Digital Projection’s HIGHlite Laser projectors have been selected by Antycip Simulation to be fitted at the heart of JCB’s new Uptime Centre. Situated at JCB’s world headquarters in Rocester (UK), this mission critical control centre is running 12 hours a day from 6am to 6pm every day, collecting live data worldwide from any JCB machine fitted with a LiveLink telematics device.
Specifically designed for this application, the Uptime Centre constantly receives a live flow of data including machine status, service times and downtimes. This allows operators to instantly assess a situation before deciding to send an engineer out if the issue can’t be fixed remotely.
Supervising the integration was John Mould, Commercial Development Manager at Antycip Simulation, Europe’s leading solution provider of professional grade COTS simulation software, projection & display systems, VR solutions and related engineering services.
Antycip Simulation opted for the award winning Digital Projection HIGHlite Laser projectors and fitted four of these to the command and control room ceiling. Boasting 11,000 ANSI lumens and 20,000 hours of operation, the WUXGA 3-Chip DLP projectors were the perfect fit for JCB, which was looking for high performance and longevity.
According to John, the light output of the HIGHlite Laser projector perfectly suited the high brightness environment of the Uptime Centre. Colour replication was also of the upmost importance, and the Digital Projection 3-Chip DLP embedded technology was ideal to render the iconic yellow of the JCB brand. He also stated that the fact Digital Projection HIGHlite Laser projector is manufactured in Britain was also an important factor.
Total cost of ownership was an important criterion for JCB, and the HIGHlite Laser projectors were perfectly fitted for this project as John explains: “When JCB decided to revamp their existing room, it was fitted with three separate projectors and additional screens on each side. We all agreed that the best solution would be to have all the information should be available in one large image in order to improve the decision making process.”
John stated that Digital Projection’s laser projectors provide great stability over time in terms of image quality but also reduce the requirement for having to change consumables, which due to the design of the room and furnishings immediately below would have been complicated.
The HIGHlite Laser solid-state illumination allows bypassing the usual lamp replacement cycles. As a result, almost all costs are incurred at time of purchase. This key characteristic allows the HIGHlite Laser to have a much lower cost of ownership over the lifespan of the display.
In order to keep within budget and respect JCB’s brief, Antycip Simulation had to work with the existing room design. John commented that the rear projection was not an option because of the room constraints and the size of the projecting area. What was prepared instead was a special wall surface to help reduce overall costs and avoid future potential issues associated with managing an extremely large tensioned fabric screen.
In order to enable the projectors to be mounted closer to the front projection surface, whilst affording the best amount of usable space below, Antycip specified Navitar short throw conversion lenses on 1.1:1. The Navitar short throw conversion lenses, when carefully integrated, are able to dramatically extend the range of throw ratios available with the HIGHlite Laser. The projectors were custom mounted to optimise the light paths.
Measuring 18m x 4m, the screen width perfectly fits a 3x 4K-blended array, with an operational resolution close to an impressive 6,000 x 1,200 pixel. Video content is delivered to the HIGHlite Laser projectors using Extron DTP RX/TX sender units.
The image blending of the projectors is automatically calibrated using VIOSO’s Anyblend software, a company that Antycip Simulation partners with.
In addition to the video solution, Antycip Simulation was in charge of providing a new audio solution for the room. A total of eight Extron and Sonance in-ceiling speakers were installed, contributing to better clarity and sonic performance.
John concluded that he and his team received excellent feedback from the customer, who was more than delighted with the result. The specific praise went to the state of the art command and control environment, which was described as a fantastic operational and marketing tool for JCB.
