Transcript
Vol. 59 No.6
S
June 12, 2013
H
O
W
IS
S
U
E
AV FOR SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS, CONTRACTORS AND CONSULTANTS
OVATION HALL REVS UP ASSISTIVE LISTENING AND ADA COMPLIANCE
Meeting the 2012 changes
AV ties Revel Resort and Casino performance spaces together
IN THIS ISSUE LAMP-FREE PROJECTION: A NEW ERA
AV FOR SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS, CONTRACTORS AND CONSULTANTS
Lamp-Free Projection: A New Era A BRAND NEW APPROACH
END OF THE ‘GOOD OLD DAYS’
WHO REGULATES LASERS?
SUPPLEMENT TO SOUND & COMMUNICATIONS
15TH ANNUAL NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: MORE THAN 160 PRODUCT DEBUTS, PAGES 90-133
OVATION HALL REVS UP
AV ties Revel Resort and Casino performance spaces together.
BY DAN DALEY
The Revel Resort and Casino, the latest addition to Atlantic City’s resort row, incorporates performance spaces and theaters into its 47-story facility.
52
Sound & Communications
The casino floor outside Ovation Hall features AV systems that create a link to Ovation Hall.
You can batter it with a hurricane (Sandy) and remind it of its inglorious past, as HBO’s Boardwalk Empire does, but Atlantic City still hangs in there. Horses don’t jump off the high-diving board anymore and the recession of 2008 just won’t seem to quite let go there, but AC is still an economic driver for the region, and casino-resort operations from New England on down the eastern seaboard owe their origins to Atlantic City’s move into legalized gambling in 1978, where success there inspired imitation in the form of new and increasingly luxurious casinos in New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Entertainment Complex
The Revel Resort and Casino, the $2.4 billion entertainment complex that opened to the public over Memorial Day weekend of 2012, is the latest addition to Atlantic City’s resort row. It’s impressive at 47 stories tall, with more than 1000 rooms and 130,000 square feet of gaming floor. One of its core components, the 5500-seat Ovation Hall, had to give the casino the flexibility it needed to attract and host a wide range of entertainment types, from music concerts to circus extravaganzas. At the same time, budget constraints and economies are reflected in several key decisions about the project, ones that underscore a trend being seen elsewhere with other large theatrical venues. “They wanted to make the Ovation venue as rider-friendly as possible,” said LD Parker, the project manager on the job for AVI-SPL, the systems integrator that installed the sound there and other AV elements in several other smaller performance venues inside Revel. By “rider-friendly,” Parker is referring to the fact that the venue’s equipment list does not include either a front-of-house audio console or a monitor mix desk, two potentially expensive items that, increasingly, are left off of consultant’s lists. TourDan Daley has covered the confluence of technology, business and culture for 26 years. He has also been a successful composer and recording studio owner, and authored the book, Unwritten Rules: Inside the Business of Country Music. June 2013
53
ing artists often prefer to bring their own consoles, or specify via contract riders which ones venues or promoters have to rent. “What we needed to do was install the infrastructure cabling for any consoles that an artist wants to bring in.” In fact, much of the theater is ready for whatever the future wants to throw at it in terms of AV.
Sound Is Key Lighting isn’t the only AV element in Ovation Hall. The infrastructure is in place for any future video screens, projectors or additional lighting that touring shows may require.
