Dutch newscasters NOS and NTR select Barco LED-lit video wall as a backdrop for news broadcasts
Kortrijk, Belgium, 09 September 2010 – Barco, a global market leader in video wall technology, has been selected by Dutch national newscasters NOS and NTR to install eight OL-710 video wall cubes. The 70-inch, LED-lit rear-projection cubes will be used as a backdrop for NOS and NTR broadcasts, immersing the viewers into the news. For NOS and NTR, the key selection criteria were a seamless look and feel, inter-cube color alignment, low total cost of ownership, limited installation depth and the availability of local 24-hour support.
As the official Dutch newscasters, NOS and NTR are charged with making news and sports programs for the three public television channels in the Netherlands. When renewing their news studio, NOS and NTR wanted to create a more interactive look and feel. A long video wall would feature as a 'window on the world'. Dutch integrator of professional visualization solutions Inter Visual Systems responded to the tender with a 8x1 configuration of Barco's OL-710 LED video wall and was selected ahead of several other bidders.“The easy adjustment of the LED's color gamut to reach the optimal Rec.709 used for HD video, is a first strong point in favor of the OL series,” says Mathieu Massart, Director Product Management Displays at Barco. “With lamp-based projection systems, it was difficult to reach this color gamut, as especially the reds and yellows were underperforming. This problem is completely solved using Barco's LED technology. Furthermore, LEDs can reach the optimal white point for TV studio lighting (3200K) without brightness and lifetime deterioration. Supplemented by a number of other innovative features for the broadcasting market, including gen locking, minimized frame delay and redundant inputs, the OL series are an excellent choice for use as a studio backdrop.”
“NOS and NTR have used Barco technology in the past,” comments Steven Luys, business segment director Barco. “We have always succeeded in understanding what color is all about. After a shoot-out with solutions from competing manufacturers, it was clear that Barco rendered the best image in terms of sharpness, brightness and resolution. Also the 6x redundancy per LED color and driver impressed the newscasters. Even though LEDs have a longer wear life than lamps, it would be a disaster if one color fails during a live broadcast. This redundancy gives NOS and NTR the necessary peace of mind. Furthermore, the local support and Barco's after sales service were important points in their consideration.”
The OL-710 has a limited depth, which was particularly appealing to NOS and NTR. This small footprint allows them to limit the space needed to build the backdrop, thus saving on infrastructure costs. Furthermore, the Sense6 automatic calibration system (using a spectrometer) guarantees color and brightness consistency over all cubes while eliminating aging effects. Last but not least, Barco's innovative liquid cooling of the LED engine ensures an extended LED wear life. Tests have shown that optimally decreasing the heat generated by the engine can go as far as doubling the useful life of the light source.
NOS and NTR's new studio, featuring the 8x1 OL-710 video wall, has been operational since 6 September 2010. You can see Barco's LED-lit video walls in action at the Barco booth of IBC 2010 (Amsterdam RAI, 10-14 September).
About Barco
Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco (Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with about 3,300 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 638 million euro in 2009.
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