When a projection systems upgrade was required for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA), Electrosonic was asked to design, install, program and commission projection and AV equipment for the Robert E. Petersen Theatre and the Great Moments exhibit.
The MSHFA is the only hall of fame encompassing the entirety of American motorsports, including cars, motorcycles, off-road vehicles, powerboats and airplanes. Originally located in Novi, Michigan, the facility relocated to the Daytona International Speedway in Florida in 2016.
Electrosonic replaced the aging projector in the Robert E. Petersen Theatre with a 12,000 lumen Christie HD laser phosphor projector which displays three looped videos on the screen. The videos showcase the Speedway and the 2017 Daytona 500, welcome visitors to the Hall of Fame, and pay tribute to Robert E. Petersen, who headed an auto-themed publishing empire that included Hot Rod and Motor Trend magazines.
“The new projector fills the screen with stunning, bright images,” says Electrosonic project manager Fred Davidowitz. Video sources are a Denon Pro Blu-ray player, BrightSign HD media player and laptop transmitter.
Electrosonic also replaced a 20-year old PC-based control system with a Crestron CP3 system and easy-to-use iPad interface and installed a new QSC Core audio DSP system. “By replacing equipment at the end of its life cycle we were able to shrink almost a full rack of gear to just about one-quarter of a rack,” notes Davidowitz, who programmed the new Crestron control system.
In addition, an upgrade was made to the sound system that plays racing-themed music for visitors following the queue line ramps up to the Petersen Theatre. Electrosonic installed 14 QSC surface-mount speakers to boost the audio experience en route to the theatre’s presentations.
The Great Moments exhibit is a small theater with bench seating featuring a 30-minute looped video on the lives and careers of famous figures in motorsports history. Electrosonic outfitted it with a new Panasonic HD projector and BrightSign HD media player. The exhibit is a stand-alone system that is automated to turn on and off with a built in scheduler within the BrightSign.
The upgrades to the MSHFA’s two theaters future-proof the spaces by facilitating the addition of other presentation sources and new control parameters, such as lighting control.
JRA (Jack Rouse Associates) refreshed the MSHFA’s exhibit space, providing the complete planning, design, project management and art direction.
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