Ethernet netwo rk control DSP
OLED Display Web interface Cutting-edge connectivity
T H E N E W P PA T45 N E T
williamssound.com
I
V
/
Digital audio inputs
I 953
The venue’s sound is its core attraction. Its Meyer MICA line array system was designed by Montreal-based Scéno Plus, which also designed the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, both intended as reconfigurable multipurpose venues that can foster a sense of intimacy between the performer and an arena-sized audience. To cover Ovation Hall’s wide seating arc, which uses retractable seating elements, the system uses three main arrays of 12 MICA line array loudspeakers each. Two stage-side VIP boxes are covered by four MSL-4 and two DF-4 loudspeakers, while eight UPQ1P loudspeakers and M1D line array loudspeakers supply out fills and front fills, respectively. Low end is handled through 20 700-HP subwoofers. The system can be re-matrixed and optimized for four dif ferent room configurations via presets in a Galileo loudspeaker management system comprising six Galileo 616 processors (five analog and one AES3 digital). These include the theater with seating for the 5000 people it can legally hold fully deployed, front apron seating retracted to reveal a dance floor/SRO area, a divided ballroom cleaved by a movable air wall, and dividers in the balcony areas that create breakout-type spaces for meetings. That movable wall also has acoustical panels attached to it. Acoustics were part of the system design drawn up by Scéno Plus, including absorptive fabric-covered panels on the walls and diffusion panels on the ceiling. “We programmed the Galileo system to adjust for all of these situations,” explained Stephanie Br yl, who, along with Jeff Vogt, handled project engineering for AVI-SPL.
Equipment
Medialon MNG_V5 Manager V5, PRO Version media control software Medialon MSCH_4 scheduler multi software for 4 operators/4 targets AOpen GP7A-BDR client application workstation Medialon Rugboard rugged 512MB, 10.4" touchscreen PC wireless Apple Mac Pro digital audio work station CPU Medialon SWMPRO Showmaster Pro embedded show controller AVP RPT48 2RU 2x24 pairs rackmount rapid punch terminal panels Meyer Sound 500HP compact high-power subwoofers AVP RPTW punch blocs Meyer Sound M1D-SUB ultra compact self-powered subwoofers Bittree B32S-1MWNHD Mini-Weco, 1RU, 1x32 video jacks Meyer Sound MM-4 miniature wide range speakers, 4" cone driver Bittree B48DC-NNNIS/E3 M1OO12B audio bantam Meyer Sound MM-4CEU control electronics unit for MM-4, 1RU Bose DS100SE 70V 11 Meyer Sound MUB-MM4 U-shaped surface-mount speakers mounting brackets for MM-4 BSS Audio BLU-32 networked I/O 12 Meyer Sound MYA-UPJ cradle-style expander w/CobraNet chassis mounting yoke assemblies for BSS Audio BLU-80 networked UPJ-1P signal processors w/CobraNet 1 Meyer Sound RMS software, net chassis work interface card Christie Digital DS+10K-M 3-chip 12 Meyer Sound UPJ-1P compact DLP video projectors VariO self-powered speakers Cisco GLC-SX-MM gigabit Ether 8 Meyer Sound UPM-1P ultranet SFP, LC connector Sx compact wide coverage transceivers self-powered speakers Cisco SGE2000P 24-port 1 Middle Atlantic 5-14-26 /SP-5-14 managed Ethernet switches, SLIM5 14-space, 26" deep rack PoE (24) 10/100 Ports w/side panels Cisco WS-C3750G-12S-S 12 SFP 3 Middle Atlantic DWR-12-22 multilayer switch sectional wall racks 12RU, 22" Clear-Com MS-704 4-channels fits 20" deep equipment assignment matrix main 15 Middle Atlantic WRK-44-32 station, 2 RU 44-space (77"), 32" deep Crown 1-VCAP wall-mounted gangable racks The line array system covers Ovation Hall’s wide seating arc, which uses panels w/1xVCA remote control retractable seating arrays. 