In the preceding parts of this feature on Glass-to-Glass (G2G) tech, I made a case for a holistic solution powered by PTZ cameras, an IT/IP platform, and projectors designed for sustainability, repeatability, IDEA-friendly accessibility, and sharability. The applications for G2G are almost limitless, with the potential for interactive and personalized XR experiences being a new frontier.
Several technologies have emerged as drivers behind innovative experiences. They include PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) cameras, which combine high image quality with installation flexibility; KAIROS, an IT/IP platform that aims to reduce labor, cost, and system complexity; and 4K projectors with technologies such as System Daylight View for improved contrast performance in bright ambient light, an important consideration when images are rebroadcast via smartphones on social media.
For more on the tech behind G2G production, please click over to part 2. For now, let’s take a tour of G2G solutions in the real world.
G2G tech in eSports tournaments
Swedish broadcast logistics company Best Broadcast Hire (BBH) broadcasts some of the biggest eSports events around the world. This includes FIFA eSuperliga and the StarLadder MAJOR tournament, as well as the BLAST Pro Series. Image quality and flexibility are prerequisites for sharing events on-site and online, with our AK-UC4000 camera designed to limit unwanted moiré screen patterns on the LED screens.
Meanwhile, Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) reconfigured a racketball court as an eSports arena. It chose RCQ10 projectors in order to provide a spectacular view of the action.
Digital museums
When the creators of Frameless, the UK’s largest digital immersive art experience, were planning to set art free at a 30,000-square-foot venue in London’s Marble Arch, they knew their choice of technology partner would be critical. Frameless deployed more than 50 projectors to elevate the traditional art experience. There was also a classical music score that the venue aired through a 158-speaker spatial audio system.
Operators said an essential factor when selecting projectors was how good the images appeared when captured with a camera. A variety of projection systems were tested specifically to evaluate image quality when shot on a variety of popular smartphones. Among the projectors selected for use was the RQ35K. This features Dynamic Digital Control to adjust red-laser light output, ensuring that colors were both vivid and accurate.
Live concerts and G2G tech
Some of the world’s biggest concert events use PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) cameras, capturing and streaming live footage of the performances. For example, Ed Sheeran’s Global Mathematics world tour. The cameras are controlled remotely and provide high-quality footage despite the fast-paced movement on stage, encouraging creativity during the performances.
PTZs were positioned in various ways to capture different angles of the stage, giving producers more options for presenting the event. Various streaming platforms broadcast the footage. This helped to increase the reach of the tour. It also gave people who couldn’t make it to the site a chance to feel the electrifying atmosphere, making this an IDEA-friendly event.
Fashion shows
Since fashion designers take inspiration from everyday people around them, it makes sense to see collection previews moving from exclusive gatherings to online events where anyone can participate. The Lanvin Collection used projection to provide an entrancing backdrop captured by PTZ cameras for its recent online runway show. The director was Yukihiro Takahashi, a musician and fashion designer.
Digital art festivals
Both electronic music and digital art are a tight fit for G2G tech and production. PTZ cameras and projection provide the platform for futurist culture for everyone to share. MUTEK’s fifth annual festival of electronic music and digital art took place in Tokyo during the height of the pandemic and was live-streamed online.
The event was captured from various angles to shine the best light on the artists’ work. Some of the perspectives shown would be impossible to capture with a camera and operator. For this event, Panasonic Connect helped create a G2G solution featuring AW-UE150 and AG-CX350 cameras and the RQ22K 4K projector.
Projection mapping
MINUTE_MAPP TOKYO 2021, an international mapping event, was streamed online since in-person attendance was limited. MAPP TOKYO projected the 60-second creations, which were submitted by artists from 18 countries, onto a mannequin and captured the results with a PTZ camera. The high-fidelity chain ensured that the work was shown exactly as the artist intended.
G2G tech enhances conferences and presentations
TEDxCambridge is one of the longest-running independently organized TED events in the world. Organizers wanted to celebrate TEDxCambridge’s 10th anniversary, staged at the Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, in 4K using some of the most advanced technology available. Panasonic Connect’s G2G solution included RQ22K projectors and VariCam 4K camcorders, as well as AW-UE150 PTZ cameras. The cameras share the advantage of easy color-matching for a seamless look and feel.
Outdoor events
Planned and directed by Michiyuki Ishita (PMAJ), Projection Mapping Okinawa featured a performance by Okinawa Symphony with visuals by Maixime Guislain (Belgium), Li Cheng (China), FLIGHTGRAF (Japan), and DecideKit (Thailand) mapped over the facade of National Theatre Okinawa. AW-UE150 PTZ cameras captured the event (for indoor use: optional housing is available in some regions for outdoor installation). Viewers around the world could also enjoy a live stream.
Sporting events
The world experienced the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 via a 4K/HD simulcast. It was the first event to be broadcast in 4K in the event’s history. G2G solutions, including cameras, projectors, and video switchers, were therefore vital. Panasonic Connect provided video production support at a record 339 events. This also acted as a proving ground for our professional cameras and the IT/IP platform KAIROS.
Looking to the future of G2G tech
With XR, AI, the metaverse, and 5G networks ascending, we can expect virtual streamed experiences to be offered alongside their real-life analogs as a matter of course. But the future of rides, games, and attractions powered by G2G tech is still wide open. It is a frontier that forward-thinking designers can explore.
There is vast potential for creating personalized experiences using G2G solutions that could allow digital avatars to roam interactive worlds created by projectors. Perhaps a purikura (photo booth) on an epic scale? Or something buildable, like a life-sized Minecraft? Or a place where teams face their opponents across vast distances, the gameplay unfolding without lag. Here, real-time tracking projection mapping might dovetail with cameras to make these kinds of hybrid games even more engaging.
Shareability and personalization are both key areas of focus at our XR Lab. Here, engineers work with clients to co-create tomorrow’s spatial designs, collaborating from the blue-sky phase through to opening day and beyond. After all, the experience economy is intrinsically social. With many left isolated in the wake of the pandemic, perhaps the most successful attractions of the future will be those that can satisfy our need to share and our need to be the hero of our own stories.
Get in touch
We have a commitment to driving the experience economy forward through relationships with leaders like you. Therefore, our own success is tied to yours. For this reason, we see our role as more than a supplier of equipment, but as a partner in the creative process, from ideation to O&M, long after opening day. If you would like to learn more about the services we provide in this article or any of those I’ve posted over the last year, please click here or contact me via email.
