A brand-new state-of-the-art laser projector has been installed at the Gaiety Theatre.

As well as producing a more vivid, deep colour movie experience, the new technology should hopefully increase reliability and can be accessed remotely.

Last year, the Gaiety was turned upside down when its beloved Series 1 Christie projector broke down, forcing the movie theatre to close for months. The previous projector was around 15 years old, and replacement parts were just about impossible to source. While the old projector was eventually repaired, its future days were numbered as there was no guarantee parts would be available in the future.

Now, thanks to funding from the Department of Internal Affairs and a top-up from local contracting company QRS, a new projector has been bought and installed.

The new projector is also a Christie, but a modern series 4 model CP4435 pure RGB laser projector. The technology is so new that there are less than 10 upscale projectors in the country.

The new projector has four times the picture resolution of the old projector and can produce a more vivid picture due to its state-of-the-art laser light source.

The projector is future-proofed by its ultra-fast and high-bandwidth video signal processing capabilities, exceeding 10 times the current mainstream Hollywood standard. This allows support for forthcoming digital movie formats that support high frame rates and ultra-deep colour reproduction at previously unachievable high resolutions. 

The new projector is also more energy efficient and will consume around half the power of the previous projector while still putting out a brighter picture. 

The projector weighed 160kg and required some heavy lifting to be positioned in the Gaiety movie box.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said it is great to be able to stay up to date with technology. “With the Gaiety’s big screen and this state-of-the-art projector, we are able to deliver an amazing movie experience and fingers crossed this new technology will give us a new level of reliability.

“Thank you so much to the Department of Internal Affairs and QRS for helping make this possible and also to Tim Le Petit, Technical Manager for the Hoyts Cinema Technology Group, for your ongoing specialised support.

“I know our community will enjoy more reliable movie screening, and I encourage as many people as possible to use the theatre, catch a movie and enjoy the experience.”

To celebrate the new state-of-the-art equipment, a ‘projector party is planned’ - watch this space.

Caption: The Gaiety Theatre has a brand-new upmarket movie projector. Pictured learning the ropes around the new technology are Gaiety staff Roz Karangaroa and Jerzelle Wai Wai, along with Tim Le Petit, Technical Manager for the Hoyts Cinema Technology Group.

29 May 2024

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