Projection technology developed in Kitchener wins Academy Award
Christie, a company whose center of excellence for engineering is based in Kitchener, has received a high honor.
The company, and its principal product developer, Mike Perkins, have been awarded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award in Scientific and Engineering for their development of the Christie E3LH projection system.
The projector allows for a much brighter image with richer colours and better contrast. (Leighanne Evans/CTV Kitchener)
Perkins said work on the technology began in 2011.
“Our partner, Dolby, approached us. They had a vision for the future of cinema, but they were missing one key piece – the projector,” he explained.
That’s where Christie came into play.
Perkins said together, they had a common goal – expand the frontiers of what cinema in the theatre is.
“That means much brighter image, much richer colors and above all else, much better contrast,” he said.
“If you go to a movie theatre today, when the scenes fade to black, they don’t really fade to black, they fade to this dull, murky, grey,” Perkins explained. “With the E3LH we’ve solved that problem. The contrast ratio is a thousand times better than it was on standard cinema, and the improvement and the richness in the detail that you get with that kind of image is just stunning.”
It’s a sentiment the company’s Vice President of Engineering agrees with. David Kiers applauds the local talent, who came together to create the projector.
“Our main engineering headquarters is here in Kitchener,” Kiers said. “All of this work is being developed here with a large team of engineers.”
Christie Principal Product Developer Mike Perkins and Vice President of Engineering David Kiers are seen in Kitchener on Jan. 15, 2024. (Leighanne Evans/CTV Kitchener)
Christie engineers began working on the projector back in 2011. They watched it come to life in 2015 when the first movie, “Tomorrowland,” was shown using it.
Looking back, Perkins talks about how exciting and relieving that moment was.
“There is always the question when you create new technology,” said Perkins. “In the context of Hollywood, that means will the creators, directors and producers step up and provide content for your brand new platform? It’s a lot of extra work for them and there has to be a payoff.”
Since then, the projector has been installed in more than 300 cinema screens in more than 15 countries.
“The fact that so many movies have been produced where they remaster the content for our projector – that’s the validation. That means we did something right,” Perkins said with a smile.
In 2015, "Tomorrowland" became the first film to be shown using the technology. (Leighanne Evans/CTV Kitchener)
Perkins will be recognized during the official awards ceremony on Feb. 23 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California.
“The amount of response I’ve been getting is just incredible. Within the company, but also outside, people stopping me and saying ‘congratulations we’re so happy for you’. It’s really gratifying to get that kind of feedback. The love and respect from the community,” Perkins said.
Kiers is proud of him and his team too.
“Finally seeing it recognized by the academy and the movie industry for what it’s doing to the movie industry is really good and fun to watch,” Kiers said.
This award marks the third Academy Award for Christie. The company has previously received two awards for technical achievements, one in 1983, and the other in 1998.
They hope to continue to have this type of success with their innovations down the road.
“We want this to be the standard of cinema for all theatres around the world,” said Perkins. “It’s going to take a lot of work for us to get there, but we have a company that can do it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.