Lightyear Digital Theatre

Affiliations and Strategic Partners
Lightyear comprises of some of the most knowledgeable and experienced minds in the digital theatre  arena. Lightyear also has long-standing strategic partnerships and affiliations with major corporations well established as world leaders in the manufacturing, installation and distribution of digital theatre components, programming and audio/visual systems. These partnerships greatly enhance access and time-to-market capabilities.

American Cinema Equipment (ACE) (www.cinequip.com) is a primary Lightyear strategic partner, with offices in Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California and Rogers, Arkansas. ACE is the premier North American resource for digital theatre equipment and service. ACE represents all major sound, seating, staging and projection manufacturers and ACE service is renowned for being optimum in the industry. With over 130 years combined experience in the cinema industry ACE has participated in project consultation, equipment specification, supply, installation, service and maintenance to some of the finest theatres and post-production facilities in the world. ACE is the leading dealer in North America for Christie digital projectors and Klipsch professional cinema sound systems.
From its offices in Los Angeles ACE works with Universal Studios, Paramount Studios, Overture Films, FotoKem and Pac Title. ACE has designed and installed many private screening rooms for Hollywood stars, producers and sports celebrities. These successful relationships have been enabled by the reputation ACE has established in Hollywood of being able to determine the right product to meet the demanding high performance needs of these facilities.

Klipsch Audio Technologies (www.klipsch.com) based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. For 64 years Klipsch has been manufacturing premium loudspeakers and high-end electronics for homes, computers, cinemas and commercial venues. The company was founded in 1946 by Paul W. Klipsch and continues today under owners Fred and Judy Klipsch. Since 1999 Klipsch sound systems have been installed in 50% of all new theatres in North America and in over 65% of those built in Latin America. They also have the leading market share for loudspeakers in the home theatre market.
For over 20 years Fred and Judy Klipsch have worked hard to maintain the family-owned company’s rich heritage. They have remained committed to innovation and to delivering the world’s most powerful, detailed and emotional sound reproduction. From affordable state-of-the-art high-definition 5.1 surround sound to luxury high-end speakers and from tiny dynamic headphones to massive professional cinema systems, Klipsch has a premium product for every lifestyle, application and budget.

Christie Digital Systems Inc. (www.christiedigital.com) is a leader in visual solutions for world-class organizations, offering diverse applications for business, entertainment and industry. Christie is a privately held company and has manufacturing and assembly facilities located in California and Canada. A leading innovator in film projection since 1929 and a pioneer in digital projection systems since 1979, Christie has established a global reputation as a total service provider and the world’s single source manufacturer of a variety of display technologies and solutions. Christie offers comprehensive solutions for cinema, large audience venues, control rooms, business presentations, training facilities, 3D, Virtual Reality, simulation and education as well as industrial and government environments. Christie solutions are used in over 75,000 locations worldwide.
Christie Managed Services provides round-the-clock monitoring of over 830 sites across North America. In the digital projector field, sensors connected to each projector notify the Network Operations Centre (NOC) that there is a potential problem before any actual failure occurs. The NOC is staffed with over 180 customer service personnel and field technicians who respond rapidly to service issues, including configuration management and field repairs. Christie digital projectors utilize the new Texas Instruments Digital Light Processing (DLP) chips. These DLP chips consume 30% less power while producing a brighter and much sharper image. All aspects of the digital projector benefit from the cooler operation and increased energy efficiency. Christie, in combination with American Cinema Equipment, represents the world’s largest digital projection service force.

Interactive Netcasting Systems Inc. (INSINC) (www.insinc.com), a Burnaby, British Columbia based company, has spent the last ten years developing software tools and networking resources to deliver first class streaming solutions. INSINC is a leading webcasting company that enables enterprises and content owners to distribute and monetize online video. Founded in 1997 INSINCs core business is to provide live and archived video content to audiences online, with integrated pay-per-view and commerce transaction processing, delivered to geographically dispersed locations.
The INSINC platform has been developed to meet the evolving needs of this large emerging market. The company has automated tools with self-provisioning that are quick and efficient. The platform enables simplified video capture, storage, indexing, and delivery which permits the media to be distributed to a variety of devices and to be restricted to viewers in specific geographic markets. INSINC has a unique ability to service the live video market with its innovative live signal capture, robust enabling platform and proprietary software tools all of which support the latest HD codecs.
INSINC’s clients include all levels of government, major media sports and entertainment companies, blue chip companies and public educators.
INSINC, as a primary Lightyear strategic partner, will use its own streaming media Content Delivery Network (CDN), in combination with third part CDN architecture, to broadcast and distribute Lightyear’s programming requirements. INSINC and Lightyear will also work closely on the development of a digital theatre specific broadcast platform and the creation of digital content. On October 31, 2009, INSINC was acquired by NeuLion, Inc., based in Plainview, NY.

