IBM shows the world its research in an innovative Radiance Led video wall

The main auditorium of the iconic Thomas J Research Centre. Watson, in New York State, has this high performance and resolution solution from Digital Projection, as part of the project carried out in collaboration with HB Communications.

Developed over many years, The reputation of great brands forms the core of their identity and helps shape the company's values.. With this vision, When the American technology multinational IBM wanted to update the screen of the main auditorium of the Thomas J Research Centre. Watson (in Yorktown Heights, New York) looked for a solution that lived up to quality and performance.

This North American multinational has been a pioneer in the scientific advances of many promising and revolutionary technologies. In this sense, The manufacturer is credited with creating the first personal computer, as well as the first hard drive; the development of magnetic stripes for credit cards and the practice of barcode scanning, among others.

currently, IBM is leading research in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, technology blockchain and quantum computing, starring Watson, The set of services, Enterprise AI applications and tools.

At the heart of these innovations is the Thomas J Research Center.. Watson: the headquarters of IBM's research division, in which its researchers and experts often have to present their conclusions in executive meetings and close contracts with clients..

These meetings are held in a modern auditorium, with the capacity to 240 seats, work of neofuturist industrial designer Eero Saarinen, that now has a videowall Radiance Led Digital Projection as the main screen.

Until now, the screen technology they used in the auditorium was based on a Titan projector from the Pro series., also from the manufacturer Digital Projection, with a motorized display.

With the aim of improving the visualization by visitors and potential customers and offering them an improved experience during presentations, the update of the system involved the option of direct vision Led technology to create a brighter presentation space, richer in colors and more dynamic.

Digital Projection's modular Radiance LED solution has been the answer to these requirements, In addition to offering ultra high resolution (until 8.000 Pixels) and a homogeneous image throughout the front wall of the auditorium.

To achieve the desired resolution and ensure an optimal visual experience from all seats in the auditorium, the Radiance Led model of the Performance series was chosen., of 1,2 pixel pitch mm, Designed for quick and easy maintenance from the front.

Your installation only needs a few centimeters deep, so it required very few modifications to the infrastructure of the auditorium wall.. The current Led screen panels fit perfectly in the place where the original wooden ones were installed.

The final result of the project is that the auditorium has a large dynamic and immersive Led screen, of 10 meters wide by 5 high, Installed to fit a fairly architecturally curved wall, which was important for the innovative aesthetics of this space.

In collaboration with HB Communications, Digital Projection provided the design engineering and installation of the curved wall, ensuring a successful deployment of this huge screen of a 8.000 resolution pixels.

For Lorraine Herger, former director of integrated research solutions at IBM: "We believe that real progress is achieved when companies, governments, Academic institutions and other stakeholders work together to leverage different points of view and knowledge. Our intention was to provide a stunning image, that left the audience 'speechless' and that the presentations were more memorable. The full-screen image is surprisingly real and leaves audiences shocked.".

Ingenious solution

In collaboration with HB Communications, a new state-of-the-art presentation and production system was developed to complement the high-resolution Led videowall.

Tim Hutton, HB Communications Senior Account Executive, He explains that "we included a premium multilayer switch without crackdowns of Analog Way, The routing system Ross Video Sdi, the network's AV encoding/decoding system Crestron NVX, MXA910 beamforming ceiling microphones from Shure, The surround sound speaker system Meyer Sound and high-definition PTZ camera systems Panasonic, to name a few".

As for the design of the room, Hutton points out that "one of the main challenges of this application was to meet the technological requirements of the client and, at the same time, preserve the architectural integrity of the auditorium. The front wall consisted of wooden panels that IBM wanted to conserve., so an ingenious solution was needed.".

To achieve this, multiple high-resolution images of the front wall were taken and combined into a single background image that perfectly emulated the wooden panels when projected on the Radiance Led videowall.

"Digital Projection was contracted from the beginning of the project until its completion.. Its engineering and sales teams worked in perfect harmony with HB Communications and IBM on the design., structural requirements, the installation and commissioning of the system to make this impressive installation possible", says Hutton.

When the installation was complete, guests and IBM staff were, As this executive points out "stunned. During our opening event we showed a high definition image of our original wall in the Led and our community 'Did not notice' that the original had been removed and replaced with an image. The colors, the brightness, The clarity and depth of vision that can be achieved are incredible!".

The Radiance Led videowall "made our vision come true," he says., with image quality that exceeded our most demanding expectations. We were very impressed and grateful with the level of dedication and meticulousness shown by the installation team of Digital Projection International to provide us with this wonderful Led experience".

It is not the first time that 'the blue giant' relies on the audiovisual technology of Digital Projection, as already advanced Digital AV, when he made a few months ago the presentation at his headquarters in New York of Quantum, IBM's first scientific and commercial quantum computer.

Other articles on Analog Way, Thomas J Watson Research Center, Digital Projection, HB Communications, IBM