Odeon, Europe's largest cinema chain, has announced it is to equip the majority of its screens with 3D projectors.

The news comes after a deal was inked with NEC Display Solutions. The company's digital projectors have been extensively trialled for the last two years in Odeon's cinema in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

"3D digital provides the total cinematic experience – you feel the drama literally unfolding all around you," said Drew Kaza, executive vice president of digital development at Odeon, about the news.

"We wanted the best for our 3D digital projection and so over the last two years we have vigorously put NEC's technology through its paces. It definitely hit the mark with superb image quality and unsurpassed reliability. NEC has equipped Odeon with a ground-breaking digital cinema projection system and we anticipate a resultant jump in per seat revenues."

2009: the year of 3D

The projectors that are being installed are the NEC NC1600C. This is an integrated DLP projector that offers 17,000 Lumens and 2K (2048x1080) resolution.

Simon Jackson, vice president Northern Europe for NEC Display Solutions said about the deal: "This major European deployment with Odeon underpins our core principles of high reliability, performance and outstanding build quality."

2009 will be a busy year for 3D, with movies such as Disney's Bolt, Monsters Vs Aliens and, of course, James Cameron's Avatar due before the year is out.

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