Barco

Combining state-of-the-art technologies with cost efficiency

Mr. Sha Xiaolan, a renowned lighting design director in China, was in charge of the show’s visualization component. He previously directed the lighting design for a number of celebrated events, such as the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 and Nanjing Youth Olympic Games 2014, and his work on the gala was equally stunning. 

Adhering to the philosophy of frugality, Sha brought this year’s Chinese Spring Festival Gala to life using a host of advanced technologies whilst keeping the overall cost well within budget. A wealth of cutting-edge lighting and visualization equipment helped the show catch the eyes of viewers around the globe. 

Eye-catching projection in MMS system’s global debut

The Barco products used for the event included eight HDF-W26 projectors complete with Moving Mirror Systems (MMS), marking the MMS’s global debut for large-scale shows. The HDF-W26 and MMS helped Sha work his expert magic for several programs, including the acrobatic performance ‘Blue and White Porcelain’ combining distinctive Chinese features and modern elements, producing a stunning visual effect.

“Barco’s HDF-W26 and MMS are magnificent,” Mr. Sha Xiaolan said after the gala. “I am delighted to have been part of the MMS technology’s worldwide debut, and I fully expect it to take Chinese stage design to a higher level.” 

With a light output of 26,000 lumens, the HDF-W26 is one of Barco’s high-brightness DLP projectors with modular and extensible functions tailored for stage applications. Thanks to its 3-chip DLP engine, single durable xenon lamp and system optimization technology, the HDF-W26 displays crisp images with rich colors, even in venues with significant ambient light. Its modular design allows easy on-site upgrading and maintenance to ensure an event runs smoothly. 

The MMS augments Barco’s high-brightness projectors with the ability to deliver pristine HD images to multiple locations from a single projector at the designer’s command. The system uses a high-precision front surface and optically flat mirror, replacing the bulky, heavy and costly moving mirrors and yokes previously required to do this. A simplified setup and increased flexibility make the system a cost efficient solution, merging the director’s most creative ideas with the best imaging sites and timing. 

“While in the past, we mainly relied on LED displays, we now know that Barco’s projectors are capable of impressive performances and a very high standard of image quality,” Mr. Sha added.

Barco has provided professional visualization support for the Chinese Spring Festival Gala for 11 years in a row. “We are honored to play a role in the most important celebratory event during the Chinese New Year,” said Mr. Paul Matthijs, Senior VP for Barco China and VP Corporate Technology, “In recent years, new technologies have seen increasing use for large-scale shows, as well as to spur the robust development of China’s radio and television industry. This year’s Spring Festival Gala employed many creative technologies for stage design and raised the bar in this sector. We will continue to provide more diversified and reliable visualization solutions for China’s radio and television industry, with the goal of helping to create a compelling visual feast for viewers.”