Spider-Man(R) 2 to Debut on Sony Electronics' Revolutionary 4K SXRD(TM) Digital Projection System at Special Screening

Spider-Man(R) 2 to Debut on Sony Electronics' Revolutionary 4K SXRD(TM) Digital Projection System at Special Screening

First Ever '4K' Screening for a Major Studio Motion Picture

CULVER CITY, Calif., Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On January 13, Sony Pictures will present the first-ever showing of a major studio motion picture using Sony's revolutionary new "4K" digital projection system at a screening of Columbia Pictures' blockbuster Spider-Man(R) 2. The uncompressed "4K" digital cinema content for the projection system will be powered by advanced visualization and shared storage systems from Silicon Graphics (NYSE:SGI).

The special invitation event will be held at the Entertainment Technology Center's Digital Cinema Lab at the Hollywood Pacific Theatre (6433 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, Calif. 90028). A panel discussion on the movie's production will begin at 7 p.m., followed by the screening of Spider-Man 2 at 8 p.m.

"A very talented team of people worked incredibly hard to bring these amazingly detailed images to life" said Yair Landau, Vice Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and President of Sony Pictures Digital. "Sony's 4K digital projection system is the ideal vehicle for screening this movie in the most dramatic and visually appealing manner, truly showing off all the care and effort that went into this production."

The new projector uses a Silicon X-tal Reflective Display (SXRD) imaging panel to achieve a 4096 x 2160 pixel resolution, nearly four times the pixel count of current HD displays. The commercial availability of a digital projector with 4K resolution -- long considered an ultimate goal of digital cinema-offers the industry a clear competitive alternative to existing projection technologies.

"We developed the 4K projector to provide movie-goers with a dynamic viewing experience unlike any other they've ever encountered," said Andrew Stucker, general manager of digital production systems at Sony Electronics. "The projector's SXRD technology is poised to become the quality standard in digital cinema, and we've worked closely with companies like Silicon Graphics to further enhance the solution."

Silicon Graphics(R) Onyx(R) advanced visualization and SGI(R) InfiniteStorage RM660 storage systems will power the uncompressed digital cinema content for the Sony projector.

Sony has also incorporated the specifications and guidelines established by Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) into the design of the new projector to fully support DCI's efforts in providing an enabling technology that will allow the industry to move to a digital environment.

The presentation preceding the screening will focus on the sound design, editing and visual effects of Spider-Man 2, featuring the film's editor Bob Murawski, sound designer and sound effects editor Paul Ottosson, supervising sound mixers Greg Russell and Kevin O'Connell and visual effects supervisors John Dykstra and Scott Stokdyk.

In Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man 2, two years have passed since Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) walked away from his longtime love Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and decided to take the road to responsibility as Spider-Man. Peter must face new challenges as he struggles to cope with "the gift and the curse" of his powers while balancing his dual identities as the elusive superhero Spider-Man and life as a college student. The relationships Peter holds most dear are now in danger of unraveling as he clashes with the powerful, multi-tentacled villain "Doc Ock" (Alfred Molina).

Spider-Man 2 reunites the cast and filmmakers from the first adventure, including Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Rosemary Harris and J.K. Simmons, under the leadership of director Sam Raimi and producers Laura Ziskin and Marvel's Avi Arad. Joining the ensemble cast are Alfred Molina as Dr. Otto Octavius ("Doc Ock"), Daniel Gillies as John Jameson, Vanessa Ferlito as Louise, Dylan Baker as Dr. Curt Connors and Donna Murphy as Rosalie Octavius.

Columbia Pictures Presents A Marvel Enterprises/Laura Ziskin Production Spider-Man 2 starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, Donna Murphy and J.K. Simmons. The film is directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, The Evil Dead). The screenplay is by two-time Oscar(R) winner Alvin Sargent (Ordinary People, Unfaithful) based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The screen story is by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Pulitzer-Prize winning author Michael Chabon. The producers are Laura Ziskin (Spider-Man, Pretty Woman) and Avi Arad (X-Men, Daredevil).

NOTE: Silicon Graphics, Onyx and SGI are registered trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Contact: Don Levy of Sony Pictures Digital, +1-310-840-7315, or dlevy@sonypictures.com; or Tom Di Nome of Sony Electronics Inc., +1-201-930-6357, or Tom.Dinome@am.sony.com; or Lisa Pistacchio of Silicon Graphics, Inc., +1-650-933-5683, or pistacchio@sgi.com.


Source: SGI

CONTACT: Don Levy of Sony Pictures Digital, +1-310-840-7315, or
dlevy@sonypictures.com; or Tom Di Nome of Sony Electronics Inc.,
+1-201-930-6357, or Tom.Dinome@am.sony.com; or Lisa Pistacchio of Silicon
Graphics, Inc., +1-650-933-5683, or pistacchio@sgi.com

Web site: http://www.sgi.com/


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