Archive of the Pro AV Category

The award-winning Stereo3D CAT™ 3D calibration and analysis software has been updated to version 1.1 with new features and is now available in reduced-price and free versions
 
Toronto, Canada – April 12, 2012 – Dashwood Cinema Solutions, developer of stereoscopic software for the Mac, is pleased to announce the immediate availability of price-reduced and free versions of the award-winning Stereo3D CAT™ stereoscopic calibration and analysis software. This marks the first time this powerful stereoscopic monitoring, analysis and playback software is available for use by anyone with a Mac computer and a compatible HD capture device.
 
“We are very excited to bring elements of this professional tool to the masses at absolutely no charge,” said Tim Dashwood, founder of Dashwood Cinema Solutions. “The full version of Stereo3D CAT has been used on major Hollywood and IMAX 3D projects with amazing results and now a free subset of those same features are available to anyone with a Mac, a compatible capture device and an HDMI1.4a 3D camera. Customers will experience a dramatic improvement in the quality of their 3D work, and I think it will also become a valuable training tool for budding stereographers.”
 
The free version of Stereo3D CAT includes the same parallax line guides, left/right solo, anaglyph, split displays, QuickTime playback and Stereo3D Visualizer of the full version; however, it limits resolutions to HD and screen sizes to 3DTV or mobile devices. Depth analysis, side-by-side, line-by-line, checkerboard, superimpose, difference, Parallax Inspector, Alignment Tracker, 3D waveform/vectorscope, variable interaxials, are features only offered with the Personal license. Geometry correction, metadata logging, IMAX screen sizes, external output and phone tech support are features only included with a Full license of Stereo3D CAT. Customers who want to eliminate these restrictions can simply purchase a license for Stereo3D CAT software, starting at US$999 for licenses purchased online at Dashwood3D.com with the coupon code “NAB2012.” This coupon code represents a 20% discount and expires on 04/22/12. The regular pricing starts at US$1249.
 
About Stereo3D CAT™
Designed by stereographers for stereographers, the award-winning Stereo3D CAT system is an indispensable calibration, monitoring, and analysis tool for Mac OS X. Its features include the patent pending Alignment Tracker, Stereo3D Visualizer™, Parallax Inspector™, Parallax Line Guides, Depth Analysis, 3D Monitoring Modes, Stereoscopic Waveform/Vectorscope, Geometry Correction and Logging Meta Data Support. Stereo3D CAT supports input from any QuickTime compatible capture devices and Blackmagic Design’s Decklink Extreme 3D or UltraStudio 3D.
 
Stereo3D CAT™ Availability
Stereo3D CAT™ is available now at http://www.dashwood3d.com/stereo3dcat.php.
The free version and a 15-launch full-featured trial are available for immediate download. For a limited time, licenses purchased online at Dashwood3D.com with the coupon code “NAB2012″ will start at US$999. This offer expires on 04/22/12. This offer only applies to Stereo3D CAT licenses and excludes the Dashwood3D Chart and other Dashwood products.
 
Dashwood will be showcasing Stereo3D CAT in booth C9510 during the NAB 2012 show held in Las Vegas from April 14-19. Dashwood will also be showcasing its entire new product line, including brand new features in its Stereo3D Toolbox plugin for After Effects, Motion and Final Cut Pro.
 
To schedule a press briefing with Tim Dashwood during NAB, please contact Erin Shields – erin(at)dashwood3d(dot)com.
 
Press Kit
A Press Kit with logos, screenshots and photos is available at http://www.dashwood3d.com/Dashwood_Stereo3D_CAT_press_kit.zip.
 
About Dashwood Cinema Solutions
A part of the Noise Industries Development Partner Program since 2009, Dashwood Cinema Solutions is an R&D wing of Stereo 3D Unlimited, a Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based production company that specializes in pre-visualization, music videos and film production. Dashwood Cinema Solutions’ mandate is to find solutions to common problems in film production and post-production. Its award-winning flagship product, Stereo3D Toolbox™ is utilized by post-production houses around the world for easy stereoscopic 3D mastering on the Mac platform. For more information about Dashwood Cinema Solutions, please go to http://www.Dashwood3D.com.
 
