Germany’s TUI Cruises has chosen Christie AV solutions to deliver a premium program of entertainment aboard ship including a hologram show.
Home of the Mein Schiff brand, TUI’s ‘feel-good fleet’ is known for modern design, convenience and state-of-the-art technical equipment. The company was keen for its entertainment offering to reflect those values.
“Our guests expect a high-quality entertainment program that can compete with the standards they are used to in their day-to-day lives, in both an artistic and a technical sense,” explains Jochen Schelper, Project Manager, Entertainment, TUI Cruises.
“Nearly everyone now watches television in HD quality. So, 4K is a must for video projections on large screens for the show program.”
The entertainment program is staged at three locations. One is a large theatre that holds approximately 1,000 people. Another is a smaller ‘studio’ theatre for the daily hologram show along with other presentations, and the third is the pool deck where a large light show with accompanying music takes place.
Christie’s omnidirectional Boxer projector overcame all challenges, not least the issue of being on a moving vessel.
“Because we are on a ship, there are constantly larger or smaller vibrations from the engines and waves,” says Torsten Hirche, Technical Director at TUI Cruises.
“So, we use shock absorbers and suspension mechanisms in the studio to cushion these vibrations.”
TUI ‘thrilled’ with Boxer performance
According to Hirche, creating a hologramatic effect in the studio’s limited space presented its own technical challenges.
“You are projecting from a very small distance,” he says. “Due to the spatial circumstances, the projector has to run at a 45-degree angle from the ceiling. A native 4K resolution is essential with such a small projection distance.”
The Pepper’s Ghost illusion is achieved using a projection film and special lighting in front of and behind the stage, allowing objects or people to appear and disappear.
“We were so thrilled with the result we got using the Boxer that we now want to retrofit the projector on other ships, too,” adds Hirche.
