International. The Honda Pacific Visions Theater auditorium, the centerpiece of the 2019 expansion by the Aquarium of the Pacific, has recently been equipped with a pure laser RGB projector from Christie. With the new Christie CP4330-RGB projector, the aquarium can now display a wide range of content including films compatible with DCI standards and material developed in the aquarium itself.
Located in Long Beach, California, the Aquarium of the Pacific is the largest aquarium in Southern California and the fourth largest in the United States. It is a non-profit facility, which houses 12,000 animals and more than a hundred exhibition spaces that pay tribute to the inhabitants and ecosystems of the Pacific Ocean. In 2019, the aquarium inaugurated Pacific Visions, an extension of almost 9,000 m² and two floors, which houses an art gallery, a first room to guide the viewer, another final that completes the visit with deeper information and the Honda Pacific Visions Theater auditorium.
With a capacity of 300 seats, the new auditorium is equipped with an immersive screen with an arc curvature of 180º, and dimensions of 40 meters wide by 10 high. An inclined disc 9.1 meters in diameter rises from the ground to expand the projection surface. The aim of this design explains Fahria Qader, director of Pacific Visions and Architecture at the Aquarium, was to create a unique platform, with high-resolution images and effects to deal with the most pressing environmental issues of our time with film content. To complete the uses of the auditorium we also wanted to project cinematographic content, something we had done before in a smaller room.
At the beginning of 2020, the Aquarium contacted Associates in Media Engineering (AME) with the aim of entrusting them with the design and search for the best audiovisual solution for the auditorium. The aquarium specified the requirements that the new projection system should have: an optimal use of the immersive screen, the implementation of a system to reduce the sound of the projector and ensure that it was kept hidden when not in use.
Benjamin Kidwell Lein, CEO of AME, explained that "in recent years we have seen, in very diverse installations, a growing interest in integrating cinematographic content in spaces that in principle were not designed for film exhibition; I'm talking about auditoriums of many kinds, in museums, presentation halls, theaters, etc." For the aquarium, AME opted for a Christie CP4330-RGB pure cinema laser projector. With CineLife electronics and Real lighting system| Laser, the CP4330-RGB is an all-in-one projector, compact, with 28,000 lumens of power and compatible with DCI standards, excellent image quality and long operating life, but with a reduced cost of ownership.
After checking the impossibility of placing the projector inside a booth, AME chose to integrate it among the public, which was not easy. As Lein explained, "That circumstance forced us to cover the projector in some way, to dampen the operating noise. We recommend a "silent" enclosure manufactured by the outdoor enclosure company Tempest". He added: "It soon became clear that this type of assembly was not going to harmonize with the clean line design of the auditorium. Then, it occurred to us that the projector and its enclosure could be suspended from the ceiling when it was in disuse, and return to its projection position with the help of an articulated elevator."
Once the location of the elevator was decided, and its installation completed, AME proceeded to assemble the projector working side by side with Christie's film experts to ensure compliance with the DCI projection range. "We have a long relationship with Christie, and this projector was the best suited for this audience: its operation is first class and the content looks fantastic," Lein said.
"4-D effects that together with the vibration of the seats and the pronounced inclination of the stand reinforce the immersive effect of the projection," explained Qader. "We look forward to the public premiere of the new projection system. Having a system like this will allow us, in addition to showing films created specifically for our audience, to project other types of films," he concluded.
"AME and Christie have been long-standing partners, and this facility is yet another example of AME's experience and expertise in developing unique and relevant projects," said Doug Boyer, Christie's senior account director. "We are extremely pleased to know that, very soon, visitors to the aquarium will enjoy a wide variety of content on the screen of the Honda Pacific Visions Theater."
