Eight secrets of Beijing - barco.com/media/Downloads/Company magazines... · category ‘Computers and Information Technology’. ... novel is fairly clunky, ... a lot of the technology

1

Eight secrets of BeijingSnapshots of a 3,000 year-old city

Future past 10 accurate predictions from science fiction

Tablet truths Can tablet PCs make it in healthcare?

m a g a z i n e

Barco company magazine • Volume 3 • Issue 6

redefine_issue_6c.indd 1 2/05/11 11:50

2

17 Red dot design award

The coolest LED video wall captures the prestigious red dot award thanks to its outstanding design qualities.

red. | Feature22

Beauty is in the

of the operator

Barco’s video walls have been lauded on several occasions for their

image quality and reliability. But they are also downright cleverly

designed! This has been proven by the prestigious red dot

product design award for the OL-521 LED-lit projection module.

The red dot design award is an annual competition awarding the products that excel in a large number of design criteria, including innovation, functionality, ergo-nomics, formal quality, durability and ecological com-patibility. Barco entered the competition in the product

category ‘Computers and Information Technology’. A number of internationally recognized design experts assess the entries. This means that the

adjudication results in each category reflect the future of the industry in terms of design and

serve as orientation for manufacturers and designers worldwide.

Tom Dewaele, Design Expert Control Rooms at Barco, is therefore particularly pleased with the recogni-

tion: “It goes without saying that we are very proud of this achievement. With over 4,000 submissions it

is not obvious to get awarded. For the team, this is a confirmation that we are on the right path.”

Feature | red. 23

Reduced footprint

The main design drivers were the intro-duction of LED-technology in video wall cubes, a long lifetime (maintenance free under 24/7 operation), full front and rear serviceability, minimal field adjustments and maximum reuse of components over the eight variants in the OL family. Furthermore, spe-cial attention was paid to limiting the footprint, decreasing shipment volume, weight and required control room floor space. “This weight reduction also has a positive effect on the product’s ecologi-cal footprint,” Tom Dewaele comments. “It allows you to transport more cubes with the same effort, minimizing fuel usage. Furthermore, recyclable materi-als were used.”

More than the sum of parts

The design criteria involved addressing several new key technologies, includ-ing LED, liquid cooling, shallow optics, spectrometers, software architecture and network interface. A big part of the design process was spent in the product architecture and system design. “To me, the most remarkable part in the design

of the OL is that it is not just the sum of a number of features, but an integral product design that resulted from a holistic approach,” Tom Dewaele con-tinues. “It all just fits. The enclosure, for example, combines low weight, sealing, low cost, noise damping, recyclability and an esthetic shape.”

User comfort at the forefront

But the most important consideration in the design process was user com-fort. “As the human eye is sensitive to

color differences, it is very essential to guarantee color uniformity throughout the complete video wall. By introducing Sense6, Barco’s proprietary automatic color calibration system, we tackle this challenge and are able to deliver the perfect images throughout the video wall lifetime. Furthermore, we intro-duced the ‘hang and flip’ principle to ensure an ergonomic installation of one module to another. A motorized shift and tilt system also eases the geometry optimization. Fitting all these features so swiftly in the cubes was a big chal-lenge for our R&D team in the Display

group, but by combining all complementary skills and working perfectly together we managed to deliver this truly amaz-ing result,” Tom Dewaele concludes.

www.barco.com/cool

It all just fits. The enclosure for example, combines low weight, sealing, low cost, noise damping, recyclability and an esthetic shape.

”

22 Geneva Motor Show

If it has wheels and an engine, you could find it in Geneva. You can fire up your engines on page 17.

28Science reality

Did you know that videoconferencing was already predicted in the 19th century? Read up on some eerily accurate predictions.

red.

1.Wireless communication

First mention: 1923, in H.G. Wells’s ‘Men like Gods’

While the description in the novel is fairly clunky, Wells made it clear that his characters communicated wirelessly – and even partly through mobile access points. Later science fiction authors saw wireless internet, voice and video communication as a given, but it wasn’t until 1999 that wi-fi really began to boom, and slightly under a decade later until it became a common feature for visualization products.

Science

Science fiction is notorious for its continuous attempts to make

predictions about future technology. Even if it isn’t the central theme

of its stories, it’s always involved on the side. And sometimes, it also

inspires scientists to make new technology breakthroughs.

Some predictions made by science fiction writers have turned out to be far-fetched or untrue: in 2001, we did not have moon bases and neither did we send manned missions to Jupiter, and we’re lucky that 1984 did not pan out to be the nightmare that George Orwell imagined it could be.

However, unnoticeably, a lot of the technology imagined in the past is commonplace today. We’re going to look at 10 technologies that were predicted much earlier than you might think.

red. | Case study18

Full display roll-out at the Geneva Motor Show

31 car brands with

Barco

170car premieres

AbarthAlfa RomeoBMWChevroletCitroënDodgeFiatFordHondaInfinityJaguar

JeepLamborghiniLanciaLandroverLexusMaseratiMazdaMiniNissanOpelPeugeot

PorscheRenaultRolls RoyceSeatSkoda SubaruSuzukiToyotaVolkswagen

24 millionpixels

Car brands with Barco equipment

Feature | red. 29

2.Immersive 3D

First mention: 1956, in Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘The City and the Stars’

Clarke described an immersive 3D setup in terms of gaming, and said: “You were an active participant and possessed—or seemed to possess—free will. The events […] might have been prepared beforehand, but there was enough flexibility to allow for wide variation.” Since the late 1980s, immersive 3D became adopted by science and industry, and has enjoyed a steady growth ever since.

3.

video conferencing

First mention: 1889, in Jules Verne’s ‘The Year 2889’

Video communication was and still is common in science fiction, but its first mention predated the commercially viable technology by nearly a century. This was doubtlessly aided by the incremental improvement in resolution as well as network capacity, and might have even amazed Verne himself, in that his prediction came true 900 years before he thought it would.

4.

Networked control rooms

First mention: 1949, in George Orwell’s ‘1984’

While obviously used for malicious purposes in Orwell’s frightening dystopia, control rooms that keep an eye on the streets and are connected to a network of surveillance cameras have proven to be compatible with an open, democratic society. Control rooms certainly did exist in 1984, but it is only today that their scope and strength approaches the power they had in the novel.

