LAS VEGAS, NV — Harkness Screens, the world's leading manufacturer of projection screens, took to the stage at Hewlett-Packard's (HP) 2010 Technology Forum, supplying three custom screens for the event's daily presentations and musical events.
The Harkness Spectralâ„¢ 240 3D screen and two shaped Matt Plus screens were a major component of the daily presentations hosted by HP executives as well as many of HP's key corporate strategic partners. The 3D presentations featured a keynote address by DreamWorks SKG Co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, highlighting the partnership forged between DreamWorks SKG and HP in order to create animated feature films.
The event also featured a large opening musical sequence spotlighting many cutting-edge audio, video and mechanical automation technologies. These were choreographed with live music, spoken word, custom 3D animation, live 3D cameras, dance and illusion. A live show band, WorldPlay, comprised of professional studio musicians from Boston, also performed during all meetings. The venue also hosted a final-night concert featuring Roger Daltrey (founder and lead vocalist of The Who) and The Goo Goo Dolls, both of which incorporated Harkness screens into their performances.
The Harkness Spectral 3D silver screen measures in at 79'w x 28'h and handled all 3D video content, 3D image magnifications (IMAG) and most of the corporate presentation graphics. The two angled 28'w x 29'h trapezoidal cut Matt Plus screens flank the silver screen and primarily handled IMAG. All three screens featured automated curtains with custom angle-cut materials featuring 13-degree angle “shards” embedded. On these shards, HP front projected pixel-mapped 2D imagery. That pixel mapped imagery “moved” frame by frame with the curtains by way of precision mechanical motion control systems synchronised along with all 2D, 3D, lighting and audio effects.
“As a freelance technical director I became aware of Harkness when working numerous screenings for a major Hollywood media company. Harkness provided many of the large-format film screens of the size we're using here and larger for major premieres held indoors and out,” says Mark Perkinson, technical director for HP's 2010 Technology Forum. “There was a diamond-hard delivery date, which could not be missed, so there was very little time available to produce the screens. Harkness accepted the challenge of creating these screens for us in a very short amount of time, and did so cheerfully while also providing great customer service.”
The Harkness Spectral 240 3D screen is considered by cinema exhibitors and special venue operators worldwide to be the optimum 3D projection surface for systems using polarised light. The Spectral 240 features a high extinction ratio and provides spectacular 3D images. The surface also supports 2D images and can be used successfully in auditoriums where 2D and 3D are both shown. The intrinsically high gain (2.4) overcomes light losses in 3D systems.
Hewlett Packard's (HP) 2010 Technology Forum featured 6,000 attendees, who participated in daily presentations, exhibits and technical sessions throughout the three-day event, which was held from Monday, June 21 through Wednesday, June 23, at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
About Harkness Screens
Harkness Screens is the world's leading manufacturer of large screens. Thousands of screens are supplied every year for cinema, film production, special effects, live events and custom AV applications. Founded in 1929, Harkness has just celebrated its 80th year in business and has screens in place in over 60 countries. With its corporate office located in the Ireland, other offices and factories are located in UK, France, Beijing and Fredericksburg, VA. Harkness Screens combines unrivalled experience with the latest technology to provide innovative solutions to the company's key markets worldwide. For more information, visit the Harkness Screens web page at www.harkness-screens.com.
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