Our Dream
Aspirations in Visual Imaging Systems

Leading the cinema projector industry,
paying attention to “sensibilities.”
Principal related products and fields of businessRich and unfettered ideas:
The force that drives dreams and excitement

A hand in a wide variety of projectors, including the LED-based simulation
projection system, “Matrix SIM WQ.”

IIn bbusinessesithat
h are closer
lto theh endd user, theh point
i thatDigital cinema, 3D, virtual reality (VR)/simulations, monitoring and control systems

should be emphasized is “human sensibilities.” The many
innovations impacting video history have all originated in thesensibilities of our employees. Communication with people

Fusion of light sources and systems
revolutionizes the cinema industry

Innovative management
cannot be captured in a video frame

gives birth to ideas. It is free and unfettered individual ideas,
along with an awareness of the significance and role of theChristie
Digital(Christie),
Ushio
Chi ti Diit l SSystemst(Ch
i ti ) an U
hi group company,

The
Christie
Th strengthstth off Chi ti are nott lilimited
it d tto video, as theindividual, that gives rise to innovation whatever the situation,holds the leading position* in the world market for digitalcompany provides solutions in the form of systems and services

and this is the driving force that lends Christie its presencecinema projectors. Christie became an Ushio group company inthat give added value to such products. Besides developing,and supports its business of delivering dreams and1992 when Ushio acquired the cinema division of Christie

manufacturing, and marketing for its core cinema projector

excitement.

Electronics, an American company which was also a buyer ofbusiness, Christie works as a comprehensive enterprise,

Ushio’s lamps. At the time, Ushio had no plans for building its

providing a management service through its Network

own projectors. However, the acquisition of Christie, with its long

Operations Center (NOC) to deliver timely remote control andhistory as a manufacturer of film projectors and its deep ties tosoftware updates for Christie products via the Internet, a

the Hollywood film industry served to increase its presence inBusiness Products division that provides projection mapping

the industry both domestically and internationally. The synergy

and digital imaging products, and a Virtual Environmentsborn from the fusion of Ushio’s lamp technology and Christie’s

division that provides software and hardware solutions for thedevice technology exerted a revolutionary influence on thesimulators used in aviation training and product development.

cinema industry and its associated market. As a leading makerAt the root of these endeavors is the company’s businessof cinema projectors, Christie joins Ushio in advancing the

stance, which is rooted in its vision of “being the global leader

development of video digitization and 3D images, deliveringin providing high quality, innovative, shared experiences that our

unending surprise and excitement to the silver screen.

customers love.”* Per Ushio s own market survey as of March 31, 2014

MicroTiles™ can freely combine displays, much like building blocks.

The trajectoryof challenge② Systems
The light that drives back darkness has beena wellspring of imagination since ancient times,
serving in shadow plays and magic lanterns andgiving birth to a infinite range of stories about light.
Filmmaking is the apex of this tradition.
As a member of the Ushio group,
Christie Digital Systems continues advancing
together with the filmmaking industry
as it revolutionizes the art of cinema expression
with leading edge technology.
We asked about its future course and prospects.

Ushio and Christie join hands
for cinematic development
The relationship between Christie Digital Systems(Christie) and Ushio underwent a great transformation when
Ushio invited Christie to join it as a member of its corporategroup. Says a manager at Christie, “From that moment,
Ushio ceased being simply a lamp maker, and became acorporate group with its hand in wide range of cinemarelated businesses.” This is from a person who has
watched the development of America’s filmmaking industry
over many years.
Christie is a long-established presence in the industry,
having produced its first film projector back in 1929. It was
just about that time that the cinema industry was switchingfrom silent movies to “talkies,” cinema with synchronizedsound. Christie has enjoyed a good relationship with
Hollywood industry insiders ever since.

Xenon short arc lamp for use
in cinema projectors
Photo is of a lamp developed while
Ushio was a division of Ushio Kogyo.
This lamp enabled images of
unprecedented brightness andvividness.

For its part, Ushio established deep connections tofilmmaking even before its independence from its
predecessor organization, Ushio Kogyo. The first time axenon lamp was used to show a movie in Japan was in1958. The replacement of carbon arc lamps, which were
the principal light source used in cinema projectors at thetime, with the brighter and more vivid colors of the xenon
lamp gave a great boost to the success of color movies.
Then in 1966, a projector using a horizontally-oriented
xenon short arc lamp was developed, providing increased
light production efficiency over projectors using verticallyoriented lamps. This method is still used in many cinema
projectors today.
Christie and Ushio fit together hand and glove: One
enjoys an established relationship of trust with Hollywood,and the other has won success as the developer of lamps
for use with cinema. In 1992 when Ushio acquired Christie,

World
share

World
share

Xenon lamps for use
in cinema projectors

70%

Digital cinema
projector

40%(Per Ushio s own market survey as of March 31, 2014)

Going from
Lamp Maker toComprehensive
Video Business
GroupThe trajectory of challenge② Systemsin that union, the separate dreams that the two companies
shared of “surprising people with ever more wonderfulimages” were joined into one. Then the move toward
digitization accelerated when the digital imaging division of
Canada’s Electrohome company merged with Christie in
1999.

