Hippotizer Building Projection Wows Las Vegas

It's not easy to stand out in the night skyline of Las Vegas, but the Tropicana recently found a way to become the center of attention. Beginning last month, 3D video projections on "the Trop's" exterior have been bringing the building to life, adding a new dimension to this Las Vegas landmark.

Designed and installed by LD Systems, of Houston, the display is the largest permanent projection installation in the US. LD Systems, with the help of Green Hippo Hippotizer media servers, 3D map and blend a combination of 3D special effects and Tropicana promotional imagery, all of which is visible for miles, nightly.

The company asserts that Hippotizer has become the server of choice in the growing art of building projection around the world. Main elements of the Tropicana rig are the Hippotizers and Barco 20K projectors. Also, 3D media content is provided by Texas Video & Post, with 2D content by SKG Advertising of Las Vegas.

"We've used Hippotizer for a number of building projections, but this is the biggest," says Garth Hemphill, of LD Systems. "In the beginning, the client gave us seven 30- to 40-second ad spots, and we created a 15-minute show by adding both custom and stock content. Since then, we have replaced the stock content with new custom content, and ran a live special event for the grand opening of [the nightclub] Nikki Beach at the Tropicana using content taped and edited during the event, as well as live triggered logo crawls and transitions. The reception in Vegas has been great. We're continually updating the content remotely from our Houston office, and are already planning a future upgrade with brighter projectors, using Hippotizer's UberPan component."

Hemphill adds, "Good technical support from your manufacturers is vital for large complex projects like this. We rely on TMB, Hippo's American distributor, for quick and accurate response, day or night, and they never let us down."

TMB is exclusive distributor for Hippotizer in The Americas.