The Tessera SX40 LED processors and Tessera XD data distribution units from Brompton Technology have powered the visual content for Professor Brian Cox's Emergence World Tour, delivering large-format LED screens tailored to each venue as the show travelled across Australia.
The tour consists of a series of ambitious live arena shows exploring cosmology, quantum mechanics and the origins of life, combining state-of-the-art LED screens displaying cosmological data, supercomputer simulations and graphics with advanced lighting and high-end sound design that connects science, philosophy and music.
Produced by Lateral Event Management, the Australian leg of the tour was delivered by Creative Technology Australia & New Zealand (CT ANZ), which acted as technical and AV systems integrator.
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The objective at every stop was the same: maximise the screen size within the constraints of each venue. At ICC Sydney, CT ANZ deployed a 32 by 15 array of ROE Visual CB5 panels to create a 3328 by 1560 pixel canvas, while the same CB5 model was used in a 30 by 15 panel configuration in Wollongong and at Newcastle Entertainment Centre. Brisbane hosted the largest screen of the tour, a 36 by 18 panel CB5 configuration delivering a 3744 by 1872 pixel canvas. At Exhibition Park in Canberra, a 28 by 5 array of Uniview Tekken 3.9 panels produced a 3584 by 1280 pixel screen, while at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre a 21 x 9 panel configuration of ROE Visual Vanish 6 Solid panels was used to create a 3024 x 1296 pixel canvas. Every screen was driven by the same core processing system: two Tessera SX40 processors, one main and one redundant. These were paired with four Tessera XD 10G data distribution units at most venues, and two in Melbourne.
To get the most from each configuration, CT ANZ used a range of Tessera colour and image features. Extended Bit Depth was used to add extra steps of brightness to the panels, helping to eliminate banding, while Dark Magic preserved clarity and shadow detail during the show's darker, more immersive sequences. The screens were run at 10-bit colour to match the mastering of the show content, and On-Screen Colour Adjustment (OSCA) was used at every venue to maintain a uniform and visually seamless image, particularly important on screens with a tighter pixel pitch, where viewing distances were shorter.
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Given the scale of the show and the demands of a tour with very tight load-in schedules, CT ANZ also relied on Tessera's workflow features to keep every load-in on schedule. The main and redundant SX40 processors were stacked so that colour and brightness corrections were automatically applied to both, while Frame Store was used to load test patterns during the build and keep a backup graphic in reserve. Live control of brightness, freeze and a one-second fade to blackout was handed to the touring media server operator, providing direct control of the screen during the show itself. As elements of the tour were filmed and streamed, redundant 12G-SDI feeds, one per processor, were used to keep the video signal secure throughout the show.
Roof load limits were the biggest challenge. The goal was always to achieve the largest possible screen, at roughly a 2:1 ratio, and the highest resolution we could achieve while still fitting within a UHD raster, says Herman Putter, Project Manager at Creative Technology Australia & New Zealand.
Putter also points to the load-in process itself as proof of how the system performs under pressure. Load-in typically began on the morning of the show; the screen was built by lunchtime and, if required, a few modules were replaced in the early afternoon before soundcheck and rehearsal, before moving straight into the show that night. The ability to identify from the front a panel with a dead LED or a bent louvre and direct the rigging technician straight to the correct module using the LDM test pattern made a significant difference in keeping these fast turnarounds running smoothly.
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Having crossed Australia, Professor Brian Cox's Emergence World Tour will continue through UK arenas this autumn, including a show at The O2 in London on 23 October.
Touring at this scale and at this pace is exactly the kind of environment Tessera was designed for. It's fantastic to see CT ANZ achieving this level of image quality and reliability with the SX40 and XD combination across such different venues in a matter of weeks. We're proud that our processing is helping bring Professor Cox's vision of the universe to audiences across Australia, says Sebastian Kanabar, Head of Sales (APAC) at Brompton Technology.
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