David Niles chooses Barco for world’s first stereoscopic 3D, 360-degree visitor attraction “Lights of Liberty”
Niles Creative Group selects Barco's Galaxy NW-12 HD projectors to create a fully immersive entertainment venue showcasing a one-of-kind spectacular in the Historic Philadelphia Center.
Rancho Cordova, CA — 30 September 2010 — Visualization pioneer Barco announced today that eight of its Galaxy NW-12 projectors are being used to create a 360-degree, 3D stereoscopic theatre to present the new “Lights of Liberty” show, a permanent exhibit which opened September 29th, 2010 at the Historic Philadelphia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Designed to teach and inspire visitors from around the world, the 15-minute show portrays the evolution of democracy in the United States through artful storytelling and theatrical illusion.The “Lights of Liberty” show is sponsored by Historical Philadelphia Inc., with the enthusiastic support of Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell. Wayne Spilove, Chairman of the Board of Historic Philadelphia, Inc., commented, “Everybody, including Governor Rendell, has been enthralled by the story and awed by the creative experience. I especially enjoyed working on this adventure with the Niles Creative Group and being with them in their Studios. The Barco projectors effectively put the viewer inside history, allowing children and adults alike to feel they are literally in the middle of the action. All of us at Historic Philadelphia, Inc. are honored to have worked with David Niles, and the entire team, to create this literally one-of-a-kind experience that would fascinate Ben Franklin himself.”
David Niles, founder of the Niles Creative Group, developed the original concept, as well as the unique theatre design for the show, for Historic Philadelphia Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to historic tourism throughout the city. Niles Creative Group produced, directed, and composed the musical score for the show, working in conjunction with Historic Philadelphia, Inc. to write the script. Niles commented, “This is the birthplace of America – to be able to create a piece that informs and entertains with unexpected illusory twists and turns is an inspiring challenge.”
The “Lights of Liberty” show entertains up to 65 visitors at a time, wrapping the audience in a cylindrical screen. The eight Barco Galaxy NW-12 projectors supply 12,000 lumens light output each, native WUXGA (1920x1200) resolution and 3D stereoscopic imagery utilizing three-chip DLP® technology. The complete seamless projected image is more than 150-feet wide and has a resolution of 9.5 million pixels to project a continuous, edge-blended single image. The Barco projectors employ DynaColor and linked Constant Light Output (CLO) to ensure uniformity of light and color. The unique warping (geometry correction) capabilities produce accurate projection from different angles. When combined with special 3D glasses, viewers perceive an accurate 360-degree effect which realistically simulates images coming at, around, and behind them, wherever they stand in the space.
In describing his selection of Barco, Niles continues: “Having worked closely with Barco for more than 30 years, we've developed an excellent, collaborative relationship. The Galaxy NW-12 projectors are just one more example of Barco's ability to continually innovate new technologies and market-leading solutions that enable us to creatively execute our perpetually evolving vision.”
“Barco is proud to participate in an important project that pays homage to the rich history of this country. David's confidence in Barco as the right projector solution to dramatically portray this wonderful history lesson stems from a long, rewarding partnership between our two organizations. We look forward to many more creative projects in the future,” commented Bill Morris, VP Video Lighting & Solutions for Barco North America.
About Niles Creative Group
Founded in 1986 by designer David Niles, the award winning Niles Creative Group creates original content and programming for numerous on air networks, consults for fortune 500 companies, develops new technologies and conceives, designs and executes large format projects from start to finish for an international roster of clients. For more information, visit www.nilescreative.com.
About Historic Philadelphia, Inc.
Historic Philadelphia, Inc. enhances the visitor experience and helps strengthen Philadelphia's tourism industry through interpretation and interaction, making our nation's history relevant and real. Historic Philadelphia, Inc.'s programs include the Betsy Ross House, Once Upon a Nation storytelling and Adventure Tours, Franklin Square, and the Lights of Liberty Show. For more information, call (215) 629-4026 or visit www.historicphiladelphia.org
About Barco
Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with about 3300 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 638 million euro in 2009.
