A look back at 2023, and ahead with six trends for 2024

Now that 2023 is in our rearview mirror, it’s time to look back at some of our notable products and events. But it’s also an opportunity to look ahead to 2024 – at six AV trends we expect to see this year.  

There’s a lot to cover – so let’s dive in! 

Products and more products 

What a year! We launched five new projectors, an integrated media block, a new video wall processor, and introduced Core Series III, an LED video wall solution. 

New M 4K RGB Series projectors  

We continue to invest significantly in the development of RGB pure laser illumination – which has twice the color of a typical laser phosphor projector – and added two new projectors to this series: the M 4K15 RGB and the M 4K+15 RGB.  

The new projectors join the award-winning M 4K RGB Series and build on the legacy of our original M Series projectors, which sold over 16,000 units.  

The new models feature simplified installation and operation, full brightness at 120V or 220V, omnidirectional rigging capabilities, and TruLife+™ electronics that eliminate the hassle and cost of removable options cards. And weighing in at a mere 83.8 lbs (38.1 kg), the M 4K15 RGB and M 4K+15 RGB are the lightest 3DLP^® projectors in their class. 

HS Series  

We kicked off 2023 with the launch of the 4K22-HS, an addition to our HS Series line of 1DLP^® projectors. It set an industry-first as the brightest 4K UHD 1DLP projector on the market with 22,500 lumens. And the 4K22-HS impressed a few people, too, winning the award for Best New Large Venue Projector from rAVe [PUBS], and an InfoComm 2023 Best of Show Award from Projector Central.  

In October we added to the HS Series with the launch of the 4K13-HS, built for projects that require a high-brightness projection solution, but without compromising the form factor. It delivers images that are sharp and clear with 4K UHD resolution, and colors that are more natural, with deeper blacks, courtesy of our built-in BoldColor+™, and RealBlack™ technology produces a 4,000,000:1 contrast ratio.  

From projection mapping on a church in Mexico to lighting up the stage of a reality music and costume art show in Vietnam, customers worldwide trust our HS Series projectors.  

Inspire Series 

In October, we also launched the 4K860-iS as the newest member of  our Inspire Series 1DLP® laser projectors.  

The  4K860-iS is easy to move and install, weighs only 33 lbs. (15 kg.), and lights up screens with 8,500 lumens in 4K UHD resolution. Built-in Christie Twist™ and optional Mystique™ software provide warping and blending capabilities and camera-based alignment, respectively, to ensure content looks picture-perfect. 

You’ll find Inspire Series projectors lighting up global installations from Korea’s Museum X, and Canada’s THEMUSEUM to over 80 Inspire Series projectors for premier visitor attractions in Guangdong, China.  

IMB-S4 

This year, we introduced a new media block for our Christie CineLife+ Series 4 pure laser and CineLife+ Xe cinema projectors. It’s a budget-friendly yet premium solution that enables playback of 4K resolution up to 96fps, 4K at 48fps-per-eye in 3D. In addition, the IMB-S4 is integrated with the intuitive CineLife+ web user interface for a seamless IMB experience, comes with 1.8TB of onboard SSD storage that can be expanded, and is compatible with all major brands of Theatre Management Systems (TMS).   

Hedra 

We previewed Hedra™, our new video wall processor, at InfoComm 2023, and if you didn’t have a chance to see it at the show, you can catch it at ISE 2024 (January 30 – February 2 in Barcelona).  

Based on an FPGA hardware system with Linux control and an integrated multi-view KVM switch, you can securely work remotely or centrally, and easily change between different on-screen layouts and configurations., and control sources from a local desktop display. With drag-and-drop interfaces and customized layouts, Hedra makes it easy to arrange and control the content you need to display on a video wall. [Ed. note: It’s so user-friendly, that even this author can use the system and arrange inputs with ease.] 

Core Series III 

Making its debut at ISE 2024, Core Series III updates our popular LED video wall solution, Core Series II, with increased energy efficiency and a lighter-weight design. It’s available in a range of pixel pitches, from 0.9mm-2.5mm, and is ideal for projects where the price is a factor, including meeting rooms, lobbies, and digital signage applications. 

ChristieCare 

Ok, ChristieCare may not be a product, but it’s our new way to safeguard them! Offering complete system protection and maximum flexibility, our wide range of extended warranty plans ensures coverage that’s tailored just for you. 

Experience the peace of mind that comes along with ChristieCare for up to 10 worry-free years of ownership and beyond, including 24/7/365 service desk support, critical inventory management, onsite services, and Cinergy remote monitoring.   

