Lightware MX2 manages the annual Teatru Astra opera with Mad About Video

The annual opera of this Malta theater has trusted the MX2 system of Lightware for reliable distribution of video projection signals, players and network, composed of Mad About Video.

The annual opera Astra Theatre from the island of Gozo (Malta) It has become one of the usual projects Mad About Video, local specialist who has been supporting this production for more than a decade, known for its ambitious staging and large format video integration.

For this year's representation of Tosca, de Puccini, Mad About Video supplied four high-brightness projectors Epson, of multimedia servers Disguise, one functioning as the main playback system and the other as a backup, with signal management by the sistema MX2 de Lightware, along with their OPTJ extenders for long distance transmission.

“We are a professional video company specialized in providing services for live events. Over time, “We have also opted for permanent and semi-permanent video installations”, explains Gerald Agius Ordway, director de Mad About Video.

This company's association with Lightware began in 2014 and “I have used your products ever since.”. "He is a trusted partner," he adds.. We have been doing this program for more than ten years: we provide the projectors, We create all the video content and their MX2 system takes care of the signal transmission”.

The creative brief for the opera required a full background projection that covered the entire back wall of the stage, along with other additional front-end equipment to overlay textures and materials and create artistic effects stunning, with the creation of all video content by Mad About Video.

The system design is based on a Lightware MX2 8 matrix switch×8 HDMI20-L and another 4K60 4:4:4 compact and high performance that allows the routing between media servers and projectors, while maintaining impeccable image quality.

They are HDMI support 2.0, Fast switching and advanced signal diagnostics give Mad About Video the precise control needed for a live production environment, where visual signals must be activated without delay and with a ultra low latency.

For long distance transmissions, The equipment uses the optical transmit and receive extenders HDMI20-OPTJ-TX90 y RX90 de Lightware, a fiber optic solution very stable and capable of carrying 4K60 signals 4:4:4 uncompressed distances up to 1.200 metros.

This ability for robust long-distance transmission has been crucial for this project., since he FOH checkpoint is located about 35 meters from the stage and the wiring extends far beyond. This same backbone is also used to power an additional projector, dedicated to opera subtitles.

As Ordway points out, “the cable route is very long. Normally, we need 120 meters to reach the location, but in this configuration we use more than 150 meters of fiber. “Lightware OPTJ units manage signal transmission perfectly”.

Mad About Video highlights the continued evolution of Lightware products, like the recent update of the support for 5K resolutions “which will be increasingly relevant to us. As installations become more complex and our work in museums demands higher resolution displays, “It will be crucial to have products compatible with these higher resolutions”, concludes.