Franklin Designs, Inc (www.franklindesigns.com) is a North American leader in the areas of theatre design and equipment installation. The company has been in the cinema and theatrical stage rigging business since 1986. With offices in both Canada and the USA, Franklin has worked with the top names in the industry to provide Project Management, Design Consultation and Construction Management.
Franklin manufactures and installs screen frames, screens, masking systems, masking motors and front end curtains and wall drapes. The company also installs seating, wall carpet and aisle lighting.
Franklin is aware that today’s theatre needs to create an immersive experience and that to deliver this experience, modern movie theatres need to be designed with state-of-the-art projection systems for both standard and three dimensional exhibition. To accompany these superior imaging systems, exceptional quality audio is required to provide the surround sound and depth so that the audience doesn’t just hear the sound, they feel it.
Franklin works on the premise that, to attract all age groups, theatres of the future need to provide a more social atmosphere where people can meet and interact before and after the show and, at the same time, be afforded a good selection of fare. Franklin Designs has the ability and the expertise to create the modern theatre experience. Franklin can realize the vision and provide the solid team of professionals needed to complete any project on time and on budget.

Harkness Screens (www.harkness-screens.com) is the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of screens for live theatre, cinema, special effects, film and television productions, digital cinema, special large-screen events, theme parks and 3-D exhibition. The company is headquartered in the United Kingdom and has manufacturing plants and offices in England, France, China and the USA.
Harkness has been supplying projection screens for over 80 years and Harkness products are in daily use throughout the world. The company is particularly well known for cinema and special venue applications and also supplies a wide range of screens for audio/visual markets. Harkness Screens are leading edge for digital theatre applications. The Harkness Perlux digital cinema screens come in three different gain levels which can be used to optimize screen brightness and greatly reduce exhibitor’s operating costs. Harkness Perlux screens can significantly lower the operating costs of digital projectors by reducing the lamp power requirements for both 2-D and 3-D exhibition.

Datasat Digital Entertainment (www.datasatdigital.com), formerly DTS Digital Cinema, has a rich history of vision, innovation and excellence. With pioneering Academy Award winning audio technology, Datasat has led the industry conversion to digital sound for the past 16 years. Using a series of innovations, inventions and powerful multi- function coding technologies, Datasat has set the reference standard for digital audio delivery systems in the motion picture industry.
A leading innovator and supplier of 5.1 digital surround sound for motion pictures, the company specializes in content management solutions for the delivery and exhibition of movies and other content in digital form, with a dedicated focus on supporting the film industrys transition to digital cinema.
With a global footprint of 31,000 screens in over 100 countries, Datasat is uniquely positioned to provide custom designed systems for every digital theatre environment, offering products such as the DC20 Digital Cinema Server and AP20 Audio Processor. Datasat understands that as the industry moves from traditional cinema business models towards the new digital horizon, a whole world of opportunity is opening up for content creators, distributors and exhibitors. Opportunity for expansion, opportunity for change and opportunity to work in new and powerful ways.
Groundbreaking in its flexibility, reliability and total sonic realism, Datasat’s digital audio technology has forever changed expectations of sound in motion picture theatres. Multi-channel soundtracks transport audiences into thrilling audio experiences that enthrall them.

Crown Audio (www.crownaudio.com), since its humble beginnings in 1947, has grown to become one of the world’s largest and most respected manufacturers of power amplifiers and microphones for the professional audio marketplace. Crown is a division of Harman International Industries Inc. (www.harman.com), a company with more than 11,000 employees worldwide. Crown’s customers include the top names in the entertainment industry and venue design, linked by a common passion for exceptional quality sound and multi- media reproduction.

