Vista Systems’ Spyder 344 plays a key role in the operation of an oversized indoor HD LED screen at Deutsche Telekom AG’s headquarters in Bonn, Germany. The installation runs a daily schedule of preprogrammed content and can be fed video from Deutsche Telekom’s own TV studio inside the building when big events prompt live coverage.
To meet the company’s demand for the highest-end equipment, Deutsche Telekom selected a Mitsubishi LED screen with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a size of 18.9’ x 10.6’. The screen is built on a hydraulic system, enabling it to move up and down as needed. Due to the location of the LED screen and the architecture of the building, displaying high-quality content during broad daylight could only be achieved with 3mm LED technology.
A Probel HDSDI 64 x 64 matrix enables SMPTE-conform DVI signals to be delivered to the screen. The Mitsubishi Digital Screen Controller (DSC) makes it possible to feed 4xMDSDI, 4xSDSDI, and 4xDVI to the screen sources and to display four of them at the same time. To make the system as flexible as possible and capable of handling all future applications, the Spyder 344 was chosen to work in tandem with the DSC.
The DSC is controlled by a separate Sedna server, which can also be directly controlled from the Spyder to run complete presentations, and shows using the hardware capabilities of both devices.
Spyder’s wide range of features permit versatile displays on the cutting-edge LED screen. Its multi-channel display offers more than 32 independent windows or 16 video mixers or combinations of both. A “flying window” can be generated to move over screen borders.
Spyder not only generates the signal for the LED screen, it also processes and improves the signal for the preview monitors. Spyder 344 is equipped with four inputs four outputs. Some of the inputs are connected to the Probel Matrix and others directly to PCs; some of the outputs are directed through the matrix to supply the LED screen, a preview monitor which is located in the central control room, and a separate mobile control station. Spyder offers the opportunity to control the matrix directly so all the needed signals can be routed where they need to be throughout Deutsche Telekom’s headquarters, including the conference rooms.
The project was planned by q-bus, the largest creative company in Germany, which frequently works on installations for Deutsche Telekom. Videlco GmbH, the German distributor of Vista System products, provided the Spyder for the LED screen application.