Stereo3D Toolbox, Stereo3D CAT, the Dashwood 3D Chart, and Stereo3D Visualizer are trademarks of Dashwood Cinema Solutions, a division of 11 Motion Pictures Limited. All other trademarks, registered trademarks and products mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.
 
Press Contact:
Zazil Media Group
Janice Dolan
(p) +1 617 817 6595
(email) janice(at)zazilmediagroup(dot)com
####

Amsterdam-based broadcaster Xite delivers music programming and video on-demand via cable and IPTV networks throughout most of Holland and the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. Every week, Xite also produces about three hours of original programming including a Friday show that highlights the best performing videos, concert specials, festival reviews, artist interviews, and more, and plans to further expand their content delivery in the future. Despite the volume of programming broadcast, Xite runs a relatively small operation, with a broadcast technology infrastructure that entails a Mac Mini running ToolsOnAir’s software with AJA Video System’s Io XT portable I/O device connected via Thunderbolt with SDI out to deliver the signal.

“With our previous production pipeline, we were using a more traditional setup with storage and play-out software,” said Xite Product Manager Luc Vleugels. “As hard as we tried to make it a cross-media publishing platform, it wasn’t working, so we rebuilt our pipeline from the ground up. Now, we have our own asset management system and can play-out running with just the Mac Mini and Io XT.”

Xite’s relatively small team of 10 employees combined with their portable setup make the broadcaster agile, enabling them to set up pretty much wherever they can connect to a broadcast network. Their flexible technology infrastructure not only takes up a much smaller footprint but connecting a new channel can now be now completed in mere days. “I can fit a broadcast channel in my suitcase with Io XT and a Mac Mini,” continued Vleugels.

“Before switching to Io XT, we were using an Ultrastudio 3D—we were always concerned with the reliability of that device because it would get really hot. After broadcasting for a couple of weeks with the Io XT we noticed several additional improvements, including more precise operation of the internal clock which is really important when we’re having two systems sync to one another and the performance is great, Vleugels said. “We can serve more channel customers and still take up a very small footprint. The Mac Mini and Io XT are combined in a single rackmount and that’s all we need to run our network. Right now, we have two active channels and two redundant systems as backup only taking up four rack units.”

Xite’s software pipeline includes broadcast server solution ToolsOnAir just: Broadcast suite, which easily integrates with Io XT. Their custom built content management system delivers info to well organized folders on the Mac Mini hard drive, which is scheduled via ToolsOnAir on the timeline, and then Io XT sends the signal to the broadcaster. Xite also developed a fully automated Quartz file that generates the now/next/news and promotional graphics on screen.

“ToolsOnAir and the Io XT are really fun to produce with and more importantly, it all just works,” concluded Vleugels.

About AJA Video Systems, Inc.
Since 1993, AJA Video has been a leading manufacturer of high-quality and cost-effective digital video interface, conversion and Desktop solutions supporting the professional broadcast and post- production markets. With headquarters in Grass Valley, California, AJA maintains an extensive sales channel of dealers and systems integrators around the world. For further information, please see our website www.aja.com.

About Xite
Xite is a fast growing company delivering a complete linear and music video-on-demand (VOD) service on cable and IPTV networks to millions of viewers. With a unique combination of content, technology and cable distribution, Xite is in a pole position in the fast growing VOD market. Xite started broadcasting in The Netherlands in 2008 and in Belgium in 2011. Its headquarters is located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

REGENSDORF, Switzerland – Following the agreement with RTW of Koeln announced in February, HARMAN’s Studer will be showing the RTW TM7 meter implementation in its Vista 9 console at NAB 2012 on booth C2619. The TM7 meter was chosen as it perfectly complements Vistonics(tm), the simple and elegant touchscreen user interface that Vista customers know and love.

The TM7 meter custom presets provide Loudness Metering to EBU R 128 and ITU BS1770, as well as traditional bar graph and moving needle metering to many international standards. This Loudness Meter may be retrofitted to all Vista 9 consoles.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.2 billion for twelve months ending December 31, 2011.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – HARMAN’S Studer is showing its commitment to integration of the Livewire AoIP standard at NAB with the first showing of the D21m interface card that may be used on Vista and OnAir console systems.

