LOWRY DIGITAL IMAGES PURCHASES SECOND IMAGICA SCANNER

Leading restoration house utilizes high-end scanners for classic film restoration

Los Angeles, CA, April 15, 2004...IMAGICA Corp. of America announced today that Lowry Digital Images, Burbank, CA, has purchased a second IMAGICA scanner for Lowry’s 4K mastering of landmark film titles. In addition, it has updated the scanners to the newest version which is being formally introduced at NAB 2004, the IMAGER XE - ADVANCED.

Lowry Digital Images has restored over 90 films for DVD, such as Sunset Boulevard, North by Northwest, Roman Holiday, Dr. Zhivago, and recently, The Adventures of Indiana Jones DVDs. Lowry Digital Images is utilizing the IMAGER film scanners to digitize classic and contemporary films, before using its proprietary software processes to clear up dirt, scratches, fix flicker and enhance images and outputting to the wide range of formats required by its clients.

John Lowry, CEO of Lowry Digital Images states, “We did a lot of testing before purchasing our first IMAGICA scanner, examining image sharpness, noise levels, and color accuracy, and the IMAGICA scanner was top notch. A key criteria was how gently and safely it transports film, as we work from cut camera negatives that may be more than 30 years old. This scanner was superb in that regard. We’ve been more than satisfied with it to date, and as we increased our restoration work it made perfect sense to add a second scanner and upgrade both to the newest version”.

Mr. Makoto Tsukada, Director of the Engineering Solutions Division at IMAGICA, said, "The IMAGER XE - ADVANCED is the best scanner in the marketplace today to capture whole information on film. Lowry Digital Images is a leader in restoring classic films, and we know the IMAGER XE- ADVANCED will assist them in that process. We were quite pleased that Lowry Digital Images selected an IMAGICA scanner and is now adding another one, and are convinced IMAGICA can help them output the highest quality in the world.”

The IMAGER XE -ADVANCED scans 4096 pixels across a 35mm Academy frame and provides cineon format with full RGB color space (14bit A/D). The IMAGER XE - ADVANCED scans 2 seconds per frame for 2K down sampling and 4 seconds per frame for 4K original sampling with a new 5K- camera system. With the 10K CCD option, the scanning speed is 12 seconds per frame at 4K for 8K x 3K down sampling and 24 seconds per frame at 4K for 8k x 6k down sampling.

IMAGER XER digital film scanners have been used by a number of companies on such films as The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat, Intolerable Cruelty, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Badboys II, Charlie's Angels 2, Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Men in Black 2, I Spy, We Were Soldiers, Spiderman, Stuart Little 2, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Cats & Dogs, Enemy at the Gates, The Planet of the Apes, Scary Movie 2, Cast Away, and many others.

About Lowry Digital Images:

Lowry Digital Images, a Burbank California-based service bureau, is the world leader in digitally restoring and enhancing moving pictures. Lowry Digital Images uses advanced versions of the proprietary, ground-breaking image processing algorithms its founder, John Lowry, first applied to the noise reduction of images transmitted from moon during the Apollo 16 and 17 missions in the 1970’s. Since its inception as a service bureau in 2000, Lowry Digital Images has processed nearly 100 of the world’s most recognized feature films with output to Broadcast television, DVD, HDTV, 35mm film, and the 70mm IMAX format. Simply put, moving picture sequences processed at Lowry Digital Images are stunning.

About IMAGICA Corp.:

IMAGICA Corp., Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1935, is one of the largest post-production facilities in Japan, and a leader in providing the best solutions for digital intermediate and digital cinema productions. For further information, contact: Noriyuki Mibuchi, IMAGICA Corp. of America, 5301 Beethoven St., Suite 109, Los Angeles, CA 90066, tel +1-310-306-4180, fax +1-310-306-2334, email: nori@imagica-la.com

April 16, 2004 07:43 AM