The Papalote Children's Museum renews its projection with Panasonic

On this occasion, the PT-RZ12K model has been chosen to update the eight projectors that give life to the large immersive screen of the Domodigital Citibanamex.

The Domodigital Citibanamex is one of the biggest attractions in the Papalote Children's Museum, an area dedicated to children's learning and entertainment through play, located in the Chapultepec Forest (Mexico). On the gigantic hemispherical screen of the Domodigital Citibanamex, films and programs are projected that transport children to knowledge of the planet and the universe itself..

Thirteen years after its inauguration, the Dome renovated, for the second time, the projectors in charge of giving life to the screen that produces the admiration of children and adults. Y, just like in the first technological update, Panasonic was the chosen brand and the PT-RZ12K was the selected model.

Using this equipment, the eight projectors that make up the enormous and enveloping Domodigital Citibanamex screen were changed.. The PT-RZ12K has a laser light source and DLP technology of 3 chips, allowing for high video quality and luminosity, as well as lower energy consumption and continuous operation, maintenance free, during 20.000 hours. This means four years of uninterrupted operation with an average of 3.000 annual functions.

Upon entering Domodigital Citibanamex, visitors find a hemispherical screen of 23 meters in diameter and 13 meters high, offering a field of vision of 360 degrees. To evenly cover the entire screen, Eight Panasonic PT-RZ12K projectors with a resolution of 1,920 are used×1.200 pixels and a video management system known as DigiStar 5, the reference digital platform for domes, planetariums and giant screens.

Six projectors cover the surrounding ring and two more cover the zenith.. The dome has a capacity for 269 people seated and six more in wheelchairs.

"In 2011 we did the first renovation and, at the time, We changed suppliers and went from using nine projectors from a European firm to only eight, all from Panasonic. We selected them because their luminosity and the use of lenses, much more advanced and with a greater angle, allowed us to reduce the number of teams. But beyond that, we gain in reliability, image quality and service, “key points for systems that operate for a minimum of ten hours every day of the year”, says engineer Jorge Hernández, manager of Mega Screen and Domodigital within Papalote Museo del Niño.

Panasonic projectors from the first renovation project, also DLP technology 3 chips, they used dual UHM lamps (High Mercury Discharge) with a luminosity of 10.000 lumens and a maximum lifespan of about 3.000 hours.

Those that have just been installed offer a luminosity of up to 12.000 lumens and assured operation of 20.000 hours. When using a laser light source, with Solid Shine technology, There is no change of lamps and they do not suffer from the possible entry of dust, in addition to operating at a lower temperature and not getting hot, which translates into energy savings and use of air conditioning.

“In addition we have gained luminous density, Projection and screen combination meets or exceeds standard commercial theater brightness. Another notable benefit with the switch to laser projectors was the increase in contrast, that we can appreciate with the depth and purity of the 'blacks'. With previous projectors we always had a grayish tone, because there was a trace of light that, no matter how small (by the use of conventional light source), prevented the precise reproduction of the 'blacks', adds Jorge Hernandez.

The projectors are connected one by one through a ring of HD-SDI optical digital connections and the video signal is sent through interfaces, that remains stable, free of any degradation.

Regarding the benefits of daily operation, Engineer Hernández points to the reduction of heat and ease in daily adjustment. “We forgot to change the lamps, an expensive process that had to be very well programmed so as not to affect the calendar of functions. Besides, The operating temperature has decreased and this makes the equipment work better and its functional life is longer.. On the other hand, Our daily parameter review and adjustment routine has been simplified, since these projectors are more robust and resistant to possible imbalances due to the vibration generated by earthquakes or the sound of the subwoofers used in the Dome.. Even so, “Every day we calibrate the geometry and review the blending”.

Panasonic PT-RZ12K projectors feature electronic Edge Blending adjustment, which allows the mixing of contours between adjacent screens and luminance control so that there are no differences in brightness and homogeneity is achieved.

Color Matching feature corrects small variations in the color reproduction range of individual projectors.

One of the advantages of Panasonic software is that it allows you to perform color adjustment and uniformity correction on a single projector and apply those same parameters to the other projectors in the chain.. Only minimal variations should be made, eliminating the need to calibrate projectors one by one, which saves time of Papalote's technical staff.

“On a curved or spherical screen there will always be a tendency for hotspots to appear (points with greater luminosity). Panasonic software has helped us reduce them drastically and not just in terms of brightness, but in nuance and color", explains Jorge Hernández.

Regarding the sound, The audiovisual experience of the Domodigital Citibanamex is completed with a surround system of 5.1 canales, Composed of thirty full-range speakers, plus eight subwoofers.

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