Christie Digital Solutions has established itself as a leading provider of innovative and high-performance products in visual display technology. It has a rich history of consistently delivering cutting-edge solutions catering to various industries and applications. In this article we will provide an in-depth overview of Christie’s top products, highlighting their features, benefits, and the industries they serve.
A Journey Through Christie's History
Christie Digital Solutions is a global audio and visual technologies company founded in 1929 by S.L. Christie in California. It gained recognition as a manufacturer of 35mm film movie projectors, lamp houses, lamp consoles, and film platter systems. In 1999, Christie acquired the digital projection business of Electrohome, based in Kitchener, Ontario. Since introducing Xenon lamps in the 1960s, Christie has been improving the quality and functionality of film projection on theater screens worldwide.
Christie has expanded its product portfolio beyond projectors to include LCD panels, video walls, video wall processors, image processing technologies, and more.
Industries Transformed by Christie Solutions
- Entertainment and Media: Christie's high-quality projectors and displays have enhanced the visual experience at concerts, theaters, theme parks, and sporting events. Their video walls and projectors enable movie theatre digital signage to advertise upcoming films, showtimes, and concession specials.
- Education and Training: Trainees in aviation and healthcare training programs use Christie's visualization and simulation technologies to practice realistic scenarios in a safe environment.
- Corporate and Business: Their displays and video walls have enabled businesses to deliver impactful presentations, collaborate more effectively, and create immersive meeting environments.
- Museums and Cultural Institutions: Their high-resolution projectors and displays showcase artworks, historical artifacts, and immersive exhibits that captivate visitors and bring art and history to life.
Overview of Cristie Projectors
Griffyn Series Projectors
The Griffyn Series projectors find use in high-performance applications. They offer exceptional image quality and are ideal for large venues and live events.
Features:
- High Brightness for clear visuals in well-lit environments
- 4K Resolution
- A wide color gamut for exceptional color accuracy
- Various lens options and advanced features, such as motorized lens shift and zoom for easier installation and setup
- Comprehensive connectivity options, including HDMI, DisplayPort, and 3GSDI
- These projectors operate on 220V single-phase power, resulting in lower cost of ownership and energy efficiency.
- Electronic Color Convergence (ECC) technology allows users to easily adjust color convergence via remote control.
Benefits
- All-in-One Connectivity enabled by the TruLife+™ electronics platform
- Compact and omnidirectional design
- Quiet Operation.
Price:
Griffyn 4K35-RGB pure laser projector: around $83.000
Griffyn 4K50-RGB pure laser projector: around $152.300
Inspire Series Projectors
The Christie Inspire Series projectors are professional-grade options for boardrooms, museums, and classrooms.
Features:
- Choose from WUXGA or 4K UHD resolution
- 24/7 operation use without performance issues, making them ideal for the projection digital signage
- IP5X Dust-Resistant Optical Engine that reduces the frequency of cleaning
- Quiet operation.
Benefits:
- A cost-effective choice for small-to-mid-size environments
- Easy Setup and Alignment
- Long Lamp Life of up to 20,000 hours.
Price:
- 4K860-iS 1DLP laser projector: around $12.000
- DWU760-iS & 760A-iS 1DLP laser projector: both at around $5.900
- DWU860-iS 1DLP laser projector: around $7.200
- DWU960-iS & 960ST-iS 1DLP laser projector: around $8.500 and $11.800 respectively.
Christie Eclipse Projectors
The Christie Eclipse series includes high-end, true HDR RGB pure laser projectors with exceptional image quality and performance. They’re used in large venues, theaters, and home theaters.
Features:
- True HDR imagery on-screen with a contrast ratio of up to 20,000,000:1 and true 4K resolution
- Highly saturated colors for ultra-realistic immersive experiences.
- Powered by Christie TruLife electronics to support high frame rates in both 2D and 3D.
- A lifespan of 30,000 hours to 80% brightness.
Benefits:
- True black levels with no residual light and brighter whites enhance image quality and reduce system complexity.
- Available in three brightness levels - 9000 lumens, 17,000 lumens, and 25,000 lumens, allowing users to choose the brightness level that suits their environment.
- Compatible with Christie Mystique's automated camera-based alignment solution, simplifying the alignment, warp, and blend processes for multi-projector arrays.
The price is around $350.000 - 400.000.
Overview of Cristie LCD Panels
Access II Series 4K UHD LCD Panels
The Christie Access II Series 4K UHD LCD panels are budget-friendly, plug-and-play displays designed for boardroom presentations, educational collaboration, and retail applications.
Features:
- 4K UHD resolution.
- Has an OPS slot for integration of additional devices such as media players or PCs.
- Supports USB playback
- Available in a range of sizes, starting from 55" and going up to 98".
- 16/7 run times for applications that require extended usage.
- Compatible with various input sources, including HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA inputs.
Benefits:
- Budget-friendly without compromising on quality or features
- Backed by Christie support, service, and warranties.
