LOS ALAMOS, NM – Los Alamos National Laboratory has selected Christie for an extensive upgrade to its Powerwall Theater (PWT), a facility that enables researchers to view the complex models and simulations they have created using some of the world’s fastest supercomputers. The new theater will feature 40 Christie Mirage WU-L WUXGA DLP 3D LED projectors in a 5 wide by 4 high node grid configuration with double-stacked projectors in each node onto a new high fidelity glass Stewart filmscreen.
More details from Christie (www.christiedigital.com):
It includes Christie AutoCal automated blending and alignment for the highest performance 3-D content at up to true 120Hz and Christie ArrayLoc for continuous color and brightness matching. The technologies combined create seamless, integrated visualization to meet the multifaceted needs of the laboratory.
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) develops and applies science and technology to ensure the safety, security and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. It works to reduce global threats and solve other emerging national security and energy challenges. Located within the Strategic Computing Complex, the new Powerwall Theater is part of the Data Visualization Corridor that also includes a five-sided La Cueva Grande Immersive Laboratory, as well as desktop visualization and collaborator capabilities. The Powerwall Theater is used to display 3-D video content and PowerPoint presentations, as well as interactive data exploration and collaboration among LANL scientists and engineers.
Content is streamed to the Powerwall Theater through a large integrated infrastructure, which is hooked up to various file and visualization systems and computers, allowing users to easily switch between 3-D stereoscopic video and high-resolution 2-D data.
According to Laura Monroe, ASC production visualization leader, HPC-5 special projects team leader, the PWT has provided the lab with a vital resource for displaying and interpreting data.
“Visualization allows for complex ideas to come to life in a way they wouldn’t on paper,” Monroe explained. “At times, we are doing simulations of physical data and certain dynamics —seeing it visualized in high-resolution, at a high frame rate (HFR) – and 3-D can really help understand things faster. With new and advanced technology ever evolving, I would say a picture is worth much more than a thousand words now.”
“As an institution dealing with U.S national security as well as issues of national and global significance, LANL has an absolute need for premiere, top-of-the-line technology and equipment,” said Zoran Veselic, vice president of Visual Environments at Christie. “Visualization plays an incredibly important role in exploring and synthesizing data and information, not only among scientists within the lab, but also among external companies, visitors and researchers coming in to view a presentation or collaborate on new ideas. We are pleased that our Christie Mirage WU-L LED WUXGA projectors were selected to deliver the visually stunning 2-D and 3-D images needed for this high-profile environment.”
Before its new upgrade, the theater employed an earlier generation of 24 Christie Mirage Series projectors powering 24 separate screens. When it came time to bring the visualization theater up to speed, Christie was again selected to deliver a new and improved solution. By using 40 double-stacked Christie Mirage WU-L WUXGA projectors for increased brightness, the new theater will now feature the latest advancements in seamless visualization technology. Four Christie Spyder X20 image processors were also chosen for the solution, providing enhanced integration with 20 megapixel video processing, matrix switching and integrated source monitoring.
A key factor for the upgrade was ensuring a seamless, smooth appearance to the wall. Three vertical glass screens are replacing the 24 individual ones, while blending of the projection images, perfected with built-in auto-calibration and color balance capabilities, will ensure flawless image quality. With the new solution, everything is aligned with more accuracy and in less time.
Among the other criteria for the new design were versatility, ease of maintenance, color reproduction, sharpness and contrast, and 3-D stereoscopic support.
Monroe added, “The Los Alamos National Laboratory has a long history of using computer visualization to understand extremely large and complex systems. This is why we want to invest in very advanced visualization technology — we need to stay at the forefront of visualization technology to understand our large data sets.”
