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Global launch of King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh Incorporates Barco technology to showcase rare artifacts

Barco is selected as the preferred technology partner for the new multimedia exhibition KING TUT: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh. The event celebrates the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb and launched its global tour at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, CA on March 24, 2018.

As Egyptian officials gathered together one of the greatest collections of artifacts ever discovered and prepared to show it to the world, they knew that enhancing these priceless items with modern technology would create a remarkable and immersive experience. For the multimedia aspects of the exhibition, event organizers chose Barco, renowned around the world for their innovative projectors and display systems. The decision to choose Barco as the Preferred Technology Partner aligns with the commitment of exhibition organizers to showcase each piece with quality and excellence.

In partnership with SC Media Canada, Barco’s value added distributor along with Design Electronics, the integrator on the project, and IMG, the exhibition organizer, event creators selected a projection platform that would greatly enhance the end-user experience. The F-series will be used to highlight over 150 artifacts on display, 60 of which have never left Egypt before.

“Our assigned scope of work was to deliver a ‘remarkable experience’”, said Khalil Williams, General Manager of Design Electronics. “We chose Barco projectors, not only based on their outstanding performance and reliability, but also on our working relationship them and their high level of support. Part of creating an immersive environment for museum guests, requires life like image quality and mission critical function to ensure there is no disruption to the experience. Barco is our go to partner on creative projects like this, whenever there is a need to successfully meet these demands.”

Williams was looking for a projection technology that would both deliver superior results, but also be versatile and sturdy, as the exhibit will travel to ten cities globally before the artifacts return to their final destination in Cairo, Egypt. The F-series was created for these kinds of scenarios, and also has flexibility features that make it the ideal choice.

“It’s a true honor to be chosen as the Preferred Technology Partner for this incredibly important installation,” explains Wouter Bonte, Strategic Marketing Director for ProAV & Events at Barco. “We wanted the presentation to be completely unrestrained in its ability to reflect the awe associated with these artifacts and enhance end-user experience. As such, we hand-picked three different F-Series projectors for the specific attributes they offer.”

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The F-series delivers stunning all-laser 4K UHD images with superb color performance. Barco’s proprietary Single Step Processing (SSP) technology reduces latency and ensures smooth and simultaneous image transition. These were important considerations for the end result, and a key reason Barco’s F-Series platform is ideal in this application. The F-Series are designed to run in any orientation. Coupled with the wide array of lens options the F-Series ensures the exhibit designers retain the ultimate level of flexibility when the exhibit moves to different locations on the global tour.

The presentation designers have produced 3D images to keep audiences completely involved. The incredible brightness – the projectors are capable of producing 7000 to 8000 lumens – even allows filming and photography. Designed for 24/7 operation, the projectors use innovative technology to allow systems to cool, limit downtime and reduce the costs of operation. They also run silently, allowing unfettered immersion in the audiovisual presentation. All of these features allow the projection to fade into the background, as it should, so that the artifacts themselves are front and center.

“We were inspired by this 100th anniversary celebration of one of the greatest archeological discoveries in history,” according to John Norman, Managing Director, Exhibitions, IMG. “We wanted to create an exhibition like none before that would allow millions of people globally to immerse themselves in the history of these objects through multi-media. Barco’s F-Series projectors help ignite people’s imaginations and create a truly remarkable experience.”

KING TUT: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh is presented by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, IMG and the California Science Center and opened in Los Angeles on March 24, 2018. It will complete a tour of 10 international cities before the treasures return to be housed in the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo in 2024.

 

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