Christie Simulation at I/ITSEC
The military gets all the good stuff. Check out Christie Digital’s highlight video from I/ITSEC:
EIH Productions Goes Ultra HD
Everyone is Happy Productions, another freak about projection from down under, recently pulled off some great content on an ultra-HD scale. Everyone is Happy- well, of course they are- their video and graphics were projected onto three massive 15m x 5m screens with six edge blended Christie projectors. The gig was for Ozri 2011, the Asia-Pacific’s leading spatial industry conference held in Melbourne, and it drew it’s largest crowd ever. EIH was commissioned by Haycom AV to produce the 3240x 1080 content: (more…)
Barco Releases Next-gen Image Pro II
It seems like anymore not a gig goes by where I wish I had an Image Pro…..now I can wish for a Image Pro II. The original Image Pro earned a reputation in the industry for being a bit cantankerous, but it’s one of those pieces of gear you’re glad you have when push comes to shove. It’s the original “anything in- anything out” box for super quality scaling/converting…not so much for switching- but it’ll do that too in a pinch. Barco is launching the new ImagePRO-II, a video scaler, scan converter, switcher, and transcoder in one at Integrated Systems Europe, January 31 to February 2, Amsterdam.
The company says the ImagePRO-II is the most versatile (more…)
Chivas Mapping from Visual Vibes Group
In what looks like an after-party for a sponsored production, the Visual Vibes Group gives us this projection mapping from the inside of a theatre. There’s some great textural stuff, and who wouldn’t want their theatre filled with whiskey? (more…)
Ex Machina Does The Ring
We featured a video a while back of the largest projection project ever (The Image Mill) that Robert LePage and his team at Ex Machina created. Now it looks as if they are at it again- this time on a smaller scale…if you consider Die Walkure a smaller scale that is. The New York Metropolitan Opera chose Ex Machina to go wild on this new production of the Wagner Classic and they didn’t disappoint. Lepage uses a 45-ton rotating, paneled set (essentially 24 triangular-shaped fiberglass-covered aluminum planks each 30 feet in length) that projection is shot on to (see photo).
Dubbed simply “the Machine”, the planks move independently of one another and can rotate 360 degrees around the hydraulically-powered central axis (a pair of pneumonic brakes can engage or disengage the planks from the central axis), which is secured by two steel, 26-foot tall elevator towers. So it’s really huge. And heavy. I read a couple of reviews that spoke of it being pretty noisy- but come on….this size and scale of complexity is pushing the physical boundaries of stage, so all you critics – lighten up! The production uses seven Panasonic PT-D10k’s, two Christie 30k Roadies, and one 35k Roadie. Now that I could see as ‘loud’ although I’m (more…)
CAT5 Revisited
Running a blog allows a lot of things, not the least of which is learning. This is in addition to being the editor, writer, and CTO. I learned I need to be a little less hasty in posting- the article on Video Over CAT5 was met with some criticism and I’d like to clarify a bit more….
Baluns are usually passive- that is, no power applied. Baseband video can be carried down UTP (or STP) and baluns can be used, although with limited distance. 
Display signals (like the ones your computer puts out) are a bit different, in fact- a lot different. You’ll need active transmitters and receivers, or powered devices, like these:
Some of these will require a power source at BOTH ends, some can supply power from one end to the other. Keep in mind these are for NON-data signals- not standard network protocol. The UTP you string around your install is not to be used for data transmission or Ethernet or internet or anything that isn’t a display signal. As I said in the previous article- figure out if the cost savings is worth it. On larger installs, the cable cost and hassle are usually going to be better….on smaller custom installs with shorter distances UTP might not be the way to go. Good quality RGBHV or DVI or (ugh) HDMI cable might serve you better. There are certainly going to be more articles on this so stay tuned…..Rock on.
Tools, Tips, and Tricks of the Trade- Vista Spyder
Vistasystems bills the Vista Spyder as “the world’s most versatile video processor”. The Spyder has gained notoriety because it was designed with a wide variety of users in mind, from the beginner to the seasoned pro. It is used heavily in broadcast studios as well as C&C centers. It is also used widely in live production, from corporate events to giant tours. There are basically 3 different versions- the Series 200, 300, and X20. Here’s a detailed explanation.
There is also the URS, a Universal Routing Switcher, which allows anything in (Composite to 4k) and anything out (to any of 8 user configurable outputs). Here’s the info, as well as a great mouse-over explanation. This unit does exactly what it says- universally routes and switches, which means you can get rid of external scalers, transcoders, and scan-converters.
Looks like we’ll need 3 or 4 for the plush Projectionfreak headquarters….
DLP explained
And on the heels of the last video from http://www.engineerguy.com explaining LCD technology, we get this from our friends at Texas Instruments, the folks that hold the patent and are largely responsible for inventing and propagating the DLP chip. And for those of you who don’t like video (hard to believe there are any of you if you’re reading this) here’s a great printable article.
Bill Explains the LCD
This one’s making it’s rounds in the Blogosphere, but it is highly accurate. Essentially the same for projector technology, with the exception of more heat dissipation properties and PJ’s that use 3LCD technology. At it’s basis though, you really get the physics involved.
Red State and the Barco DP2K-20c
Just used the Barco DP2K-20c to screen Kevin Smith’s Red State and both the film and the projector were OUTSTANDING! The great film aside, the Barco is a true big gun. It outputs a whopping 18,500 lumens on 3 x .98″ DMDs and the picture quality was STELLAR. The native resolution is 2048×1080 and it’ll do cinema flat (1998×1080) on which the movie was shot. It’s a big pig weighing 225 lbs and it can put out some heat (note the stove-pipe heat vent). The content was served up by the Doremi DCP-2000 which is quite a machine. It’s a hard drive based cinema server that will do 2d and 3d playback at 2k and 4k resolutions. It’s a whole different post for all the details on this device, suffice to say it performed flawlessly.
Kevin hung around and did a Q&A session for like 2 1/2 hours so it was fantastic to hear the genesis of the film and some behind-the-art shop talk. Word is it’ll be out in October- GO SEE THIS FILM.
Resolutions
For all the folks who don’t regularly visit Wikipedia, this chart offers a great quick and dirty guide to resolutions and aspect ratios.
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