Case study | red. 19

735,000 visitors

30 booths

8,000 Barco tiles

MERCEDES BENZ

BMW

MASERATICITROËNKIA

BMWALPINA

ALFAROMEO

JAGUAR LAND ROVER

PEUGEOTMINI

FIAT

MAZDAFORD

TOYOTALEXUS

DAIHATSU

SUZUKI

HONDA

REVUEAUTOMOBILE

RENAULT

NISSAN

MOTO

R PRE

SSE

QUAT

TROR

UOTE

YOKO

HAMA

CONTINENTALTATA

FISKER

RUFABT

PIRELLIMAYBACH

OPEL

SUBARU

SEAT

SBARRO LUMMADESIGN

BERTONE

INFINITI

IRMSC

HER

DETOMASOTECHART FAB

DESIGN

ISUZU

KOENIGSEGGEDAG

CAN-AM KELLENERS SPORT

BRIDGESTONE

NOVIDEM

SPOR

TEC

GTAMOTOR

VW

PORSCHE

HYUNDAI

PININFARINA

AUDI

LAMB

ORGH

INI

SKODA

TESLA

BUGATTI

GOOD

YEAR

DUNL

OP

BENTLEYMOTORS

MITSUBISHIMOTORS

MORGAN

MAGN

A STEY

R

ROLLSROYCE

SMART

ASTONMARTIN

IEDMTME'MOB

ILE

GASM

OBIL

BRABUS

VOLVO

SAAB

DACIA

BOLLORE

SCHNITZER WIESMANN

SPYKER

VALMETAUTOMOTIVESPEEDART

CARL

SSON

MIAELECTRIC

LOTUSCHEVROLET

HAMANN

INVADER

FORN

ASAR

I

RINSPEED

HAUETER

MANSORY

ARTEG

A

NOVITECROSSO

JEEP

ACS

PAGANI

ITALDESIGNGIUGIARO

START

ECH

LAND

ROVE

R

FERRARI

GUMPERTTOURINGSUPER-

LEGGERA

AGVS

AC CARS

SSANGYONG

ISUZ UISUZU

LANCIACHRYSLER

TOYOTA

DODG

EAB

ARTH

CCIVERSAILLES COURBSMARTCITROENRENAULT

INNOMOTAG

TILTER

HES-SO

DOMTEKNIKANIAMA

REISSER

DOW KOKAMM WAYBMW

GROUP

TATA CHEVROLETMECO

WORLD

IEV1

YVELINESLE DEPARTEMENT

DE L’AUTOMOBILE

GREENTECHENERGY

EONMOTORS

ESSAIS VERTS

MOTO

RSPO

RTAK

TUELL

1125

1446

1546

1416

BYD

0536 0526

9516

0416

16061616 0606

1115 0115

1525 0515

1124

1314

1114

0314

0204

1114

05241524

0514

3125

5125

3525

3325 3405

0415 1405 1424

0315 1324

2315

0424

23053305

14360446

1646 1626

1726

0626

17360746

0425 1415

0325

1151

03010221

1050

106016210612

1260

2041 1241

1245

1040

2250

1259

2050

2052

2056

1251

1159

10352231

2241

2251

2161

2240 2141

2143

2145 2144

2142 2043

2150

2158

2156

2051

2057

2157

1223

1506

21302230

1031

CADILLAC

1244

VREDESTEIN

12402040

12432042

2045

1305

3324

0636

1516

8526

NISSAN LEAF THE TOUR

0026

4305

03051325

1231

2424

20261026SIMULATOR

2055

1221

1033

3314

1406 0406

0346 2346 423671469146

02463236

1236

5136

2236

0236

01360146

31361136

12465146

3146

4146

2146 1146

7160


Pics by www.avsystem.it - AVS srl.(Abarth, Alfa, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia)www.ctgermany.com – CT Germany (Volkswagen, Rolls Royce)

www.barco.com/events

Red indicates a booth featuring Barco technology

red. | Table of contents

6Eight secrets of beijing


3

32Tablet truths

Tablet PCs are taking the market by storm these days, but do they also have a rosy future in healthcare?

red. | Technology32

TablettruthsYou don’t need to be a techno geek

these days to know that tablet

PCs are taking the computer

market by storm. Millions

of consumers go wild

about the compact

portable design, tac-

tile touch screen interface and

sheer fun factor of their favorite ‘pad’, ‘tab’ or

‘slate’. But do these tablets also have a rosy future in purely

professional market segments, such as healthcare for example?

If you happened to be in a hospital recently, you may have noticed that tablets are cropping up in the healthcare business indeed. “It’s all part of a broader evolution,” explains Pietro Regondi, Market Director Mobile Point of Care. “We can see a growing use of electronic patient records – instead of paper files; a rapid acceptance of ‘wireless’; and an overall trend to bring medical devices as much as possible to the patient’s bedside - instead of the other way around. Tablet PCs are the logical answer to all these trends.”

What are tablets typically used for in healthcare?

Pietro: Perhaps the most typical application domain for tablet devices is the Electronic Medical Record. Within this area, tablets can provide nurses and doctors with real-time access to critical information while on the go. This is vitally important when you know that one of the most common mistakes in hospitals is wrong patient medication due to human errors and incorrect or incomplete patient files.

55 million tablets will be sold this year. By 2014, this is expected to be 208 million.

Gartner, inc.

Technology | red. 33

But there is more. Tablets are also increasingly combined with other medical devices, such as, for example, heart monitoring equipment, dialysis machines or pacemakers. In these cases, they serve the role of advanced ‘remote control’, allowing cardiologists or nephrologists to monitor all patient parameters in real time and adjust them if needed.

Can just any other standard tablet be used in these medical environments?

Pietro: For hospitals, patient safety is always the number one priority – it’s the sacred mantra by which they operate. Every device they use must comply with stringent international safety standards – particularly those used within the patient’s vicinity. You might be tempted to think that all off-the-shelf tablets comply with these standards, but the simple truth is that only dedicated ‘point-

of-care’ devices can meet these stringent safety stipulations.

What makes these dedicated medical devices different from regular ‘tabs’?

Pietro: One of the most striking differences you’ll notice straight away is that medical tablets look a lot more rugged than others. They are built with a robust screen cover – imagine patients getting hurt by shattered glass - and they will easily survive a 1 meter drop on a concrete surface. You wouldn’t want to try this with your standard ‘tab’.

In addition, healthcare tablets have a dust and water resistant housing to make them easily cleanable and disinfectable. And they have been specifically designed for low electromagnetic radiation to avoid disturbance of other - often life-critical – medical devices in the neighborhood.

Lifecycle management is probably also an issue?

Pietro: Absolutely. On the consumer market, it is common practice to release hardware and software upgrades every 12 or 18 months, which frequently creates compatibility issues. In hospitals, by contrast, lifecycles of 5 to 10 years are by no means exceptional. Medical tablets have been specifically designed to accommodate for this long-term horizon, while still ensuring compatibility with new components and technologies as they enter the market. They are a safe, long-term investment, which is exactly what healthcare facilities are looking for.

www.barco.com/medical

“One of the most common mistakes in hospitals is wrong patient medication due to human errors and incorrect or incomplete patient files.”

”“Healthcare tablets will easily survive a 1 meter drop on a concrete

surface. You wouldn’t want to try this with your standard ‘tab’.

”

Welcome

Dear reader,

First off all, I’d like to extend my deepest sympathy to our Japanese readers and all our readers with relatives or friends in Japan. We are grateful that all our employees in Japan are safe, but so many other lives have been lost in this terrible tragedy.

This red. issue zooms in on Beijing. Greater China has long been a focus for Barco, and we’re proud to showcase some of our accomplishments in the country. The region accounted for 11.5% of total sales for 2010, representing a 33.8% growth compared to the year before. Barco boasts seven offices in China, with a dedicated R&D and manufacturing base and offices for sales and marketing.

In technology-related news, we want to share a few new products that expand our middle-segment portfolio in both healthcare and entertainment markets. We’re also introducing a new display for air traffic control, with a 2Kx2K resolution and fully replaceable LED backlights.

As a closing thought, I would like to draw your attention to the article on technology imagined by previous visionary generations which has now become reality. Did you know, for instance, that the idea of video conferencing technology is actually over a century old? It’s certainly mind-blowing to think that today’s far-fetched science fiction may be everyday reality within a few decades.

With the first quarter of 2011 already behind us and moving towards summer, I wish you happy reading!

Eric Van Zele, President and CEO

Table of contents | red.

