Electrosonic Turns Heads at the Hollywood Wax Museum

Electrosonic Turns Heads at the Hollywood Wax Museum

Los Angeles (January 15, 2013) – When the Hollywood Wax Museum refurbished its on-the-street lobby to attract the attention of passers-by, Electrosonic was called upon to design and install a number of HD video displays to capture the interest of strollers on Hollywood Boulevard.

The monitor displays show a montage of newly-made clips that pay homage to all genres of Hollywood movies, ranging from classic westerns and Sci-Fi spectaculars to musical extravaganzas, war films and mysteries. All of the displays can show the same images simultaneously or rotate the content.

Electrosonic provided a 2x1 grouping of 55-inch Samsung monitors and another configuration of 3x1 55-inch Samsung monitors, both in portrait mode, to the lobby. Custom enclosures were provided for three Innovox speakers mounted to the exterior.

Electrosonic also placed two pairs of 46-inch Samsung monitors in portrait mode on two columns over the cashier’s desk in the lobby, and created the lobby’s back wall from two 3x3 video displays, comprised of 46-inch Samsung monitors in landscape mode.

The company selected Samsung HD video monitors for their reasonable price point and super-thin mullions, which deliver almost seamless imagery. rpVisuals furnished custom monitor brackets for all the monitors, and Elliott Metal Fabrication consulted on the custom mounting and seismic-rated installation.

Electrosonic project manager Dan Laspa says the job posed the usual challenges for “an old Hollywood building,” including obtaining seismic certification for the monitor mounts. “We worked only at night when the museum was closed,” he adds, “so we wouldn’t impede business in any way.”

Electrosonic provided an Alcorn McBride Video Binloop player for the monitor displays, plus an Alcorn McBride InterActivator interactive video disc controller, which Laspa says was “perfect for this installation.” The system, programmed by Electrosonic, is easy for museum employees to operate; they can start the content loop in the morning and stop it at night, as well as alter the pause time between loops if crowds demand more frequent playback. All of the equipment is housed in a single small rack in a closet behind the main lobby.

About Electrosonic

Electrosonic is an international audio-visual company that creates tailored, state-of-the-art solutions for a wide range of markets including theme parks, museums, control rooms, and corporate meeting rooms. Since its founding in 1964, Electrosonic has built a strong reputation for working on complex projects, both large and small, and has developed lasting partnerships with customers and suppliers. Beyond complete integrated systems, Electrosonic provides a comprehensive scope of services including technical design, projector lamp sales, maintenance and operational support.

Learn more about Electrosonic. Visit http://www.electrosonic.com

Electrosonic Acquires Global Immersion, a Leading Digital Immersive Theater Designer and Integrator

Electrosonic is pleased to announce its acquisition of Global Immersion, a leader in the design and integration of high performance digital immersive theater attractions. Global Immersion will continue to serve the planetarium, institutional theater and giant screen markets.
The acquisition, completed on December 10, 2012, positions Electrosonic as the only company to offer digital immersive solutions across the theme park, museum, giant screen cinema and planetarium markets.
“This is a significant strategic move for both companies, and I am excited by the prospects presented by the acquisition,” says Jim Bowie, President of Electrosonic Group. “As a single operation, we will service an even broader range of markets, bringing further innovation and an expanded offering to our customers. Our goal to attract and develop the best industry talent has been one of the drivers of the acquisition. Together we will lead by consolidating our strengths and delivering the best visual systems in the world.”
Founded in 2007, Global Immersion is renowned for its work with highly specialized and technically-complex digital immersive theaters. The company has won multiple project and business awards, and has established a solid base of digital immersive theater attractions worldwide. Its project portfolio includes the California Academy of Sciences, Adler Planetarium, Moscow Planetarium, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Peoria Riverfront Museum and Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.
Martin Howe, CEO of Global Immersion comments “I am delighted with this transaction with Electrosonic. It allows us to further expand our activities and develop our product and service offering, opening up new doors and bringing with it many synergies. The planetarium and giant screen markets are undergoing significant change as the digital revolution pace quickens. Electrosonic offers a range of benefits that our customers can immediately enjoy. Its international reach and broad technical expertise and capacity mean that we can more cost-effectively service a wider range of customers in more locations, while building upon our shared reputation for quality, performance and support.”

