Image is everything
When major events and the worldÔÇÖs leading corporations want millions of people to see their visual messages, they choose Barco for their image solutions. Martin Ashcroft reports.
Piccadilly Circus is a London landmark, famed for its light displaysÔÇöone of which, the iconic Coca-Cola digital billboard, is a landmark in itself. When Coca-Cola Great Britain wanted to make sure that its sign could display dynamic images continuously both day and night, it decided to replace the previous projector installation with a highly advanced LED daylight display from Barco, one of many contributions Barco has made to the London scene.
The Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 were another visual triumph, and Barco is entitled to share the glory there, too, where it was the leading supplier of visualisation equipment. The 8 August opening ceremony at BeijingÔÇÖs celebrated BirdÔÇÖs Nest stadium was powered by Barco cutting edge visual display systems, including 78 Barco High End Systems Orbital Heads, which allowed the production team to reposition the images onto different scenic elements on the field. Working in conjunction with the Orbital Heads were 110 Barco High End Systems Axon Media servers and five Wholehog 3 consoles. No visual event in the world had previously incorporated so many servers of this type.
BarcoÔÇÖs contribution to the Games also included LED systems for many of the other Olympic venues. Barco LED screens made it possible for the population of Beijing to watch the games in large groups. At the landmark Jingxin Building, the 758 square metre LED screen (ChinaÔÇÖs largest outdoor LED screen), beamed Olympic images to millions of visitors on BeijingÔÇÖs 3rd Ring Road. The Olympic soccer field in Shanghai was also lit up by a 391 square metre Barco LED screen.
Barco equipment was also used to ensure the security and safety of the Olympics and its millions of visitors. Barco Security and Monitoring products were responsible for surveillance in the BirdÔÇÖs Nest and other venues, for guiding the flight traffic at BeijingÔÇÖs new Terminal 3, and for directing all the road traffic at the cityÔÇÖs Urban Traffic Control Centre.
ÔÇ£Our teams worked for over 18 months with the various teams involved in the Olympics. We are proud that through the efforts of our various product teams we have become the leading AV supplier to the Beijing Olympics,ÔÇØ said Frank Christiaens, managing director responsible for Greater China.
Established in Poperinge, Belgium by Lucien De Puydt in 1934, Barco began by assembling radios with parts imported from the United StatesÔÇöits name deriving from the initials of Belgian American Radio CorporationÔÇöand it moved into making televisions after the Second World War. In 1968 Barco supplied the Belgian national broadcasting station with studio monitors, the quality of which was so high that customers all over the world started asking for them, and an international network of distributors was set up.
As technology developed, so did Barco, with a series of strategic acquisitions over the years cementing its position as a world leader. Headquartered now in Kortrijk, Belgium, it is today a global technology company, active in the design and development of visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets, including medical imaging, media & entertainment, infrastructure & utilities, traffic & transportation, defence & security, education & training and corporate audio visual communications. By producing both its own hardware and software solutions, Barco can integrate all aspects of the imaging chain, from image acquisition and processing to image display and management.
With the acquisition in 2008 of Texas-based High End Systems, Inc., itself a global technology provider of automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls, Barco strengthened its leadership position in the fast converging video and lighting segments.
As recently as August this year Barco signed a deal to provide Aldar Properties with fourteen LED displays for Abu DhabiÔÇÖs new Yas Marina Formula 1 racing circuit. A total of 452 square metres of LED will be installed around the track to optimize the fans' viewing experience on 1 November 2009, when the brand new track hosts the F1 season finale with the first ever Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
ÔÇ£Our Formula 1 race track is designed by world renowned designer Hermann Tilke and will be finished to the highest standards,ÔÇØ said Mohammed Al Mubarak, chief commercial officer of Aldar Properties. ÔÇ£To underline the circuit's exclusive location, we needed high-quality displays to broadcast visually stunning images of the race and all activities beyond. Barco's outdoor LED has extremely good viewing angles and will display the live action perfectly even in the bright Abu Dhabi sunlight.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£We are proud to have been selected by Aldar Properties; this deal confirms the excellent quality of Barco's outdoor LED solutions,ÔÇØ said Wim De Geest, general manager Middle East for Barco's media and entertainment division. ÔÇ£Abu Dhabi is a booming region and we are proud to help stage the first ever Formula 1 grand prix in the country. The Yas Marina Circuit will be the most beautiful, innovative and luxurious motorsport circuit ever built. Barco's LED displays are a perfect fit for this environment as they will ensure maximum visibility for the leading Formula 1 brands.ÔÇØ
BarcoÔÇÖs reputation in the Middle East was already established with the provision of 300 square meters of LED, divided over various applications, for the Dubai Mall, opened towards the end of last year. Located at the foot of the Burj Dubai, this is one of the largest malls in the world and the regionÔÇÖs premier lifestyle and entertainment destination. The MallÔÇÖs indoor Olympic-sized ice rink features 190 square metres of Barco LED display which projects the latest news and information as well as advertisements from the Mall, and has the capability to project live coverage of the shark feeds in the Dubai Aquarium. The Fashion Catwalk is the setting for another prestigious and creative LED construction, with five separate rings embracing a central structure, which move independently of each other to form eye-catching configurations.
ÔÇ£The Dubai Mall is a global leader in the professional visualization market,ÔÇØ said De Geest, ÔÇ£Barco is proud to be the main LED supplier for this prestigious project. It demonstrates the wide variety of what can be created with LED displays, for both creative and standard screens. With Barco, anything is possible, everywhere.ÔÇØ