Beijing is steeped in historical riches and modern wealth. Can you find out its secret? ?


red. | Case study4

Barco’s OL series takes this green approach one step further, thanks to the recyclable materials and the smart power management. In addition, the OL series offers an exceptional level of brightness, saturated colors and maintenance-free operation.

Clear, real-time overview

“Currently, 60 ATPL staff are working with the system – a number which we intend to increase to 120 in the future,” Mr. Dev Adurti concluded. “They can now accurately monitor the energy

LED GREEN in India

ACME Tele Power Ltd (ATPL) is one of India’s key providers of technology

solutions to the global wireless telecoms industry. Over the past few

years, ATPL’s innovation efforts have been increasingly targeting

sustainable solutions. The company was the first to market passive

infrastructure components.

Green visualization technology

To monitor its operations more efficiently, ATPL decided to install an 18-cube overview video wall (9x2 configuration). Mr. Dev Adurti: “We chose Barco’s LED-lit rear-projection video wall for our center since it meets our focus on sustainability.” LED-lit projection technology is the most eco-friendly technology available.

“Barco is a reference beacon that is known to deliver excellent quality”.

Mr. Satya Dev Adurti, Vice-President IT.

flows and remotely check all the power plants, in real time. In addition, they visualize feeds from live video cameras from different sites across the globe. By having a clear overview of up-to-date information at all times, they can react quickly in case of problems and take better decisions. In this way, Barco helps us achieve our vision of becoming the global benchmark for green energy solutions.”

www.barco.com/controlrooms

”


Case study | red. 5

X-ray vision onNFL

One of the first hurdles amateur athletes must pass on their quest to

play for the National Football League (NFL) is to participate in an intense

four-day job interview at the annual NFL Scouting Combine.

At this Combine, top executives, coaching staff and medical personnel from all 32 NFL teams evaluate the nation’s top college football players eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft. Players undergo a battery of tests, screenings and drills which display their skills and overall health, key attributes for future football stars.

While running the 40-yard dash in less than 4.3 seconds bodes well for candidates, medical examinations are actually the Combine’s number one priority - so top-notch imaging equipment is a must. The Combine’s health screening partner, Indiana University Health, selected a variety of Barco displays, chief among them the Coronis Fusion 6MP

DL wide-screen color display systems, to do the job right. The displays were used to conduct MRI, CT, ultrasound, nuclear imaging studies and cardiac evaluations to assess the athletes’ health.

“The NFL Draft is a high stakes game, so it’s imperative the best tools are available to precisely evaluate a player’s physical condition and abilities. Through accurate assessments, the teams can then determine how well a player fits their needs,” said Dave Hennon, Director, Radiology & Radiation Oncology IS at Indiana University Health. “Barco’s displays have been a good fit for us; they provide the highest image resolution and stability, multi-modality imaging options and a wide-angle viewing experience. We use them throughout our system because of their outstanding quality and reliability.”


LED GREEN in India


red. | Feature6

secrets

It is impossible to capture the richness of Beijing’s past and present in a

few pages – the area around China’s capital has been inhabited for over

200,000 years, and the city’s history stretches back 3,000 years.

Today, Beijing is China’s first post-industrial city, and is home to over 22 million people. It is impossible to cover the entirety of Beijing in one article. Hence, we’ll try to crack eight secrets to appreciating what China’s capital has to offer.

Getting there fast

To any modern metropolis, a well-run subway system is indispensable. Beijing’s is the oldest in mainland China and the second in length after the Shanghai Metro. To keep things running without hiccups, the subway authorities are supported by two pillars: training and security. Subway drivers are trained with a life-like 120° curved simulation system, and the actual network is monitored 24/7 from a control room that features over 50 Barco display cubes.

Beijing Metro’s

nerve center


Feature | red. 7

secrets

Beijing Metro’s

nerve center

Forbidden City

One cannot think of ‘secrets’ and forget the Forbidden City. The 980-building complex dates from the

15th century, and during China’s Imperial period, no one was allowed to enter the 720,000 m² area without permission from the Emperor himself. Today, it is a major tourist hotspot, and boasts a collection of over one million artifacts. Its immersive virtual reality theater has been equipped with Barco 3D projectors since 2003 and is still in operation today.

Capital of cars

As of November 2009, China is the world’s largest car market. Country-wide, over 200 million cars are currently registered. As the capital city, Beijing frequently hosts high-profile motor shows and features a number of auto-mobile headquarters. Interestingly, a rising number of Chinese car manu-facturers are investing in electric and green technologies. This coincides with growing environmental concerns, as well as a desire to get ahead of the curve in a highly competitive global market.

7


red. | Feature8

Why? The answer is quite simple – the show tries its hardest to be as spectacular as possible. In 2011, the Year of the Rabbit, the show’s central theme was ‘home for the holidays’ and for the third year in a row, an armada of Barco LED displays lit up the stage. CCTV has long been a loyal Barco customer and also employs our displays in their news studios.

The quiet, 110 m tall heart

The impressive Jingxin (‘Quiet Heart’) skyscraper, standing 110 m tall and counting 32 floors, is a business building that looks out over Beijing’s bustling traffic lanes. Finished as recently as 1990, the skyscraper is an immediate eye-catcher. Key to its attraction is its façade, covered in no less than 758 m² of bright LEDs, marking it as a symbol of China’s fast-growing advertisement industry.catcher. Key to its attraction is its façade, covered in no less than 758 m² of bright

The Jingxin skyscaper

LED screen

The mystery of spring

It would be an understatement to say that spring is a big thing in China. Coinciding with the start of the Chinese calendar year, CCTV’s annual Spring Gala is a television tradition for hundreds of millions of people in China.


Feature | red. 9

Hence, CNOOC’s Beijing offices are constantly con-nected to its other main facilities involved in geo-physical exploration, to make decisions as quickly as pos-sible. They do so with the aid of full 3D display walls and user-friendly collaboration software. Similarly, the China National Petroleum Corporation, which is also headquartered in Beijing, uses display walls to keep track of China’s oil and gas production and transport.

Finding black gold

The China National Offshore Oil Corporation is one of the coun-try’s biggest oil companies. With oil demand rising spectacularly, in tune with China’s economic growth, analyzing and map-ping out national oil reserves

is crucial.

Hence, CNOOC’s Beijing offices are constantly con-nected to its other main facilities involved in geo-physical exploration, to make decisions as quickly as pos-sible. They do so with the aid of full 3D display walls and user-

CNOOC’s

Beijing offices


red. | Feature10

8/8/2008

The 2008 Summer Olympics marked the first time the quadrennial event came to China, and Beijing rose to the occasion to meet and exceed all expectations as host city.

Secret of its opening ceremony was backed up by an array of Barco lighting products, but the secret to its success was extremely meticulous planning and preparation. The ceremony was held on 8 August 2008. During the Olympics themselves, people could follow the goings-on via big LED displays posted throughout Beijing’s twelve ‘Cultural Square’ venues.

www.barco.com/newsroom

Did you notice?

Something is missing in this article. Can you guess what is missing, and why it is missing? Turn to the last page to read the answer.

Summer Olympics 2008

opening ceremony


Product focus | red. 11

Exactly what the doctor ProScribedA range of innovations

The MTTP-0212 has been fitted with a 1.6 GHz processor, 1 GB internal RAM and the latest Windows Embedded Standard operating system. A whole series of options, including up to 16 GB Compact Flash memory, 32 GB Solid State memory and a 3G wireless module are available. Other innovations include an optionally available RFID reader and a built-in barcode scanner – for error-free patient ID order entry and

medication administration.


medical facilities, where physicians and nurses depend on the instant availability of patient information when moving from room to room. Similar to the previous version of ProScribe, the new and upgraded model (labeled

MTPP-0212) features a 12-inch touch screen, silent operation, rugged reliability, a medical look and feel, and ready-to-go portability.

