Euroscoop and Apollo Cinemas Set to Go Digital

If there was any debate over whether digital cinema would ever roll out in the European market one would hardly know after the past two weeks. Sure there have been lots of discussion at the European Cinema Summit and Cinema Expo about which European countries would be eligible for virtual print fees, which would have to go it on their own and wether the European Commission would offer any subsidies, but at the same time several theatre chains have been announcing their plans to deploy the new digital technology.

After yesterday’s announcement that Hungary’s Palace Cinemas had selected XDC for the conversion of 170 screens, Euroscoop, a chain with theatres in Belgium and The Netherlands, has also signed an agreement with the European integrator. Finance by their VPF agreement, XDC will install DCI-compliant digital cinema equipment on Euroscoop’s 61 screens starting in September and finishing before the end of the year.

Euroscoop will be using XDC’s CineStore Solo server and central library server, the CineStore Plaza. Each of the circuits six theatres will get XDC’s theatre management system and will be fully networked. Euroscoop has elected to go with Barco projectors.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, Apollo Cinemas has signed an agreement with Sony for the deployment of 4K equipment on 83 screens. The announcement was hailed by Sony in their press release as a VPF agreement “like no other”, however other than it being Sony’s first VPF deal in Europe there was no explanation as to what makes this news so unique. Apollo cinemas, which was founded in 2002, is the largest independent cinema chain in the UK.

By J. Sperling Reich, Celluloid Junkie