|
Studying for the CMP or CMM exam? Well...here are some new things you should be aware of!
What does "widescreen projection" really mean and how does it differ from traditional projection? Would a widescreen approach enhance your meeting? Show Department, Inc. answers some key questions to help you know if it's the right solution for your next meeting, event or presentation.
Q - What is meant by the terms Widescreen, Hi-Definition & 16:9?
Widescreen
While the term 'widescreen' does not refer to any specific screen size, it does imply that the display will be an expansive, panoramic view. The term, however, has become a generic reference to any display with an aspect ratio that goes beyond the traditional 16:9 or 4:3 formats. Can a widescreen display be in Hi-Definition? Yes, but achieving an impressive widescreen display does not require that the content be HD. Can widescreen be in a 16:9 format? Yes, but widescreen does not mean the display is limited to a 16:9 format. Widescreen can deliver both 16:9 and HD, but it also offers many more variations that live outside of these two specific areas.
Hi-Definition
The term Hi-Definition refers specifically to the pixel count or resolution of imagery. There are five accepted formats and frame rates that are used to create HD content for both broadcast and widescreen applications.
1280/720 Formats
· 720 24p
· 720 60p
720 refers to the vertical pixel count. The second number refers to the scanning frame rate.
1920/1080 Formats
· 1080 24p
· 1080 30p
· 1080 60i
1080 refers to the vertical pixel count. The second number refers to the scanning frame rate.
Achieving the benefits of Hi-Definition requires that content be created and displayed using HD equipment. Whether it's an HD capable DVD player and television in your own home, or a professional projector in a conference center - HD content cannot be fully appreciated without the benefit of being displayed via Hi-Definition delivery systems.
16:9
With limited exceptions, 16:9 is the prevalent aspect ratio for creating HD content. 16:9 is also a specific and proportionate display format. While a 16:9 display serves as a visual cue that content could be HD quality, the viewer cannot draw an absolute conclusion from the display format alone. As we have noted above, a 16:9 widescreen presentation is not limited to HD content.
Q - What are the size or shape limitations to widescreen projection?
Widescreen displays can span the entire width of a stage and even beyond if the available space allows. While we typically think of widescreen as oriented in a horizontal (or landscape) format - it's also completely possible to create a vertical widescreen display using stacked projectors or even using edge-blended projection techniques onto a curved screen. If projectors can be placed in the optimum position to achieve the throw to the screen and the necessary blending across the expanse of the surface, then it's reasonable to consider that widescreen projection can be impressively delivered in the meeting or event space you've selected.
Q - How much does widescreen cost compared to a typical 2-screen show?
When compared to a typical 2-screen show, widescreen is surprisingly affordable. In reality, the actual cost difference would be minimal, if any difference at all. Consider that the actual gear wouldn't need to change. Instead, it would simply be the configuration of the screens and projectors that would change. Even the widescreen imagery could still be created using your familiar PowerPoint software. You might also notice that you're able to realize cost savings in terms of other staging categories - like scenic. This is because that while the widescreen configuration would be used for information and data display, it also readily acts as your scenic backdrop which can eliminate the need for other set elements.
Q - When is widescreen the most appropriate display format?
As with any presentation, it's the meeting content and meeting objective that will influence how information should be communicated to your audience. While a modest and discreet financial meeting might have one set of staging requirements - a sales meeting intended to motivate the account team faces a different set of circumstances. Widescreen display can enhance how you showcase your product - it can inspire and immerse the audience in your message, or simply offer a unique and unexpected visual experience. In those instances when your content deserves to be showcased - widescreen solutions offer you a chance to take advantage of an exceptional display area.
Q - What if I don't really understand widescreen technology?
The reassuring truth is that you don't need to have any technical widescreen expertise to execute a successful widescreen meeting or event. As the technology solutions provider, Show Department works to understand your meeting objective, to assess your presentation materials, and determine how those components will best translate to a widescreen display that supports your vision.
Widescreen doesn't confine you to displaying in a 16:9 format. For a recent Toyota meeting, it was essential that the staging configuration and projection capability accommodate visual support for every aspect of the event, including the awards ceremony, sit-down dinner, live entertainment and formal address from Toyota's CEO.
To accomplish this, SDi commissioned sister company, The Screen Works, to design a custom rear projection screen, providing a dynamic 10' high display surface that spanned 70' across the stage. The truly defining factor of this screen was a 20' wide section at the center of the stage that curved out toward the audience.
The "bump" in the screen's center displayed the logo in a dynamic way and also allowed Toyota to use the screen for the full scope of the presentation - theme graphics, information display and scenic elements. This innovative set-up - a generous 50' wide flat viewing surface with 25' on either side of the distinctive bell-shaped curve-provided the audience with a unique widescreen viewing experience.
This is just one way that widescreen can reach beyond a standard format.
Reprinted by permission of Show Department Inc.
Click here for this issue's
Industry News: Creating Alternatives When There Are None, by Dana Lynn Bernstein, CMP
Click here for this issue's
featured artist: Katie Harman, Miss America 2002
 Mark
Sonder, CSEP is the Chief Entertainment Officer of Mark Sonder
Productions, an award-winning leading national entertainment agency designing
headline talent and production services for facilities,
corporations and associations. In addition, Sonder sits on
the faculty of George Mason University, University
of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), The George Washington University, Stratford
University, Northern Virginia Community College, and The University of the West
Indies. Event
Entertainment and Production is the book published by
Wiley authored by Sonder.
|