Barco’s mobile point-of-care tablet for healthcare environments got even smarter! A new version of ProScribe was released, with 60% more processing power and 100% extra internal memory.

ProScribe was developed to meet the most challenging mobile workflow needs of today’s healthcare enterprises. This thin client has already proven its worth in

Barco recently introduced a family of Enhanced 4K digital cinema projectors. The DP4K-23B and DP4K-32B will complement the existing range of projectors and target the premium high-end markets. This will allow theaters to project truly amazing 3D image quality, satisfying even the most demanding spectators.

The DP2K series is a highly successful range of digital cinema projectors, both in terms of sales and in terms of quality. Barco continues down the same path and presents the DP4K-23B and DP4K-32B. These new 4K resolution

models, suited for projection on screens of 23 meters and 32 meters respectively,

set new standards in image quality.

Performance, resolution, efficiency

The new DP4K range shares a significant part of its technology with the DP2K-32B – recognized by Guinness World Records as the brightest digital cinema projector on the planet.

A new wand to project the magicThis means performance, resolution and design efficiency all meet in this top-of-the-line product, guaranteeing razor-sharp images, consistent uniformity, rich contrast and vibrant, accurate colors. Furthermore, the innovative liquid cooling system also ensures longer lamp lifetime and enhanced light output; and by using the same modular platform as the DP2K line, customers can easily swap spare parts. In this way, the DP4K series offers the lowest possible total cost of ownership.

www.barco.com/digitalcinema


red. | Case study12

Medical Center Leeuwarden is a renowned teaching hospital in The Netherlands. Dedicated to assure the highest level of healthcare quality, the hospital was very much impressed by Barco’s line of medical displays. “By delivering brilliant white levels, these displays are perfectly suited for use in brightly lit environments,” clinical physicist Willy Hummel says. “What’s more, the Barco displays are more durable than their competitors, allowing them to deliver these brightness and contrast levels for much longer. MediCal QAWeb also allows adjusting the display’s light output to match the ambient light, assuring even more dependable readings.”

Quality throughout the hospital

MediCal QAWeb, Barco’s online software service which includes features for intervention-free calibration, quality assurance and display asset management, also impressed Dr. J.G.A.M. de Visscher, oral and maxillofacial surgeon. “By automatically assuring that every display in the facility shows the same image at any time, MediCal QAWeb improves diagnosis accuracy. This limits recalibration efforts and allows the hospital to save on maintenance costs.”


Brilliant medical images, at any location

In medical imaging, the biggest

challenge is not only to deliver

the best possible image quality,

but to assure this quality

remains stable over time and

at any location in the medical

facility. That’s why Medical Center

Leeuwarden selected Barco

displays with the innovative

MediCal QAWeb online quality

assurance system. In this way,

the hospital not only saves on

maintenance costs, but is also

ensured of DICOM compliance at

all times.

By automatically assuring that every display in the facility shows the

same image at all times, MediCal QAWeb improves diagnosis accuracy.

”



Since 2006, Barco has been a

partner of the Berlin Film Festival

and the exclusive digital cinema

projector supplier. More than 80

digital screenings were shown

this year, a record number in

the festival’s history. And for the

first time ever, audiences could

enjoy 3D movies at the Berlinale

– using Barco technology.

Although 3D movies are immensely popular with audiences around the world, film festivals don’t have a tradition of adding the extra dimension. Thanks to Barco digital cinema projectors, a number of 3D movies were screened during the 2011 edition of the festival, including Wim Wenders’ 3D dance film ‘Pina‘ and Werner Herzog’s documentary ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams‘. Furthermore, a special event was organized to explore the artistic potential of 3D in movies.

4K in Europe

Another premiere was the introduction of 4K DLP cinema projection in Europe. Using Barco’s brand-new DP4K-32B projector, the movie classic ‘Taxi Driver’ was shown in a specially enhanced version. The screening was much appreciated by the audience.

And the winner is…

In the film competition, the Iranian picture ‘Nader and Simin, a Separation’ was the big winner. The movie not only impressed the International Jury enough to be awarded with the Golden Bear – the prize for the best movie – but the acting ensemble was lauded as well. Both Silver Bears, for Best Actor and Best Actress, went to the movie’s starring cast.


Barco lets the bear

roar in 3D


red. | Product focus14

greenNew environmental regulations and a growing awareness of the impact

of global warming are pushing the aviation industry towards greener air

traffic. Barco offers some excellent tools to help airports, air navigation

service providers and other stakeholders meet the new requirements

and reduce their environmental footprint.

Smart software

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), “cutting flight times by one minute per flight on a global basis would save 4.8 million tons of CO2 every year.” Hence, the industry is very hungry for smart air traffic management systems. With its Queue Management software suite, Barco helps airlines and airports slash fuel burn and CO2 emissions. It is the first and only complete toolset for air traffic management, reducing aircraft delays and ensuring streamlined air traffic operations.

Smooth operators

Barco’s Queue Management tools are interoperable and offer instructions and advice to reduce operator workload. The different software components can be adapted to the specific needs of every airport and airspace. Providing tools to optimize incoming and departing flights, runway taxiing and airport capacity, the software helps operators meet the increasingly demanding requirements for both safety and efficiency of air traffic flow.

Proven excellence

The Queue Management tool for collaborative flow management, installed at and developed in collaboration with Airways New Zealand, captured the Aviation Award Asia in the Technology & Environment category and was nominated for Jane’s ATC Technology Award. Both award ceremonies have been established to recognize excellence within air traffic control and celebrate the commitment of airports and their stakeholders to efficient, safe and green aviation.


Product focus | red. 15

green

Power saver

Energy efficiency is also key to a sustainable future. That’s why Barco developed a new version of its renowned ISIS display for air traffic controllers. The square LCD display with 4 megapixel resolution now comes with an LED light source instead of CCFL backlights, reducing power consumption by at least 20% without compromising image quality.

Waste reduction

With an average lifetime of 10 years, LEDs need about 50% fewer maintenance replacements compared to lamps. So besides energy consumption, the latest ISIS model also reduces waste creation. Barco will provide a simple upgrade procedure for ISIS displays currently in the field to allow its customers benefit from a more energy-efficient and durable solution.

www.barco.com/atc

Queue Management tools are:

1. Arrival Manager: helps ATC operators handle incoming flights more efficiently and reduce holding patterns.

2. Departure Manager: reduces runway queues to ensure maximum outbound punc-tuality.

3. Surface Manager: ensures smooth aircraft taxiing to and from the runway. 4. Departure Metering: synchronizes departing flights from different airports in order

to avoid congestion at specific merge points. 5. Collaborative Flow Manager: enables airlines to agree on priority flights, matching

demand to capacity and reducing in-flight delays. 6. Air Traffic Flow Management: visualizes imbalances and sends out a warning

when imbalances are predicted.

Collaborative Flow Management saves money, reduces CO2 emissions,

and lowers the impact of delays.

”


red. | Case study16 red. | Case study16

Although they look like great

entertainment, driving simulators

are highly necessary in today’s

automotive industry. (smoother

flow) Current automotive trends

indicate that more and more

vehicles are equipped with

electronic features. Therefore,

driving simulators are crucial for

car manufacturers to test these

new systems and components in

a safe environment.

