Kodak, Barco in Joint Effort to Sell Digital Projection Systems

Eastman Kodak Co. and Belgium’s Barco have formed a strategic alliance to sell digital projection systems to movie theaters and seek to capture a big part of a market potentially worth billions of dollars.

Kodak and Barco will sell, install and service the systems, which are set to replace 35-millimeter film projectors, the companies said Wednesday.

Barco will provide the projectors and Kodak will offer computer servers and software.

“We want to be ready for when the digital cinema market starts to explode,” Barco Chief Executive Martin De Prycker said at a news conference.

Citing industry figures, De Prycker valued the market’s potential at $6.1 billion.

“For us, this is a huge opportunity,” he said.

Stephan Paridean, general manager at Barco’s division responsible for digital cinema, expected demand for the technology to rise as more movies were made digitally. “By 2007, it should really take off,” he said.

Kodak shares gained 16 cents to $27.77 on Wednesday.