By Guy Campos in Systems, UK&I, Venues November 19, 2020 0

A 10m x 3m seamless front projection screen with 10K laser projection is an eye-catching element of a wide-ranging AV upgrade at the Grade II-listed One Great George Street in Westminster.

Located in the centre of Westminster, London, One Great George Street is a magnificent Grade II listed, four-domed building constructed over 100 years ago. With 21 function rooms, the venue can host a variety of different events including wedding ceremonies and receptions, gala dinners and corporate events. Within, the Telford Theatre is a purpose-built conference and lecture space with fixed racked seating able to accommodate up to 240 people.

Although video and control capabilities at the Telford Theatre had been upgraded four years previously, the existing display system was over 10 years old, and the venue’s technology manager recently decided it was time to revamp the theatre to bring it up to state-of-the-art standards, working with systems integrator RunTech.

Initially, the entire theatre was going to be redecorated. However, due to Covid-19, a decision was made to upgrade only the AV.

The most eye-catching requirement was to replace the existing projection screen with a 10m x 3m seamless front projection, and replacing an existing single projector with dual, edge-blended Panasonic 10K laser Al projectors, with a throw distance of 19 metres.

RunTech also used this opportunity to replace and rebuild both racks, reterminate all audio connections and improve the neatness and reliability of the control room and stage.

During the project, RunTech worked closely with One Great George Street in selecting the best hardware to suit its requirements and due to the client’s inhouse technical expertise, broad knowledge of AV and event management experience, this worked particularly well. Whilst the integrator specified the screen, bracketry and 4K distribution, the client focused on the projectors, video processing and audio mixing.

The screen used was a 10m x 3m custom-built, seamless AV Stumpfl front projection screen, which was mounted with no fixings on show. This installation required 3 x full height scaffold towers, 2 x Genie lifts and 12 installers. Once it was up, it was noted as the most difficult aspect of the project.

Two Panasonic laser projectors with 10,000 Ansi Lumens with a throw distance of 19 metres were used and Runtech brought in an expert to ensure the projectors were edge blended to optimal 10% blend parameters.

The projectors were ceiling-mounted with custom Unistrut frames, a rubber section to reduce vibration from the AC unit on the roof above, and LANG supplied projector mounts which provided precise adjustment points. One challenge was to produce drawings that detailed the exact height and location of the LANG frames.

The central core of the upgrade included an Analog Way RS1 video processor that has the ability to produce shows to high-end standard. Runtech sourced a 1m deep AV rack to accommodate the unit. Combining this with a Shotbox, the technical team can easily manage video selections during a live show.

The video distribution was handled by Extron. Runtech specified the 330 4k DTP distribution amplifier which was matched with Extron DTP 330 HDMI transmitters and receivers. With new CAT6A cabling this ensured reliability, 4K and coupled with Crestron 4k Certified HDMI cables ensured the entire video distribution system provided the client with the quality they requested.

The video flow includes 12 inputs and 8 outputs. One George Street uses high-end laptops and MacBook Pro’s, which connect via custom built input plates into the RS1 processor.

We included a laptop input at the stage lectern as well as a return feed to a confidence monitor. The guest panel on the stage includes 5 mini monitors and 6 gooseneck microphones. The 5 monitors receive their signal via a 1:8 Extron 330 4k DTP Distribution Amp.

In the control room the inputs include 4 SDI, 6 HDMI and 4 spare outputs for recording. There are 2 direct feeds to each projector as well as 1 direct feed to the preview monitor.

For the audio element, One Great George Street invested in an Allen and Heath SQ6 – 48 Channel 96kHz digital mixer with 24 Onboard Pre-Amps as well as an Allen & Heath SQ-DANTE-A card – M-SQ-DANTE-A which manages all the digital audio from the RS1. In addition, Runtech supplied a Denon DN-300R MKII Recorder.

Phil Clarke, technical manager, commented: “RunTech have recently completed our audio visual upgrade of the Telford Theatre at One Great George Street. This prestigious room at one of central London’s busiest conference centres projection system was being redesigned and the management team had a very clear vision for how this would be created.

“RunTech worked with us to deliver this vision and meet the needs of our clients without changing its aesthetics. RunTech delivered and exceeded my expectations with their quality of the work and design process. I found them to be flexible and invested fully in the process from the first quotation to the changes made during the installation.

I was particularly impressed with Chris Liebrand, who I have worked with on numerous AV installation projects at the venue. He is solution-focused, an excellent communicator and an asset to the RunTech company. His hard work made a significant difference to the project being completed on time and within budget.

I couldn’t be happier and more impressed with the whole RunTech team on this project and wouldn’t hesitate recommending or working with them in the future.

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