Daimler AG is one of the world’s most famous automotive companies, best known for their Mercedes-Benz Cars division. The company has been working with driving simulators since the 1980s in order to test the designs of new Mercedes models in all development phases.

360° field of view

In 2010, Daimler AG joined forces with Barco to create a new Mercedes driving simulator. The simulator is now set up in their Technology Center in Sindelfingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. With a 360° projection screen, fast electric power system and a 12 meter long rail for transverse movements, this dynamic simulator is one of the most advanced in the global automobile industry.

Driving simulation in gear

No smear, no problem

The Daimler driving simulator is a hexapod robot mounted onto six moveable supporting legs. Inside, there is a complete Mercedes model in which the test driver is seated, with constantly changing, realistic images of traffic scenes. To create the 360° projection, Daimler depends on Barco’s SIM 7 simulation projectors to provide the most realistic scenery possible.

Daimler AG chose the SIM 7 mainly because of its smear-free operation. Thanks to Barco’s display optimizations and the system’s fast refresh rate, this projector produces razor sharp, high-quality images, making it ideal for high-speed motion and other visually intensive simulation applications.

www.barco.com/simulation




81st

edition


red. | Case study18


31 car brands with

Barco

170car premieres

AbarthAlfa RomeoBMWChevroletCitroënDodgeFiatFordHondaInfinityJaguar

JeepLamborghiniLanciaLandroverLexusMaseratiMazdaMiniNissanOpelPeugeot

PorscheRenaultRolls RoyceSeatSkoda SubaruSuzukiToyotaVolkswagen

24 millionpixels





735,000 visitors

30 booths

8,000 Barco tiles

MERCEDES BENZ

BMW

MASERATICITROËNKIA

BMWALPINA

ALFAROMEO

JAGUAR LAND ROVER

PEUGEOTMINI

FIAT

MAZDAFORD

TOYOTALEXUS

DAIHATSU

SUZUKI

HONDA

REVUEAUTOMOBILE

RENAULT

NISSAN

MOTO

R PRE

SSE

QUAT

TROR

UOTE

YOKO

HAMA

CONTINENTALTATA

FISKER

RUFABT

PIRELLIMAYBACH

OPEL

SUBARU

SEAT

SBARRO LUMMADESIGN

BERTONE

INFINITI

IRMSC

HER

DETOMASOTECHART FAB

DESIGN

ISUZU

KOENIGSEGGEDAG

CAN-AM KELLENERS SPORT

BRIDGESTONE

NOVIDEM

SPOR

TEC

GTAMOTOR

VW

PORSCHE

HYUNDAI

PININFARINA

AUDI

LAMB

ORGH

INI

SKODA

TESLA

BUGATTI

GOOD

YEAR

DUNL

OP

BENTLEYMOTORS

MITSUBISHIMOTORS

MORGAN

MAGN

A STEY

R

ROLLSROYCE

SMART

ASTONMARTIN

IEDMTME'MOB

ILE

GASM

OBIL

BRABUS

VOLVO

SAAB

DACIA

BOLLORE

SCHNITZER WIESMANN

SPYKER

VALMETAUTOMOTIVESPEEDART

CARL

SSON

MIAELECTRIC

LOTUSCHEVROLET

HAMANN

INVADER

FORN

ASAR

I

RINSPEED

HAUETER

MANSORY

ARTEG

A

NOVITECROSSO

JEEP

ACS

PAGANI

ITALDESIGNGIUGIARO

START

ECH

LAND

ROVE

R

FERRARI

GUMPERTTOURINGSUPER-

LEGGERA

AGVS

AC CARS

SSANGYONG

ISUZ UISUZU

LANCIACHRYSLER

TOYOTA

DODG

EAB

ARTH

CCIVERSAILLES COURBSMARTCITROENRENAULT

INNOMOTAG

TILTER

HES-SO

DOMTEKNIKANIAMA

REISSER

DOW KOKAM

M WAYBMWGROUP

TATA CHEVROLETMECO

WORLD

IEV1

YVELINESLE DEPARTEMENT

DE L’AUTOMOBILE

GREENTECHENERGY

EONMOTORS

ESSAIS VERTS

MOTO

RSPO

RTAK

TUELL

1125

1446

1546

1416

BYD

0536 0526

9516

0416

16061616 0606

1115 0115

1525 0515

1124

1314

1114

0314

0204

1114

05241524

0514

3125

5125

3525

3325 3405

0415 1405 1424

0315 1324

2315

0424

23053305

14360446

1646 1626

1726

0626

17360746

0425 1415

0325

1151

03010221

1050

106016210612

1260

2041 1241

1245

1040

2250

1259

2050

2052

2056

1251

1159

10352231

2241

2251

2161

2240 2141

2143

2145 2144

2142 2043

2150

2158

2156

2051

2057

2157

1223

1506

21302230

1031

CADILLAC

1244

VREDESTEIN

12402040

12432042

2045

1305

3324

0636

1516

8526

NISSAN LEAF THE TOUR

0026

4305

03051325

1231

2424

20261026SIMULATOR

2055

1221

1033

3314

1406 0406

0346 2346 423671469146

02463236

1236

5136

2236

0236

01360146

31361136

12465146

3146

4146

2146 1146

7160


Pics by www.avsystem.it - AVS srl.(Abarth, Alfa, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia)www.ctgermany.com – CT Germany (Volkswagen, Rolls Royce)


Red indicates a booth featuring Barco technology


red. | Case study20

Crashing the Vegas skyline

The pokerstars.net logo

crumbles down before your

eyes, a helicopter passes by,

the building begins to crack

and poker chips and balloons

fly out. And then, suddenly,

there are fireworks! Is it an

alien invasion?

No – just an astounding and innovative video projection onto the famous Palms Casino Resort by pokerstars.net during last year’s annual World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

It’s not easy for a billboard, light show or video projection to catch the eye in a city known as the world’s Entertainment Capital. Everywhere you look, you’re blinded by lights, motion and sound. But Barco, working closely with partner AD X Media, attracted crowds with a dazzling display to celebrate the 2010 edition of the world’s biggest live poker tournament. The partners projected creative visuals onto 19 stories of the building’s façade, creating astoundingly realistic 3D effects. The secret behind this jaw-dropping spectacle: experience, know-how, and four overlaid Barco projectors with image processing.

Projecting video onto the Palms building proved to be a challenge. The hotel’s thin, protruding vertical wedge made it impossible to rely on a horizontally-spread display. Also, the high number of windows would distort the projected image. “We decided to cover the windows of the bottom 20 floors and project the images vertically on the

centerpiece and sides,” Evans explained. “As for the hardware part: challenging designs call for Barco technology. We’ve been relying on Barco for many years now and have always been happy with the results.”


Want to take a look?

Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE8UJiJtBxM to see it in action! ?



Truly

Last time you experienced a simulated world that disrupted your

physical perception, it was likely in a ‘funhouse’ at a local carnival or

county fair. Recently, Flemish artist collective Workspace Unlimited

elevated this surreal experience to astounding new levels in its latest

work ‘Realtime Unreal.’

