Digital cinema projectors get colour touch panel controllers
September 2004
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Passive Components
Christie, a supplier of digital cinema projectors, based in the USA, required a colour touch panel computer to help differentiate its cinema projectors from competitive products using traditional, monochromatic touch panels.
The company purchased a number of TPC-642 touch screen panels, available from ProMicro, for use in its new DCP-H and DCP-I lines of digital cinema projectors. The panel is used primarily in the set-up and operation of the projectors. The touch panel mounts to the mobile projector unit and connects to the projector head via the Ethernet. An operator uses the touch panel to set parameters and operate the projector. The product is used in a variety of cinema applications, including theatres, post-production suites and multimedia theatrical productions.
This control application required that the controllers be rugged to withstand the environmental conditions for all cinema applications and run on a Windows CE platform. This project represents the first time that Christie has implemented colour touch screen panels in its digital cinema projectors, so simple control integration and product support were vital.
The compact TPC-642 allowed Christie to develop a solution quickly, speeding time to market, thanks to its standard Windows CE platform. This allowed Christie to be the first projection manufacturer to implement a colour touch panel controller for digital cinema projection applications. Christie also capitalises on features such as Ethernet connectivity, secure login/password function and colour screen differentiation for ease-of-use and navigation. The control can withstand temperatures from 0 to 45°C and the 142,5 mm touch screen is rated to over 1 million activations. Christie is satisfied with the quality of the controllers and the support received over the course of this new product development.
For more information contact Elton Prytz, ProMicro, 011 706 7913, info@promicro.co.za, www.promicro.co.za
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