Watermark Community Church Turns to Barco and Clair Brothers for Major AV Expansion

Barco teamed up with Clair Brothers Audio Systems to provide Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas with an upgraded, turnkey video system built around its latest FSN presentation system and FLM HD20 DLP projectors.

When Watermark Community Church decided to relocate to a new, larger facility to accommodate its growing congregation, it seized upon an opportunity to upgrade and expand its audio visual platform with the latest technologies. The church desired a more robust, flexible system featuring today's advanced capabilities in video, audio and lighting.

"In today's houses of worship, media is the stained glass of this generation. In the right hands, these tools enable true craftsman to create an inspiring, engaging environment," commented Gary Stroope, director of worship arts for Watermark Community Church. "Barco's AV platform empowers us with the ability to create beautiful, compelling imagery that communicates with our parishioners on another level to reinforce our messages."

The FSN presentation system provided an extensive show control upgrade, serving as a key element in expanding the church's audio-visual capabilities to create dynamic scenery, presentation support, and other key graphics and video elements. The FSN also handles video content, computer feeds, and a mixture of HD-SDI sources, including broadcast HD cameras to create both IMAG and blended video presentations.

In addition to video processing and switching improvements, the church also boosted its projection quality with Barco's FLM HD20 DLP event projectors. The scenic projections, previously accomplished with LCD panels at XGA resolution, are now shown at full HD resolution using the FLM HD20s in a double-stack configuration to project artistic imagery on the cyclorama. HD proscenium side wall projection and IMAG screens on both sides complete the panoramic display.

"The church really likes to minimize manufacturer spread as far as maintenance is concerned. They were not keen on the feeling of having a car with four different tires on it. The image quality and color is vastly improved now that all projectors have DLP panels. It really streamlines their service and budgeting needs in the sanctuary. We also added projector lifts, which makes service work a breeze," says Seth Morth, senior video engineer, CVE, for Clair Brothers Audio Systems.

"Houses of worship are embracing all that Barco's latest AV technologies have to offer: outstanding projection image quality with HD resolution, ultra-brightness, and excellent contrast, and presentation systems that provide the flexibility, control and ease of use to create compelling presentations with minimal effort," commented Kevin Clarke, managing director of image processing at Barco. "Their investment in Barco technologies will pay off for years to come, as they're able to easily and cost-effectively expand the system's capabilities as their needs grow."