‘Realtime Unreal’ is part of the ‘Real Virtuality’ exhibition debuting at the newly expanded Museum of the Moving Image in New York, USA. In the exhi-bition, a world is depicted in 3D and seems to float in space. A visitor’s movement around the gallery modi-fies the projection in real time, with projectors displaying a trompe-l’œil so believable that the screen disappears. To accomplish these effects, the artists utilized several Barco RLM series projec-tors. “Barco’s industry-leading projectors allowed us to show audiences the full potential of our virtual worlds on a life-size scale,” said Thomas Soetens of Workspace Unlimited.

Other installations employ video game engines, motion- and position-tracking, and sophisticated image processing to create simulated worlds. ‘Into the Forest’ by the OpenEnded Group features a computer-generated children’s game of hide-and-seek in the style of a hand-drawn illustration. Artist Bill Viola’s ‘Night Journey’ is an archetypal jour-ney toward enlightenment through the mechanics of the gaming experience. In ‘Cathedral,’ artist Marco Brambilla presents a Toronto shopping mall in dizzying, kaleidoscopic 9K projection to evoke America’s obsession with con-sumerism.

In total, Barco supplied fifteen RLM-W6 and two RLM-W8 projectors, two in stereoscopic configurations, in several other high-profile spaces: a 50-foot-long seamless projection wall in the lobby, the new Video Screening Amphitheater, and a new 68-seat screening room.



red. | Feature22

Beauty is in the

of the operator

Barco’s video walls have been lauded on several occasions for their

image quality and reliability. But they are also downright cleverly

designed! This has been proven by the prestigious red dot

product design award for the OL-521 LED-lit projection module.

The red dot design award is an annual competition awarding the products that excel in a large number of design criteria, including innovation, functionality, ergo-nomics, formal quality, durability and ecological com-patibility. Barco entered the competition in the product

category ‘Computers and Information Technology’. A number of internationally recognized design experts assess the entries. This means that the

adjudication results in each category reflect the future of the industry in terms of design and

serve as orientation for manufacturers and designers worldwide.

Tom Dewaele, Design Expert Control Rooms at Barco, is therefore particularly pleased with the recogni-

tion: “It goes without saying that we are very proud of this achievement. With over 4,000 submissions it

is not obvious to get awarded. For the team, this is a confirmation that we are on the right path.”


Feature | red. 23

Reduced footprint

The main design drivers were the intro-duction of LED-technology in video wall cubes, a long lifetime (maintenance free under 24/7 operation), full front and rear serviceability, minimal field adjustments and maximum reuse of components over the eight variants in the OL family. Furthermore, spe-cial attention was paid to limiting the footprint, decreasing shipment volume, weight and required control room floor space. “This weight reduction also has a positive effect on the product’s ecologi-cal footprint,” Tom Dewaele comments. “It allows you to transport more cubes with the same effort, minimizing fuel usage. Furthermore, recyclable materi-als were used.”

More than the sum of parts

The design criteria involved addressing several new key technologies, includ-ing LED, liquid cooling, shallow optics, spectrometers, software architecture and network interface. A big part of the design process was spent in the product architecture and system design. “To me, the most remarkable part in the design

of the OL is that it is not just the sum of a number of features, but an integral product design that resulted from a holistic approach,” Tom Dewaele con-tinues. “It all just fits. The enclosure, for example, combines low weight, sealing, low cost, noise damping, recyclability and an esthetic shape.”

User comfort at the forefront

But the most important consideration in the design process was user com-fort. “As the human eye is sensitive to

color differences, it is very essential to guarantee color uniformity throughout the complete video wall. By introducing Sense6, Barco’s proprietary automatic color calibration system, we tackle this challenge and are able to deliver the perfect images throughout the video wall lifetime. Furthermore, we intro-duced the ‘hang and flip’ principle to ensure an ergonomic installation of one module to another. A motorized shift and tilt system also eases the geometry optimization. Fitting all these features so swiftly in the cubes was a big chal-lenge for our R&D team in the Display

group, but by combining all complementary skills and working perfectly together we managed to deliver this truly amaz-ing result,” Tom Dewaele concludes.

www.barco.com/cool

It all just fits. The enclosure for example, combines low weight, sealing, low cost, noise damping, recyclability and an esthetic shape.

”


red. | Case study24

Barco, what else?

In February 2011, Nespresso launched its brand new small brewer named Pixie, with a breathtaking multimedia production live on stage. This production was realized by Concept Solutions GmbH, with Barco image processing and projection technologies provided by Barco partner Grothusen AV. Strukt design studio created the content and projection mapping for the show.

A visual masterpiece is best shown in images, however. Check out the ‘making of’ and the show video on our website.

www.barco.com/pixie

red. | Case study24


Case study | red. 25Case study | red. 25

On 14 April 2011, Hrvoje Krstulovic, Board Member of Croatia’s leading

cinema operator Blitz-CineStar, inaugurated Blitz-CineStar’s flagship

multiplex in Zagreb’s prestigious new Arena Center. The brand-new

multiplex is its third and most exciting multiplex in the Croatian capital.

“The bar had been raised very high, both for quality and timing. We wanted a technology partner that could offer a reliable, high-quality and future-proof digital solution for all our multiplexes within the space of just a year,” said Krstulovic. “As our standards are high, we carefully scrutinized and compared all the available projector brands.” The contacts with Barco were extensive. Both companies frequently met to ana-lyze the needs, discuss the product offering and test Barco’s solution. “The trials convinced us that Barco really does use future-proof technology. Their digi-tal projectors provide unmatched light output, while ensuring reliable, steady operation,” Krstulovic continued.

The best on the big screen

In total, Blitz-CineStar ordered the differ-ent DP2K projector types, each one tai-lored to fit the auditorium and screen size. The roll-out is well underway already, and the cinema chain has become a Barco advocate: “Movies and cinema are our passion, so we don’t settle for anything less than the best technology. Barco has met, and even exceeded, our expectations. They succeeded in meet-ing the tight deadlines, and the image quality is beyond compare. In this way, they really help Blitz-CineStar deliver the exciting cinema experience that we’ve always dreamed of.


Digital conversion for Blitz-CineStar



red. | Feature26 red. | Feature26

At the very basic level,

meetings are about exchanging

information. And usually, they

are about making decisions.

Because of today’s computerized

office, many people bring their

laptops to meetings or need

digital sources to present cases

or compare data. That’s where

visualization comes in. “There

are a few things to consider,”

says Chris Colpaert, Strategic

Marketing Director for Projection

at Barco.

Do not disturb

Let’s start with money. It’s the alpha and omega of any business decision.

Chris: “Price is a no-brainer. Over-engineered, expensive visualization is often frustrating to work with anyway. Purchasing price isn’t everything, though. Another consideration is downtime. A cheap projector or flat panel backed up by no service, or made so that it is hard to self-service, will eventually end up costing much more than higher-priced, but purpose-designed equipment. It’s the total picture that counts. Will your lamps last long enough? Will your screen resolution match your source material in four years’ time?”

Speaking of resolution, HD is now the norm. Will it remain that way?

Chris: “For the foreseeable future, it will. Full, 1080p HD is still a safe option because it’s compatible with nearly every other common resolution. WUXGA resolution also comes into the picture, because it is basically HD but with an added 120 vertical lines. It is slightly better than HD, and is compatible with the latest generations of high-end laptops.”

red. | Feature26


Feature | red. 27

How about brightness? Projectors, in particular, seem to keep getting brighter.

Chris: “From an ergonomic point of view, and so people can keep reading their own notes, it is best to assume daylight conditions. Room size determines the brightness you’ll need. It is, for once, not an upselling argument that it’s better to err on the brighter side. You can always tone down an image in the rare case it’s too bright, but you can never crank up brightness without negative consequences.”

