Barco brings excitement to 'All China Games' opening ceremony with dazzling 'giant cone-shaped' visual display

Shanghai, CHINA, 19 October 2009 — Barco, a world leader in visualization and display solutions, played a major role in providing total visual solutions for the exciting opening ceremony of the 11th National Games of the People's Republic of China. The Games – often referred to as the “All China Games” – got underway last Friday night at Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Shandong's capital city of Jinan. The event was highlighted by a spectacular “giant cone-shaped” video display show in the center of the stadium that provided a magical experience for those in attendance. In addition to Barco's role in the opening ceremony, Barco products are being deployed by both Color Lighting and Creative Technology throughout the Games.

The National Games are China's most significant sporting event. This year's Games, taking place from 16 to 28 October, play a special role not only in promoting China's athletic prowess but also highlighting the country's achievements and progress. The Friday opening ceremony of the Games was presided by People's Republic of China President Hu Jintao and attended by International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge. The All China Games will feature 33 sports and 360 disciplines with the majority of competition taking place in some 17 cities across Shandong.

The National Games are an event that truly embodies China's national spirit. For many, the excitement generated by the games exceeds that of the Olympics. In its planning, the challenge was to produce an opening ceremony for the “All China Games” that was nothing short of visually spectacular. In the end, the event's preparation and execution proved to be on scale with that of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In fact, there was a “buzz” among those attending the event that the National Games' opening ceremony, with its strong cultural component, celebration of tradition, aesthetic beauty and overall performance, exceeded the pageantry of the Beijing Olympic Games.

To help bring the opening ceremony of the National Games vibrantly to life, Barco was selected as a visual solutions provider for the much-celebrated, highly watched event. The selection was based on the company's ability to provide advanced products and solutions whose signature is superior visual effects that widely outperform other industry brands.

Color Lighting, one of China's top lighting production companies, is serving as the exclusive lighting supplier for the Games, including design, production, implementation and complete service. Color Lighting selected Creative Technology as their projection and video consultant and technical partner for specialist video content delivery.

For the Games' opening ceremony, one large cylindrical display screen in the center of the Olympic Sports Center Stadium was the biggest highlight. The screen measured 50 meters in diameter with a total height of 26 meters, and initially appeared as an illuminated cone-shape. During the ceremony, with no less than 52 special effects, glowing peace doves descended into the stadium from its perimeter and dramatically lifted the giant cone-shape into the air. It was at this point that the cone-shape was revealed as a massive circular projection screen, completely dazzling onlookers. Barco solutions deployed during the opening ceremony by Color Lighting and Creative Technology included 48 XLM HD30 projectors used for projection on the stadium's ”giant cone-shaped” screen; with an additional 8 DML-1200 luminaires for dynamic projection.

Barco XLM HD 30 and DML 1200 are exceptional video lighting projectors for meeting the challenge of wide-screen projection. Barco's XLM HD30 projector is the brightest and most advanced projector available on the market worldwide. As the first DLPTM projector with a native wide-screen aspect ratio, native 2048 x 1080 resolutions and light output of 30,000 center lumens, the XLM HD30 projector is ideally suited to ultra wide-screen and HD projections. While the HD30 technology deployed for the event is truly cutting edge, its reliability is made possible by featuring an advanced liquid cooling design.

Barco DML-1200 is the first moving digital luminaire that can truly be used as both a super bright, moving light source and a high quality video projector. Along with being the brightest digital light on the market today, the DML-1200 also offers unlimited image selection along with the ability to seamlessly switch between video projection and light mode, opening the door to unlimited creativity.

Barco, Color Lighting and Creative Technology were all pleased with the results of their team effort. However, it was the Organizing Committee for the National Games that was most satisfied with the performance of Barco products during the opening ceremony. The video lighting solutions, which proved simply amazing to onlookers, revealed rich, colorful content that was expressive in conveying the Games' positive message. The event's dynamic visual content helped spotlight the Games' theme, “Show Everyone Games,” which added to the vibrant presentation of China's outstanding achievements in sport and society in a uniquely special way. Overall, Barco solutions proved highly intuitive in delivering impressive video imagery and specialized effects.

“In an era of visually expansive events, today's producers continually seek out new and more dynamic ways to engage and entertain audiences,” says Zhao Gang, Executive General Director of the Opening Ceremony of the 11th National Games. “More and more, creative direction and conceptual ideas tend to exceed the limitations of traditional lighting solutions, and lighting engineers find themselves challenged to realize clients' grand visions. Barco, as the industry's premier visual solutions provider, remains on the cutting edge of new technologies, continually surpassing the limitations of traditional lighting sources. What they've helped us achieve in the China Games' opening ceremony is nothing short of breathtaking.”

“The 'giant cone-shaped' screen was an outsized creative idea,” says Liu Guanlin, Executive Director for the Games. “It was designed to serve as the soul for the entire opening ceremony. However, it was very difficult to build a cone-shaped screen 50 meters in diameter. What's more, the processing technique was especially complicated, and created a real challenge in material selection and video production, not to mention the need for powerful playback system. In the end, we made it happen. I'm proud to say that I've never seen such a vivid 360 degree video display that provided an engaging view for virtually every person in the stadium.”

“We are extremely happy to work with Barco,” says Mr. Chen Hong, General Manager of Color Lighting. “The success of the All Games opening ceremony speaks for itself. Barco's advanced technology and superior products helped create great visual effects that were enjoyed by everyone attending the event.”

“Barco has a successful track record in supporting large scale events,” says Frank Christiaens, President of Barco for Greater China. “This success has allowed us to maintain a leading position in the events and staging industry around the world. Here in China, the China National Games is the country's premiere sporting event. Needless to say, we feel it's an honor for us to take part in such a marquee event.”


About Color Lighting
Color Lighting is a top lighting production company with more than 16 years of providing outstanding production and project management throughout China.

About Creative Technology
Creative Technology is one of the world's leading suppliers of audio-visual and event management services. Since its inception more than twenty years ago, Creative Technology has evolved to operate from locations in China, UK, USA, Germany and the Middle East, providing the highest quality AV, staging, multimedia and video display services worldwide. www.ctasiapacific.com

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 (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with about 3300 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 725 million euro in 2008.

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Barco n.v.

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Barco n.v.

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Barco n.v.

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