The Aquarium of the Pacific offers 'cinematic content' with Christie's RGB laser technology

A pure laser RGB projector has been installed in the Honda Pacific Visions Theater auditorium to display a wide range of content, such as films compatible with DCI standards and material developed in the aquarium itself.

The auditorium Honda Pacific Visions Theater, central piece of the expansion undertaken in 2019 for him Aquarium of the Pacific (Aquarium of the Pacific) has recently been fitted with a projector Christie Pure Laser RGB.

with the new CP4330-RGB, The aquarium can show a wide range of content including films compatible with DCI standards and material developed in-house.

Located in Long Beach (California), It is the largest aquarium in Southern California and the fourth in the United States. It is a non-profit facility, that welcomes 12.000 animals and more than a hundred exhibition spaces that pay tribute to the inhabitants and ecosystems of the Pacific Ocean.

In 2019, Pacific Visions opened (See more information about this project at Digital AV), an expansion of almost 9.000 square meters and two floors, which houses an art gallery, a first room to guide the viewer, another final that completes the visit with more in-depth information and the Honda Pacific Visions Theater auditorium.

With a capacity of 300 seats, The auditorium is equipped with an immersive screen with a 180º arc curvature, and dimensions of 40 meters wide by 10 high. An inclined disk of 9,1 meters in diameter rises from the ground to expand the projection surface.

“The objective of that design - explains Fahria Qader, directora de Pacific Visions and Architecture del Aquarium- was to create a unique platform, with high-resolution images and effects to address the most pressing environmental issues of our time with film content. To complete the uses of the auditorium we also wanted to project cinematographic content, something we had done before in a smaller room.

At the beginning of 2020, the Aquarium contacted Associates in Media Engineering (AME) with the aim of entrusting them with the design and search for the best audiovisual solution for the auditorium.

Taking advantage of the immersive screen

The aquarium specified the requirements that the new projection system must have: optimal use of the immersive screen, implementing a sound reduction system for the projector and ensuring it was kept hidden when not in use.

“In recent years we have seen, in very diverse installations, a growing interest in integrating cinematographic content into spaces that were not initially designed for film exhibition; I'm talking about audiences of many types., in museums, presentation rooms, theaters, etc”, explains Benjamin Kidwell Lein, top executive of AME.

For the aquarium, AME opted for a Christie CP4330-RGB pure laser cinema projector. With CineLife electronics and Real lighting system|Laser, It is a compact all-in-one projector. 28.000 power lumens, compatible with DCI standards, optimal image quality and long operational life, but with a low cost of ownership.

After verifying the impossibility of placing the projector inside a booth, AME chose to integrate him into the public, which was not easy.

“That circumstance forced us to cover the projector in some way, to dampen operating noise. We recommend a silent enclosure, manufactured by the outdoor enclosure company Tempest. It soon became clear that this type of setup was not going to harmonize with the clean-lined design of the auditorium.. So, It occurred to us that the projector and its enclosure could be suspended from the ceiling when it was not in use., and return to its projection position with the help of an articulated lift.", Aclara line.

“4D effects that, together with the vibration of the seats and the pronounced inclination of the stands, reinforce the immersive effect of the projection”, explain Qader. “We look forward to the public premiere of the new projection system. Having a system like this will allow us, in addition to showing films created specifically for our audience, project other types of films”.