"Live Christmas Card Display Staged at Queen's Hotel Through Hippotizer Technology"
Lights, Cameras, Christmas Magic! The Queens Hotel Transformation in Leeds
Step into a heartwarming Christmas tale as it comes to life at The Queens Hotel in Leeds, beautifully projected onto the building's facade. The festive animation, "To Leeds, With Love," has been made possible by LeedsBID (Leeds Business Improvement District) using tvONE's own brand of Hippotizer Media Servers, the Karst+ MK2.
This captivating reinterpretation of the classic "12 Days of Christmas" melody stars a mischievous gingerbread man who sets out on an adventure to deck the halls for a jolly holiday bash.
Rediscover the Magic of Projection with Hippotizer Karst+ MK2
Are you ready to dive into the magic of architectural projection mapping? Two Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 Media Servers are putting on a visual spectacle at the historic Queens Hotel, with help from seven Panasonic projectors. Two 7.5-meter tall towers, situated in Leeds' City Square in front of the hotel, are home to these projectors – five RQ50K, one RQ25K, and one RZ21K, with one extra RQ50K backup nearby as a safety measure. This is the second year in a row that the hotel has been adorned with projection mapping artwork, illuminating the city and drawing in an estimated 200,000 spectators in 2023.
Tech Magic Behind the Scenes
Pro Audio Systems (PAS) was chosen to spearhead the installation's technical aspects, coordinating and providing all technical equipment. Motion Mapping supplied the Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 Media Servers – one active and one backup – for the installation. "The Karst+ MK2 Media Servers offered more than enough power and outputs for this installation despite their compact size, allowing us to fit into the small on-site control cabin," shared Chris Beardwell from PAS.
PAS figured out the specifications, supplies, and installation of every technical component, including the projectors, networking, playback, and control, alongside a substantial audio system. The team ensured the content was seamlessly projected onto the "canvas" of The Queens Hotel to achieve maximum coverage and optimal brightness.
Designing the Perfect Picture
Laser mapping specialists from Autoplot were brought in to accurately model The Queens Hotel, which was shared with the content creators to enable optimal design of the content. "Using the provided laser scan and the subsequently produced model, we were able to use Green Hippo's SHAPE software to predict the projectors' positioning, coverage, and blend areas before we got to site," said Beardwell.
Thanks to SHAPE, the projectors were precisely aligned, allowing for a flawless display of the animation. "SHAPE's flexibility enabled us to solve any potential issues with the model, projector placement, or unforeseen changes using its advanced feature set," explained Beardwell. "We programmed the servers to play back the content via various presets and to accept external show control triggers using Multicontroller."
Unstoppable Reliability with Karst+ MK2
Beardwell couldn't praise the reliability of the Karst+ MK2 Media Servers enough. "During the entire installation, the servers never faltered. They were on 24/7 for the duration and had to be incredibly flexible with their deployment while remaining reliable throughout," Beardwell shared. In short, the Karst+ MK2 Media Servers were the ideal solution for delivering a breathtaking, precisely mapped video presentation on a grand scale.
You're just one click away from witnessing the beauty of "To Leeds, With Love." Keep your eyes peeled for the magic as it unfolds on The Queens Hotel's facade this holiday season.
[1] Single-source, real-time pixel mapping and synchronization[2] Advanced video processing capabilities for complex projections[3] High-resolution, multi-stream output support for extensive projection setups[4] Flexible feature set to handle various projector arrangements and on-site adjustments[5] Synchronization (via Genlock) for seamless playback across multiple outputs needed for wide-scale projections[6] Reliable and compact design, ideal for installation in limited spaces[7] Advanced programming, preset, and external show control options for easy content management and accurate alignment.
Explore the synergy of technology and business as Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 Media Servers, renowned for their advanced features, seamlessly coordinate the projection of 'To Leeds, With Love' onto the Queens Hotel, employing cutting-edge gadgets such as Panasonic projectors.
Tech enthusiasts can appreciate the significance of Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 in this project, demonstrating its remarkable capabilities in architectural projection mapping, real-time pixel mapping, and synchronization, as well as its support for high-resolution, multi-stream output for complex projections.
