Electrosonic Scores with AV Support for Canada's Sports Hall of Fame

	Photo The Taylor Group

When Canada's Sports Hall of Fame opened at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, sports fans flocked to the new 40,000 sq. ft. space that celebrates the country's impressive and inspiring sports history. With AV support from Electrosonic, the attraction offers 11 exhibit galleries representing 58 sports plus more than 50 interactive visitor experiences designed to captivate fans of all ages.

"We were involved in every aspect of the brand new museum," reports Electrosonic account executive Tony Petruzziello. "Every exhibit required AV components, and a number of them are really stand-out experiences."

Cambridge Seven Associates (C7A) designed the new building, which houses interactives and multimedia presentations designed by Cortina Productions and Bruce's Garage. Electrosonic was the main AV systems contractor working for The Taylor Group, which provided overall exhibit project management and fabrication. Electrosonic's Design Consulting team worked with C7A and the media producers to design the exhibits.

Electrosonic hired Calgary AV contractor ASCCI to provide the equipment and local resources for rack fabrication and on-site installation. Eos Lightmedia of Vancouver did the lighting design.

One of the most challenging galleries in the Sports Hall of Fame was The Ring of Canada Sports, which required a customized projection solution, the company says. "C7A wanted the images floating overhead, but the ceiling height restricted projector positions and the throw distances needed to achieve the desired image sizes," says Electrosonic design consultant Andy Batwinas. "In the end, the screen surface evolved to a ring shape and used Sharp XG-P610X projectors with wide-angle lenses mounted above custom mirror bounce assemblies to rear project onto the scrim material." The scrim can be dropped from a portion of the frame to allow for routine projector maintenance.

A number of noteworthy galleries and exhibits fill the new attraction. In the Skater Gallery, Sharp PG-F267X ultra short throw projectors display imagery on the walls behind athlete figures. "These models allowed us to place the projectors in the floor very close to the walls and achieve a large image for the backdrop," Batwinas explains.

The entry tunnel is a clever use of a narrow space. Three Medialon MIPs source images of sports suited to the long corridor, such as curling and swimming. Video is projected via three Panasonic PT-DW6300US units aimed at the floor and edge blended.

"Like the entry tunnel, the Water Sports Gallery capitalizes on the Panasonic projectors' ability to be mounted in odd orientations," says Electrosonic engineer Jim Funke. "This time, they were aimed upwards to give the illusion of being under the water and looking up at shimmering images projected onto discs mounted in the ceiling."

Another fan favorite is the Formula 1 car in the Ride Motion Gallery, which is backed by a curved screen displaying racing footage. Electrosonic provided a Sharp XG-P560WN running through an FPS IA-200-EX to correct for the screen's curve. Shadow Boxing in the Contact Gallery gives visitors a chance to demonstrate their pugilistic skills; participants cast their shadow on a screen where a Sharp XG-P610X projector displays the moves of their opponent.

Several exhibits featuring 3-D Blu-ray players allow visitors to simulate the feeling of being a hockey goalie and baseball catcher. Other visitor experiences, such as the ski jump exhibit, have sensor interfaces, which trigger events to make them more interactive.

Various Sharp Moments Timeline exhibits, sponsored by the electronics giant, feature Sharp PN-E421 42" LCD monitors powered by Medialon MIPs. In the actual Hall of Fame area, guests can use 32-inch touch screens to select athletes and sports notables they want to learn more about; their images are displayed on Sharp PN-E521 LCDs.

Finally, visitors can gather in the 120-seat Riddell Family Theatre to watch a ten-minute video highlighting great sports moments. A Christie Mirage HD10K-M projector displays onto the theatre's 16' x 9' painted wall.

Electrosonic provided the audio system throughout the building. It's comprised of BSS London BLU processors and break out boxes connected to QSC CX-Series amplifiers driving JBL or Innovox speakers.

Medialon MIPs are the video sources for everything not run from a PC. Cisco DMP-4400G-52-K9 Digital Media Players are used in digital signage and several exhibits. Medialon Manager controls and monitors the majority of the exhibits.

The AV systems are housed within a number of equipment racks in the enterprise IT control room.

"The Hall contains an extraordinary amount of media and interactive exhibits under one roof. Electrosonic rose to the challenge and pulled it off magnificently," concludes Stephen Platenberg, principal of Cortina Productions.