Tips for Taking Care of your Projector:

There are many tips that can be applied  and precautions that should be recognized to ensure your projector and lamp perform at their optimum levels for as long as possible. The first, and most obvious tip is to read the user’s manual that came with your projector. It will include very important information regarding the operation of your specific projector. The environment in which you locate your projector is also crucial to its performance. Do not operate your projector in direct sunlight, near a heat source, or in a smoky environment. Once you turn on your projector, wait at least five minutes before turning it off to allow the fan to properly cool the unit.

Electrosonic's Projector Lamp Replacement Program is one of Religious Product News’ 2012 Hot Products & Services. Each year, RPN rounds up the hottest products and services from manufacturers and dealers in the church market.
Electrosonic's unique lamp program eliminates the hassle of procuring, storing and purchasing projector lamps. The program's annual contract locks in your lamp price, ensures there is a lamp ready to ship to you, starts the warranty on the day you install the lamp and handles recycling.
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Electrosonic Delivers LED Video Wall for The Weather Channel

When The Weather Channel wanted to upgrade the primary studio set at its Atlanta headquarters, it turned to Electrosonic to install a new video wall to replace the previous display the company had provided. 

The new system, comprised of 12 Christie Entero LED-illuminated rear-projection display cubes, is now seen as a backdrop for on-air talent and is a vehicle for live video and map presentations.

“In 2008, we supplied a rear-screen projection edge-blended system with Christie projectors,” said Electrosonic systems consultant, Pete Rajcula. “We have an ongoing relationship with The Weather Channel, and when they were looking for a new alternative to the blended system, we suggested Christie’s LED-illuminated DLP cubes, which offer extremely long lamp life, rich color and easy maintenance.”

Rajcula notes that while the former system was state-of-the-art at the time, LED-illuminated cubes have now reached maturity in the market, allowing the Weather Channel to reap the benefits of the technology.

The Christie Entero LED was the first high resolution LED-based display cube introduced for the control room market, according to the company. Using solid state illumination, the Entero LED display cubes feature vivid, wide color gamut performance—with no lamps to replace, no moving parts, and no consumables.

The installation was challenged by the need to do the work on a fully functioning set. Electrosonic installed the wall’s pedestal and cubes, adjusted the geometry and color balanced the screens to match the studio lighting.

“We’re extremely happy with the video wall,” said The Weather Channel’s broadcast engineer, Travis Warner.

The video wall is designed in a 2x6 configuration with dimensions measuring 26.9 feet wide by 6.8 feet high. A three-output Vista Spyder image processor drives a trio of 1-in/4-out distribution amps. Each of the DAs, in turn, drives one of three 2x2 sections of the wall. The video wall does its own processing of each 2x2 section, creating one large dynamic image across the display.

Andy Borum was Electrosonic’s project manager for the installation. “Everything went smoothly even though the studio was in use,” he said. “The Weather Channel was prepared for our arrival, so we were able to build the wall and make the initial tweaks without disrupting on-air production.” 

Benefits of OEM Lamps

When you use an original manufacturer (OEM) lamp, you are assured of the brightness and rich color your projector was designed to provide. This is because every component from an OEM lamp, through the optics, power supply, electronics and processing algorithms, are harmonized to provide an optimum image. All components of the lamp are essential to the performance of your projector. Poor component selection and build quality will reduce the performance and life of the lamp. The lamp driver unit or ballast is often uniquely designed for the lamp of each projector model to ensure a steady arc of light and an image that doesn't flicker. A steady arc results in a cleaner image, controlled component aging and reliability in future lamp ignition. If the arc jumps, it will damage the burners' electrodes causing the image to flicker and become harder to start as the arc gap widens.