Barco announces that Los Angeles-based
SenovvA Inc. has selected Barco digital projection equipment for multiple video
screens at this year’s Oscar night broadcast.
SenovvA will provide three Barco XLM H25s at the prominent center stage
position, the show’s 38-foot wide Best Picture screen, plus a pair of Barco XLM
H25s for the stage’s 35-foot wide Cinemascope screen. The Best Picture screen is
a front projection, while the Cinemascope screen is a rear projection — and both
with show high-definition content at 720p.
Selected for their high brightness output at 28,000 center lumens and their
native 2048 x 1080 pixel resolution, the XLMs are ideally suited for a
wide-screen venue such as the Oscar night. Frank McMinn, SenovvA’s President,
commented on the decision to select Barco projectors for the Academy Awards.
“Because it’s a live three-hour show, flawless execution is required, and
there’s no room for any real technical challenges. The XLMs give us the required
brightness and resolution,” noted McMinn, “because we really need a big
horsepower projector to illuminate the front screen, and punch through the stage
lights. In addition, the projector’s firmware is perfectly compatible with the
video truck’s high-definition cameras, the Thomson WorldCams.”
With 33 years of combined experience doing the Academy Awards, the SenovvA
team places equipment reliability at the top. “We go out on a limb sometimes
with the Oscars,” said McMinn, “and it’s nice to stick to things that you’re
comfortable with. In a worldwide broadcast such as this, we depend heavily on
the reliability of the equipment. And because we don’t get a second chance in a
live broadcast, it comes down to reliability as the number one reason why we
chose Barco.”