WorldStage Debuts Christie Spyder X80s to Manage Adobe Summit's Immense Visual Canvas

	Adobe Summit 2018

Thousands of digital marketing professionals attending Adobe Summit 2018, the Digital Marketing Conference in Las Vegas, expected to be impressed by the keynotes and general sessions, and Adobe didn't disappoint. With speakers such as Sir Richard Branson, Leslie Jones, and the NFL's JJ Watt and Adobe strategies designed to transform business and deliver engaging customer experiences, the conference provided valuable insights to every attendee.

Adobe Summit 2018 also made a big visual impact with a towering on-stage panorama spanning more than 450' and comprising expansive projection surfaces flanked by recessed LED walls. WorldStage marked its sixth consecutive year providing AV support for the massive displays, this year using its new Christie Spyder X80 multi-screen windowing processor to manage the pixel canvas for giant projection surfaces. Adobe Systems' Nicole Williams, executive creative producer, once again dazzled attendees with scenic design and media content. Shaun Boyle with PIX PRODUCTIONS (www.pixproductions.com) was the executive producer.

Known for investing in important new technologies, WorldStage recently acquired several Christie Spyder X80 processors for its inventory. These units became the brains for the new screen management systems built by WorldStage. The X80 system made its debut at the Adobe Summit where the complexities of the show required a system capable of seamlessly managing 68 projectors and a mix of HD and 4K sources.

Christie introduced the Spyder X80 to meet the needs of "canvas centric" content management of ultra-high resolution displays. Billed as the most powerful processor in the world, each Spyder X80 offers an 80 million pixel canvas and permits 4K/60 on every input and output simultaneously. The system can be configured with up to 24 inputs and 16 outputs per unit and supports user-defined color depth of 8-bits, 10-bits, or 12-bits per color as well as HDR. It features Christie's new Spyder Studio control system and a comprehensive EDID Manager.

"The Spyder X80 is the next-generation multi-window processor. It completely dwarfs everything else on the market and the difference is even greater because we can seamlessly use multiple units when we need more than one," says WorldStage senior VP Richard Bevan. "In the past the Adobe Summit might have required five or more Spyder X20 systems. Now we have reduced the number of units we need and greatly simplified the operational workflow. The X80 has robust 4K capabilities and enables us to take in multiple 4K sources and send them to multiple 4K destinations, including multiscreen blends."

"Christie's partnership with WorldStage has led to the creation of stunning large-scale events, and we're pleased that WorldStage has once again selected Christie technology," says Clark Williams, executive vice president, content management and processing, Christie. "The use of Christie Spyder X80 to manage millions of pixels from source to display demonstrates the trust that WorldStage has in Christie technology. Spyder X80 is the only windowing processor with 80 megapixels of canvas per unit, 10- and 12-bit color supported through the entire signal path, HDR support, and full bandwidth 4K 4:4:4 60hz support on every channel, making it ideal for complex multi-projector displays such as at the Adobe Summit."

WorldStage Spyder X80 operator and programmer Jason Spencer spent two months leading up to the show working directly with Christie in the WorldStage shop on software and firmware updates, notes Bevan. "The Spyder X80 is the third generation of Christie processors we have used in our long relationship with Adobe," says Spencer. "We have eagerly anticipated the X80s, which will change the way we do all big 4K shows. Besides being an 80 million pixel box, the X80 is native 4K/60 in and out, and multiple units can easily be combined into a larger system and controlled seamlessly from an operator's point of view."

Spencer used two X80s for the show and used custom control software developed by Bruno Farre to harness their power under one control surface. "The Spyder X80s performed perfectly," he reports. "Being able to take in higher-resolution content on a single cable made for fast, efficient set up, too."

"The shows went flawlessly," Bevan agrees. "The X80s delivered 100 percent."

WorldStage provided 12 Christie Boxer 4K30 projectors and 56 Christie HD20K-J projectors for the show. The Spyder X80s controlled several large scale 4K routers and two on-stage demo pedestals with LED displays that mimicked the content on the main screen.

WorldStage turned to its extensive inventory of LED displays to fill the tunnel-like recesses inserted into the panorama of screens to act as talent entrances. ROE Visual CB5 LED walls in four different sizes, totaling 468 4' x 2' tiles, added variety to the expansive display. WorldStage interfaced the Spyder X80s with four disguise 4x4pro media servers for content as well as dozens of graphics and demo computers on stage and off.

For WorldStage, Jack Dussault was the project manager, TJ Donoghue the convergence manager, Mike Alboher the EIC, and Alex Bright the media consultant and disguise programmer.