Livewire is the broadcast networking system that utilizes Ethernet to provide an easy way to route and share audio and logic throughout the broadcast plant. Under the Livewire Limitless License (L3) introduced this year, Studer is licensed to build a Livewire interface into any or all of its products, allowing instant one-cable connection to Axia networks and products from more than 30 other Livewire hardware and software partners.

“We decided to adopt the Livewire standard from Axia following consultation with many customers on our new product strategy,” said Andy Trott, HARMAN’s Vice President and General Manager of Mixers, Microphones and Headphones (Soundcraft, Studer and AKG). “Studer is embracing a very ‘open standards’ philosophy as we launch more and more broadcast systems and this is the first of many new partnership initiatives that we will be announcing over the next 18 months to provide our customers with increasing flexibility.”

“Axia clients realize that the value of the network isn’t the network itself-it’s the variety of devices the network can connect to,” says Axia President Michael “Catfish” Dosch. “The addition of Studer products to the already-impressive list of broadcast equipment that connects to Livewire underscores just how strongly broadcasters value standards-based networking.”

Other new products from Studer at NAB include the new Studer Vista 1 Compact mixing console, Vista Compact Remote bay, VISTA FX Lexicon engine, RTW TM7 Metering Option for Vista consoles, and integral EMBER control protocol for Vista systems.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.2 billion for twelve months ending December 31, 2011.

Christie®, a leader in simulation projection display and visualization solutions, announced that Indra, the premier IT company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe, has acquired a significant number of the award-winning Christie Matrix StIM™ simulation projection systems to develop three simulators to be used by the British Army and Royal Navy to train their pilots in the use of the new AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopter. The operation was carried out through Ingevideo, a Christie partner in Spain that specializes in simulation. Indra will design and develop the simulators in conjunction with AgustaWestland Limited, one of the world’s main helicopter suppliers.
.
The operation is part of the contract allocated to AgustaWestland by the British Ministry of Defence to design and develop an integrated training solution which includes the construction and equipping of a new modern training center for the AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopter.
.
Christie Matrix StIM, an advanced DLP® projection system based on LED technology, will be used in two simulators with Full Mission Simulator (FMS) movement and one fixed-based Flight Training Device (FTD) flight simulator. LED systems offer enhanced reliability, supportability and maintainability over current technology.
.
“Christie projectors meet the high standards of performance required by these simulators,” explains Juan Andrés García, Indra’s director of Helicopter Simulators. “After extensive prior tests, we chose these projectors because of their features associated with infrared simulation.”
.
The simulators enable the planning of training missions and can be configured to adapt to the specific needs of army and navy pilots. These systems have a 6-degree freedom of movement and reproduce vibrations to ensure that pilots experience the same feelings of acceleration as they would on an actual flight.. They also comply with the Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR-FSTD-H) standards, level D.
.
The systems developed by Indra will be installed in the new training center AgustaWestland is building at Royal Navy Airstation Yeovilton in southwest England that will be the home to the British Army and Royal Navy AW159 Lynx Wildcat squadrons. The training center’s simulators will be commissioned in 2013 for Army aircrew training and one year later for Royal Navy aircrew training.
.
The AW159 is the latest twin-engine multi-role, maritime and utility aircraft developed as a replacement for the extremely successful AgustaWestland Lynx family of helicopters. Designated the Lynx Wildcat by the UK MOD, the AW159 is the multi-role helicopter chosen by the UK to meet maritime attack, surveillance and land reconnaissance requirements.
.
This helicopter has a complete integrated flight software package which includes electro-optical imaging and electronic surveillance measures, as well as a self-defence suite, among others. All these systems are simulated and integrated in the simulators with the goal of providing the most realistic possible training.
.
The process that led Indra to opt for Christie simulation technology was very competitive and demanding, and lasted over one year, a period during which Ingevideo and the Christie Spanish office made various demonstrations for the client, as well as proportioning advice and consultancy services in the design phase and presale technical support.
.
“This is a very important project, not just in terms of the number of units sold, but also because Indra is the most technologically advanced company in Spain and one of the world’s leading IT multinationals, working to extremely high standards of performance,” says Marcos Fernández, Christie Country Manager for Spain and Portugal. “These simulators provide first class training for AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopter crews, ensuring unique realism for the differing conditions pilots can expect.”
.
Miguel Ángel Piqueras, director of Ingevideo, declares: “We are delighted to be taking part in this project, involving such major companies and organizations as Indra, AgustaWestland Limited, Christie and UK MoD. The sheer magnitude of the operation is incredible, probably one of the most important ever undertaken in Spain in the field of infrared military simulation.”
.
The Christie Matrix StIM —a 1-chip WUXGA DLP® 600 lumen LED projector— is the first LED simulation projection system to provide independent control over both the visible and infrared spectrum, thanks to its night vision stimulation capabilities. “It is also the first solid state, LED based illumination system that guarantees extraordinary image quality, exceptionally long life, low power consumption and low cost of ownership,” concludes Marcos Fernández.
.
The Christie Matrix StIM features Christie ArrayLOC™, an innovative technology that automatically adjusts and balances the brightness, colour space and black levels of all the projectors in the display in real-time with no additional latency. The technology creates an exceptionally stable platform that provides the ultimate in scalability, with the LED light source and solid-state technology delivering more than 50,000 hours mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) for years of continuous, virtually maintenance-free operation.