1 Motu 24 i/o 24i/o 24-channel 24-bit for CTs amp audio interface Crown PZM-11 pressure 12 Pathway 8895 DMX repeater, zone mics 6-way, 5-pin XLR Opto-splitter CSI/Fiberlink 1206 6' HD-15M to 5xBNC-M RGBHV cables 274 QSC AD-C152ST 5¼" weather-resistant, 2-way ceiling speakers CSI/Fiberlink 6000A 3RU 20-position rackmount card cages 169 QSC AD-C152T 5¼" weather-resistant, compact 2-way ceiling speakers CSI/Fiberlink 7250-C7s digital transmitter cards: hi-res RGB 125 QSC AD-C81TW ceiling subwoofers, 8" weather-resistant, 120Hz (up to WUXGA), stereo audio over multimode fiber bypassable low pass filter CSI/Fiberlink 7251-C7s digital receiver cards: hi-res RGB (up to WUXGA), 1 Rosendahl nanoclock stereo audio over multimode fiber 2 Rosendahl Nanosync HD multi-standard sync engines Dell A2255814 17 dual rail LCD rack consoles w/8-port KVM switch 1 Shure SM58-LC cardioid dynamic mic (vocal) Dell P2010H computer screens 1 TASCAM CD-01U CD/MP3 1RU player, Digidesign 003 rack digital audio workstation audio A/D/A interface 1 TASCAM DV-RA1000HD DVD/CD hard disk player/recorder w/Pro Tools 8 6 Thinklogical VEL-SP0MDL-STRX Studio PRO extenders/receivers Echelon I.Ion10 72010R-1 120V RMS to Ethernet adapters 6 Thinklogical VEL-SP0MDL-STTX Studio PRO extenders/transmitters Echelon I.Ion100 fire alarm adapter 8 Tripp-Lite SMART1000RM1U 1RU SmartPro rackmount UPS 1000VA Evertz 5010-GPSII time code generator 6 Tripp-Lite SU2200RTXL2UA 2RU Smart-UPS 2200VA USB, Serial RM 120V Extron DVI to analog RGB video interfaces 4 VYV Photon Show video management servers w/SMPTE card Glyph 64GB PortaGig 800 SSD portable FireWire 800 (1394b) hard drive 33 Whirlwind custom panels Hubbell FPR012STM OPTICHANNEL rackmount panels, 12 ST style 1 Yamaha DM1000VCM digital 96kHz small format mixing console adapters SM/MM, loaded 1 Yamaha MB1000 meter bridge for DM1000VCM Hubbell FPR024STM OPTICHANNEL rackmount panels, 24 ST style 1 Yamaha MY16-CII 16 in/16 out CobraNet card adapters SM/MM, loaded Entertainment Bar AVC KRK ROKIT 8 powered monitor speakers Lab.gruppen C 16:4 4-channel amps, 4x400W, 70V, 2 RU 3 AVP RPT48 2x24 pairs 2RU rapid punch terminal panel Lab.gruppen C 28:4 4-channel amps, 4x700W, 70V, 2 RU 6 AVP RPT52 channels rackmount rapid punch panels L-com PR35DVIFB 3½"x19" panel, 16 DVI female/ female coupler 1 AVP RPT96 2x48 pairs 2RU rackmount rapid punch terminal panel Leviton 69586-U12 eXtreme Cat6+ 110 style patch panels, 12 port 2 AVP RPTW 2x24 wall punch blocks Leviton 69586-U24 eXtreme Cat6+ 110 style patch panel, 24 port 2 Bittree B32S-1MWTHD 1RU video Mini-Weco, 1x32, Linksys WAP54G wireless-G access points 3 Bittree B48DC-NNNIS/E3 M1OO12B audio bantam (TT), 1x48, RU, Marshall Elec. V-R102DP-HD dual 10.4" LCD rackmount panel w/HDSDI, 961 Series DVI, SXGA input 10 Bose DS 100F FreeSpace speakers Medialon AD_RG1_PCI time code reader/generator card for PCI slots 5 Bose DS 16S FreeSpace speakers Medialon GD_SCMPRO industrial rackmounted show control computer 2 Bose 32SE FreeSpace speakers Medialon GR_DOCK docking station for Rugboard 1 BSS Audio BLU-800 networked signal processor w/CobraNet, Medialon MAS_II_24 audio server, 24 channels fault-tolerant bus chassis
