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Christie will be extending our sign-up period for the VPF program until September 30 2012. We wanted to provide this update prior to any announcements at CinemaCon. We appreciate your continued interest and hope this extension helps you to sign up as soon as possible before the new deadline.

Would be best to get your paperwork in by mid-August I was told. You may have up to 6 mos. to have the equipment installed is what I was recently told.

Mike - Can you email me the sign up package and/or details on how to get started? Thanks!

You may detect a bit of a sigh and a slight bit of tone.... I googled Christie digital VPF and here's the link www.christiedigital.com/en-us/cinema/cin...e/pages/default.aspx
I appreciate that any of us think any of us have all the answers but folks: this is a big deal. My theatre just signed a note for 180K, entered a vpf, etc. etc. Before we did that we looked at evry projector, read every program, talked personally to theatres that had converted, had multiple bids from equip companies, talked with lease and banks, etc. etc. Anyone thinking of undertaking digital cinema or a vpf really needs to get down and start studying. Do not accept any one source of information as sufficient. Do not just look at one company. You need to know it all. Once you jump in there's not that much difference between programs and equipment but absolutely different outfits cost more, lean on you less, or more, etc. etc. No one can do this for you. It has never been easier to research something than it is today. Best/ Mike

My extent to studying digital projection has been cost estimation from these forums - between 70-100k per screen. I have yet to get into the technical side of the projectors, but am looking forward to that.

My question still revolves around purchase though - you mentioned you looked at leasing, but ended up purchasing under VPF... for those of us not eligible for VPF in the near future, the 100k per theater price tag is fairly steep (discussed hundreds of times before on these forums). I havn't found much information about leasing the equipment, but this seems enticing given the high price tag and likelihood that the technology will need updating in less then 7 years (my opinion). Can you recommend a leasing solution that i can get some ideas of monthly costs per theater?

I'm just looking for budgetary reasons for now - my technical deep dive will follow once i get a business plan and budget in place.

All of the equipment dealers work with finance companies too. Just contact them.

actapon wrote:
We are closer to just under 60K per screen in our three screen and I have heard of others coming in even lower.

Secondly: every equip company or integrator will refer you to lenders that have a lot of money burning a hole in their pocket. At 10% why would they not want to lend? Also talk to bankers or private lenders. They all want to lend too. 0% on savings does not a happy banker make.