University modernizes its production and post-production studios with EditShare end-to-end tapeless workflows and collaborative storage
 
Boston, MA – April 12, 2012 – EditShare®, the technology leader in cross platform collaborative editing and shared media storage, is pleased to announce that the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) is replacing its existing video and cinema production and post-production facilities with two professional HD television studios and master control room powered by EditShare tapeless workflow solutions; Geevs for ingest and distribution, Flow for asset management, XStream for collaborative storage and Ark for backup and archiving. The new installation provides an integrated workflow, connecting production and post-production systems including the university’s 75 Avids, 50 Final Cut Pros and 30 Adobe Premiere editing workstations. “We have been looking at different video servers – recording, post and archiving – for the last two years and have done our share of testing and visits to local broadcasters like Radio-Canada/CBC and TVA, Télé-Québec, etc. After taking the EditShare solution through its paces, we found that it best suited our needs with regards to teaching, production and research,” says Gilles Boulet, Director of Audiovisual Services, UQAM. “We look forward to forming a strong relationship with EditShare and introducing the next generation filmmakers, journalists and media moguls to the tremendous benefits of working in a tapeless workflow.”
 
Spearheading the tapeless workflow design is EditShare’s Montreal-based business partner INSO. “As an integrator on the project, we worked very closely with EditShare and UQAM, providing project analysis and system integration consultancy,” says Khalid Bouzidi, media sales manager, INSO. “EditShare systems provide tremendous flexibility in terms of workflow integration and media facilitation. Their asset management and collaborative storage platforms are ideal for the unique needs of UQAM.” In addition to customizing the EditShare installation to support the UQAM workflow, INSO is integrating the university’s new media network infrastructure with the existing one to support the new media workflow.
 
Building a Workflow and a Partnership
The effect of the EditShare installation spans beyond the UQAM production facilities, offering immense real-world benefits for the University’s communication students learning to master the tools of the media trade. “We do more than just sell gear to our customers. We build long-standing relationships that help us better understand where customers want to be with regards of their technology and how we can best serve them. However UQAM is a bit different,” says Andy Liebman, founder and president, EditShare. “In partnership with UQAM, we will launch a number of programs including a competition where students can have their work showcased as part of our corporate demo reel that is shown internationally to thousands of broadcasters. This type of partnership allows us to become an important extension of UQAMs prestigious digital media program and work more closely with the next round of up-and-coming digital media stars. It’s a tremendous opportunity and we are thrilled to be moving forward with the relationship.”
 
About UQAM Communications Program
UQAM has the largest faculty of communication and also the largest faculty of art in Canada (number of students, programs and teachers). UQAM teaches and does research in all fields of creativity: dance, music, visual arts, digital arts, theater, art teaching, graphic design, industrial, urban and architectural design, cinema, television, journalism, new and interactive media. All of these fields offer distinct bachelor degrees and a total of 12 Masters and six doctorate degrees.
 
About INSO
Inso Média is an innovative leader in collaborative video production workflows solutions, offering its expertise to fields such as media, entertainment industry, and education. Inso is also offering a wide portfolio of media solutions designed for creative content professionals (broadcasters, video Post-Production, movies, advertising and special effect studios), Inso Média is the largest Apple Final Cut Studio and Editshare workflow integrator in Eastern Canada. Inso Média is a subsidiary of Inso Solutions Informatiques, a long experienced player in the IT industry, founded in 1983 and currently employing 120 people.
 
