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NEWS
PROJECTION LIGHTS & STAGING NEWS
Giant LED Video Screen for F1 Race Course in Germany
The screen measured in at 23 meters by 13 meters and weighed only 2.5 tons.
HOCKENHEIM, Germany — It was probably
the biggest LED video screen ever used
at a major motor racing event, and one of the
largest systems ever
supplied by G-LEC
— a 23-meter-by-13-
meter assembly of 299
Phantom30 frames
which gave race-goers
at Hockenheim Ring
something akin to a
ringside seat to the
Formula 1 Santander
Grand Prix.
Some of those
spectators were viewing
the screen, positioned
inside the track, from up to 400 meters
away. But the screen was big enough to
give them a television view of the race.
Built specifically for the three day
event, the screen needed to be easy to
construct and de-rig, but also needed to
withstand inclement weather, and the G-
LEC screen withstood the strong winds
and torrential rains that hit Hockenheim in
the pre-race days.
Using a system that comprised 52 PSUs,
two S-Drives and two Folsom video converters,
the video feed was supplied by the Ring
as composite video over 150 meters of cable
into the Folsom units.
These then converted the signal DVI for the
Phantom 30 S-Drives, which transmitted the LED
drive signals over optical fiber daisy-chained to
each of the 276 frames. Despite such a long feed,
the video display performed as expected.
“As well as showing the race on the day itself,
the screen was also used with a solid white signal
for announcements, timetables and weather
forecasts,” said Lars Wolf, managing director of
G-LEC. “I was delighted at how well the system
performed, and we have received a lot of inquiries
as a result. This is absolutely the best screen
for outdoor events and I am sure we will see G-
LEC used more and more at events of this type.”
The freestanding truss structure, supplied
and designed by Megaforce, included three
levels of flooring on each side of the screen for
special guests. The screen itself hung from a
23-meter-wide single span truss frame. It was
able to do so because it was 2.5 tons in weight,
relatively light for a screen that size.
With a level of brightness that exceeded
the high-resolution screens used at the pit
stops, the screen required no more than a
100kW/150A power source. The structure as
a whole was engineered to pass Germany’s
TÜV standards, written with temporary building
permits in mind.
The project was managed for G-LEC by
Achim Lehrke, who was assisted by Stephan
Gerber, Markus Soroberto, Dario Santos and
Stefan Jung.
Video Helps All Points
West Rock the East
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All Points West is named for a train station from yesteryear,
not for the Statue of Liberty’s pointy crown.
JERSEY CITY, NJ — Rumors about a
“Coachella East” festival staged in 2008
might have proved false, but only nominally
so. The festival, held for three days
in August at Liberty State Park, just behind
the Statue of Liberty, was called “All
Points West.”
The event, organized by Coachella
host Goldenvoice and AEG Live, included
Radiohead, Jack Johnson and about 40
other well-known indie bands. The festival’s
name refers to an old Jersey rail yard,
and the three stages were train names
from the golden age of rail travel: Blue
Comet, Bullet and Queen of the Valley.
Video images from Upstage Video
helped amplify the visuals, with images
appearing on an 18-foot-by-32-foot video
wall made from 48 Daktronics PST-12HD
panels. Other gear onstage included two
Toshiba 15-foot-by-23-foot 15mm video
displays on stage left and right, five Sony
DX50 triax camera chains and three New-
Tek VT5 video switchers.
There were also three mobile LED
video screens in use: two Barco B10s,
measuring nine feet by 12 feet, and one
Daktronics ProTour 13mm screen measuring
nine feet by 16 feet.
58 PLSN SEPTEMBER 2008