Immersive experiences with Oceanic Refractions in Berlin

With the power and flexibility of Datapath’s award-winning Fx4 controllers combined with a Screenberry media server, Berlin-based Oceanic Refractions set new standards for immersive sensory experiences. The multimedia installation in the historic dome hall of the Silent Green venue in Berlin immersed the audience in the topic of climate change and its impact on the oceanic community.

(Image: Frankie Casillo)

“Oceanic Refractions” combined a moving narrative with testimonies from Oceanian locals, accompanied by the sounds of their natural surroundings – from the bustle of the coral reefs to the quiet rustle of the mangroves. The auditory journey was further enhanced with 360-degree videography, kinetic seating that mimicked the movement of the ocean, and olfactory effects that transported visitors to the shores of Fiji, Kiribati, and the Duke of York Islands in Papua New Guinea reinforced

Multimedia system for 360 degree multi-sensory technology

FrameWorks, a multimedia system designer and integrator from Ireland, created this 360-degree multi-sensory environment using the latest technologies. Olan Clarke specified 16 Panasonic projectors controlled by a single Screenberry media server to create seamless video playback across two 360-degree cylindrical screens and an octagonal dome. A quartet of Datapath Fx4 units split the signal from the media server into 16 WUXGA outputs.

The combination of a single server and Datapath video wall controllers to manage playback on all three screens simplified setup and seamlessly expanded the immersive environment from floor to ceiling. Additional plus points were the higher cost and energy efficiency.

To output imagery to two circular panoramas, each 10 meters in diameter and 3 meters high, Screenberry aligned 8 Panasonic PT-RZ970 projectors using a combination of automatic and manual calibration. To image the 10-meter domed ceiling, the media server automatically calibrated an array of 8 Panasonic PT-DZ780 projectors.

Single-Server statt Multi-Server

Those involved in the project highlight the differences in the single-server approach used compared to previous generations of multi-projector systems. The latter would have been based on the “one computer per projector” paradigm. However, this approach had significant drawbacks, including a relatively large computer hardware budget, more possible points of failure, difficulty in implementing appropriate failover solutions, and higher power consumption. Another disadvantage of cluster systems is the different speeds of video playback on different computers, which can lead to jerky playback

With the single-server approach used in Oceanic Refractions, Screenberry’s video engine leveraged the full power of the media server hardware to process extremely high-resolution media in real time. The result is that it can handle many more screens per machine than most other solutions available.