid-back and stress-free, particularly for the H'wood stars who show up to hawk their latest films, chit-chat, and be themselves.

The year's roster included Clint Eastwood, Johnny Depp, Camerion Diaz, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Costner, Mark Wahlberg, Drew Barrymore, Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum etc. etc., as well as, the heads of all of the major studios. As Hollywood get-togethers go, it's an odd mix of work and play for all attendees.

The purpose of CinemaCon is to give cinema owners and others (who rely upon the cinema industry) a sense of what will be forthcoming in the months ahead and what films will draw in the largest audiences. Additionally, new equipment is exhibited and demo'ed and attendees are not bashful in giving their opinion to the studios or manufacturers.

Highlights of this year's Show for me:


JBL's New Speaker Lineup

New JBL 9320 Surround

Two new surround speakers, the SCS12 and the 9320 can be used both on wall or ceiling to take advantage of the Dolby Atmos Sound System. JBL also intro'd two new stage speaker systems, the 3252N for smaller auditoriums and the 5742 for large cinemas.




Media Motion's 4D and 5D Cinema Experience

Seating for Media Motion 4D Experience

Forget about D-Block or other current motion seats, Media Motion showed-off the ultimate in interactive cinema.  The 5D system has seats that move up/down, tilt lift/right, forward/back, have seat vibration, leg and neck ticklers, air blast, water sprays, scent sprays, and seat and back pokers.

I 'rode' the 4D/5D seats to a clip of a motorcycle (you are the driver) being chased by bad guys. The experience is, well, simulating and very interactive. Whether you would want to be this interactive during a 2-3 hour feature film is unlikely, but for some the extra admission would be worth it.

Media Motion sells the seats in blocks of 24, 48, or 96. All aboard!

NEC's NC1100L Laser Cinema Projector

The NC1100L is a compact D-Cinema Projector with laser lighting vs. xenon.  The demo presentation I witnessed however presented a dim on-screen image. There just wasn't enough light and the image was dark.  The benefits are that the laser light lasts for 20,000 hours and the projector is sold as being "maintenance free".  Which isn't true as software and firmware upgrades will be required. No pricing as yet been announced. For dealers/distributors it's a non-starter.

Jim Lavorato