Barco Breaks the Mold and launches Revolutionary, Creative LED Platform

“Adding a creative dimension to LED technology attests Barco’s technology leadership in the international events and architectural lighting industry. Most of the products have been developed in close partnership with leading show designers and can now be offered as a true solution to the market. Let’s break the mold and unleash the creativity!” comments Stephan Paridaen, President of Barco Media & Entertainment.

MiSPHERE opens up the door to new and innovative LED display solutions. A MiSPHERE consists of 4 full color high performance LEDs that reside inside an opaque, light-defusing capsule. With 360-degree viewing angles, and the ability to play both full video & data, the MiSPHERE bridges the gap between existing video and lighting products. Individual MiSPHERES are daisy-chained into a string, with several strings in turn forming a 3-D visualization curtain.

Each MiSPHERE acts as a pixel within the curtain, making it possible to display images and simulate lighting effects across the entire curtain, while also achieving a “Look-Trough” effect and “Multiple Angle” viewing-effect for the audience all around the scene. The products have been exclusively designed for the ‘Vertigo’ U2 Tour which started in North America in March of this year. MiSPHERE will be available for shipment beginning of 2006.

Following the hugely successful release of the MiPIX block in 2003, Barco now proudly introduces CREATIVE MiPIX add-ons that create unique display solutions without expensive and time consuming custom manufacturing. A standard MiPIX block measures 4 x 4 cm (1.6 x 1.6”) and contains 4 full color LEDs. It is lightweight and connects to other blocks by means of flexible ribbon cables, enabling set designers to create large-scale backdrops of any form, shape or size. Barco now offers creative add-ons that can be placed on top of the blocks to enable the industry to add another layer of expression for creative ideas: diffusers in the format of squares, domes or tubes; or full frame diffusers with creative cut-outs such as pakman or circles. Stephan Paridaen adds: “The modular nature of MiPIX inspires pure creativity, but just as important it permits designers to start over, think again, revise and enhance. And when the show is over, it can be re-used for the next project in a completely new configuration.” CREATIVE MiPIX is available for shipment now.

The OLITE 510 tile is the only Indoor/Outdoor LED tile available on the market that can be broken down into 64 discrete modules. The modularity allows designers to fully integrate LED technology in set designs in any shape or size (ellipses, pillars, …), to let video flow over surfaces and to fully integrate LED technology in ceiling and floor. During the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2005, Barco’s OLITE 510 was for the first time creatively integrated into the design of the stage floor and backdrop. OLITE 510 is available for shipment now.

Barco Media & Entertainment, a division of Barco, provides specialized visualization solutions targeted at the needs of the Media & Entertainment industries. It counts names such as U2, Louis Vuitton, Madonna and Daimler Chrysler as well as installations for Merrill Lynch, Kinepolis, China Film Group, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Reliant Park Stadium (USA) and the Hala Sazka Arena in Prague amongst some of its key references.

About Barco
Barco, an international company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, provides visualization and display solutions for professional markets. Barco designs and develops solutions for large screen visualization, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. Barco is active worldwide and has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco is quoted on Euronext Brussels and is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company (Euronext: BAR; Reuters: BARBt.BR; Bloomberg: BAR BB).

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For more information, please contact

Inge Govaerts
Public Relations Manager
Barco - Media & Entertainment

Telephone +32 56 36 8052
inge.govaerts@barco.com