About EditShare
EditShare is the technology leader in networked shared storage and tapeless, end-to-end workflow solutions for the TV and film industry. Our groundbreaking products improve efficiency and workflow collaboration every step of the way. They include video capture and playout servers, high-performance central shared storage, archiving and backup software, media asset management, and the world’s first 3-platform (Windows, OS X and Linux) professional non-linear video editing application.
 
©2012 EditShare LLC. All rights reserved. EditShare® is a registered trademark of EditShare LLC. All other trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.
 
Press Contact
Janice Dolan
Zazil Media Group
Email: janice(at)zazilmediagroup(dot)com
Tel +1 (617) 817-6595
 
####

Menlo Park, CA – April 2012… Countryman Associates, Inc., the leading innovator of high-quality, miniature microphones, is pleased to introduce the H6 Headset Microphone. Delivering exceptional audio quality, superior moisture resistance, and a secure, comfortable fit, this ultra-low profile microphone makes an outstanding choice for a variety of applications, including theater, broadcast, live music performance, and more. more

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – There are often times when a console operator would like to be able to stand in any place in a venue and change console settings. For HARMAN Studer Vista users, that dream is about to become reality.

At NAB, Studer is unveiling its new Studer(r) Compact Remote Bay, a portable controller hardly larger than a laptop, but containing 12 motorised Penny & Giles faders and 40 rotary controls which link to a 19″ touch-screen running Studer’s Virtual Vista software. This emulates the console’s acclaimed Vistonics(tm) user interface.

As well as remote operation the Compact Remote Bay may also be used to extend the main control surface for a second operator on large shows. It can even be used as a standalone controller for the Vista’s DSP core should the control surface not be available, with the provision of connections for local 5.1 monitoring and a headphone output.
For portability and transit protection, the screen folds down over the control surface.

Other new products from Studer at NAB include the new Studer Vista 1 Compact mixing console, VISTA FX Lexicon engine, RTW TM7 Metering Option for Vista consoles integral EMBER control protocol and an Axia Livewire(tm) AoIP card for the D21m system.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.2 billion for twelve months ending December 31, 2011.

The award-winning Stereo3D CAT™ 3D calibration and analysis software now natively supports 3D input from Blackmagic Design’s UltraStudio 3D or Decklink Extreme 3D.
 
Toronto, Canada – April 11, 2012 – Dashwood Cinema Solutions, developer of award-winning stereoscopic software, is pleased to announce 3D input support for Blackmagic Design‘s UltraStudio 3D and Decklink Extreme 3D devices in the Stereo3D CAT v1.1 software update. When Stereo3D CAT is paired with either device on a Mac, users can monitor, calibrate and analyze real-time stereoscopic 3D feeds from dual-SDI or HDMI1.4a 3D cameras.
 
“Blackmagic Design has set a new standard for affordable, portable, and user-friendly 3D products,” says Tim Dashwood, founder of Dashwood Cinema Solutions. “I really love the idea that anyone with a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac can simply plug in the UltraStudio 3D, patch in a 3D rig or any compatible HDMI1.4a 3D camera, and then monitor or analyze a full-raster live image directly on the screen with Stereo3D CAT. Product integration like this really expands the accessibility of our tools.”
 
“With the advent of 3D we’re doubling up on everything,” says Director of Photography Bert Dunk ASC, CSC. “Cameras, lighting, cables, it just goes up exponentially once you get into working with mirror rigs, so we are always looking for anything that can reduce the size of these on-set items… smaller pieces of gear, smaller tools to work with that can still do the job. I think that Stereo3D CAT running on a small Macbook and an UltraStudio 3D box is the perfect portable solution for that sort of thing.”
 
About Stereo3D CAT™
Designed by stereographers for stereographers, the award-winning Stereo3D CAT system is an indispensable calibration, monitoring, and analysis tool for Mac OS X. Its features include the patent pending Alignment Tracker, Stereo3D Visualizer™, Parallax Inspector™, Parallax Line Guides, Depth Analysis, 3D Monitoring Modes, Stereoscopic Waveform/Vectorscope, Geometry Correction and Logging Meta Data Support. Version 1.1 now also supports large format sensors and IMAX screen sizes. Stereo3D CAT also supports input from QuickTime compatible capture devices in addition to Blackmagic Design’s Decklink Extreme 3D and UltraStudio 3D.
 
