Barco

Kortrijk, Belgium, 1 June 2016 – Barco, global leader in control room visualization, introduces the first RGB laser-powered rear-projection video walls. The Flagship laser series for 24/7 control rooms offers all the advantages of RGB laser projection for large video walls – including laser brightness levels and vibrant colors like never before, with an unmatched lifetime and lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). This 10th generation video wall from Barco lifts rear-projection video walls to a whole new level for critical infrastructure control room markets.

To enable operators to view all the details on the video wall, control rooms have typically operated in dimmed or managed lighting environments. With the Flagship laser series for 24/7 control rooms, Barco literally lets the daylight in. Providing 2x more brightness than mainstream LED-lit video walls, this new series allows mission critical control rooms to operate under all lighting conditions – day or night. The laser-sharp colors, focus and contrast levels project the highest-quality images, ensuring no details are ever lost.

The latest generation Barco Sense X automatic calibration technology is also integrated into this new generation of RGB laser video-walls. This system continuously measures brightness and color levels, and makes sure the video wall is perfectly calibrated at all times – not only inside the individual cubes, but over the entire video-wall. This means the entire canvas is always perfectly balanced for an unmatched common operational picture (COP)!

Longest lifetime, lowest TCO
Contrary to laser phosphor projection, Barco’s Flagship laser video wall displays don’t rely on rotating phosphor/color wheels to create the image (which is a common source of failure). Adding the extremely long lifetime of the laser light source – more than 11 years in continuous 24/7 operation – the Flagship laser series guarantees very high reliability with minimal maintenance efforts.

Barco’s Flagship laser video walls for 24/7 control rooms are extremely energy-efficient. With a power consumption of 25% less (at higher brightness levels) than conventional LED-lit video walls, and an energy efficiency of 3x Lumens/Watt, this innovative series is not only good for the energy bill, but for the environment too! In addition, thanks to the lower heat production of the laser units and cooling architecture, low-noise fans can be used, further reducing the noise level and hence increasing the operator’s comfort.

“When designing the Flagship laser series, we were aiming to create the most optimal video wall ever made,” says Gerrit Vermeire, Director Product Management at Barco. “We kept everything that made our LED-lit OL series so great – including the high level of redundancy, the minimal depth, and the automatic calibration – and combined these features with a powerful laser engine. Plus, a number of new innovations – such as the optional remote and redundant power supplies first introduced with the latest generation of Barco’s LCD video walls – make our first laser-powered video walls truly unique in the market.”

A new standard in mission-critical video-walls
Barco’s Flagship laser display for 24/7 control rooms has a fully motorized engine. Installers and maintenance staff never need to open the individual cubes to bring the wall into perfect alignment. Instead, the video wall can be perfectly aligned − including keystone correction − by a single technician standing in front of the wall and using a remote control. Far more efficient, more reliable, and less time-consuming, it is estimated that this new technology can save 50% of alignment time during set-up.

“Our Flagship laser series for 24/7 control rooms set a new standard for mission-critical video-walls,” says Hans Dekeyser, VP Strategic Marketing I&G at Barco. “They bring the needed brightness and color-accuracy that previous generations of rear-projection cubes lacked, while even improving energy-efficiency, total cost of ownership, and reliability. What’s more, this new series is a 100% Barco product. All components are completely designed and manufactured in-house. This not only gives us total control over the quality of every component, but we can also guarantee backwards compatibility and serviceability for many years to come. So, as there’s no danger that a component will become unavailable in a few years’ time, your investment is fully safeguarded by the most committed supplier to this market!”

Barco’s Flagship laser display for 24/7 control rooms is available in 16:9 aspect ratio, with a screen diagonal of 70” and Full HD resolution. Different screen options, including Barco’s unique NoGap screen, are available to guarantee an optimal viewing experience for each application and environment.

See them in action!
Barco’s Flagship laser series for 24/7 control rooms will be showcased for the first time at Barco’s InfoComm booth (8-10 June, Las Vegas, booth #C8720).

About Barco
Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops networked visualization products for the Entertainment, Enterprise and Healthcare markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and APAC. Barco (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with 3,300 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 1.029 billion euro in 2015.

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