Digital Projection

More about Digital Projection

A digital imaging pioneer and industry leader, Digital Projection manufactures and distributes an extensive and expanding line of ultra high-performance 3-chip and single-chip DLP® projection systems. These projectors are the reference standard for demanding applications such as large-venue, live-event staging, education, medical and scientific research, command and control, digital cinema, commercial entertainment, houses of worship and elite home cinema.

Multiple company accolades include two Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Digital Projection remains the first and only projector manufacturer to win the coveted award.

Company History:

Digital Projection International was originally formed in 1987 as a division of the Rank Organization. Specifically, Rank created Digital Projection to identify the projection technology of the future, and to begin ground-breaking research and development of precision, high-performance, large-screen projectors, which would be based on this core technology.

In 1989, the team uncovered Texas Instruments’ Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) and was impressed with its potential. Namely, it could very accurately reflect individual pixels of light. Digital Projection began designing the subsystems that would comprise the display and also began conducting scientific tests to assure each silicon-based chip could withstand the rigors of an extremely bright light source. To complement their skills, they turned to another Rank-owned company, Cintel Limited, a world leader in the film to video conversion process, to produce the ‘state-of-the-art’ video electronics that the projection systems would soon employ.

In 1992, the first static DMD images were projected at Texas Instruments, and the first on a 3-chip DMD projection system were demonstrated at Rank-Brimar in Manchester, England. In 1995, Rank-Brimar demonstrated its prototype large-screen projection system. In 1996, Digital Projection Limited was established as a separate company to complete development work, manufacture and market the Company’s first products – soon to be known as POWER Displays.

By 1995, this engineering effort led to the company creating a chassis that would become the highest-level implementation of the DMD for projection applications. Prototypes of Digital Projection’s projection systems were demonstrated worldwide throughout 1995 and 1996 and were met with worldwide acclaim.

In December 1996, Digital Projection’s management team purchased the company from the Rank Organization and began final preparations for the manufacture, sale and support of their revolutionary POWER displays. Digital Projection’s U.S. headquarters officially opened in May 1997.

After commencing production and winning projector sales for some of the worlds most important venues through 1997, Digital Projection was awarded two Emmy® awards for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1998. Displays by Digital Projection are the first and only projectors to win the coveted award.

In September 1999, the IMAX Corporation purchased Digital Projection as a way to complement IMAX Theatre’s Oscar-winning extended format global business and to increase its depth of engineering resources for addressing the large-venue staging and systems integration projection markets. Thus, Digital Projection became a wholly owned subsidiary of the IMAX Corporation.

In December 2001, Digital Projection’s management team, led by Brian Critchley, concluded the management purchase of the company from IMAX Corporation. The management buyout marked a return to independent ownership. By this time, Digital Projection’s extensive line of POWER and LIGHTNING projectors were being utilised in an ever-increasing number of applications.

In February 2002, Digital Projection and NEC Viewtechnology announced a strategic alliance for the development, manufacture, marketing and distribution of advanced digital projection systems. The agreement was intended to bring both companies accelerated growth in entertainment, large-venue imaging and other critical projection markets. Later that year, the companies announced a venture to co-manufacture and develop digital cinema projectors based on 3-chip DLP Cinema technology by Texas Instruments.

The impact of this strategic alliance was quickly apparent. In October 2002, Digital Projection exhibited the world’s first fully-integrated DLP Cinema™ projector, the Digital Projection Cinema-branded iS10, at an industry trade show. Since then, Digital Projection has been the first to ship both fully-integrated and console-based projectors utilizing Texas Instruments’ revolutionary DC2K DLP Cinema™ platform.

In late 2003, Digital Projection introduced the very first of it’s rugged, Professional Series displays, the 2K-resolution LIGHTNING 35HD Pro. This product quickly became the reference standard for major staged events and installations requiring high brightness and native 2K resolution. In 2004 and 2005, Digital Projection’s line-up expanded to include the Mercury series, the first compact and value-driven 3-chip DLP displays, as well as with the HIGHlite Pro and TITAN Pro range, projectors which further enhanced the Company’s Professional Series line-up.

Today, Digital Projection manufactures and distributes an extensive line of ultra high-performance 3-chip and single-chip DLP™ and DLP Cinema™ based projection systems. Digital Projection’s projectors continue to be the reference standard for demanding applications such as scientific visualization, prestigious awards shows, command and control, film festivals, post-production, digital cinema, commercial entertainment, home cinema and houses of worship.

Digital Projection will continue to be driven by its pioneering spirit. Digital Projection’s legendary pursuit of innovative technology, unmatched customer service and unwavering promise to anticipate the needs of the industry assure it will remain the leader in projection system development and customer fulfilment.

Working for you from product to display

We have a wealth of experience in helping our partners produce awe-inspiring visual experiences. We bring that knowledge to bear on our own processes, ensuring every element is focused on our partners’ needs, from research and development through to after sales support.

The Innovators

As a co-creator of the DLP projector, we naturally have more experience than anyone else in this field. Since our first projector was launched to the market in 1996, we have worked tirelessly to remain at the bleeding edge of the possible, introducing new, class-leading display technologies and products on a regular basis. We have led, whilst others have followed.

View our Projector and LED product lines.

The Experience

Being immersed in the displays market for 30 years has provided our long-standing, multi-disciplined team with unmatched insight into the needs of our customers. Our continued growth allows us to welcome new talent to the Digital Projection team on a regular basis and at the forefront of our induction programme is knowledge sharing, so that you, our customers will always get the support you need.

The People

Headquartered in Manchester, UK and supported by hundreds of dedicated specialists across the globe, our team leads the field with display solutions and services to solve genuine challenges that our partners and customers meet on a day to day basis.