Green Screen: how Sharp/NEC is helping its cinema partners to meet their sustainability goals.
Living your best life goes hand in hand with prioritising your mental wellbeing. For many, a regular visit to the cinema to see the latest blockbuster or to hang out with friends is a major highlight in their social calendar - it makes people happy!
But living your best life also comes with responsibilities. Living on this earth requires each and every one of us, as individuals or businesses, to take care of our planet. This means making sustainable and ethical choices in the way we live our lives.
For cinema operators, not only are they conscious of their own responsibilities towards the environment, but they are also conscious of their customers’ increasing awareness of the climate crisis.
Today’s environmentally-aware consumers are making choices about how they live their lives. This could potentially impact how and where they spend their leisure time.
By committing to reduce their carbon footprint, and taking action through sustainable practices, exhibitors can reassure their customers - the cinema experience can be enjoyed to the full, guilt-free. Indeed, cinemas can play a significant role in raising awareness of the climate crisis and influencing social culture to bring about change.
Alain Chamaillard, head of cinema across EMEA & CIS, explains how his team at Sharp/NEC is helping cinema operators to achieve their sustainability goals and protect their business for the future. The latest laser projection technology is a key contributor, but our partnership takes it further:
Energy efficiency
Many cinemas across EMEA are already benefiting from laser projection technology. Laser is far more energy efficient compared to traditional Xenon lamp-based technology.
Furthermore, since it generates less heat, it does not require external cooling or ventilation systems, thus further reducing energy consumption.
Exhibitors who have already invested in the latest laser technology are enjoying greater organisational efficiencies, reducing both operational costs and environmental costs.
Long life reliability
Laser technology has an impressively long lifetime; combined with Sharp/NEC’s world-renowned Japanese design quality and best-in-class components, cinema operators benefit from an extended life cycle thus consuming fewer resources as repair and replacement is deferred over a longer period.
Maintaining constant brightness over this long life is crucial in ensuring fit-for-purpose performance and the best possible viewing experience. By reducing the brightness level, an extended lifetime of 50,000 hours or more is achieved. Should alternative content require the ambient light in the theatre to be increased, there remains the option to temporarily boost the brightness of the projection.
The reduced, yet consistent brightness not only extends the lifetime, but it also contributes to reduced energy consumption.*
Waste reduction
Unlike traditional lamp-based projectors, digital laser projectors never require replacement lamps. This means no lamp delivery, no lamp exchange, and no lamp disposal requirement. Waste reduction is vital in the fight against climate change, whilst also reducing operational costs associated with labour and consumables.
Disposing of and replacing parts is harmful to the environment, yet it is vital to keep your equipment performing at its best, not only to please your audience but to ensure long life performance.
Where projection equipment has been in constant use for several years however, inevitably there is some detrimental effect to the projected image meaning certain parts will need attention. To protect the environment, refurbishment is preferable to replacement.
Sharp/NEC offers a Prism Refurbishment Program which provides a fast and cost-effective cleaning, repair and refurbishment process, supporting operational safety and long-term use for all projectors that demonstrate reduced performance levels or are non-operational.
Crucially, even projectors which are out of warranty are included in the Program.
Sharp/NEC maintains availability of spare parts for a minimum of 10 years; a commitment to extending the life of its products beyond the warranty period.
Recyclability
Our repair and refurbishment programs go a long way to extending the life of the projector, but naturally, there will come a time when the equipment becomes no longer viable in delivering the exceptional visual performance your audience expects.
Unlike one of our major competitors in the cinema sector which favours plastic, we only use metal casings for our projectors. This not only supports its robust long-life performance and helps to dissipate heat, but metal is also 100% recyclable.
There is also a compelling case for metal over plastic due to its safety for use in public spaces, a vital consideration in cinemas, but a topic for another blog.
Go to blog: Plastic or metal? When peace of mind must be top priority
At our repair centre in Telford, all parts are either recycled or sent for responsible waste disposal, we do not contribute to landfill. Our packaging material is 100% recyclable.
Our partnership - technology and service innovation
Sharp NEC Display Solutions is constantly innovating to find ways to help its cinema partners, this has become especially apparent during the Coronavirus crisis as we offer new ways to help through extended warranties, favourable payment terms combining CapEx and OpEx, and attractive leasing options.
In terms of technology innovation, our latest digital cinema projector, the NC2443ML, joins our range of modular laser cinema projectors.
The ML Projector Series uses a flexible, modular design that enables cinemas to choose the appropriate 2K or 4K projector head combined with a laser module based on the requirements needed for the size and type of screen. As a modular solution, Sharp/NEC is opening opportunities for leasing structures which greatly appeal to theatre operators to better manage their budgets.
Sharp NEC Display Solutions is strongly committed to environmental protection and reducing its carbon footprint through innovation in its production, packaging and shipping processes, and in the meticulous selection of components.
By partnering with Sharp/NEC, our customers are acting sustainably, helping them to achieve their own sustainability goals. This is not just in the auditorium; our LCD and LED digital signage solutions provide the perfect visual experience throughout all stages of the customer journey.
Contact us to discuss out how we can assist you.
Go to Sharp/NEC cinema-wide visual solutions
In this blog, we have looked at how Sharp/NEC can play a significant role in helping cinemas to follow a more environmentally responsible pathway. But exhibitors can go much further by implementing other initiatives such as eliminating single use plastic.
The British Film Institute provides useful links to online resources and tools to guide exhibitors in developing environmentally sustainable work practices: Environmental sustainability in the film exhibition sector
Some EMEA countries are providing access to government funds to assist cinemas in following a more sustainable pathway.
For further information check out our brochure: A lasting vision - Quality, Service, Sustainability
*Figures shown on the graph are calculated projections, based on perfect operating conditions, which do not relate to NEC’s Projector Warranty. Neither does NEC warrant nor shall NEC in any way be liable for these figures.