Connectivity is often an issue, too – people just want to plug in their computer and see what’s on the screen.

Chris: “That’s true. Apart from seeking a projector that has the widest range of connectivity options, it should also be user-friendly. Again, this is obvious, but there are still a lot of systems out there with a complex way of selecting and displaying sources. You should make sure it fits your needs. A small meeting room benefits from a simple setup where only two sources would ever be needed simultaneously, whereas an auditorium or a big collaboration room is another animal entirely.”

If you were to sum up all that’s important in visualization for the meeting room, what would you say in one sentence?

Chris: “Ha, no. I would say that it’s all about choosing the right type of visualization that meets the requirements of the people that work with it, fits into your meeting room perfectly and guarantees a low total cost of ownership.”

Overview of common resolutions

•SXGA:1400x1050pixelsina4:3resolution.Onthewayoutnearlyeverywhere.

•HD: 1920x1080 pixels in a 16:9 resolution. This is true, full HD.There are also interlaced and digital variants with a smaller image sizebuta16:9aspectratiothatgobythenameHD.

•WUXGA:1920x1200pixelsina16:10resolution.

Brightness scale

A projector’s brightness is expressed in lumens. Assuming daylight or rea-sonably bright artificial lighting, here is a rough overview of the brightness scale that is comfortable for your meeting rooms.

•2to4people:1,500–4,000lumens•5to8people:4,000–8,000lumens•9ormore:8,000+lumens•auditorium:10,000+lumens

www.barco.com/presentation


red. | Feature28

1.Wireless communication

First mention: 1923, in H.G. Wells’s ‘Men like Gods’

While the description in the novel is fairly clunky, Wells made it clear that his characters communicated wirelessly – and even partly through mobile access points. Later science fiction authors saw wireless internet, voice and video communication as a given, but it wasn’t until 1999 that wi-fi really began to boom, and slightly under a decade later until it became a common feature for visualization products.

Science

Science fiction is notorious for its continuous attempts to make

predictions about future technology. Even if it isn’t the central theme

of its stories, it’s always involved on the side. And sometimes, it also

inspires scientists to make new technology breakthroughs.

Some predictions made by science fiction writers have turned out to be far-fetched or untrue: in 2001, we did not have moon bases and neither did we send manned missions to Jupiter, and we’re lucky that 1984 did not pan out to be the nightmare that George Orwell imagined it could be.

However, unnoticeably, a lot of the technology imagined in the past is commonplace today. We’re going to look at 10 technologies that were predicted much earlier than you might think.


Feature | red. 29

2.Immersive 3D

First mention: 1956, in Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘The City and the Stars’

Clarke described an immersive 3D setup in terms of gaming, and said: “You were an active participant and possessed—or seemed to possess—free will. The events […] might have been prepared beforehand, but there was enough flexibility to allow for wide variation.” Since the late 1980s, immersive 3D became adopted by science and industry, and has enjoyed a steady growth ever since.

3.

video conferencing

First mention: 1889, in Jules Verne’s ‘The Year 2889’

Video communication was and still is common in science fiction, but its first mention predated the commercially viable technology by nearly a century. This was doubtlessly aided by the incremental improvement in resolution as well as network capacity, and might have even amazed Verne himself, in that his prediction came true 900 years before he thought it would.

4.

Networked control rooms

First mention: 1949, in George Orwell’s ‘1984’

While obviously used for malicious purposes in Orwell’s frightening dystopia, control rooms that keep an eye on the streets and are connected to a network of surveillance cameras have proven to be compatible with an open, democratic society. Control rooms certainly did exist in 1984, but it is only today that their scope and strength approaches the power they had in the novel.


red. | Feature30

5.

Distributed, simultaneous broadcasting

First mention: 1933, in H.G. Wells’s ‘Things to Come’

H.G. Wells obviously had the analogy of radio to work with when he described televised broadcasts that would be simultaneously viewable all over the world. However, he predicted this technology to exist by 2054. Thanks to satellite and – later – network technology, however, this has been a reality since the 1960s.

6.

Flat panels

First mention: 1930, in E.E. Smith’s ‘Skylark Three’

As early as 1930, authors imagined ‘visiplates’, basically mirror-like, flat surfaces that could call up crystal-clear images. Fairly flat LCD displays were of course common in small, low-quality formats throughout the ‘80s, but their breakthrough is definitely something of the last decade. With see-through, extremely thin OLED displays on the horizon, this prediction may finally come fully true.

7.

Touch displays

First mention: 1968, in Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’

Touch displays have been a staple of modern science fiction so ubiquitous that their growing adoption in a large number of consumer products by the late ‘90s hardly evoked any sort of surprise. In Aldous Huxley’s “A Brave New World” from 1952, media that involved a tactile element were a given. There have been advancements in force-feedback and multi-touch applications, but there is still a lot of distance to cover.



8.3D design

First mention: 1956, in Robert Heinlein’s ‘The Door into Summer’

At a time where even computers were a novelty, the idea of CAD and 3D design was ground-breaking. Ten years later, CAD was a reality, and the ‘90s saw a drastic improvement in projected 3D quality that would allow for true 3D design.

9.

Meeting room collaboration through visualization

First mention:1953, in Isaac Asimov’s ‘Second Foundation’

In “Second Foundation”, Asimov describes a conference room where the walls have interactive projections on them that each meeting participant can add to with their own content. It also doubles up as a digital, interactive blackboard. While a meeting room that’s a complete canvas might be overkill, it took about 50 years after Asimov’s novel for such technology to be invented and used. His name for it, ‘Prime Radiant’, will always be cooler than whatever companies will come up with, though.

10.

3D TV

First mention:1951, in William Tenn’s ‘The Jester’

With television still in its infancy, it’s not a big surprise that forward-thinking novelists came up with the 3D TV, which would remain a familiar sci-fi trope in decades to come. It took a lot longer than 3D adepts had originally envisioned, but 3D televisions do finally exist, though it remains to be seen whether they will enjoy the widespread success Tenn’s fictional ‘Teledar’ had.


red. | Technology32

TablettruthsYou don’t need to be a techno geek

these days to know that tablet

PCs are taking the computer

market by storm. Millions

of consumers go wild

about the compact

portable design, tac-

tile touch screen interface and

sheer fun factor of their favorite ‘pad’, ‘tab’ or

‘slate’. But do these tablets also have a rosy future in purely

professional market segments, such as healthcare for example?

If you happened to be in a hospital recently, you may have noticed that tablets are cropping up in the healthcare business indeed. “It’s all part of a broader evolution,” explains Pietro Regondi, Market Director Mobile Point of Care. “We can see a growing use of electronic patient records – instead of paper files; a rapid acceptance of ‘wireless’; and an overall trend to bring medical devices as much as possible to the patient’s bedside - instead of the other way around. Tablet PCs are the logical answer to all these trends.”

What are tablets typically used for in healthcare?

Pietro: Perhaps the most typical application domain for tablet devices is the Electronic Medical Record. Within this area, tablets can provide nurses and doctors with real-time access to critical information while on the go. This is vitally important when you know that one of the most common mistakes in hospitals is wrong patient medication due to human errors and incorrect or incomplete patient files.

55milliontabletswillbesoldthisyear.By2014,thisisexpectedtobe208million.

Gartner, inc.