Casino AVC 1 1 2 1 10 10 18 1 16 8 12 12 1 2 1 31 10 4 10 10 3 2 1 3 1 1 10 1 30 4 2 23 14 1 8 4 3 1 1 1 1 1
56
1 1 1 1 5 3 15 1
(continued on page 60)
Sound & Communications
Scéno Plus’ design specified the hang points for the Meyer sound system, but also specified hang points for a second PA system, a provision that takes the flexible console-minus concept a step further. In fact, that provision was put to the test for Ovation Hall’s first show, a performance by Beyoncé, who brought in not only her own mixing consoles, but her own
d&b Audiotechnik PA system, which was flown next to the Meyer rig already in place. “It’s not often you get to A-B two world-class PA systems right next to each other,” Parker mar veled. In addition to the hang points, these provisions for additional sound systems meant that the integrator had to run a lot of cable, including SMPTE fiber to accommodate broadcast video
ACOUSTICAL MATERIALS Toll-Free Number:
888-765-2900
FOR SOUNDPROOFING
mobile scan
Specified Hang Points
Standard and Custom Sound and Noise Control Solutions
AVAILABLE @
www.AcousticsFirst.com
running from the stage to both the control room at the rear of the hall’s seating area and to the truck dock outside, twisted-pair copper, coaxial for video and Cat5/6 cabling. And that all had to be done within two months; when AVI-SPL arrived onsite in October, the company was informed by Revel management that they planned to do a mid-December Christmas event in that space that would require the sound system to be ready. That compelled regular meetings with GC Tischman Construction and the IBEW union electricians on the project to assure that primar y hang points were in place as each element of the PA system was ready to be installed, as well as training and super vision of the electrical contractors workers for terminating complex cables like SMPTE. “That’s something we do well,” said Vogt. “On a large project, it’s all about coordination between everyone. In this case, it was also about figuring out how to best install a permanent PA system and also allow for the use of a touring PA in the same space. That involved ever ything from the rigging points to the cabling.” This approach extended also to video and lighting. AVI-SPL ran wires to the trusses installed by PRG that will fire up any video screens, projectors or additional lighting that touring shows may need. “This goal of flexibility and providing points for rented or carried AV and lights led the design to [value-engineer] out a number of items, instead running structured cabling to those locations, and that can really help with budgets,” he said. LD Parker added, “No one wants to spend $250,000 on a piece of equipment that might either be not in demand or could be more cost-effectively rented when needed. This is really about future-proofing, so what you have is a lot of cable waiting for the day it’s needed.”
Extensions Of The Hall
The project underscored the idea that the theater and the casino are not necessarily separate propositions, thematically speaking, and, in many ways, the casino is an extension of the Ovation Hall. Above the casino floor, 58
Opticomm Sound & Client: Communications
