Eclair, a leader in content services for the motion picture and television industries in Europe, announces its successful first screening of a live event via streaming at the CGR cinema in Vitrolles, near Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) April 22. This first-ever event of its kind featured the NBA Playoffs match of the Golden State Warriors versus the San Antonio Spurs (CGR Events/beIN SPORTS).
“We would like to thank CGR Events, specialized in the distribution of live event screenings for cinemas, for the trust they put in our EclairLive solution, which made this operation through broadband Internet possible,” explains Bruno d’Isidoro, Business Director for EclairLive at Eclair. “So far, the distribution of event cinema – concerts, opera, ballet, sports – was only possible via satellite transmission. Today, our streaming technology gives us more flexibility when it comes to alternative content distribution, and it guarantees an optimal image and sound quality for cinema exhibitors. Our EclairLive streaming solution allows content to be broadcast at a rate of between 6 and 10 Megabits/s, which is the existing configuration in most cinemas in France. We hope that this new solution will allow distributors of alternative content to convince more exhibitors with the live event experience.”
For Jocelyn Bouyssy, Managing Director of CGR Cinemas, “EclairLive, with its new live streaming capability, will allow us to expand the screening of alternative content in our cinemas. We will extend our content offer to meet the growing requests from our audiences, all without altering the image and sound quality.” “The screenings that took place yesterday were the first real opportunity to demonstrate the technical capacities of EclairLive. We are very pleased with our first collaboration,” explains Katrin Mathe, Manager at CGR Events.
Developed by Eclair, EclairLive is an innovative solution entirely dedicated to the screening of live events in cinemas across Europe via satellite and streaming. Acting on behalf of alternative content distributors, it allows the screening of more than 100 events every year. It uses its network – the largest in Europe with 1,400 connected cinemas (8,000 screens) – equipped with professional receivers that can be managed and operated remotely, and installed directly in projection booths.
ABOUT ECLAIR – YMAGIS GROUP
Founded in 1907 in the early days of cinema, Eclair is a historic, innovative and respected company in the motion picture and television industries. Eclair is the Ymagis Group’s business unit dedicated to content services, a leader in advanced digital technology services for the cinema industry. Through CinemaNext and Eclair, the Group provides smart and comprehensive solutions to movie exhibitors, distributors (feature films & event cinema), producers, rights holders, cinema/TV advertising networks, broadcasters, OTT channels and video publishers. Over the years, Ymagis Group has significantly grown its portfolio of solutions & services and further developed its geographic footprint with permanent offices in 26 countries. The company’s core business is structured around three main units: CinemaNext (exhibitor services: sales and field services, software solutions, customer service/NOC and consulting), Eclair (content services: post-production, theatrical delivery, digital distribution, versioning and accessibility, restoration and preservation) and VPF (financial services). A publicly-traded company listed on Euronext, Ymagis Group is headquartered in Paris (France) and counts close to 770 employees. For more information, please connect to http://www.ymagis.com http://www.cinemanext.digital or http://www.eclair.digital