Barco announced it has reached an achievement of the production of 100,000 digital cinema projectors.

At the turn of the 21st century, the film and cinema experience underwent an unprecedented change as it moved from the traditional analog world of celluloid film into a new digital age. Barco says the digitalization of cinema accelerated after the release of the 3D blockbuster Avatar in 2009, after which over 90% of the market transitioned to digital projection. The conversion to digital cinema enabled significant growth in the global cinema market, doubling the number of screens from 100,000 to close to 200,000 today.

Over the last seven years, the market continued to innovate with the advent of the laser era. Barco says today there are more than 25,000 of its laser projection solutions deployed around the world.

“This is not the end of the success story. Digital projection and the more recent switch from lamp to laser light sources only deliver more advantages for customers,” said Ignace Rombaut, Barco’s VP of projection. “From R&D to production, and from design to end user, laser is embedded in everything we do as the right choice for the future of cinema. From image quality to sustainability, there is still untapped potential for further growth, and I am convinced that the outlook is bright for cinema.”

“We want to thank all our loyal partners, customers and employees for their support in this joint achievement,” said Nicolas Vanden Abeele, senior VP of entertainment at Barco. “Despite periods of challenge, cinema has always rallied as an industry to exceed expectations and continue to deliver the best experience when seeing a film. Our colleagues around the world are committed for the long-term to help elevate cinema again to the next level using our all-laser digital cinema projector portfolio for many years to come.”