Job#: XXXXXX Job Name: O p t i c o m m _ S C _ V X O T C _ J u n e _ 2 0 1 3 _ r 2 Document Name: O p t i c o m m _ S C _ V X O T C _ J u n e _ 2 0 1 3 _ r 2
(continued from page 56) 1 1 2 1 2 22
Cisco SGE2000P 24-port managed Ethernet switch, PoE (24) 10/100 Ports Clear-Com MS-704 2RU 4-channel assignment matrix main station Crown CTs 4200 2RU 4-channel 70V amps Leviton 69586-U12 eXtreme Cat6+ 110 style patch panel, 12 port Middle Atlantic WRK-44-32 44-space (77") 32" deep gangable racks Whirlwind custom rack plates
Entertainment Bar Audio 2 4 2 3 1 1 1 4 1 1 4 2 8 1 2 12 12 9 14 1 1 4 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 8 3
BSS Audio BLU-10 touchscreen programmable remote wall controllers BSS Audio BLU-120 networked I/O expanders w/fault-tolerant bus chassis (no CobraNet) BSS Audio BLU-160 networked signal processors, fault tolerant bus chassis (no CobraNet) Clock Audio C3SEB-RF-OMNI suspended cardioid condenser mics Earthworks QTC40MP sound analysis mic for SMART system Echelon i.LON10 72010R-1 RMS to Ethernet adapter, 120V Listen LA-122 universal antenna kit (72, 216MHz) Listen LA-165 2-channel IR headphones Listen LA-311-01 charger (16 headphones) Listen LA-80 2-way RF antenna combiner (216MHz) Listen LR-500-072 portable programmable display FM receivers (72MHz) Listen LT-800-072/216 stationary transmitters Meyer Sound 700-HP ultra-high-power subwoofers Meyer Sound RMS software, network interface card Meyer Sound UPJunior UltraCompact VariO speakers Meyer Sound UPM RMS option UPM-1P remote monitoring systems/mute jumper Meyer Sound UPM-1P UltraCompact wide coverage self-powered speakers Meyer Sound UPQ-1P wide coverage, 2 way, self-powered speakers Meyer Sound UPQ-2P narrow coverage, 2 way, self-powered speakers Middle Atlantic 16RUMOBILE shock-mounted rack case Middle Atlantic RM-KB rackmount computer keyboard w/sliding shelf Motion Labs 1175-01-003-202-0001 breakered stringers Motion Labs 1175-01-003-208-0001 breakered stringers Rational Acoustics Smaart V6 sound analysis software Rosendahl Nanosync HD HD multi standard sync engine Sound Devices USBPRe 2-channel conductors interface for computer audio TASCAM CD-01U 1RU CD/MP3 player TASCAM DV-RA1000HD DVD, CD, hard disk players Tripp Lite SMART500RT1U 1RU Smart-UPS 500VA USB Whirlwind custom breakout boxes Whirlwind custom rack panels
Ovation Hall AVC 2 APC SUA2200RM2U 2RU Smart-UPS 2200VA USB 2 APC SUA3000RM2U 2RU Smart-UPS 3000VA USB 1 AVP RPT48 2x24 pairs 2RU rackmount rapid punch terminal panels 4 AVP RPT52 52 channels rackmount rapid punch panels 4 AVP RPT96 2x48 pairs 2RU rackmount rapid punch terminal panels 2 Bittree B32S-1MWTHD Video Mini-Weco, 1x32, 1RU, terminated patch bays 10 Bittree B48DC-NNNIS/E3 M1OO12B 961 Series, 1x48, 1RU, 12", non-normal, isolated 1 Bittree B96DC-NNAIT/E3 M2OU12B 969-A Series, 2x48, 2RU, 12", non-normal, isolated 32 Bittree VPCM3605-75 Mini-Weco 750 ohm video patch cords 226 Bose FreeSpace DS 100F speakers 18 Bose FreeSpace DS 100SE speakers 46 Bose FreeSpace DS 16S speakers 3 BSS Audio BLU-10 touchscreen programmable remote wall controllers (VOLX-T3)
60
Sound & Communications
