GDC lands a major contract for the deployment of 372 digital cinema servers in the U.S. with Minnesota-based theatres

Sterling, Virginia (August 19, 2011) – GDC Technology (“GDC”), a world leading digital cinema solution provider, is proud to announce today the signing of a major deployment contract with four Minnesota-based individual theatre chains: CEC Theatres (137 screens), Mann Theatres (79 screens), Muller Family Theatres (104 screens) and UEC Theatres (124 screens).The agreement calls for the installation of a total of 372 stateof-the-art GDC SX-2000A Digital Cinema Servers with Integrated Media Block (IMB) at these theatre circuits, with full deployment scheduled for completion by December 2011.

The four Minnesota-based companies – CEC Theatres, Mann Theatres, Muller Family Theatres and UEC
Theatres – currently operate well over 400 cinema screens. The individual companies’ simultaneous decision to convert to digital has resulted in the acquisition of state-of-the-art technology and favorable terms for all parties involved.

These theatre circuits chose GDC for its superior digital cinema servers and renowned support service. The GDC SX-2000A Digital Cinema Server with Integrated Media Block (IMB) has been a runaway success since its launch in 2010, with already more than 3,000 installations worldwide. As digital cinema continues its rapid ascension as the movie going industry standard, these Minnesota based companies stand to further capitalize on the popularity of their cinema chains as they fully convert to high quality digital.

Under the current structure, Ballantyne Strong, Inc. (NYSE Amex: BTN) will supply 372 GDC SX-2000 Digital Cinema Servers with IMB, and NEC projectors, and provide installation and maintenance services. This largescale contract makes GDC the sole cinema server provider for the Minnesota-based exhibitors involved. “It’s a great pleasure to work with GDC once again,” said Ray F. Boegner, Senior Vice President of Ballantyne Strong. “Our partnership continuously proves successful, and we look forward to enhancing the cinematic experience for our valuable customers based in Minnesota.”

“CEC is highly committed to providing cinemagoers with state-of-the-art theatre facilities and an unforgettable viewing experience,” said Robert Ross, President of CEC. “To this end, GDC’s quality products are a perfect fit for achieving our goal. The company’s outstanding reputation for industry firsts and its continual drive for innovation made GDC the obvious choice for CEC.”

“We take great pride in the experience we offer as being one of movie going luxury that’s genuinely a cut above the rest,” said Stephen Mann, President of Mann Theatres. “It’s vital that the equipment delivers the kind of premier cinematic ambience Mann Theatres has come to be associated with, and for achieving this GDC’s servers are ideal.”

“Digitization has rapidly become essential for cinemas to maintain the magic of movie-going,” said Mike Muller President of Muller Family Theatres. “We’re looking forward to working with GDC in making our transition to digital, a smooth and rewarding process.”

“GDC offers a superior product that greatly appealed to us, particularly at a time when digital is a must-have in attracting moviegoers” said Michael Ross, President of UEC. “By providing viewers with an exceptional digital experience, they feel they’re genuinely getting their money’s worth in terms of entertainment value.”

“The conversion to digital cinema is a formidable step for these Minnesota exhibitors, and NEC Display and its partners are a beacon for making that conversion a reality,” said Jim Reisteter, General Manager of Digital Cinema at NEC Display Solutions. “Our digital cinema projectors, coupled with GDC servers, bring pristine images to theater screens and make going to the movies an even more enjoyable experience.”

“It’s a great honor to work with this group of exhibitors for their digital conversion,” said Dr. Man-Nang Chong, founder and CEO of GDC Technology. “We’re delighted with the collaboration which sees GDC as the selected sole server provider. Overall the contract serves to further validate our position in the US digital cinema market and we’re truly thankful to these Minnesota exhibitors for their valued support.”

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About GDC Technology (www.gdc-tech.com)

GDC Technology (“GDC”) is a subsidiary of the Hong Kong publicly listed company – Global Digital Creations Holdings Limited. GDC is one of the leading solution providers for digital cinema, media delivery and display markets. GDC has successfully delivered and installed over 1000 operating digital cinema servers worldwide, including Austria, Africa, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the US and UK. More than 500 feature titles have been released digitally on GDC’s Digital Cinema Servers.

About CEC Theatres (www.cectheatres.com)
CEC Theatres began a half-century ago in 1955, in St. Cloud, Minnesota. CEC Theatres currently operates over 137 screens in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Nebraska. With company headquarters still located in St. Cloud, MN, CEC Theatres remains a family-owned company with a commitment to bringing stateof-the art theatre facilities to the communities it serves.

About Mann Theatres (www.manntheatresmn.com)
Founded in 1935, Mann Theatres is a boutique theatre chain currently owning and operating 11 theatres with 79 screens across Minnesota. Known for their state-of-the-art presentation, Mann Theatres are among the most prestigious in the industry with a goal to always provide customers with the finest quality motion picture experience.

About Muller Family Theatres (www.mullerfamilytheatres.com)
Muller Family Theatres is a privately held, family-owned cinema chain based in Minnesota that owns and operates 104 screens across 8 locations.

About UEC (www.uecmovies.com)
United Entertainment Corp. (UEC) is a privately held, family owned company based in Saint Cloud, MN that owns and operates 124 screens at 14 locations across 9 states. The company mission is to provide high quality entertainment at reasonable prices to the markets UEC serves.

About NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc. (www.necdisplay.com)
Headquartered in Itasca, Ill., NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., is a leading designer and provider of innovative desktop LCD monitors, commercial- and professional-grade large-screen LCD displays, a diverse line of multimedia and digital cinema projectors, and integrated display solutions. NEC Display Solutions develops leading-edge visual technology and customer-focused solutions for a wide variety of markets, including enterprise, healthcare, education and digital signage. For additional information about NEC Display Solutions of America monitors, consumers can call (866) NEC-MORE, or visit the website at www.necdisplay.com. For digital images, please visit http://necdisplay.com/digital-media-library.

About Ballantyne Strong, Inc.(www.strong-world.com)
Ballantyne Strong, Inc. is a provider of digital cinema projection equipment and services as well as cinema screens, motion picture projectors and specialty lighting equipment and services. The Company supplies major and independent theatre chains, top arenas, theme parks and architectural sites around the world.