PRG Supplies Gear for Opening Ceremonies of Asian Winter Games

The Russia-based Igor Krutoy Group of Companies provided creative direction for the opening ceremonies of the 2011 Asian Winter Games, whose motto was "Unity of Purpose, Unity of Spirit." Production designer Alexei Sechenov and lighting designer Yuriy Krasilnikov envisioned a complex immersive video environment as the primary visual element of the ceremonies, which were held in Kazakhstan. Production Resource Group, L.L.C. (PRG), working closely with Moscow-based Lightmaster, supplied a large lighting package, key components of the video package, and the crew required to execute the design.

The video imagery appeared on over 10,000 sq. m. of LED screens, including 1,000 sq. m. of PRG's 30mm LED panel, which made up a showpiece consisting of four concentric rings that could be reconfigured from chandelier-style screens to a series of floor-based screens resembling a tiered cake. To manage the immense amount of video content, PRG provided a system of 32 Mbox EXtreme media servers. The Mbox ensured correct pixel placement of the content on the multiple moving screens. Sixteen servers were used for the main system, with the additional sixteen servers providing a completely redundant back-up system.

Two features found in the Mbox were essential to the execution of the design. The first was dual independent outputs, which allows a single Mbox to output DVI and SDI at the same time on two completely separate outputs, essentially making two different servers on the same machine. The second critical feature was multi-screen gobo, which allowed the programmer to efficiently rearrange pixels in the Mbox raster. When utilizing multi-screen gobo, the company says Mbox works more effectively within the constraints of LED processors, avoiding the need for additional servers, LED processors, or scaling of the image. On the Asian Winter Games, this feature allowed the remapping of a 1,500-pixel wide image to fit entirely within a 1,280-pixel wide output while still retaining pixel-for-pixel accuracy.

In addition, the Mbox's ability to provide pixel accurate visualization meant that the programmer was able to work in the media server room rather than being on the stage because he could trust what he was "seeing" on the Mbox monitors.

The video package from PRG included forty-two 20,000-lumen projectors. PRG also supplied the lighting system, which included 100 PRG Bad Boy spot luminaires. The PRG crew on-site consisted of fourteen lighting technicians and ten video technicians.