7 BSS Audio BLU-80 networked signal processors w/CobraNet chassis 5 Cisco GLC-SX-MM gigabit Ethernet SFP, LC connector Sx transceivers 7 Cisco SGE2000P 24-port managed Ethernet switches, PoE (24) 10/100 Ports 3 Clear-Com MS-704 2RU 4-channel assignment matrix main stations 3 Crown PZM-11 Pressure Zone mics 2 Hoffman A7230SOF19 swing-out rack mounting frames 1 Hoffman A727224ULP 2-doors floormount Type 12 enclosure 1 Hoffman A72FSCPS center panel 13 Hubbell FPR012STM OPTICHANNEL rackmount panel, 12 ST-style adapters SM/MM, loaded 12 Hubbell FPR3SP 3 FSP series adapter panels 20 Hubbell FSPST6 6 ST-style SM/MM adapter panels, preloaded 19 Lab.gruppen C 10:4X 2RU 4-channel amps, 4x250W @ 4 ohms 5 Leviton 69586-U12 extreme Cat6+ 110 style patch panels, 12 port 2 Leviton 69586-U24 extreme Cat6+ 110 style patch panels, 24 port 2 Middle Atlantic 5/14/1926 SLIM5 14-space, 26" deep racks 1 Middle Atlantic RM-KB-LCD17 dual slide 1RU LCD 17" monitor, keyboard w/touchpad 13 Middle Atlantic WRK-44-32 44-space (77"), 32"-deep gangable racks 1 Superlogics rackmount computer 4 Tripp-Lite SMART1000RM1U SmartPro 1RU rackmount UPS 1000VA 119 Whirlwind custom wall plates, rack panels, floorbox plates, breakout boxes
Ovation Hall Audio 2 AVP RPT96 2x48 pairs rackmount rapid punch terminal panels, 2RU 6 AVP RPTW 2x24 wall punch blocks 2 Bittree B48DC-NNNISE3 M1OO12B audio bantam (TT), 1x48, 1RU, 961 series 1 Earthworks QTC40MP sound analysis mic for Smaart system 1 EAW Smaart V6 sound analysis software 3 Echelon I.Ion10 72010R-1 RMS to Ethernet adapters, 120V 1 Echelon I.Ion100 fire alarm adapter 1 Listen LA-122 universal antenna kit (72, 216MHz) 146 Listen LA-165 2-channel IR headphones 9 Listen LA-311-01 chargers (16 headphones) 1 Listen LA-80 2-way RF antenna combiner ( 216MHz) 146 Listen LR-500-072 portable programmable display FM receivers (72MHz) 1 Listen LT-800-072/216 stationary transmitter 4 Meyer Sound 650-P subwoofers 20 Meyer Sound 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoofers 2 Meyer Sound DF-4 dedicated downfill speakers 2 Meyer Sound Galileo 408 speaker management systems 5 Meyer Sound Galileo 616 speaker management systems 1 Meyer Sound Galileo 616 AES speaker management system 9 Meyer Sound M1D 2 way, 100x10°, self-powered curvilinear speaker elements 36 Meyer Sound MICA 3 way, 90°, self-powered curvilinear speaker elements 4 Meyer Sound MSL-4 horn-loaded long throw arrayable self-powered speakers, LF 12", HF 4" 1 Meyer Sound RMS Software RMS software, network interface card 15 Meyer Sound UPQ-2P narrow coverage, 2-way, self-powered speakers w/RMS 1 Middle Atlantic 16RUMOBILE shock mounted rack case 1 Middle Atlantic RM-KB rackmount computer keyboard w/sliding shelf 1 Sound Devices USBPRe 2-channel conductors interface for computer audio 1 Superlogics rack mount computer 1 TASCAM CD-01U 1RU CD/MP3 player 2 TASCAM DV-RA1000HD DVD, CD, hard disk recorders 1 Tripp Lite SMART500RT1U 1RU Smart-UPS 500VA USB 1 Whirlwind custom rack plate 3 Whirlwind W624XLRMFO soldered mass W6 inline connectors List is edited from information supplied by AVI-SPL.
in an area known as the Digi-Pit that straddles the digital gaming section, a pair of catwalks form an X-shaped stage of sorts, complete with its own lighting and sound, including Meyer UPJ-1P VarioS loudspeaker enclosures and Meyer 500HP subwoofers. It’s an area Parker calls a “boutique stage,” used by special performers, such as
The Immersive Dome overhead is lit up by eight three-chip video projectors arranged in a ring mounted from the ceiling. The projector/Photon combination warps and blends images around a 360° fabric screen.
