JBL PROFESSIONAL AND CROWN INTERNATIONAL ENRICH MOVIE-GOING EXPERIENCE AT
MARCUS THEATRES WITH
DIGITAL B-CHAIN FOR ULTRASCREEN®

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, March 22, 2004 — Opening night of Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ” in Elgin, Illinois last month also marked the premiere of Marcus Theater’s remarkable, three-story tall Elgin Fox UltraScreen Cineplex. The evening also served as the most recent installation of JBL Professional and Crown International’s Digital B-Chain (DBC™) digital audio sound system that delivers massive advances in system performance and manageability and enables cinemas to provide highly compelling digital sound without having to make the switchover to digital cinema.

In a DBC system, analog or digital audio is received from the cinema processor and is then transported on a digital audio and control network where it remains in the digital domain to the amplifiers. In the Elgin system, analog audio is sent to nine Crown CTs Series amplifiers with IQ-PIP-USP3/CN modules, which power the 3 JBL 4632 ScreenArray® screen channels, 6 JBL 4642A subs, and 22 JBL 8340A surround channels. Both the digital audio and control information are transported on a single network connection.
“ Digital B-Chain allows us to provide our customers with a significantly enhanced movie-going experience,” explained Mark Collins, Manager Projection Services and Senior Engineer, Marcus Theatres. “Now, we’re able to take a large auditorium and make it sound much more intimate, more like a smaller room without the reverb delay or echoes you get with large rooms. This allows us to be a lot more versatile in systems design and architectural design.”
As implemented at the Marcus Theatres, DBC systems include the capability of system-wide diagnostics. Automated error reporting allows technicians and users to learn about potential system errors before they happen and alerts technicians immediately of any problems, providing specific data on where to locate the problem. The entire audio system can be controlled and monitored on the same facility network as concessions management, box office ticketing, HVAC, etc lowering infrastructure costs.

“Not only does DBC offer the most advanced digital audio and control networking for the cinema environment,” stated Stephen Morris, Market Director for Touring Sound, Installed Sound and Cinema Markets at Crown International added. “but is also cost effective because of its efficiency of operation including everything from using the same facility network for all systems to permitting the use of inexpensive CAT 5 cable instead of speaker cable. The state of the art experience in Elgin at the Marcus Theatres is proof in action.”

“The Marcus Theatres in Elgin wanted to have the largest screen in the Midwest to offer their customers the greatest movie-going experience,” said Chuck Goodsell, Director of Cinema Marketing at JBL Professional. “In keeping with that state of the art visual dynamic, they required an equally advanced digital audio system to deliver the full impact. Digital B-Chain does just that!”

About Crown International:
Crown International, a Harman International company, manufactures amplifiers, microphones, and systems control products for professional audio markets worldwide, with corporate headquarters located in Elkhart, Indiana. For more information, please visit Crown online at www.crownaudio.com.

About JBL Professional:
Headquartered in Northridge, California, JBL Professional is the world’s leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of professional loudspeakers for recording and broadcast, musician, cinema, touring sound, commercial sound and contracting applications. JBL Professional is part of the Harman International network of professional and consumer audio companies. For complete product and company information, go to the JBL Professional website at www.jblpro.com.

About Marcus Theaters:
Marcus Theatres, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), is currently the ninth largest theatre circuit in the United States, and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For more information, visit Marcus Theatres' Web site at www.marcustheatres.com.

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