But there is more. Tablets are also increasingly combined with other medical devices, such as, for example, heart monitoring equipment, dialysis machines or pacemakers. In these cases, they serve the role of advanced ‘remote control’, allowing cardiologists or nephrologists to monitor all patient parameters in real time and adjust them if needed.

Can just any other standard tablet be used in these medical environments?

Pietro: For hospitals, patient safety is always the number one priority – it’s the sacred mantra by which they operate. Every device they use must comply with stringent international safety standards – particularly those used within the patient’s vicinity. You might be tempted to think that all off-the-shelf tablets comply with these standards, but the simple truth is that only dedicated ‘point-

of-care’ devices can meet these stringent safety stipulations.

What makes these dedicated medical devices different from regular ‘tabs’?

Pietro: One of the most striking differences you’ll notice straight away is that medical tablets look a lot more rugged than others. They are built with a robust screen cover – imagine patients getting hurt by shattered glass - and they will easily survive a 1 meter drop on a concrete surface. You wouldn’t want to try this with your standard ‘tab’.

In addition, healthcare tablets have a dust and water resistant housing to make them easily cleanable and disinfectable. And they have been specifically designed for low electromagnetic radiation to avoid disturbance of other - often life-critical – medical devices in the neighborhood.

Lifecycle management is probably also an issue?

Pietro: Absolutely. On the consumer market, it is common practice to release hardware and software upgrades every 12 or 18 months, which frequently creates compatibility issues. In hospitals, by contrast, lifecycles of 5 to 10 years are by no means exceptional. Medical tablets have been specifically designed to accommodate for this long-term horizon, while still ensuring compatibility with new components and technologies as they enter the market. They are a safe, long-term investment, which is exactly what healthcare facilities are looking for.


“One of the most common mistakes in hospitals is wrong patient medication due to human errors and incorrect or incomplete patient files.”

”“Healthcaretabletswilleasily survive a 1 meter drop on a concrete

surface. You wouldn’t want to try this with your standard ‘tab’.

”redefine_issue_6c.indd 33 2/05/11 11:53

red. | Technology34The Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

High-bright LEDs High-efficiency LED light sources offer unrivalled performance in daytime and

sunlight conditions. Besides a high light output, LED backlights also offer a long lifetime, a low heat output and high vibration resistance, which add to the reliability of the display.

Wide dimming range LED backlight technology also offers extended dimming capability, ensuring

the best brightness for any light condition. In digital signage, for example, 8-bit dimming results in 255 different shades of brightness instead of

the conventional 32.

Brightness controlBright daylight requires a high light output and vice versa. That’s why brightness control has a major impact on display readability. Thanks to smart software, it’s possible for a display to know exactly when the sun rises and sets, or even offer

brightness compensation in rapidly changing light conditions.

Low reflection High reflections lead to weak contrast performance and hence

decreased readability. When LED displays use contrast-enhancing shaders and light traps, however, they eliminate excess light and reflections. When a resistive touch screen is used, outdoor readability becomes even more difficult. To address this issue, the latest generations of rugged displays for military vehicles use low-reflection touch screens enhanced with a circular polarizer, which blocks the reflected light.

Optical bonding Rugged touch screens can be bonded to the front glass, which in turn is

bonded to the LCD. This eliminates the conventional air gaps (air induces reflections) between all parts of the optical stack, which greatly improves outdoor readability.

When displays are used outdoors,

in direct sunlight, their readability

goes down due to low contrast

and the light reflection. Recent

technological advancements

have now made it possible to

still see images in a reflected

glare. Interestingly, this applies

to an entire range of disparate

displays, from outdoor LED

displays to military touch screens

to advertising billboards.

Seeing in sunshine



LEDs in the night Latest-generation displays aboard armored vehicles come prepared for

intensive use in low-light and dark conditions. Aside from their now standard LED backlighting for more vibrant colors and sharper contrast, a second set of LEDs kicks in at night. These guarantee compatibility with night vision goggles, which are often vital to the success of night missions.

Targeted angles While drowning an environment in light might give a brand a lot of exposure

at night, people don’t appreciate light pollution or overstimulation. Hence, smart downward angles on LED tiles help point a display’s message at users, creating better focus and reducing excess light spill.

Increased infrared Military pilots use night vision goggles (NVG) in real life

operations to see more at night. Realistic NVG stimulation in flight training is achieved by projecting images with very deep black levels, and allowing infrared light to pass through the projector. By carefully matching the ratio between this infrared light and the visible light, you can accurately create real-life night conditions, with much more realistic halo and blooming effects typically associated with NVGs.

Constant contrast dimming Just darkening a screen will not achieve realistic night mission simulation

because of the loss of contrast. Constant contrast dimming, however, decreases light output while keeping the same contrast levels available, as is actually the case at night.

Dynamic range Simply put, the dynamic range is the difference between a display’s blackest

and whitest values. The higher the dynamic range, the more realistic an image will be, and the better it will be readable under all circumstances. Through the use of high contrast LCoS displays and advanced constant contrast dimming, dynamic range levels in simulation display systems of up to 10 million to 1 can be achieved .

Many professionals depend on accurate visualization to make critical

decisions – even in circumstances with scant light available. While

simply turning up the brightness of a display is a classic trick, it doesn’t

work when that light drowns out your entire environment. Here are five

techniques that help professionals in a number of fields cope with the

challenge of seeing clearly in darkness.

Details in darkness



red .www.barco.com

Editors:Charlie Sue Back, Eva Careel, Jerry Cao, Johan Bekaert, Leslie Ghekiere, Nancy Xiao

Managing editors:Jeroen Meuleman, Koen Vromant

Editor in chief:Lieven Bertier

Art, design and production:Nathalie Reynaert, Hans De Cock

Publisher:JP TangheSenior Vice President Barco responsible for Corporate Communica-tion, Investor Relations and Corporate Marketing; Compliance OfficerBarco nvPres. Kennedypark 35 B-8500 Kortrijk

For more info:[email protected]

Picture credits:AVS srl.(Abarth, Alfa, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia), CT Germany (Volkswa-gen, Rolls Royce) p17-19, iStock p1-2, p6-10, p14-15, p28-35, Strukt design studio p24 and Daimler AG p16.All other images: copyright Barco

Published three times per year. Printed in Belgium. Reproduction of articles in whole or in part requires the permission of the editorial office. This also applies to storage in electronic databases or on the internet.

Colophon

M70006-R00-0511-CMPrinted on FSC certified paper (www.fsc.org)

‘Green’ doesn’t exclude high performance and low price. Barco’s C7 is an indoor LED display for rental as well as permanent installations, with a historically low power consumption and heat generation. Its 7 mm pixel pitch is the smallest in the value-for-money C-series of Barco LED tiles, and from the outset, the C7 was designed to be ultra-thin, lightweight and easy to service without complicated tools. To boot, the C7 offers a 100,000 hour lifetime. All of its features render it the LED tile with the best image and contrast quality after its bigger brother, the NX.


In our article ‘Eight secrets of Beijing’ (p10), we asked you what was missing.

Answer: there are only seven secrets discussed, because number four was skipped. ‘Four’ is considered an unlucky number in Chinese culture, because in Chinese, the pronunciation of ‘four’ is the same as ‘dead’. This is also the reason why many Chinese try to avoid a car license plate containing this unfavorable number.

May 2011

C7Featherweight champion


Documents

Eight secrets of Beijing - barco.com/media/Downloads/Company magazines... · category ‘Computers and Information Technology’. ... novel is fairly clunky, ... a lot of the technology