Eye Filmmuseum upgrades its AV system with Taurus Lightware

The central component of the new system is Taurus TPX transmitters and receivers from Lightware (UCX-2×1-TPX-TX20 and UCX-3×3-TPX-RX20), that manage video distribution between source devices and projectors in the four auditoriums.

He Eye Film Museum is the main film museum of the Netherlands and offers a wide variety of experiences, from classic film screenings to cultural exhibitions.

With four auditoriums and a team of highly qualified projectionists, It works as a film archive and as a movie theater. Recently, The venue carried out a complete update of its audiovisual infrastructure in the four public screening rooms, directed by Toon Bouman, director of operations, y Yorrick de Nooijer, independent video engineer who installed the above system in 2011.

“The existing audiovisual system had reached the end of its useful life, after having been installed almost 15 years", afirma de Nooijer. “Eye invested in new 4K projectors from Christie for the four auditoriums and, therefore, “I needed a modern signal infrastructure compatible with the latest technologies and with ultra HD compatibility”.

The previous system had expanded over the years and its complexity had increased. The upgrade project represented an opportunity to design a modern system from the ground up and standardize and optimize behind-the-scenes operations..

The key objectives of the upgrade project were to integrate the 4K60 ultra HD video support in all auditoriums, create a audiovisual infrastructure coherent and modular in all projection rooms, unify signal management for both old analog and new digital content, and implement a new system that is forward-thinking and scalable according to needs.

Lightware's Taurus product line formed the core of the new audiovisual system.

With the transition to 4K UHD content and the new ones christie projectors, The Eye team needed a solution that could manage high bandwidth video, legacy formats and a signal routing complex in multiple auditoriums.

The central component of the new system is the Lightware Taurus TPX Transmitters and Receivers (UCX-2×1-TPX-TX20 and UCX-3×3-TPX-RX20), that manage video distribution between source devices and projectors in the four auditoriums.

In larger or more demanding show setups, he UCX-4×3-TPX-TX20 provides additional input/output capacity and greater flexibility to manage speaker content, Return video signals and technician monitors.

For even more flexible signal extension, are also used HDMI point-to-point extenders-TPX-TX106 and the HDMI-TPX-RX107A-SR scaling receivers de Lightware. This versatility is essential, as scaling receivers ensure compatibility with various input resolutions and legacy devices. Taurus TPX 2 units×1 located on the stage allow presenters to connect a single cable that supplies audio, video, network and power to your devices.

“Lightware supports multiple control interfaces: hardware buttons via GPIO, playlist-based automation and a customizable web interface”, explains Bouman. “With this option, our projectionists can respond quickly and ensure maximum fluidity in transitions between events. Besides, “We have verified that the new system reduces the training time of operators”.

The four auditoriums now have a uniform technological standard, with the ability to manage live events, screenings of old analogue films or lectures with flexibility.

New infrastructure can adapt to future needs without the need for a complete redesign, while support for video signal scaling and conversion supports all types of content, from black and white movies to the latest ultra HD images.

“En Eye Film Museum, “We do a lot of different things.”, continuúa de Nooijer. “For example, we usually use dual projection, with digital subtitles on analog film, or switching from a Blu-ray to a presenter's slideshow on the fly. This was a custom integration, designed and implemented in collaboration with the systems integrator BeamSystems. The flexibility we found in Lightware products allowed us to develop something truly unique ourselves”.