PRODUCT FOCUS
43
he trajectory of LED lighting and displays in live performance events and venues over the last ten years has been nothing if not eventful. With the vendors catering to this space maintaining an impressive rate of R&D – and, in particular, working to achieve greater versatility, efficiency and consistency – the result has been a highly dynamic sector and a succession of often dazzling live productions. Increasingly, these technologies have been pressed into the service of events that actually warrant the sometimes- overused epithet of ‘immersive’. This trend is especially evident in sports and music, so before moving on to consider the ‘how’ and the ‘why’, let’s examine a notable recent example within each of these domains. In sports, LED screens’ all-enveloping capabilities are exemplified by the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Opening Ceremony at Lusail Stadium, which actually took place in January 2024 after factors including extreme summer temperatures prompted postponement. Commissioned by Katara Studios, Creative Technology used a total of 600 Roe Visual BP2V2 LED panels to create a centrepiece of five giant petals. These were employed to immerse spectators in a musical version of the Kelileh and Demneh fables, allowing them to understand the story’s background and follow the song lyrics, while the screens also displayed unique interpretations of the mascots representing each of the 24 participating national teams. The ‘excellent’ on-camera behaviour and stable performance of the Roe BP2V2 panels made them an ideal fit for the ceremony. “The show was designed to look beautiful from any viewpoint in the stadium,” says Magrifa Kamiyeva, producer for the event’s video content partner, Sila Sveta. “The five screens enabled a 360° view, corresponding to the number of regional federations that make up the AFC.” In music, it’s hard to conceive of a larger LED canvas than that provided by Sphere, the much-discussed music and entertainment arena that opened its doors last September with a residency by U2. As spectacular as that show was, however, its use of the massive 160,000 sq ft 16K x 16K LED screen was arguably eclipsed by US rock group Phish’s
Powered by FlippingBook