The turning pointin the digitization of cinema“During the 1990s, there was a boom in construction of
megaplex movie theaters through America which breathed
new life into movie-going, a business that was in thedoldrums. During this boom, Christie’s sales soared to tentimes their pre-acquisition level, and Christie became theworld’s top name in projectors. This was just before movies
started the transition from film to digital.” Since the 1895
showing of the world’s first movie by the Lumière brothersof France, the cinema industry has undergone great
revolutions, advancing from silent films to talkies, and fromblack and white to color. The transition from film to digital isa revolution that is no less monumental. In fact, thedigitization of cinema has enabled their distribution over theInternet, done away with the need to develop and duplicate
films, eliminated the cost of physical distribution, andsolved forever the problem of film deterioration. It has also
contributed to reduction of resource waste, as there is nolonger any need to dispose of old films. Thus, digitization
has been a force that has changed the entire form of thecinema industry.
Before the digitization of movies, Christie was faced witha huge decision. “Undertaking the digitization of projectors
ahead of other companies could give it a tremendous
advantage, but there is also great risk in such up-front
investment. It was only after considering many different
possibilities that the company decided to commit itself togoing digital.” The greatest hurdle to digitization was

licensing the DLP® (Digital Light Processing) chip that had
been developed for cinema by Texas Instruments*.
“Many different makers held licensing negotiations with
Texas Instruments, but differences about conditions
prevented any of them from concluding contracts. It was
only after Christie won out over the competition andsucceeded in concluding an exclusive contract for DLP ®
that it went ahead with development of a digital cinema
projector. Currently, there are only a few companies aroundthe world that make digital cinema projectors. Looking
back, we can now see that one of the biggest factors
behind Christie achieving its position as the world’s leadingmaker of digital cinema projectors lies in the moment that it
made that decision.”

Using projectors for projection mapping,creating designs and productions that makeuse of structures and space: Now used aroundthe world for advertising, events and businesspurposes. Image produced by a simulation
system introduced at the Los Alamos
National Laboratory: Provides clear and vivid
color representation of even the finest details.

New optical solutions become possible precisely
because they are digital
Boasts Christie’s manager, “With digital projectors,
almost anything can become a screen for images.” We
asked him to talk about this and other new directions being
taken by Christie in its relationship with light.
“Currently, cutting-edge spatial performances are
attracting a lot of attention. These are produced using aprocess called projection mapping, which makes it possible
to project ima ges onto objects tha t occupy three
dimensions. Displays that use projection mapping for
sporting events, anniversary celebrations, and amusementpark attractions are growing in popularity around the world,
and the demand for Christie’s larger digital projectors hasgrown accordingly.” High brightness projectors are
essential for achieving forms of video expression thatcreate a strong impact by taking advantage of objects’
shadows to produce images that have depth and a
3-dimensional appearance. The technological advances by
Christie paralleling developments in filmmaking play a greatrole in such displays.

4K projector: Provides high brightness andresolution along with superior color reproduction,and can be used for 3D cinema. Projector suitablefor projecting large images for use in projection
mapping, etc.

*Texas Instruments Incorporated: The semiconductor maker headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Besides its use in projection mapping to provide
entertainment for large audiences, Christie’s technology
plays a role in the various sorts of simulators being
introduced in professional applications. “For example, rapid
response and natural colors are essential requirements ofthe simulators used to train airline pilots and the operatorsof marine vessels. Using projectors that are capable ofaccurately superimposing images and compensating forimage distortion makes it possible to accurately reproduce
the appearance of the real world. Further, the combinationof screen images with goggle-type head tracking systems
makes it possible to create virtual reality in three
dimensions. The immersive display systems developed byour company are useful not only for training, but are playing
a big role in systems used for visualizing natural
phenomena, assessing disaster risks, developing products
and urban development.” Christie has also developed a rearprojector system called MicroTiles T M which makes it
possible to combine small 20-inch displays into free-form
assemblies, just as if they were building blocks.

The steady expansion of its product line-up to meet theneeds of users in various roles and scenarios is one of thereasons that Christie enjoys such a good reputation. So,
what magic in light can we expect to see from them in the
future?
“We regard projectors as nothing more than one of theelements in larger systems. Presently, the growth is incinema and business projects such as projection mapping.
In the future, we foresee growth in applications for screen
and software-based virtual environments, and of course wewill also be concentrating on management services andcontent for such applications. We would like to see the lightand ser vices we develop become the impetus forinnovation, and for making the world a more interesting
place.”
Optical content spun of leading technology and thepassion of developers will bring wonder and delight to thepeople of the world. Therein we will discover the future oflight and add a new page to our cultural history.




