And the Oscar goes to

Waterloo alum, Mike Perkins, wins an Academy Award for breakthrough tech that brings a new level of detail to the big screen By Val Maloney Faculty of Engineering Most people don't leave the cinema commenting on the picture's colour contrast, saturation and brightness levels. Yet, the look of the movie can influence our enjoyment of it, and how well it does on the cinema circuit. University of Waterloo alum Mike Perkins (BASc, '90), a principal product developer at local audio-visual solutions company Christie, led the development of a digital projector that takes movie-watching to a whole new level - illuminating the theatre screen with darker darks, brighter brights and colours not seen before in the cinema. Built in collaboration with Dolby Laboratories, the Christie E3LH projection system presents audiences with imagery enhanced by high dynamic range (HDR) and a wide colour gamut (WCG). Perkins recently won an Academy Award in Scientific and Engineering for leading the team creating this innovative work.  "It's been more than a little overwhelming," Perkins says. "The Academy Awards is one of the best-known and highest respected awards in the world. They are given by a panel of experts who are truly passionate about cinema.