Perception Technologies (www.perceptiontechnologies.com) is a Los Angeles based consulting and technical services company with cutting edge expertise in the technologies that drive commercial cinemas, post-production studios and high-end screening rooms. The principles and staff of Perception Technologies bring many disciplines of the motion picture industry together to provide unique solutions for all types of screening, production and post-production facilities. The company has built-out and maintains many critical viewing facilities in and around Hollywood for clients such as Light Storm Media, Bay Films and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Perception Technologies is currently acting in a consulting role for many celebrity clients as they make the transition from film to digital and 3D in their private home theatres.
On the research and development side of digital technology, the company continues to work closely with many top Hollywood technical minds on new methods of streamlining post-production and archiving existing work. Perception Technologies continues to work on the development of new methods to integrate technology into people’s lives and to deliver rich media content through new and exciting means.

XpanD (www.xpandcinema.com) is the world leader in active-shutter 3D glasses for cinema, home theatre, video games and educational institutions. XpanD is also the standard for film production, distribution and exhibition industries globally. The company’s technology is used by over 2,000 3D cinemas in more than 50 countries. XpanDs extensive global market penetration has positioned the company as the natural partner for the world’s professional and consumer technology makers and distributors. XpanD has a 90% market share in Asian 3D cinemas and more than 50% of the 3D cinemas in Europe including a 75% share of the 3D sector in France, Europe’s largest cinema market.
With manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe and North America, XpanD’s global reach has accomplished two key economic achievements. Firstly, XpanD sells over 1.5 million of its stylish, eco-friendly and completely immersive X101 3D active glasses each year. Secondly, this sales volume has enabled the company to make the 3D glasses affordable for commercial exhibitors and home users while providing 3D quality that was originally available only at a professional cost.

Mesbur + Smith Architects (www.mesbursmith.com) is an internationally acclaimed Canadian design consultancy specializing in entertainment architecture. The company provides world-class expertise in new theatre design, mixed-use entertainment developments, historic renovations and the retro fit of theatres into digital facilities. Their designs incorporate the latest technologies. They utilize proprietary software to generate optimal sightlines for stadium or conventional seat auditoriums and they create lobby planning strategies to maximize revenues from cafes, bars or concession areas. Mesbur + Smith are located in Toronto, Canada but they have a worldwide client base. Their work has garnered numerous international design awards and has been published in leading professional and trade journals. During the past 26-years they have completed over 400 theatres in 21 countries. Their work ranges from a single screen theatre retrofit to a new 20-screen complex in Bahrain and mixed-use entertainment centres in Russia which contain bowling centres, IMAX theatres, bars, restaurants and gaming zones, all of which exemplify the company’s very diverse and creative architectural abilities. Mesbur + Smith is currently concentrated on design work in North America, Eastern Europe, South-East Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
All aspects of design are covered by their services. Feasibility studies, conceptual designs, design development and both interior and exterior designs. As a comprehensive design consultancy to clients worldwide in the entertainment industry Mesbur + Smith take great pride in the high quality of their architectural work, its strengths in functional planning and its creative aesthetic solutions.

Lightyear’s Research and Development CIT in Beverly Hills, California

The 53-seat Charles Aidikoff Screening Room (www.aidikoff.tv) is a Lightyear research and development theatre located in the very heart of Beverly Hills on South Rodeo Drive (at Wilshire Blvd).
Significant details contained within the theatre form the basis of Lightyear CITs. These details include a 20ft. screen, comfortable reclining seating, stunning high- definition pictures, 3D exhibition, high impact sound and mission critical reliability.
Approved by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for Academy screenings, the theatre is used daily by the motion picture and post production industries.
Designed primarily for industry executives and professionals the theatre takes pride in its close association with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For over 35 years countless stars, from Elizabeth Taylor to Al Pacino, have graced the theatres comfortable seating. The venue is recognized internationally for excellence in high quality presentation and technical reliability.
The theatre is a Lightyear CIT research, development and training platform. With its location in the very heart of Beverly Hills, this private facility is used on a daily basis by the who’s who of Hollywood. With its large reception area, the theatre also holds regular champagne receptions, dinners and other catered events for film and television producers, distributors, executives, major stars and personalities from the global production and motion picture community.

Lightyear extends to all its future customers an open invitation to attend a full digital theatre proof of concept demonstration in Surrey, British Columbia or Beverly Hills, California.

Lightyear Digital Theatre (Canada) Ltd.

Robert C. Dominick – President & Chief Executive Officer
Hugh W. Dobbie – CIT Network Director
David Miller – Director of Digital Cinema
John Batyka – Director of Operations
David Pel, CGA – Chief Financial Officer
David C. Hosler – Founder and Industry Consultant