But that’s not all – with a multiple-year contract, you can lock in our current rates and when you’re ready to upgrade to a new Christie display, you can apply any unused portion of your contract to support your new equipment.   

Cinergy Command Station 

At CineEurope we launched Command Station, a new Cinergy application. Command Station empowers theatre managers to perform booth operations and control equipment from anywhere in their theatre. There is no longer a need to be physically present in the booth or access the TMS. Subscribers can seamlessly start and stop playlists, adjust lighting, audio, and other functions directly from a tablet.  And they can do so quickly and effortlessly, driving productivity and efficiency across their theatre operations.  

Events that transformed public spaces 

Back in full force in 2023, we supported in-person events around the world including Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Festival de Cannes, and BFI’s London Film Festival, and three of the most stunning projection mapping festivals in the world with our products and technical expertise.  

The first was the 2023 Video Mapping Festival in Lille, France, which took place in April. With 25 projection mapping exhibits around the city, Recontres Audiovisuelles used our Griffyn^® RGB pure laser projectors for artist László Bordos illuminate, a projection mapping display on the façade of the Why Hotel. We also demonstrated our Pandoras Box^® Software at the Image Beyond the Screen International Conference that was held during the festival, and we sponsored the festival’s grand prize with a grant, which supported the winner’s journey onto the Fête des Lumière de Lyon. 

In Prague, our team helped Signal 2023 dazzle crowds. From October 12-15, our projection solutions lit up installations across a three-mile (five-km) route throughout the city center that included the Municipal Library, the Primary School and Kindergarten at Lyčkovo Square Karlín/Holešovice, the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius Karlín/Holešovice, and a special installation for children by 3dsense. 

Ending the year was GLOW Festival in Eindhoven, where we supported three artists with solutions that included RGB pure laser projectors, Pandoras Box, and Terra^®. Working with our partner Sahara Benelux, digital design agency Inook transformed Wilhelminaplein with projection-mapped faces from the Rijksmuseum collection of art, and artists Dirk van Poppel and Michel Suk lit up three trucks with trailers in a tribute to the local DAF factory. Lastly, students from Design Academy Eindhoven transformed an outdoor space into a fictional company that blurred the lines between fiction and reality. 

What’s in store for 2024? Six trends 

Here are six trends on our radar for 2024.

1. The first is premium large format (PLF) cinema. While the concept isn’t new, PLF cinema spaces are certainly growing as theatres look to offer a moviegoing experience that can’t be replicated at home. And the numbers support it: 5% of the 40,000 screens in North America generate 20% of the box office revenue. Moviegoers want a premium experience, and cinemas are responding. 

   Theatres including Lotte Cultureworks in South Korea, and Galaxy Theatres in California recently upgraded to our RGB pure laser projectors for their PLF auditoriums, while theatres in Switzerland and Spain installed CINITY Cinema Systems, which feature 4K, 3D, high brightness, high frame rate (HFR), high dynamic range (HDR), and wide color gamut (WCG) display capabilities paired with Vive Audio for immersive sound.  

2. We’ll see the market for LED video walls, from premium solutions like MicroTiles^® LED to our budget-friendly Core Series III LED, expand with opportunities in theme parks and attractions, and visualization this year.  

3. RGB pure laser projection will continue to be the preferred choice by customers who want to dazzle audiences with the most expansive color gamut of any projection technology. Christie RGB pure laser projectors have best-in-class operational efficiency when compared to illumination technologies of the same brightness. 

4. AV-over-IP technology will continue to see increased adoption through 2024, as it offers scalability and flexibility over traditional large matrix switcher-based signal distribution, and at a lower cost. We see a preference toward open standard technology, like SDVoE, which doesn’t lock users into proprietary technology.  

5. Service, support, and total cost of ownership are top of mind for customers, and this will continue in 2024. Markets including theme parks, museums, and staging are looking at the cost of maintaining their systems for upwards of 10 years.  

   As a result, we predict that more and more customers will demand longer-term extended warranty coverage and tools that help them efficiently manage their AV systems. If the point is simply to say that these types of applications need to lower their TCO by maintaining systems for upwards of 10 years 

6. Across the industry, there will be an accelerated effort to develop more intelligent tools to manage AV systems with the introduction of AI in the next few years.  

2024 will be an exciting year in AV, and a milestone for us, as we celebrate our 95th anniversary. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for new product and project announcements, and here on our blog for stories about the AV industry.  

And from all of us at Christie, best wishes for a Happy New Year!