NEW CASTLE, DE – Pete’s Big TVs (PBTV) got the outdoor summer fun off to a big start in New York City at the kick off concert of Samsung’s Live @ 837 series. Having opened Samsung 837 this past spring, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. surprised the neighborhood with an early summer street concert featuring Gwen Stefani and Diplo. PBTV mounted LED screens on the façade of the building and awning and topped the performance stage with a LED dance floor.
More details from Pete’s Big TVs (www.petesbigtvs.com):
Located in the heart of the Meatpacking district in NYC at 837 Washington Street, Samsung 837 is described by the company as a space “where technology and culture collide.” To that end Samsung plans to partner with its neighbors, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as, artists, scientists, technology leaders and others who are driving culture today to create compelling programming. The Live @ 837 concert series is part of their plan to make the address a cultural destination.
PBTV was brought in to provide the video screens, cameras, and video processing for the project by AG Light and Sound, who handled the staging, lighting and audio for the concert event. The 20-foot diameter LED floor supplied by PBTV for the circular performance stage was made up of digiLED DLP 5.9mm LED modules. This LED floor can support the artists’ high-energy performances without damage to the LED panels and provide a relatively hi-resolution screen surface for the creative team to underlay visual imagery and content.
On the awning and façade of the Samsung building PBTV mounted a series of LED screens. “We supplied and mounted a total of three LED screens to the façade along both Washington Street and West 13th Street,” says Guy Benjamin, Vice President of PBTV. “We worked with Andrew Gumper and his team from AG Light & Sound, supplying the 7mm digiLED MK7-RF modules for beautiful, high-resolution imagery behind the performers onstage. On the upper level of the building, we mounted two screens, one on the 13th Street side that was 4 panels high by 12 panels wide (6.5’ x 20’) and one measuring 4 panels high by 49 panels wide (6.5’ x 80’) on the Washington Street side.”
Benjamin continues, “Down on the metal awning over the entrances we had the third screen that measured 2 panels high by 89 panels wide (3’ x 146’). Here we used PBTV’s proprietary curving frame to make a continuous zipper that bent around the corner, following the curve of the building awning. We addressed everything from hanging creative LED products on the side of the building to being able to get all of the video signals in and around the street performance space. We even put a camera position in place from the top of the building which gave that must-have overhead shot showing off the great use of the LED floor below the performers.”
PBTV supplied the video crew and all of the processing, cameras and switchers to feed the screens and complete the video system.
“At Pete’s Big TVs, we always enjoy working with designers and event planners who create interesting and out of the box events like the Live @ 837 concerts. This event offered some interesting challenges but our team really was prepared to solve them and we are proud to have been part of bringing this essentially ‘pop-up’ outdoor concert venue to life at Samsung 837,” Benjamin said.
Photos: courtesy of AG Light & Sound
