Omnex news
At Aboyne, a cinema re-fit that serves as a fitting tribute Pete Naples reports on a community cinema that’s a lasting testament to the much-loved cinema enthusiast, David Eastwood.
David expected the local council to go 50/50 on a projector. They paid outright.
06 Q2, 2022
I’VE LOOKED AFTER THE cinema in
Creative Scotland for technical upgrades.
the Aboyne Community Centre for two
With help from Omnex’s Steve Case, we
decades. When I first visited, a venerable
put together an audio package to bring
old Westar 2001 fed by a Westrex 5035
Aboyne Cinema bang up to date.
tower delivered images to the screen.
Ah... Covid. The audio equipment
Sound was quite respectable given the
was ordered and delivered, but as the
venue’s part-time nature. The speakers
cinema is housed in a school, no work
and amps had been begged, borrowed
could take place. So it sat in a store room.
and acquired from closed venues.
David entered into discussions with the
Fast forward to the digital era. The
council about accessing the site, and
Westar was replaced with a Christie
when he did, he discovered that the IMB
Solaria One+. The Dolby CP55 was
in the projector had passed away. The
replaced with a Dolby CP750. Otherwise,
cinema group now had to find funding
little changed. Another decade passed,
to repair or replace the machine.
screenings were popular, and the sound
David’s sharp mind came into play.
system was showing signs of age. The
Armed with pricing and details from
technical supremo at Aboyne, David
Omnex, he met the council. The original
Eastwood, with his colleague Brian
projector had been bought by them but,
Forbes, replaced all the LF cones in the
the sound system belonged to the
surrounds with generic drivers. They
cinema’s volunteers. David expected the
were acutely aware the sound could be
council to go 50/50 on the replacement
better. So David leapt at funding from
projector’s costs, but to his delight they
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