Joachim: “I introduce the studios and post-production houses to HDR by Barco. So, I travel around the globe to present the technology and, whenever possible, I invite studios to our theater in Los Angeles to demonstrate how their movies look in HDR on the big theater screen. As I’ve been active in this world for over 20 years, I know many directors, cinematographers, and colorists personally. Some of today’s customers were my colleagues or peers in the past. Together with my colleague colorist Iris Wu, I also work directly with Hollywood star colorists to support them in adapting films for HDR Lightsteering.

Joachim: “HDR Lightsteering has been around for many years. While studios now approach us about it, getting that initial foot in the door took work. We showcased it at tradeshows and film festivals globally, from LA to Bangkok and Cannes, and that strategy paid off. Independent filmmakers are especially enthusiastic. They’d see their movies in HDR for the first time and light up like kids in a candy store: ‘Wow, I’ve never seen my film with such clarity and quality."

Joachim: “Digital projectors have been around for about 20 years. Before that we looked at film projection for 100 years. In fact, the contrast of cinema projection has not changed for 120 years. 

HDR changes all that. By switching from SDR to HDR, images become six times brighter and darker than standard cinema. Colors are more vibrant, and the original image retains far more detail. That  gives  colorists an entirely new palette of colors, and more shades of light and dark to tell the story.” 

Joachim: “For experienced professionals, it’s an effortless transition. Most studios already work with HDR for home or with alternatives, and we follow industry standards, so this isn’t new to them. Thanks to our software, they need just 15 minutes to get started. In total, adapting a movie for HDR takes only 1 to 2 extra days. Note that we did make significant investments to ensure these plug-and-play capabilities. In fact, it was a key prerequisite when developing HDR.”

Joachim: “This projector will absolutely drive more cinema visits. It will help cinema owners be future-proof. Beyond the stunning image quality, its serviceability is a major advantage. While the images are super bright, the laser light source lasts up to 30,000 hours. That significantly reduces maintenance costs.”

Joachim: “For now, theaters look to adopt HDR by Barco for their premium rooms. But in the long run, we want HDR to become the standard in every cinema. It’s like the shift from black-and-white to color TV – eventually, everyone wanted a color TV.  So, we’re starting with premium formats, but the goal is to bring HDR to the entire market in the longer term. That's how we'll keep cinema relevant and thriving."