The Big Green Screen Theater located in the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle State Park has made the move to digital cinema technology. The announcement was made by Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Richard J. Allan at the Sunset Celebration held on October 26. This event hosted by the Friends of The Tom Ridge Environmental Center also included the presentation of the 2012 John C. Oliver Environmental Leadership Awards. This special recognition was presented to the award recipients by Governor Tom Ridge. The Big Green Screen Theater is owned and operated by DCNR and offers various educational films for school groups families and other users of the park. It is the only large format theater in northwest Pennsylvania with its four-story high 45-foot wide screen. R&R Technical Services a full service cinema supply company and Christie partner installed a Christie projector. It will replace an 8/70.5/70 4/35 Kinoton projector which will however remain in operation for occasional use to show film when a movie title is not yet available in a digital format. “Presque Isle with its beautiful coastline and many recreational opportunities is one of the most-visited state parks in our system however a lot of that visitation occurs during the warm months ” Allan said. “The Big Screen Theater plays a big role in creating a destination during the off-season at the Tom Ridge Center. That’s why we did not want to skip a beat as the industry transitions from film to a digital format.” “The Christie CP2230 was chosen because of its superior image quality and reliability and the full backup services provided by Christie’s Network Operation Center and service team ” said Bob Ray of R & R Technical Services. “With our colleagues at TREC and Poggi Designs we developed a design and layout of the digital system that accommodates both the Christie 4500 watt Xenon lamp-based projector and the Kinoton. We could see that Christie would produce the best image quality for this large format screen compared to other brands. “It was challenging to keep the Kinoton projector fully operational and in the same place alongside the digital projector since the front wall of the projection booth was double 8-inch cement block with reinforcement. But after a short closure for upgrades and the installation of a new port opening we are now able to switch between the film projector and Christie’s in a matter of minutes ” said Ray. The agreement with Christie also includes Service Plus a warranty program that offers next-day parts delivery and complete remote monitoring to minimize down time.
