Lightware’s MX2 matrix switcher provided the signal management backbone for the recent annual opera production at Teatru Astra in Gozo, Malta, with local video specialist Mad About Video deploying a system that also included Epson projectors and Disguise media servers for a staging of Puccini’s Tosca.
The production required a complete background projection covering the full upstage wall, complemented by a front projector used to layer textures and visual effects. Mad About Video supplied four Epson projectors and two Disguise media servers, one as the main playback system and one as backup, with the Lightware MX2 handling all signal routing between the servers and projectors.
The system centred on a Lightware MX2-8×8-HDMI20-L matrix switcher, a compact 4K60 4:4:4 unit designed to support precise routing with fast switching and low latency — described by the company as suited to live production environments where visual cues must be triggered without delay.
For long-distance transmission, Mad About Video used Lightware’s HDMI20-OPTJ-TX90 and RX90 optical extenders, which are designed to carry uncompressed 4K60 4:4:4 signals over distances of up to 1,200m. In this installation, cable runs of over 150m were required between the front-of-house position and the stage. The same signal chain also fed a separate projector handling the opera’s subtitles.
Mad About Video has used Lightware equipment since 2014 and has supported the Teatru Astra opera production for more than a decade.
Gerald Agius Ordway, director at Mad About Video, said: “When we formed the company, we used to rent equipment from Italy, and it was there that I saw my first Lightware matrix switcher. I experienced the amazing performance of the product, and I have used Lightware ever since.”
Ordway added: “Lightware has always been our go-to for signal management. Their products just work, the Lightware team supports us, and we’ve been confident using their solutions since the beginning.”
