On July 20, one of the biggest LED video screens ever used at a major motor racing event and one of the largest systems ever supplied by G-LEC gave race-goers at Hockenheim Ring a remarkable view.
In cooperation with Hockenheim Ring GmbH, host of Formula 1 Santander Grand Prix, the massive 984-square-foot (300square-meters) screen provided spectators in the long Innen Tribüne, a long stand inside the track where spectators were up to 1,312-feet (400 meters) from the screen, with a television view of the race.
Using 299 Phantom30 frames, the 75-foot (23 meters) wide x 42-foot (13 meters) deep screen is thought to be the largest LED screen ever used at such a major motor racing event. Built specifically for the three-day event, the screen needed to be easy to construct and de-rig, but also needed to present extremely low wind resistance. Indeed the pre-race days saw strong winds and torrential rain, but the G-LEC screen, even brighter than the high resolution screens used at the pit stops, continued to perform brilliantly.
Using a system that comprised 52 PSUs, two S-Drives and two Folsom video converters, the video feed was supplied by the Ring as composite video over 150 metres of cable into the Folsom units. These then converted the signal DVI for the Phantom 30 S-Drives, which transmitted the LED drive signals over optical fibre daisy chained to each of the 276 frames. Despite such a long feed, the video display was solid as a rock and the colours bright and vivid.
Lars Wolf, managing director of G-LEC, says: “As well as showing the race on the day itself, the screen was also used with a solid white signal for announcements, timetables and weather forecasts. I was delighted at how well the system performed, and we have received a lot of enquiries as a result. This is absolutely the best screen for outdoor events and I am sure we will see G-LEC used more and more at events of this type.”
The free-standing truss structure, designed and supplied by Megaforce, included three levels of flooring on each side of the screen for special guests. The screen itself hung from a 23m wide single span truss frame, possible because the screen weighed just 2.5 tons, and as well as being easy to rig, was also economical in use, requiring just 100kW / 150A. Calculated to withstand strong winds, the whole structure was fully approved by Germany’s TÜV standards body as a temporary building for its ability to withstand the elements.
The project was managed for G-LEC by Achim Lehrke, who was assisted by Stephan Gerber, Markus Soroberto, Dario Santos, and Stefan Jung.