11 Questions With Michael Bosworth
Executive Vice President, Christie Digital Systems
Executive Vice President, Christie Digital Systems
Michael Bosworth, Executive Vice President, Enterprise, Christie, has garnered
more than
three decades of experience in the field of projection and visualization. In his current
position, Bosworth is responsible for overseeing and steering the sales and strategic
planning for Christie Digital Systems in North America, EMEA, and APAC regions. In his
previous positions, as Business Development Head at Barco and Managing Director and Owner at
VR Solutions Pvt Ltd, Bosworth amassed a wealth of knowledge and knack with respect to
modern-day projection and innovative, experiential visualization. In this article, Michael
Bosworth fields 11 questions on Christie being at the forefront of innovation and
transformation, its journey through the pandemic, how far along has it penetrated the Indian
market while addressing the unique cultural aspects the country poses when it comes to 3D
mapping and projection, and the roadmap ahead.
1. Christie story is one of constant innovation and forward transformation, what according to
you are the five main milestones in terms of product development in the history of
Christie?
Christie has brought great technology to life for more than 90 years. From the first projectors we
built in the 1960s to our digital cinema projection that revolutionized the movie industry, we are
leading the way to help our partners and customers create amazing shared experiences. Over the
years, our integrated solutions have captivated audiences in numerous applications from houses of
worship to Hollywood, from mission-critical command centres to classrooms.
We are proud of the accolades and milestones that we've achieved:
- Christie debuted the world's first CRT (cathode ray tube) projector in 1980, and became the
first projection manufacturer to enter into digital cinema in 1999.
- At the close of last century, Christie provided the first DLP cinema projector to premier the
fully digital feature of the animated film, Toy Story.
- In 2012, Christie became the first manufacturer to conduct the first public movie screening
using a laser projector.
-
In 2018, Christie was named by AV Magazine as the Most Influential Company of the last 20 years.
- Christie has set a high standard with more than 50 industry-firsts, 100+ patents, countless
industry awards, and multiple Academy Awards.
Christie solutions are used around the world, from the largest mega-events to the smallest
boardrooms. We've created a legacy of light, and will continue to create innovative and
industry-leading technology, and look to a brighter future.
2. What are your views on solid-state light source in a projector? Can you share some
developments from Christie in respect to these types of projectors? And what are some of the
advantages of RGB pure laser projectors?
Christie has continued to lead the way in advancing laser illumination technology over the past
decade by offering the widest range of leading-edge laser projectors in the industry. Our greatest
breakthrough is in RGB pure laser projection technology, where our innovative laser illumination
system architectures, which include our proprietary all-in-one design with integrated cooling and
sealed optical path, continues to outperform competing systems in their class. For example, our
Griffyn Series and M 4K Series pure laser projectors are capable of producing an exceptionally wide
colour gamut, achieving over 95% of the Rec. 2020 colour space—more than twice the colour of Rec.
709 and 50% more than DCI-P3-capable projectors—for an enhanced audience experience. As a testament
to this achievement, many of our customers are impressed that our projection systems are able to
deliver excellent picture quality at very compact sizes and weight.
3. What is the most popular Christie projector sold in India today?
While Christie is well-known for its leading-edge display solutions, our product offerings are not
limited to projection. We offer comprehensive, end-to-end visual and integrated solutions that
consist of various technologies such as projection, LCD panels, direct-view LED video walls, as well
as an array of content management and processing, auto calibration and even far-UVC disinfection
fixtures that light the way to a sustainable, brighter future for everyone.
For the Indian market, we have had immense success with the Crimson Series 3DLP laser projectors and
the Griffyn Series, which is powered by RGB pure laser illumination. Over the years, we have
established ourselves firmly in the marketplace with a number of high-profile, large-scale projects
in India and across the globe that set us apart from the competition. For example, more than 50
Christie Crimson Series projectors were used for the stunning light & sound show on the façade of
the Statue of Unity—the tallest statue in the world.
4. Did Christie witness a slowdown in the last two financial years due to the pandemic and is it
now witnessing a strong rebound with demand for products? If yes, the demand is from which
segments / sectors of the industry?
Similar to every organization in the ProAV industry, we witnessed a slowdown over the last two years
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the industry has since rebounded, driven by strong demand for our
products, particularly for experiential installs, and corporate and government projects. We have
observed an increase in ProAV investments, buoyed by the implementation of a phased “return to
office†mandate by larger corporate organizations that have paved the way for more opportunities and
growth in the market. It's interesting to note that government procurement projects have not been
impacted by the pandemic. In fact, the number of such projects has gone up during the last two
years.
