Green Hippo, specialist creator of tools for the real-time manipulation of video, has announced that its Hippotizer Media Servers are driving a range of custom high-resolution displays at the newly renovated Panorama 6th October Museum in Cairo, Egypt, which commemorates the 6th October War of 1973.
Using Hippotizer’s advanced mapping capabilities and flexible third-party integration options, local AV specialist Audio Technology S.A.E was able to meet the many challenge of this complex installation, which includes custom HD projection mapping solutions in three interior halls, as well as on the outside of the building itself. The museum is now able to pursue its educational remit with a full-day entertainment program, which brings the history of this troubled period back to vivid life for audiences of all ages.
The building’s exterior is the projection surface for 4K resolution content, mapped and fed to six high-power 30,000-lumen laser projectors by a Hippotizer Karst+ Media Server. Inside, three halls feature high-resolution projection. In Hall 1’s 150-seat 5D cinema, a Hippotizer Amba+ provides Full HD, 3D stereoscopic content, while in Hall 3 a Hippotizer Boreal+ feeds a 10K resolution U-shaped display, via six 13,000 lumens Christie Digital laser projectors, filling the audience’s visual field for a truly immersive experience. Finally, in Hall 4, another Hippotizer Boreal+ provides Full HD content for an immersive, 360-degree projection using nine 10,000-lumen Christie Digital laser projectors. Here, the footage features scenes from Egypt’s more recent political times, the 2011 and 2013 revolutions.
“Mounting, blending and aligning the projectors in the very small spaces to cover the large screen surfaces, especially for the 3D mapping projection show in the outdoor zone and in Hall 3, was a big challenge,” said Jacko Makram, project design leader for Audio Technology Co, S.A.E. “Also, deploying and managing the content in high resolutions of 4K or 10K, blending these projections, and then ensuring consistent system stability during the daily shows.”
With the blending and wrapping capabilities of the Hippotizer Media Servers, these challenges were relatively simple to deal with. “We easily managed the content to fit our custom screens and split the required content for each projector,” said Michael Emad, project installation leader. “Also, the Hippotizers’ ability to be controlled via third-party systems, such as Crestron or Medialon Show Controller, and to synchronize with other system elements, allows for easy operation by the show operator.”
Throughout the nine-month period of installation, commissioning and staff training, Audio Technology Co, S.A.E were aided by Green Hippo’s technical support, from training for the design and installation teams to ongoing backup during the project phases.
The result has been appreciated by all concerned. “The client has said that the completed installation exceeds all their expectations,” Makram said, “and the audiences to date have been so excited, as this is the first time in Egypt that we have had all of this technology and experience combined together in one place.”