Stereo3D CAT™ availability
Stereo3D CAT™ is available now at http://www.dashwood3d.com/stereo3dcat.php. The free version is available for immediate download. For a limited time, licenses purchased online at Dashwood3D.com with the coupon code “NAB2012″ will start at US$999. This offer expires 04/22/12. This offer only applies to Stereo3D CAT licenses and excludes the Dashwood3D Chart.
 
Dashwood will be showcasing Stereo3D CAT in booth C9510 during the NAB 2012 show held in Las Vegas from April 14-19. Dashwood will also be showcasing its entire new product line, including brand new features in its Stereo3D Toolbox plugin for After Effects, Motion and Final Cut Pro.
 
To schedule a press briefing with Tim Dashwood during NAB, please contact Erin Shields – erin(at)dashwood3d(dot)com.
 
Press Kit
A Press Kit with logos, screenshots and photos is available at http://www.dashwood3d.com/Dashwood_Stereo3D_CAT_press_kit.zip
 
About Dashwood Cinema Solutions
A part of the Noise Industries Development Partner Program since 2009, Dashwood Cinema Solutions is the R&D wing of Tim Dashwood’s Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based production company that specializes in stereoscopic pre-visualization, music videos and film production. Dashwood Cinema Solutions’ mandate is to find solutions to common problems in film production and post-production. Its award-winning flagship product, Stereo3D Toolbox™ is utilized by post-production houses around the world for easy stereoscopic 3D mastering on the Mac platform. For more information about Dashwood Cinema Solutions, please go to http://www.Dashwood3D.com.
 
Stereo3D Toolbox, Stereo3D CAT, the Dashwood 3D Chart, and Stereo3D Visualizer are trademarks of Dashwood Cinema Solutions, a division of 11 Motion Pictures Limited. All other trademarks, registered trademarks and products mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.
 
Press Contact:
 
Zazil Media Group
Janice Dolan
(p) +1 617 817 6595
(email) janice(at)zazilmediagroup(dot)com
 
####

View video

Everyone was primed to expect a dramatic announcement from Bell Helicopter at HELI-EXPO 2012 at the Dallas Convention Center. So the large-screen video mapping, which helped unveil the company’s revolutionary new Bell 525 Relentless Super Medium Helicopter, had a lot to live up to.

WorldStage, the new brand for Scharff Weisberg and Video Applications, Inc., was brought on by Global Experience Specialists, the producer of Bell Helicopter’s exhibit and product reveal, to help deliver the impact Bell Helicopter required for the debut. “The launch was on the first day of the show, which was open to the public,” says John Ackerman, Vice President of Systems Integration at WorldStage. “The booth – the biggest at HELI-EXPO – was packed.”

The Bell 525 Relentless was hidden from view on an 80-foot diameter stage masked by a faceted wall that served as the main video-mapping screen. The wall, which tracked the circumference of the stage, was hidden by a curtain.

“The president of Bell Helicopter made opening remarks. Then we rolled video on screens at either side of the booth. At this point, the whole event was locked in time because there was a custom score that played from the top of the video into the reveal,” Ackerman continues.

“We rolled out of the side-screen video, dropped the curtain to reveal the 140-foot main screen/wall video.” WorldStage supplied 12 Christie HD18 video projectors fed by 12 channels of Pandora to map the industrial-themed video onto the wall.

As the video runs, the wall parted on center and rotated around on its track to reveal the dynamically lit Bell 525 Relentless in a shroud of smoke and fog. “The tracking was so good, it was almost as if we had LED walls,” Ackerman reports.

“Since the wall rotated in three-dimensional space the geometry corrections for each projector were different and dynamic. To make it all work we had to know exactly where the wall was in both space and time. We accomplished that via a hardware link from the Pandora system to rotary encoders installed on the winch shafts.”

He recalls seeing Bell employees choke up at the dramatic reveal. “It seemed to have an amazing effect on them. Flying Magazine called it “The Most Spectacular Aviation Product Launch Ever.”