Christie, the global visual and audio technologies specialist, has announced its laser projectors provide a panoramic cockpit view for a new multimedia visitor experience at Vienna International Airport.
Christie is pleased to announce that six DHD850-GS laser projectors are providing visitors with a panoramic view from the cockpit, as part of a new multimedia visitor experience at Vienna International Airport.
The new experience centre is located in terminal three at Vienna Airport Schwechat. The attraction is set to fascinate visitors both old and young, as it explores the inner workings of a busy airport. It explains how the airport is able to operate 24 hours a day, looking at questions such as what happens to the luggage, and what does the inside of an aeroplane cockpit look like?
The attraction can be visited by those without a boarding pass too, and in 2018 over 160,000 people enjoyed the experience. The tour finishes in the multimedia experience room.
The view from the cockpit
Visitors are guided through a series of themed multimedia areas during the fully-automated tour. These tell the story of 24-hours at the airport. Participants can follow the journey of a suitcase through the airport, from check-in to cargo hold. They can also experience what it is like in the tower for air traffic controllers, or what pilots see from their cockpit.
For the large-scale projection in the “cockpit” area, the experience uses six Christie DHD850-GS laser phosphor projectors with UST 0.36 ultra-short throw lenses. Christie partner Panatronic GmbH from Vienna was responsible for supply and installation.
The projectors are in a semicircle, less than a meter from the back wall. Each shows a 2.10-meter wide image, resulting in one single overall picture with the panoramic view of a cockpit. The control and content feed takes place through a central server with a content management system installed. Six PCs are connected to the projectors and a curved screen serves as the projection surface.
“Due to the size of the projection screen, the low construction depth and the curvature of the screen, we had to work with ultra-short throw lenses. The projectors are virtually located directly behind the screen and the projection beam is directed upwards,” says Roman Binder, Managing Director of Panatronic.
Despite the minimum projection distance and the short viewing distance of the visitors on the other side of the screen of the cockpit simulation, the wide-angle lenses with ultra-short distance provide a uniform image.
Peter Bast, Technical Director of Christie, who supported Panatronic in configuring the projectors, adds, “The curvature of the screen is really extreme on this installation; perfect warping of the images was essential.
The Christie DHD850-GS comes with a raster-based warping and blending processor that supports the configuration of even complex large projections with difficult spatial conditions. The integrated Christie BoldColor Technology provides precise colour reproduction without loss of brightness.
Continuous operation
Tours take place throughout the day with several groups of visitors being guided through.”This is no problem for the projectors, they are designed for continuous operation,” says Binder. The projectors offer flexible installation options, portrait orientation and quiet operation, which makes them ideal for this project.
Visitors have already been enthusiastic about the experience. The projection system ensures a “wow effect for all age groups”, which was the goal of artist Thomas Brezing, the creative mind behind the concept.
Christie has also recently provided projection technology for a prestigious concert at Russia’s State Kremlin Palace. D4K40-RGB laser projectors were used during the event, celebrating one of Russia’s most-loved singers.
