BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A staple of the independent cinema scene in Bethlehem has upped its game to present new and classic films in the best possible quality.
Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas at ArtsQuest Center on the SteelStack campus has installed new 4K projectors, upping its game in picture quality, lighting and screening for Lehigh Valley cinephiles.
The new projectors offer “a new dimension of clarity and detail,” ArtsQuest stated in a release, with four times the resolution quality of standard high definition.
Images appear sharper, colors are more vibrant, and scenes “come to life with remarkable realism.”
“We’re excited to take our popular retro screenings to the next level while also continuing to show the best in new cinema in an immersive experience like none other in the region.”ArtsQuest Senior Director of Programming Ryan Hill
Enhanced picture quality helps to reveal intricate details and textures that may have been lacking in lower resolutions, which creates a more immersive viewing experience for movie fanatics.
“The Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas have made their mark over the past 13 years as the Lehigh Valley’s premiere independent cinema,” ArtsQuest Senior Director of Programming Ryan Hill said.
“We’re excited to take our popular retro screenings to the next level while also continuing to show the best in new cinema in an immersive experience like none other in the region.”
After a decade, new plans
Hill said the plan to upgrade the projectors first came about pre-coronavirus pandemic, around when ArtsQuest Center was about to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
“We had equipment that was 10 years old, and around that time, it starts to fail or to have problems and such," Hill said.
"We had been basically told that the servers that we have, which are the things that hold the digital files, would inevitably fail, and if we lose the servers, we would have no ability to play any movie that isn't on a Blu-ray.
"And that's not what we're looking to do,” Hill said.
About a year and a half ago, ArtsQuest started reaching for quotes to complete the upgrade, finally settling on a service around last year.
Not only will the new projectors help with new films, but they’ll also allow the theater to present better-quality versions of classics, Hill said, as many distributors have shifted to issuing 4K restorations of old movies.
Hill said older transfers to VHS or DVD often led to aspect ratios that weren’t ideal, along with blemishes or other issues with the picture.
“And so there's been a lot of people who have gone the process of cleaning up these films so that it looks like the day they were released: crystal clear prints, essentially that eliminates anomalies and problems in those film transfers over to digital files," Hill said.
"So we wanted to be able to show them in all their glory."
On display for free weekend film series
The cinema debuted its new projectors over the weekend with screenings of "Joker: Folie à Deux," and a 40th anniversary showing of the 1984 Prince film "Purple Rain."
Fans also will be able to enjoy the quality upgrades during screenings for ArtsQuest’s free film series.
From Oct. 4 through Oct. 10, the cinema will hold showings of classics including "The Wizard of Oz," "Ghostbusters" and "Young Frankenstein." Coming up, they will also screen "The Sixth Sense," "Election," "Seven Samurai" and "Boyz n the Hood."ArtsQuest's Frank Banko Cinemas
From Oct. 4 through Oct. 10, the cinema will hold showings of classics including "The Wizard of Oz," "Ghostbusters" and '
"Young Frankenstein."
Coming up, they will also screen "The Sixth Sense," "Election," "Seven Samurai" — to which Hill said he's looking forward — and "Boyz n the Hood."
At Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, the Red Cinema accommodates 200 people, and the Blue Cinema 100.
Tickets are priced at $11. Senior citizens and those ages 25 and younger can get discounted tickets, in person only. Discounted tickets are normally priced at $8.50 at all showtimes.
