What’s ahead for 2026, and a recap of the products, awards, and projects that made 2025 memorable
Happy New Year! Before 2025 becomes a distant memory, we wanted to reflect on what made the year stand out. From product launches and trade shows to amazing projects with our technology and the people who made them possible, let’s recap what made 2025 exceptional.
To cap things off, we look at four trends in AV that we expect to see in 2026.
Hybrid brilliance
Our Sapphire® 4K40-RGBH projector earned immediate notice, taking home three awards from ISE 2025.
In 2025, we book-ended the year with innovations in illumination technology. To start, we introduced the world’s first high-brightness hybrid RGB laser phosphor projector. With its unique dual illumination source, our Sapphire 4K40-RGBH projector produces a broader spectrum of light to create a breathtaking experience for ProAV applications. Sapphire boasts the beauty of DCI-P3 color, the power of 40,950 lumens, and the clarity of native 4K resolution, delivering the stellar performance that no other laser phosphor projector can match.
Introduced at ISE 2025, Sapphire 4K40-RGBH earned immediate notice, taking home Best of Show awards from Commercial Integrator, ProjectorCentral, and rAVe.
Announced ahead of CineAsia, our new cinema projectors feature CineLife+ electronics and Phazer illumination technology.
To close out the year, we introduced two new cinema projectors: the CP4420m-RGBH and the CP4415m-RGBH. Shown at CineAsia, the new projectors feature Christie CineLife+™ electronics with a 0.98” 4K SST DMD and Phazer™ illumination technology. These RGB hybrid laser cinema projectors offer exhibitors and post-production facilities even more choice to put the right light on screens up to 63 feet (19 meters) wide.
An uncompromising projector for ultra-premium home theaters and immersive experiences
In August, we announced Eclipse G3. It had attendees at CEDIA Expo 2025 talking, and redditors dreaming. In short, it’s the pinnacle of ProAV projection technology.
What makes Eclipse G3 special? (Beyond its 6DLP technology, of course.)
Eclipse G3 delivers a degree of detail and depth of color not possible with any other projector. This third generation of Eclipse technology is capable of maintaining 30,000 ANSI lumens for the first 50,000 hours. It’s not only brighter and more durable, it’s also more refined, with built-in RGB pure laser illumination and a streamlined, easier-to-install form factor. True HDR performance delivers the deepest, darkest on-screen blacks imaginable, with a sequential contrast ratio of up to 20,000,000:1.
LCD panels for secure environments
At InfoComm 2025, we launched Secure Series III 4K UHD LCD panels. Designed to meet the demanding needs of highly secure environments, they are available exclusively through Almo Pro AV, the largest and most specialized value-added North American ProAV distributor.
Secure Series III is purpose-built to meet the unique demands of control rooms, situation rooms, briefing centers, and mobile command units. It eliminates conventional attack layers and adheres to strict data-protection protocols.
Secure Series III is non-RF, includes no Wi-Fi and no operating system, and features encrypted and signed updates to prevent unauthorized software access or malware. The series complies with Letter of Volatility requirements by erasing all screen information and data when the panel is powered down.
Watch Mike Bernhardt, director of product management, discuss Secure Series III at InfoComm 2025 with rAVe:
Powerful experiences
From ISE and InfoComm to CinemaCon and CineAsia, 2025 was a packed year of events around the world.
At InfoComm India, we worked closely with Knownsense Studios to create a striking projection mapping experience that combined creativity and technology.
In October, we returned to HUB Montreal. As the official technology partner of the 8th edition of the event, we had the opportunity to present a techno class and demonstration of Virtual Projection™ - a new solution that combines projection and software tools for high-fidelity production environments. We showcased the very first adoption of this technology by CBS VFX – Paramount, led by Craig Weiss, executive creative director: Visual Effects and Virtual Production.
Christie’s Joseph Conover on stage at HUB Montreal.
And at the Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC), not only were screenings and presentations supported by our CineLife+™ Series RGB pure laser projectors, but our very own Olga Aleksan, senior regional cinema sales manager for Australia and New Zealand, took part in a featured speaking session titled “The Cinema We Love.” Olga’s presentation covered the resilience of the cinema industry and the innovations that keep it growing through the challenges.
The people behind the projects
We would be remiss if we didn’t include mention of some of the talented people behind the technology, events, and installations of 2025. We had the opportunity to speak with some of them this year and highlight their achievements in Spotlight.
If you haven’t read the features on Omar Serna, Scott Williams, and National Film and Television School graduate Tracey Murray, I encourage you to do so. Omar is a projection mapping maestro, who graciously shared his knowledge and passion for the art form with us. Scott is likely a familiar figure to many readers, but reading about his vision for Quince Imaging is truly inspiring. And lastly, find a box of tissues and read Tracey’s story as expertly told by writer Cindy Symons. Her journey to the NFTS and passion for filmmaking will stay with you.
And lastly, meet Pascal LeRoy, a live events engineer based in France. He was a joy to speak with and did not hesitate to talk about his career in events – the ups, downs, and everything in between. He told us that his Christmas wish for the year was to receive a Griffyn® 4K50-RGB pure laser projector. We hope his wish came true!
What’s ahead for 2026
We asked some of our team members to predict their trends in AV for 2026. Here’s what they shared.
Sustainable virtual production
"The cost of traditional LED virtual production stages can be prohibitive. The trend is an increased interest in more sustainable virtual production models, with Christie virtual projection leading the way."
Chris Barnett, live events manager
Projector X LED video wall integration
"One of the emerging trends shaping the themed entertainment industry is the seamless integration of LED and projection technologies within a single scene. This convergence creates greater depth, enhances illusion, and sustains audience suspension of disbelief—resulting in immersive environments unlike anything previously experienced."
Ernest Bakenie, senior director sales and business development, themed entertainment
ProAV growth in India
"India is a rapidly growing market for ProAV, with adoption accelerating across corporate, cultural, entertainment, and public sectors. Global capability centers are fueling growth in the corporate segment, while large-scale projects from projection mapping at heritage sites to immersive experiences in museums and live events are expanding across metros and emerging cities"
Rishubh Nayar, Director of Sales, India
More demand for premium LED video walls
"The demand for LED is strong and continues to grow. The market is maturing, and now there is an understanding of the importance of performance, where price was previously the primary driver in selecting an LED solution. Customers are also looking at the entire video pipeline, from source to display, and how it can deliver the premium performance required in their applications."
Mike Bernhardt, director of product management
