Illuminarium enlists the support of HOLOPLOT, Lightware Visual

SPACE: A JOURNEY TO THE MOON & BEYOND

Illuminarium Experiences enlists the support and expertise of live entertainment technologists to transport audiences from Las Vegas to the outer reaches of the universe.

Words: Jacob Waite Photos: Illuminarium Experiences & TPi

Coined the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’, Las Vegas has a long and storied history of providing unique experiences for live entertainment fans. Take Illuminarium Experiences, for example. Founded in 2019, the US-based creative outfit helps create large-scale experiential entertainment in reprogrammable immersive theatres, dubbed ‘Illuminariums’ by its creators. Amid the revelry of InfoComm 2022, TPi made the Uber ride to Las Vegas’ AREA15 to experience SPACE: A Journey To The Moon & Beyond.

The out-of-this-world immersive experience takes audiences on an expedition across the galaxy in a technicolour nebula of audio-visual content, where attendees can leave digital footprints on the moon, see Saturn’s rings up close, as well as weave their way through an asteroid belt.

HOLOPLOT Senior Application Engineer, Natalia Szczepanczyk, who doubled as a system designer and project manager, explained how coordinating an internal team in Berlin to come up with a bespoke sound design for Illuminarium experiences in Atlanta and Las Vegas, while testing a series of alternative configurations, was key to the success of the entire project. “We are taking a new approach to sound,” she outlined. “Thanks to our 3D Audio-Beamforming capabilities HOLOPLOT technology can control sound in the horizontal and vertical axes. We can precisely locate audio, more akin to light, allowing audiences to dip in and out of sound to personalise their journey. The closest comparison to this are ‘sound showers’, which are ideal for speech, but still band limited. With this project, HOLOPLOT is showing an expansion of immersive audio capabilities across a full spectrum.”

In the build-up to the project, HOLOPLOT performed a sophisticated simulation of the space to decipher how modules would work in terms of coverage, spatial performance, and the localisation of sound. “Ultimately, our goal is to seamlessly integrate the sound with the visuals,” Szczepanczyk remarked.

To this end, 49 HOLOPLOT MD96 modules, 10 MD80-S modules and two HOLOPLOT controllers (one for redundancy) were specified among Chapter 1 and 2 rooms. All audio modules are hidden behind specially designed micro-perforated wall panels.

Thanks to X1’s sophisticated optimisation algorithms, any transmission loss is compensated for, resulting in full range sound without colouration and a completely unobstructed visual projection surface. “There are specific audio zones, so every visitor can enjoy a slightly different and unique experience. What one person hears in one spot is completely different to another location,” Szczepanczyk said, highlighting the ‘sonic easter eggs’ hidden around the venue, enabled via X1’s 3D Audio-Beamforming capabilities.

“The scale on which the Illuminarium project has combined audio and visual is incredible,” Szczepanczyk enthused. “HOLOPLOT technology is adding a new dimension to what’s possible in spatial audio today.”

Among the key looks during TPi’s visit was a shower of meteorites, where audiences were encouraged to step on floating meteorites to crack them open, backed with sound effects and vibrations which were felt upon impact. This, and many other gags, were made possible by a raft of technology, including 145 Powersoft Inertial Drive Mover transducers buried beneath the floors of the exhibition and 10 Quattrocanali 4804 DSP+D amplifiers, 46 Panasonic PT-RQ50k projectors, with 18 disguise vx 4 media servers and 45 disguise

New HyperDeck Shuttle HD

The desktop HyperDeck that’s the perfect live production clip player and master recorder!

HyperDeck Shuttle HD is a recorder and player that’s designed to be used on the desktop! That means it’s more than a master recorder as it can also be used as a clip player. You get support for ProRes, DNx and H.264 files in NTSC, PAL, 720p and 1080p video formats. Plus SD cards, UHS-II cards and USB-C external disks can be used for recording and playing media.

Supports SD Cards and UHS-II Cards

HyperDeck Shuttle supports recording to common SD cards and UHS-II cards so you don’t need expensive custom media. When using H.264, the files are so incredibly small you get very long recordings even on smaller low cost cards. This means you can record up to 157 hours of H.264 in 1080p59.94 on a 1 TB card. That’s over 6 days of recording in HD using a single 1 TB card!

Elegantly Designed Professional Broadcast Deck

HyperDeck Shuttle HD is perfectly designed for the desktop.This means the front panel can be operated with a single hand! The design is the same depth and angle as ATEM Mini Extreme, so they match perfectly when used together! Scrolling media is fast as the machined metal search dial has a natural inertia, and the soft rubber surface feels nice to the touch.

Traditional Broadcast Deck Controls

HyperDeck Shuttle includes a control panel that’s very fast to use. The buttons are similar to a traditional broadcast deck. Simply press the record button and you instantly start recording the video input to a file! It will record in the file format that has been set in the record menu. There are other buttons for playback, to cue to the start of the clip and to move to the next clip.

Record to External USB-C Media Disks

If recording to other types of media is required, the USB-C expansion port lets you plug in an external flash disk for recording. USB-C flash disks have unlimited capacity because they can be physically larger than an SD card or SSD. Plus, it’s even possible to record to a disk you’ll use for editing, so you don’t need to waste time copying files before starting post production.

HyperDeck Shuttle HD £439

rx render nodes powering visuals alongside Lightware UBEX video distribution technology.

Commenting on the use of Movers at Illuminarium, Powersoft US General Manager, Tom Knesel said: “Mover was engineered to provide the best and most realistic immersive experience to users. We are incredibly proud to be providing our patented haptic infrasound technology to help reproduce realistic sensations for visitors in what is set to be the next generation of entertainment venues.”

When Illuminarium began its pursuit for an AV-over-IP video distribution solution, Lightware was top of its list.

“Illuminarium is a total experience that touches all the senses. Lightware’s UBEX video distribution technology makes it possible to create an infinite video landscape that covers every surface of the venue and provides seamless instant switching for ultimate flexibility and reliability,” explained Steve Samson, Vice President of Lightware Visual Engineering. There were several must-have features and qualities that Brian Allen, VP at Illuminarium, was looking for.

“First and foremost, the solution had to be able to handle uncompressed video signals since any loss in quality would have jeopardised the overall visual experience,” Samson explained.

UBEX allows for signal extension at 4K UHD at 60 hertz (4:4:4) using packet-based transmission. It can simultaneously transmit and receive content with deep-colour streams and multi-channel audio. “UBEX was the clear winner with its uncompressed signal management capabilities,” remarked Samson.

The lack of latency was another important feature. UBEX delivers Zero Frame Latency, which is less than 0.1ms – undetectable for the human eye – which was also crucial to achieve the immersive experience. “UBEX enabled us to push the boundaries of technology and innovation by delivering truly uncompressed content without any degradation at all in our signal from the camera, playback and projector,” Samson reported. “We decided to integrate UBEX because of the lossless quality, incredible flexibility and reliable video routing it offers.”

Alan Greenberg, CEO of Illuminarium Experiences, concluded: “Through this collective team of best-in-class partners, we are ultimately building a new media model to support Illuminarium’s completely unprecedented experiences and spectacles. This format is so exciting because it creates endless opportunities for content creators and makers who want to push the boundaries of technology and media experiences.” www.illuminarium.com www.holoplot.com www.lightware.com www.powersoft.com