Ushio Visual Imaging:
Making Cities Glow
Ushio light enthralls people around the world with illumination of events and landscapes that shine.

Starlight spectacular(CANADA)
Mountain at the center of Wonderland
entrances visitors with a different aspect thancan be seen by day. Butterflies fluttering over arainbow’s arch, and the image on the mountainmakes it seem like it might spring forth in adance, giving rise in viewers to surprise andexcitement.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque(UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)
Around 50 projectors give a new look to this historic structure. This
glittering night-time show depicts the Islamic calendar and the cycle ofthe moon and stars, a fitting celebration of the UAE’s 40th anniversary.

Projection mapping
Projection mapping makes objects andspace the medium for imaging using
high-brightness lamps in multiple digitalprojectors. Striking images that conform toirregularities in the structure combine withsound effects in a new form of “lightentertainment.”Universal Studios Japan®
(JAPAN)“The Gift of Angels II – The Song of an Angel –”,one of the Christmas attractions at Universal
Wonder Christmas. Images cast by a total of 31
projectors are synchronized with the
movements of performers, drawing park visitors
into a dramatic new world.

Sydney Opera House(AUSTRALIA)
Grand images decorated the first performance of theYouTube Symphony Orchestra, giving a fresh look to
the unique geometry of Australia’s famous opera
house.

Atlantis The Palm, Dubai(UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)
Grand images projected onto the 220 x 95-meter walls of the
UAE’s new 5-star hotel, Atlantis The Palm, Dubai for its
opening ceremony.

Rhine Festival(GERMANY)
Art and media festival held in theupper middle Rhine valley, a UNESCO
world heritage site, attracted attention
from around the world.

Dojima Ohashi(JAPAN)The Dojima Ohashi was illuminated as part of the “Aqua
Metropolis of the Light” project in Osaka. This project took
advantage of the bridge’s graceful steel structure and stone archshape in a manner designed to complement the span’ssurroundings. Starting at sunset and extending into the night,
colors projected onto the bridge were gradually changed as part ofa daily performance, and infrared sensors were used to detectapproaching boats, triggering color variations in a performancethat incorporated both the bridge and its reflection in the river.

Toranomon Hills MORI Tower(JAPAN)
A symbolic representation of the designconcepts of “Wa” (circle) and “Itadaki”(apex). The message changes every
season, decorating the metropolitan nights.

Landscape illumination
Beautiful illumination of bridges andbuildings. Light gracing roads and thewalls of buildings in vibrant colors.
Entertaining with light in amusement
parks and commercial facilities. Ushio
conceives ways in which light canlend richness and pleasure to life in a

Photographer: Toshio Kaneko

variety of places.

Kobe Harborland Illumination(JAPAN)

JR Hokkaido Otaru Station(JAPAN)
Illumination of JR Hokkaido Otaru Station, a building
designated as an important cultural property, has been
converted to LED lighting. The incandescent light bulbs used in
fixtures have been replaced with LED filament bulbs,
maintaining the nostalgic atmosphere of the historic building by
replicating the illumination of old-fashioned lighting whileachieving lower power consumption and longer life.

Courtesy lamps illuminate the seaside
promenade with playful lighting. “Deckshadows” portray the animals andbackground of Kobe.


Digital signage,
virtual reality,
sports lighting
Besides its use in the MicroTilesTM usedin product advertising and TV program
displays, Ushio light plays a part in thevirtual reality technology used in flight
simulators and research simulations, aswell as in illumination of sporting eventsand the like.

Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH(GERMANY)At any given time, the air is filled with tens of thousandsof aircraft. Supporting the safety of all these flights, ahigh-brightness, high-performance 3D stereo systemprovides a 3-dimensional view of more information than
could be conveyed by former systems. This has made it
possible to achieve 3-dimensional prediction thatexceeds attempts at simulation.

Moscow International Automobile Salon (MIAS) 2012
(RUSSIA)
Forty MicroTiles™ installed in a major automobile manufacturer’s booth.
Featuring superb resolution, beautiful color reproduction, and multi-tap
interactive functionality, it drew attention with its representation of innovative
concept car images.

Kimberly Skate Park
(REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA)
Sports lighting accentuates the
dynamism of athletic power. Subtle
adjustments in lighting minimize
interference with play, allowing playand viewing that differ in no way
from daytime events for either
competitors or fans.

Rollins School of Public Health(UNITED STATES)
An installation panelized in wood decorates the lobby where
educators and students, staff and visitors gather. Here, 48
MicroTiles™ highlight the proud appeal of the University’s
leading technology and services.