ICS Video Wall Controller/ Processors See us at Infocomm booth 3767 2U
4U
1U WX400‐1U
WC2500
WC5000‐B
ICS offers a variety of video wall controllers to meet any requirements from our WX400 Single DVI / Dual link input with up to 4 DVI or VGA outputs, Next our 2U rack WC2500 is configured as a 4 inputs and 4 DVI outputs that can accept DVI, HDMI ( HDMI Is HDCP compliant) ,VGA, Component and Video /S-Video. Finally our WC5000-B which starts with 4 outputs and 4 inputs expandable to 48 outputs 64 inputs. You can direct connect these inputs, DVI, HDMI ( HDMI is HDCP compliant) ,VGA, Component, Video and S-video and network connect IP cameras and network capture workstation desktops. Output can be Display Port or DVI. Our WC 2500 and WC 5000 can be controlled locally or by using any third party RS-232 or Telnet connection along with your smart phone or wireless tablet with an app.
WC2500 and WC5000-B HDMI Input is HDCP Compliant All three offer landscape or portrait mode and mullion compensation ICS Technology, Inc. 732 671-5400 www.icstec.com e-mail
[email protected] 62
Sound & Communications
dancers and aerialists, and it has digital signage fed by the hotel’s own content ser ver and IPTV system. Much of that content is used to promote the main attractions in the Ovation Hall, as is a larger projection installation on the floor, dubbed the Immersive Dome, which uses eight Christie 3-Chip DLP DS+10K-M video projectors, arranged in a ring mounted from the ceiling, and VYV’s proprietar y Photon processing software, running on a standard PC with fast graphic cards, to warp and blend the images around a 360° fabric screen. Content for most of these areas comes from a Medialon Showmaster Pro embedded show controller and SCMPRO show computer; however, the Video Dome’s content is delivered via the Photon’s ser ver. Vogt said that the Christie ILS 1.25-1.65SX+/1.161.49HD lenses the projectors used were decided upon after modeling the projector assembly in 3D before installing it. “And it’s good that we did that
because the lenses we were originally going to use would not have worked,” he recalled. “That saved us some time, money and embarrassment.” Vogt added that the HD content was also tricky to work with in a warped and blended environment. “We learned that the video cards on the VYV Photon unit are sensitive to any changes in timing; you could encounter sync issues on the bidirectional fiber and that would lead to artifacts,” he explained. The solution was to implement Gefen DVI Detective to ensure that a correct EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) signal is constantly available to the DVI source, even if the display is switched to a different computer.
Theater And Show Bar
Another area, the Social, a 700-capacity theater and show bar that hosts live music early in the evening and converts to a late night dance club, which deploys 37 Meyer UPQ-1P, UPQ-2P, UPM-1P and UPJunior VariO loud-
speakers, plus four 700-HP subwoofers, as well as BSS BLU-80 DSP processing and a Yamaha M7 audio mixer, sourcing music and other audio from a GrayV internet music ser vice. All of these secondary venues around the Ovation Hall are controllable from an iPad used by staff to adjust sound and lighting levels on the fly; those same levels are also in some cases programmed to var y according to time of day and in the case of the sound systems, by sensing ambient noise levels. In pursuit of an immersive and seamless theatrical experience throughout the casino, Parker said that AVI-SPL also tuned the sound systems of several smaller adjacent spaces, such as the burlesque theater next to the Social, by connecting to the BSS DSP system so the EQ and overall levels could blend at their boundaries. “That’s something we’ve never done before,” he said. “We wanted to keep the AV as immersive as possible in the venues around the (continued on page 148)
June 2013
63
OVATION (continued from page 63)
theater and into the casino. There are no abrupt transitions.” That is, in a ver y real sense, the ultimate goal of any casino, which were striving to be immersive environments long before the term came into vogue. What was achieved here was both immersive and connective: Patrons have an awareness of what’s going on at the Ovation Hall as the theater’s agenda is piped out into adjacent smaller venues. According to Vogt, that kind of scale was attained by unifying con-
