Olympics-related imagery. “Unlike any of the other venues here in Paris,” begins John Ryder, Paris 2024 project manager at Panasonic, “the projection is the main source of visual imagery for the spectators.” To prepare for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Ryder visited Paris three years ago, putting together an ‘AV feasibility study’ after surveying the various Olympic venues. “It’s not just understanding what they wanted to achieve, it’s understanding all the other elements that go together to make an Olympics. It’s absolutely essential that whatever we install works on the day – it’s the Olympic Games,” he stresses, “so it has to work.” Panasonic’s work across the Olympics involved more than just the PT-RQ35K projectors; it required an entire system, including rigging, a Remotely Managed Service and Kairos, Panasonic’s IT/IP platform. Mike Chesterton, AV contractor for Panasonic at Paris 2024, says it was ‘one of the first times’ that he and his team had projected onto a swimming pool. While it may seem straightforward, this presented a unique challenge since he had to wrestle with light refraction. “The light is bending as it hits the water,” he describes. When rigging the 40 Panasonic projectors – which are some of the world’s smallest and lightest – they allowed him flexibility and power as well as compactness, making all processes much simpler. In another Paris 2024 first, Panasonic deployed its Remotely Managed Service in order to control and monitor the projectors. “I trust my equipment and my technicians,” claims Tetsuro Mizushima, project manager on Panasonic’s Remotely Managed Service. “This is a very exciting venue – and I think the spectators enjoyed our projection mappings.”
LA DÉFENSE ARENA IS A VERY EXCITING VENUE – AND I THINK THE SPECTATORS ENJOYED OUR PROJECTION MAPPINGS
The Kairos IT/IP platform is the glue that held it all together. “Kairos is just very flexible – that’s the key thing for us here,” states Chesterton. A video processor which ingests camera feeds, audio signals and lighting, “it allows us to use multiple pictures – we pixel map all over all of our outputs and all of the LED screens.” Kairos is also capable of composing content for broadcasts and live streams. Kairos delivered video content at almost all competition venues (26 in total), simplifying workflows and streamlining operations. Its scalability enables production of content for up to three venues via a single Kairos Core Server – with control via multiple control surfaces remotely, reducing hardware and installation cost by 66% compared to conventional operation. “We applied digital logos in some venues as well, using Kairos, so it was
easy to then have multiple control surfaces on other venues. It allowed us to have a central area where we can control everything from, effectively,” Chesterton says of Kairos, concluding that the platform was integral to Panasonic’s role in Paris 2024. THE WHOLE NINE YARDS Elsewhere, Panasonic installed many more pieces of equipment – “pan-tilt- zoom cameras, studio cameras, ENG camcorders and more,” according to Andre Meterian, Paris 2024 manager for Panasonic. “The whole range of Panasonic products were in use in the venues.” The Paris 2024 Games, now over, were in the works since at least 2018. This is when Meterian was appointed as manager; and he – on behalf of Panasonic – had three main goals in mind: “How to reduce the carbon
WATCH ME! See Panasonic build a complete AV ecosystem at the Paris 2024 Olympics
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