Price:
- Christie UHD552-L 55" 4K UHD 500 nit LCD panel: around $1.000
- Christie UHD982-P-A 98" 4K UHD 350 nit LCD panel: around $8.700
Secure Series II TAA-Compliant LCD Panels
The Secure Series II TAA-Compliant LCD Panels meet the Trade Agreements Act (TAA) requirements for government, corporate, and military environments. These panels offer enhanced security features while providing high-quality visual displays.
Features:
- Multi-source viewing for content display from multiple inputs simultaneously
- These panels are non-RF displays, meaning they do not emit radio frequency signals.
- Impressive image quality with UHD (Ultra-High Definition) resolution.
- Have an OPS (Open Pluggable Specification) slot for easy integration of compatible devices.
- Latest input connectivity with lots of options.
Price:
- Christie SUHD553-L 55” 4K UHD 500 nit LCD panel: around $2.150
- Christie SUHD983-P 98” 4K UHD 500 nit LCD secure panel: around $14.800
Christie LCD Panels do not come with a pre-installed operating system. So if they’re intended for digital signage, you will need an external media player for content playback. The Look DS media player is exactly what you need for the design, advanced scheduling, and playlist management capabilities of your signage content.
You get remote management capabilities to control and update the content of your LCD panels from a central location. All you have to do is connect the Look DS player to the LCD Panel, configure it, upload the content, and tell your story in a visually impactful way.
Overview of Cristie Video Walls
Extreme Series Video Walls
The Christie H3 Extreme Series Video Walls are advanced display solutions commonly used in control rooms, command centers, broadcast studios, corporate settings, and public spaces.
Features:
- High-resolution displays for detailed and sharp visuals
- Ultra-narrow bezel design that minimizes the gap between individual displays
- The Smart Light Control feature automatically adjusts the brightness of each panel to maintain uniformity across the entire video wall and consistent performance throughout its lifetime
- OPS Slot for easy integration of additional processing modules.
Benefits
- The large display area of the video walls facilitates collaboration and information sharing in control rooms and command centers
- The panels undergo advanced matching, with brightness and color pre-calibrated, reducing the need for extensive image adjustments during installation.
Price:
- Christie FHD554-XZ-R | 55” FHD 500 nit sub-1mm bezel LCD video wall panel: around $3.800
- Christie FHD554-XZ-HR | 55” FHD 700 nit sub-1mm bezel LCD video wall panel: around $4.300
MicroTiles LED Video Walls
MicroTiles LED video walls consist of small, proprietary, cabinet-free LED tiles. You can arrange them in various configurations for limitless design possibilities in corporate environments, retail spaces, museums, control rooms, broadcast studios, and more.
Features:
- The Click-n-Go™ technology allows for easy and tool-less installation of the MicroTiles LED tiles
- Installation can be on any size or shape, including 90-degree corners, concave and convex curves, and both indoor and outdoor installations
- High-resolution displays with excellent image quality, vibrant colors, sharp details, and wide viewing angles
- Powerful processing capabilities
- Robust, flicker-free, and uncompromised Active 3D experience.
Benefits:
- Seamless Integration with other Christie products and technologies
- Easy Installation and maintenance
- Design freedom.
You can get this video wall at around $600 per unit.
Christie Video Wall Processors
Hedra Pro-KVM
Christie Hedra Pro-KVM video wall processor has a design that meets the needs of mission-critical operations and monitoring feeds for broadcasts. It allows users to securely display, arrange, and operate multiple sources for quick and informed decision-making.
Key Features:
- TAA-compliant Linux-based embedded hardware system for data security
- Real-time architecture with ultra-low latency to minimize frame rate loss
- Hardware scaling with a bilinear filter for optimal video quality
- On-screen administration interface, API for remote control, and touch panel support for easy configuration and control
- Arrange, combine, and transmit up to 18 inputs from various sources to up to four UHD displays
- 24/7 operation and fully integrated KVM multi-user functionality
- Freestyle Mode allows inputs to be freely overlapped, scaled, and positioned for customizable video wall layout
- Supports HDMI sources and IP-based signals.
The price is around $40.000.
Christie in Action
Fashion Retail Academy
The Fashion Retail Academy in London upgraded its AV systems to provide a more interactive and insightful learning experience for students. Christie projectors were set up in the Lecture Theatre and Reception areas to deliver high-definition visual impact and full HD lecture capture functionality. The academy chose the Christie DHD775-E projector for the Lecture Theatre because of its low maintenance, energy-saving, and dust-sealed features. In the Reception area, they deployed the DS+14K-M projector to provide high brightness with two lamps instead of four for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Video Walls in the Indian Market
Many renowned companies in India, including Cognizant, DXC Technology, Infosys, and Wipro, have chosen Christie's LED video walls for their facilities. They use them for branding, information sharing, entertainment, and digital signage. You can find these video walls in network operation centers, town hall spaces, meeting rooms, and cafeterias, where they serve multiple functions.
Conclusion
Christie continues to stand out as a trusted and pioneering force in visual display technology. Their products have changed the way we experience and engage with visual content across industries.
Christie's video walls and LCD panels are compatible with various media players that can provide the necessary content management and playback functionality.
With the Look Digital Signage Software, you get a capable solution that integrates with Christie's displays and projectors for real-time content updates and customizable scenarios. Sign up for the 14-day trial and experience all the features without limitation.