trol of the audio, lighting and other elements from a central show control system. For instance, the Medialon show control system is able to communicate with the ETC EOS lighting control system installed by PRG. Using the Beyoncé show as an example, Vogt said that, as patrons depar ted the Ovation Hall after her show, the Video Dome would play looped Red 4K footage from another concer t the ar tist’s management provided to Revel’s tech depar tment,
while the Meyer sound systems belted out the synced music track and the lighting adjusted to match the warm reds and oranges that characterize the concert footage. “It’s all designed to lead you out of the theater and into the casino,” he said. “All of these systems can talk to each other, and we’re seeing the promise of convergence really coming together here, into a single cohesive experience where we can make an entire building into a single mood.” According to Parker,
what’s most intriguing about that experience, though, is that the patron doesn’t have to be aware of it to enjoy it. “The sound throughout the casino isn’t background or foreground sound; rather, it’s the auditor y aspect of the overall experience of sound and lights and video,” he said. “It’s the first time we’ve really connected sound with lights. You don’t realize you’re being affected by all of it, but you are. It’s an overall experience and it leads you right into the theater.” n
a second LCD panel that is precisely mated to the first, working as a simple on-off light shutter. But these approaches have one big problem: Where you sit or stand to see the 3D effect is critical. If you stand in front of a 3D autostereo display and slowly move your head to the left and then to the right, you will see a shimmer or wave as you cross over the optimum viewing angle. Even with quality lenticular autostereo displays, such as the Dolby model shown at NAB 2013, you can still spot this image artifact when shifting your viewing position. For 3D projection systems that still require glasses, image brightness has been a big problem. Whereas the SMPTE standard for cinema image brightness is 14 foot-Lamberts (ft-L), the typical 3D film presents (after all of the polarization and glasses) at about a quarter that intensity, or less. One way to get around this problem
is to crank up the photons, which Barco, Christie, NEC and others are now demonstrating with highpower laser cinema projection systems. This past March, Christie showed GI Joe: Redemption for two weeks in Burbank CA using a 60,000 lumen laser projection system. That raised screen brightness back to 14 ft-L when the movie was viewed with passive glasses. All well and good for cinematic projection, which certainly could use help with 3D ticket sales lately. But that approach doesn’t do anything for direct viewing of 3D. Realistically, glasses-free 3D is the way to go for public display and home viewing, but it’s a long way from being perfected and will require displays with many megapixels of resolution. As I posited last October, 4K will be more of an earth-shaker than 3D could ever hope to be. So, switching to 4K for
autostereo displays could provide a fresh start. 8K (demonstrated by NHK at NAB) would be even better because it offers 16 times as many pixels as a 2K display, and optical barriers and lenses chew up pixels in a hurr y. Will you see much in the way of autostereo at InfoComm? Although I do expect numerous 4K demos in Orlando, my cr ystal ball currently says “no,” based on my experiences at CES, ISE and NAB. But you will find abundant laser and hybrid 3D projection demos at the show, although the emphasis in those booths will be squarely on the advantages of lamp-free technology and not 3D. Guess we have to wait for the next sunspot cycle…. Editor’s Note: For more details about NAB, read Pete Putman’s show review, “NAB 2013: More Pixels, Fewer Bits, And Faster Pipes,” in this issue, beginning on page 70. n
AVENT HORIZON (continued from page 154)
seeing a black line where polarizers have shuttered light to that eye. And crosstalk between left eye and right eye images can be problem if you don’t hold your head upright and at a 90° angle to the FPRs. (You shouldn’t be watching 3D with your head titled in the first place.) Now, Dolby and others are saying that we should chuck the glasses entirely and have the display separate the left eye-right eye views for you. Although this approach has the greatest appeal to the average Joe, it’s the most challenging to pull off technically because it requires some sort of optical barrier—or more accurately, multiple sets of optical barriers—to separate the left eye/right eye information correctly. That separation can be done with something called a parallax barrier, or it can be done with tiny lenticular coatings. It can even be done with 148 Sound & Communications
