The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, known for the Oscars, has bestowed the Barco team with the Scientific and Engineering Academy Award for their contribution to the design and development of laser projection in cinema. The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards honor individuals and companies whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant and lasting ways to motion pictures.
As part of the 96th Academy Awards, the award ceremony for the Scientific and Technical Awards will take place on February 23. During this occasion, Barco’s Wouter D’Oosterlinck, vice president, research and development, Goran Stojmenovik, research and development director, and Peter Janssens, senior expert optical design, will proudly take home the prestigious Academy Award. Also among the winners is Barco's executive vice president of cinema, Gerwin Damberg, for his contribution to the Dolby Cinema system development.
“Innovation has been running through our veins for 90 years and the recognition by the Academy is nothing less than historical. We are extremely proud that our team is added to the exclusive list of winners of a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award,” said An Steegen, co-CEO of Barco. “We have been visioneering in cinema technology and the motion picture industry for over 25 years and this achievement is a testament to our leadership and commitment to the industry.”
Barco's laser projection technology has reshaped the cinema market. Powering more than 55 percent of the world’s movie theaters and with more than 30,000 Barco laser projectors installed globally, Barco is the trusted choice for exhibitors to transition to laser. The shift from lamp-based to laser-based cinema projection was driven by the industry’s need for high brightness, requiring unique technology to address screen size, color gamut, and lifetime. Considering that all cinema projectors used lamps in 2014, laser projection has transformed the industry in under 10 years.
Exhibitors worldwide benefit from a superior movie experience for their audiences, higher operational efficiency, and a sustainable solution thanks to Barco laser projection. Filmmakers enjoy peace of mind as their titles are presented as intended. Beyond exhibition, Barco laser projection broadens creative possibilities in content creation and post-production, making 4K mainstream and expanding opportunities for wide color gamut. What’s more, two theatres of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are powered by Barco’s 4K laser projectors to present films at maximum technical accuracy. And the world’s superstars have selected Barco’s premium laser technology for their private home theatres.
Ever since the early days of digital cinema, Barco has been breaking ground with numerous industry firsts and milestones such as the launch of the first digital cinema projector in 2002, the Guinness World Record for brightest cinema projector in 2010, and the world's first commercially available 60,000-lumen 4K laser projector in 2014. Barco projectors have been the technology of choice for home cinemas of acclaimed movie directors like Michael Bay, known for blockbusters such as Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and the Transformers series. Now, Barco is leading the way for the migration to high dynamic range, a key driver behind the future of content creation for cinema as well as exhibition, with its HDR Lightsteering solution.