Barco MiPIX-20 User manual

Barco, an international company
based in Kortrijk, Belgium, pro-
vides visualisation and display
solutions for professional markets. They
recently held two ‘‘Technology Showcase
2004’’ events in the UK, one at the Three
Mills Studios in London and the other at
Magna in Rotherham. Here, potential and
existing clients were offered a rare oppor-
tunity to get up close and personal with
Barco’s diverse products, from video
screens and fascia boards, to air traffic
management and cockpit displays. The
numerous products were all displayed in
various booths, with experts available at
each station to talk people through their
specifications and to discuss the available
applications and solutions.
With a grand total of 358 visitors, each
visiting for an average of 1.5 hours and
some travelling from as far away as
Greece and Sweden, the turn out far
exceeded the showcase expectations.
Barco’s Media & Entertainment arm, is
involved mainly in fixed installations,
with one of the most stunning and recent
examples of their work being at the Hala
Sazka Arena in Prague — a project that is
to be featured in the May’05 edition of
PanStadia. In brief, this section develops
giant LED display walls for use in high
ambient light environments, both for
indoor (ILite) and outdoor (Dlite) use.
From large-screen displays to out-of-home
communications, such as digital advertis-
ing billboards, which can normally only be
seen by visiting them in-situ at sports
venues across the globe.
Brief Overview
of the Products
The highly acclaimed and innovative
MiPIX was a dramatic and striking back-
drop to the band, Jazzbomb, and a striking
end wall display at the Rotherham show-
case. The MiPIX is a modular intelligent
LED pixel block, which measures only
4cm by 4cm and is a revolution in the LED
market. Its small size and shape allow for
it to be used to create intelligent lighting
effects on large-scale backdrops of any
form, shape or size, and also offers the
possibility of full video content on 3D
logos or other free-form shapes.
Shown for the very first time in the UK
and attracting a lot of interest was the
Encore from Folsom. The Encore Presenta-
tion System is the most advanced video
processing and presentation control sys-
tem on the market today. The system pro-
vides source selection, advanced
windowing features, seamless switching,
video effects and integrated control for
professional video presentations.
PanStadia understands that discus-
sions have already started about plans for
a Technology Showcase 2005. You can find
out about these as they unfold at
www.showcase.barco.com
Light Street is Launched
Following on from these showcase events
was the grand launch of Barco’s "Light
Street" at their Belgium headquarters. This
PanStadia’s Katie McIntyre
reports back from Barco’s
"Technology Showcase 2004",
which took place at the Three
Mills Studios in London,
followed by the launch of
the new "Light Street"
installation at their
headquarters in Belgium.
62 PANSTADIA FEBRUARY 2005
SCREENS, SIGNAGE & BANNERS
VISUAL
VISUAL

specially-built, indoor street is literally a
feast for the senses, with fascia boards,
LED displays, light boxes etc all vying for
your attention. This installation obviously
allows potential clients to view the vary-
ing technologies all under one roof, rather
than potentially having to visit a number
of venues in order to do so! ■
Barco has its own facilities for Sales &
Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and
Manufacturing in Europe, North
America and Asia Pacific. The company
is quoted on Euronext Brussels and is a
BEL 20 and a Next 150 company.
(Euronext: BAR; Reuters: BARBt.BR;
Bloomberg: BAR BB.)
SCREENS, SIGNAGE & BANNERS
DELIGHT
DELIGHT
FEBRUARY 2005 PANSTADIA 63
Barco recently announced that it had acquired the business of Sys-
tem Technologies, based in Torhout, Belgium. Started by Frederic
Opsomer in 1995, System Technologies specialises in innovative
designs for special projects in the Rental & Staging markets. The
company counts designs for special projects such as the Olympics
2004 opening & closing ceremonies, as well as the design of spe-
cialised elements in the upcoming worldwide U2 tour, amongst its
most recent references. The company has annual sales of approxi-
mately E5 million and is profitable. The total cost for the transaction
is less than half of sales.
The transaction will see one of Barco s fastest growing divisions,
Barco Media & Entertainment, incorporate System Technologies
expertise into its own total solution offering toward the important
Rental & Staging, and fixed installation markets.
The transaction underpins Barco s belief that its market leading
position in the Rental & Staging market is driven by providing
ground-breaking technologies and products to its worldwide Rental
Partner network. System Technologies, in its role as a consultant to
show and set designers worldwide, also plays a key role between
the end user, rental company and product supplier. The acquisition
of System Technologies will allow Barco to move up the value chain
and further strengthen its total solution offering to the Rental &
Staging markets, by catering to the design needs of the growing
special projects market segment.
Stephan Paridaen, President, Barco Media & Entertainment, says:
At Barco, we firmly believe in the value of strategic partnerships
with our Rental & Staging Partners. The acquisition of the business
of System Technologies gives our Rental Partners a focused, yet
independent group of experts within Barco, to help them realise
innovative designs for extra-ordinary projects . Paridaen continued:
Barco will work closely with its Rental Partners to gain an in-depth
understanding of the creative needs and driving factors that influ-
ence the end-users (show designers) and assist them in the fulfil-
ment of specialised creative projects.
Frederic Opsomer, founder of System Technologies, who will head
up the group within Barco, added: The transaction is of great
strategic value to both Barco and System Technologies. By merg-
ing our operations with a long established industry player and
recognised technology leader such as Barco, we become part of a
network of technology and market experts, which understands the
business we are in. This will also allow us to continue to express our
creativity, now backed by decades of technology expertise and a
drive to innovate. This deal will bring great value to both parties as
well as to Barco s Rental Partners, who can now depend upon our
combined yet independent expertise to help realise their projects.
Barco Media & Entertainment provides specialised visualisation
solutions targeted at the needs of the Media & Entertainment indus-
tries. It counts names such as U2, Versace, Madonna, Daimler
Chrysler, Merrill Lynch, Quiksilver and Deutsche Bank amongst its
key references.
For further information visit: www.barco.com
Barco acquires System Technologies