Egyptian technology company Horizon for Trading & Contracting staged its first sound and light show for tourists visiting the Pyramids of Giza in 2002: the company now presents five such spectaculars at key temples along the River Nile, and its most ambitious integrated show to date has opened recently at the Temple of Horus. The show features large scale projection from four Christie Roadster S+20K 3-chip DLP projectors, delivering an image over a distance of 70m onto the main gate.
The installation sees two Roadster S+20Ks stacked, with the lamps run at 60% of their power, providing not only energy efficiency but also full redundancy. These are mounted on pylons 70ft from the ground, and encased in two 2m x 2m temperature controlled cabinets.
The hazards of dust, sand and heat — the three enemies of working outdoors in the desert — have been countered by these air-conditioned, sealed cabinets in which the four projectors reside, since during the daytime (when the projectors are in storage) temperatures can soar to 45°C.
Footage for the show is recorded on digital media, with speech and music updated regularly, and is fed over fibre optic to the projectors from an AV Stumpfl media player running Wings Platinum 4 software. The show control also sends DMX signals to the lighting, which includes Martin Pro and Griven heads while the soundtrack is delivered through a Meyer sound system.
Equipped with multi-lingual headsets, up to 1,000 people attend the three nightly shows, which offer a different dimension to the daytime guided tours.
