TwentiethCentury Fox has become the second US major to sign a non-exclusive deal tosupply its features to digital cinema projection systems deployed by Christie.

Christie willinstall between 2,500 and 4,000 systems in North America over the next twoyears in a development that has taken a long time to reach fruition.

The announcementfollows hot on the heels of a similar agreement between Christie and the WaltDisney Company.

Last summer theDigital Cinema Initiative (DCI), a joint venture between the studios, issued aset of standard technical specifications for the deployment of digital cinemafollowing years of debate.

"We believe theefficiency, image quality and, most importantly, the overall movie-goingexperience, will be greatly enhanced through these DCI-compliant digitalprojection systems," Twentieth Century Fox's president of distribution BruceSnyder said.

"Fox has been a visionaryleader in helping to establish the critical standards for digital cinema, a keyfactor in assuring exhibitors of compatibility and interoperability,"Christie's chief operating officer Jack Kline added.