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The
“Cité de l’Energie” - a science and technology-themed centre located in
Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada - has been recently entirely renovated.
The site is located at Quebec's second highest observation tower where
visitors can enjoy numerous interactive exhibitions, thrilling and
fascinating multimedia presentations. "Cité de l’Energie" hosts a number
of dazzling scientific demonstrations as well.
XYZ Cultural Technology, a canadian-based integrator and AV designer
company, installed state-of-the-art technology in the "Cité de l’Energie",
including a Medialon Show and Media Control system. The Medialon system
is used as the main AV controller of the Science Center. It controls all
the audio, video and lighting devices installed in each of the
exhibition rooms.
When visitors arrive at the "Cité de l’Energie", they set off on a
fantastic journey under the spell of an ageless shaman with "The
Spirit of the Earth". This multimedia presentation allows visitors
to travel back in time, billions of years ago, from the first spark to
the huge fire explosions that rocked the Cosmos. Specific lighting,
sound, video and special effects – including rain, wind, fire, scents
and fog effects – are entirely controlled and synchronized by Medialon
Manager software. During the presentation, visitors can experience the
forces unleashed by Nature and witness the miracle of life in its many
forms. Inside the room, a moving stage – with a PLC controlled by
Medialon - has been set up with over one hundred seats sealed on it.
While rotating on the stage, in sync with the video presentation, the
audience can more deeply feel and live the presentation. A Medialon
control panel, installed in the control booth on the rotating stage,
allows the operator to launch the entire show and to check in real time
that all the equipment is working fine in order to ensure the visitors’
safety.
The visit follows with "The Ages of Energy", a dynamic permanent
exhibition where visitors can learn more about the different types of
sources of energy throughout the centuries, the discoveries of oil and
electricity, and points out the question of what would be the tomorrow’s
energy sources as well.
"Stories from our Lives", an historic exhibition which presents
the collective memories and the day-to-day lives of the people of
Shawinigan, closes the visit of the "Cité de l’Energie".
"One of the challenge with this project was to install the most reliable
control system which allowed to control simultaneously a 20-minute show
launched upon request, and carry out autonomous daily tasks in two
independent exhibitions halls.", declares Eric Cyr, Project Manager at
XYZ Cultural Technology. “This is the reason why we have chosen Medialon
as the main controller of the Centre’s exhibition rooms.”, adds Eric
Cyr.
One Medialon Manager V5 Lite license controls the Science Center’s AV
devices, including:
- 3x 7K Panasonic PTD7700UK video projectors
- 1x 4K Sharp XG-PH50X video projectors
- 1x 3.5K NEC NP1000 video projectors
- 2x 3.5K Panasonic PT-FW300U video projectors
- 3x Dataton Watchout players
- 1x Pioneer professional DVD player
- 1x Fostex 24 channels digital recorder
- A 8.1 audio system including 12x speakers for the rotating stage with
20x ButtKicker under audience seats
- A full lighting system including LED and motorized projectors
- A custom made rain and mist effects system
- 6x 18’’ to 72’’ diameter blowers for heavy wind effects
- A real fire effects system
- 4x different scents effects system which is coordinated with an HVAC
system
- 5x interactive games PCs
- 1x MP3 player controlling a third audio language
To offer more flexibility to the Center’s staff, XYZ Cultural Technology
has developed three control modes on Medialon Manager:
- "Show" mode: is for the regular daily use of the "Cité de
l’Energie" exhibitions and shows.
- "Event" mode: allows the staff to create and use the AV devices
of its choice by easily creating and controlling their own lighting,
video and/or audio effects for press conferences, training sessions or
any other type of representations.
- "Maintenance" mode: allows XYZ Cultural Technology to remotely
access and check the status of each of the devices installed in the
Science Center via Internet. This mode ensures the Science Center to get
an extremely reliable system and a technical assistance available
anytime.
"We developed a user-friendly interface so the "Cité de l’Energie" AV
control system could be used by any member of the staff, even non-technicians.",
says Eric Cyr. "However, we have secured the access to the core of the
Medialon programming interface so no one can change the main settings",
concludes Eric Cyr.
The "Cité
de l’Energie"
welcomes thousands of visitors every year that makes it one of the most
visited Science Center of Quebec.
For further information, please visit:
>
www.citedelenergie.com |