5. The home projector space is witnessing strong growth as more consumers look to elevate
their viewing and entertainment experience at home. How is Christie poised on this front?
Cinema has always been in our DNA and the home projection segment has taken a leap since our
decades-long success in the cinema space. Although Christie is of the view that there is no movie
experience better than what you see in theatres, our 4K HS Series platform has been very well
received in India for residential installations. We will continue with our efforts to make them more
accessible to customers across India who demand commercial-grade reliability, colour accuracy and
performance for growing home entertainment spaces. As well, our direct-view LED products have gained
significant market share in India, with the full range of our LED solutions widely embraced by
multinational corporations, government and local enterprises.
6. Please elaborate on the current growth trajectory of Christie in India vis-Ã -vis the rest
of the world. Is it a good market or is it a growing market for Christie?
India is one of the most buoyant markets for us in the Asia Pacific region along with China, and I'm
optimistic that the growth trajectory can be sustained. According to new research data by industry
body AVIXA, revenue for the ProAV industry in 2022 is set to hit a new high-water mark, reaching
$263 billion globally. Although growth numbers are expected to see a slight decline in the coming
years to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9% from 2022 to 2027, ProAV is still set to grow
faster than most countries' GDPs during the same period. In view of the positive outlook, we have
continued to invest heavily in India, whether it's in terms of manpower or state-of-the-art
experience centres.
7. Assuming that your response to the earlier question is in the affirmative, we would like
to know is Christie increasingly gaining market share or is the market itself getting bigger?
I'm glad to share that Christie is currently the top-grossing brand* for unit sales in India above
6,000 lumens in the DLP® segment. While the market has significantly increased, we are glad to see
that our market share has proportionately increased as well.
8. Please tell us a little about Christie's focus on the 3D Mapping projects segment. How
much
penetration has Christie achieved in India in this segment?
Christie is the pioneer of 3D projection mapping projects in India, having supplied our
high-brightness projection systems for such applications for more than a decade. We are delighted
and excited to inspire exceptional experiences with the many projects that we were involved in
across the country, such as the Red Fort in Delhi, Ambaji Temple 3D projection mapping show in
Gujarat, Statue of Equality in Hyderabad, Victoria Memorial mapping show in Kolkata, and many more.
I'm pleased to note that we are currently the market leader of the 3D projection mapping projects
segment in India. We are close to achieving 150 permanent installs for projection mapping, out of a
total of 200 projects that have been accomplished nationwide to date.
9. Do you think Indian Market's attitude differs from that of the rest of the world? If yes,
to what extent? And what are the various challenges you faced or currently face in the Indian
market?
Every market is different for us at Christie and we believe in applying different strategies to suit
the business conditions in each market. For India, I'm proud to say that it has one of the largest
numbers of culturally unique and inspiring permanent projection mapping shows in the world. Many of
these large-scale spectaculars are one-of-a-kind and produced exclusively to showcase the rich
cultural and historical heritage of that particular region, or to honour martyrs, statesmen and
religious figures who had made contributions to the country in their own ways. The biggest
challenges that we face are in terms of how to accomplish these projects in the most appropriate
manner through storytelling—in the form of a son et lumière or light & sound show on various facades
and surfaces ranging from architectural structures to huge statues and natural landscapes. We work
very closely with all our partners and stakeholders to meticulously design, choreograph and execute
them, with the objective to entertain and educate the public about historical events, individuals,
as well as social and religious customs that they may not be aware of.
10. Can you throw light on Christie's distribution set up? What is Christie's policy on
distributorship of its products (especially in India)?
In India, the sales channels are clearly defined and channel partners work towards providing the
most appropriate, cost-effective solutions for customers. We have distributors and value-added
partners for different market segments, where we carefully bifurcate partners according to the
vertical markets that they serve or specialize in, for example government, corporate, education,
experiential, and so on.
11. What is your vision for Christie in India for the next couple of years?
India remains as one of the most exciting markets for us. We've broken records, created a number of
“firsts†in the marketplace and firmly established ourselves as a market leader in various product
segments. We firmly believe that there are many more opportunities for growth in this vast economy,
and look forward to expanding our presence in new verticals that are previously unexplored. It is an
exciting time for us, and we're ready to take on the future.
* Data from Futuresource Consulting