New Sony 4K projector: SRX-R515

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sony Digital Cinema announced last Sunday at Cinema Europe, Barcelona, the next generation of 4K digital projectors. This new projector called SRX-R515 is designed especially for small and medium-sized movie theaters, for screens up to 12 meters wide.

Main characteristics

This model builds on its predecessor, the SRX-R320, which has been a great success since its launch in 2009 due to its advanced features and functionality. Now, in addition to 4K delivery, performance and accessibility have been improved.

Thanks to the SXRD panel, specially designed for 4K projection, and a 4K lens, it offers true-to-life delivery at the highest possible resolution. Its large-aperture F2.5 lens is made of ELD (extra-low dispersion) glass to create an ultra-fine-pitch 4K image.

It also has a new optical engine that achieves a very high contrast ratio of 5000:1 by further reducing light loss, creating a natural image with very dark black tones.

In addition to its 4K resolution, this projection system is characterized mainly by a significant reduction in price. The company has not yet disclosed the exact price, but they have said that it will be much lower than that of current projectors. In this way, they intend to make digital cinema available to small and medium-sized exhibitors, overcoming the problem presented by the high cost associated with digitization.

Of course, the SRX-R515 is fully DCI compliant.

For the first time in the industry, high-pressure mercury lamps have been included, providing greater cost-effectiveness, ease and safety. Sony has combined six units to achieve 450W, maximizing the brightness level and linking these lamps to the SXRD panel. This allows them to be replaced quickly, and in addition, if one of them fails, the rest continue to operate, without shutting down the entire system.

It includes a washable air filter that will also reduce your costs.

Other projections

For s3D projection, Sony’s unique dual-lens system has been included, which achieves razor-sharp three-dimensional images without the flicker problems that can be caused by other systems that use alternating images (triple flash). In this one, there is a dual lens, combined with RealDor Panavision 3D technology, which projects both left and right eye images at the same time. Thus, it is capable of displaying s3D movies in 2K resolution.

On the other hand, it supports ingest and transfer of content at high speed (High Frame Rate), up to 60 fps. Through its USB 3.0 port, a higher transfer speed can be achieved, although it also has two HDMI ports. Its storage capacity is 4TB expandable up to 8TB.

Thanks to this set of features and the reduced price, owners of small and medium-sized venues will also be able to use the projector to exhibit new services beyond cinema content. For example, they will be able to show sports, 3D content or even offer video games (for multiple users) thanks to its PlayStation support. If you just want to settle for movie releases, you can have them at your fingertips at the same time as the big theaters.

Physical properties and availability

On the physical side, the SRX-R515 projector is characterized by being smaller and more compact than its predecessor, with a body of 1015 x 546 cm, allowing it to be installed in smaller booths and be able to operate from confined spaces. It has a unique control panel, with a 15-inch user interface that supports iPad and Android tablets for remote control.

The complete package includes the projector, the integrated Media Block and the Screen Management Systems (SMS) software.

It will be available in Spain from November 2012, and from February 2013 Sony will launch TMS Lite (Theatre Management System), which will allow users to manage, control and program up to five screens for a low cost.

Here you can see all the technical specifications of the SRX-R515.

If you are interested in learning more about the DCI standard and how to create a DCP for digital projection, you can sign up for our course “Creating DCPs with free software”. Here you have all the information.