Christie helps highlight Naval Academy history
- Details
The centre includes the new Akerson Theatre, a 180° immersive theatre that uses a suite of Christie products, including HS Series projectors, Spyder X20, Mystique and Pandoras Box, and is designed to help inform visitors, prospective midshipmen and their families about opportunities at the school.
The Naval Academy Athletic Association (NAAA) engaged Dimensional Innovations to design, integrate and provide content for the centre and the Akerson Theatre. The project began in 2017 and was originally conceived as a visitors’ centre, but says Drew Berst, executive director, Dimensional Innovations, “The Centre was really about what it meant to be a midshipman student-athlete - the academics, and the physicality of it. The NAAA wanted a space to celebrate the accomplishments of its intercollegiate athletics department, and do it in a way that was interactive and state-of-the-art.”
Brian Silvey, creative director - interactive technology, Dimensional Innovations, says: “The Academy considered what made them stand out amongst other schools, and one of those things was being timeless. And for us, one of the ways to do that is to integrate technology throughout the space.”
For the Akerson Theater, Dimensional Innovations began with a 3D model and worked with Christie to determine the AV requirements. They selected six Christie D20WU-HS 20,000 lumen 1DLP laser projectors, a Pandoras Box Server, a Spyder X20 multi-windowing processor and Christie Mystique to provide automated camera-based alignment and recalibration of the projectors.
The system allows the NAAA to use the theatre for presentations, review game footage, or watch a movie. Says Silvey of the Christie Spyder X20, “The Spyder takes inputs from the podium at the front of the theatre; two Navy-owned computers used for presentations; a Blu-Ray player; and three more inputs from a computer displaying a feed from the camera we placed on the roof overlooking the bay.” While the Pandoras Box Server ensures that the playback from the projectors is in sync and coordinates with the 7.1 surround sound audio system.
The projectors are enclosed in a sound-proofed ceiling cloud, which can lower to allow for maintenance, and they are warped, blended and aligned using Christie Mystique. Says Silvey of the choice to use HS Series, “The image and colour look incredible - this projector was recommended to us because it fit within our budget and required specs to create a full screen blend.”
The Naval Academy Athletic Association is very happy with the installation. Silvey adds: “The customer was ecstatic. This is just a very special project for them and the donors. You could see a level of emotion and excitement with the NAAA.”
“The Akerson Theatre is a fantastic resource for current and prospective students and teams,” says Larry Howard, senior director of sales, entertainment, Christie. “The Naval Academy Athletic Association has set a new benchmark in recruitment, and we’re thrilled to have worked with Dimensional Innovations to bring this project to fruition.”
