41 BrightSign solid-state controllers were used to deliver an exciting multimedia experience for the massive Abu Dhabi city model and three other related models at the recent Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2010 exhibition.
Measuring 43’ x 13’ (23m x 17m), the Abu Dhabi model uses 20 synchronised BrightSign media players to illustrate the government Urban Planning Council’s (UPC’s) vision of what the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will look like in 2030.
At a scale of 1:2,000 to show significant details of existing landmarks, standard resolution images spread over such a large area would have looked extremely pixellated, so ultra-high resolution movie masters were created. The footage was then subdivided into 16 1,024 x 768 pixel rectangles delivered to 16 ceiling-mounted projectors by 16 separate BrightSign HD210 media players running in sync. Three more BrightSign HD210 players provided the video images for the custom-made, 36’ screen at one end of the model, and a BrightSign HD1010 player delivered the sound tracks in English and Arabic and was designated as the master to the other players which were synchronised.
Designed and installed by London-based visual communication specialist GHA Group, the technology for the displays that bring the model to life was the culmination of more than two years of development work.
According to Roddy Gye, Managing Director of GHA, a solid-state BrightSign network-enabled HD1010 was selected as the master player and 19 HD210s as slaves because they were easy to synchronise. The BrightSign controllers were supplied by UK distributor Pixels UK who wrote and supplied network synchronisation and control program scripts for the BrightSign players.
GHA also engineered BrightSign-driven multimedia systems for three other Abu Dhabi models at the exhibit. Sorouh Real Estate, UAE’s leading property developer, featured a horizontal twelve-screen video wall which acted as the base for an architectural model of the new Lulu Island Resort off the coast of Abu Dhabi. For the display, 12 synchronised BrightSign media players ran a series of ultra-high resolution programs, each triggered by innovative invisible touch buttons built into the model surround. The TDIC, a master developer of major tourism destinations in Abu Dhabi, included two models in its stand which also incorporated video walls. Here, a total of nine BrightSign media players were used to deliver synchronised HD video to nine borderless monitors.
