News

Christie digital signage helps build 'library of the future' at NC State

June 10, 2013

Digital signage display provider Christie and The Sextant Group are helping redefine the components of a research library at North Carolina State University's James B. Hunt Jr. Library in Raleigh, N.C., according to an announcement from Christie.

Achieving the school's goal of securing a competitive advantage by equipping students withcollaborative research tools for solving problems in today's tech-driven society, the library combines technological innovation, student engagement and architecture using Christie MicroTiles, Christie projectors and Christie Spyder X20 video processors, the company said.

According to Maurice York, head of information technology, NCSU Libraries, North Carolina State University, the space was carefully designed as a purpose-built environment where students and faculty can interact with top-of-the-line digital technology to further their research and education.

"Our goal was to, figuratively, 'blow the walls off' the library," York said in the announcement. "This meant large-scale display visualization and content to create a truly collaborative technology incubator. In addition, the new central facility had to utilize open technologies, continuously repurposed, that could work for molecular dynamics one day and gaming that same day or next day."

Christie visual display solutions in the Hunt Library include:

• The iPearl Immersion Theater is used to showcase student exhibits, faculty theories and work, and to publicize speaking events to students and faculty on a 16-unit-wide by seven-unit-tall Christie MicroTiles installation lining a curved wall at the main pathway entrance.
• The Game Lab includes a 16-unit-wide by five-unit-high MicroTiles display. Designed as a place for play, it also serves as a resource for advancement in the study of games and design experimentation on a large, high-resolution scale. A Christie Spyder X20 video processor gives users control over the displayed content.
• The Art Wall is a 15-unit-wide by eight-unit-tall MicroTiles wall located above the "ASK US" service point. Used to display photography and artwork of faculty and students, the Art Wall also features a welcome screen for visitors.
• Outside the Teaching and Visualization Lab is a nine-unit-wide by 10-unit-tall MicroTiles array configured in columns and separated by a wall. Used to display artistic video pieces and animation, the wall also displays what takes place inside the lab, which features 10 Christie Mirage WU7K-M three-chip DLP stereoscopic projectors as part of a 270-degree immersive environment with seamless, blended images. A Christie Spyder X20 video processor controls the content.
• Inside the Creativity Studio, two Christie Mirage WU7K–M 3D projectors and four Christie DHD800 projectors have been installed and are displaying impeccably clear visual presentations by both students and faculty.
• A four-unit-wide by four-unit-tall MicroTiles array acting as a Creative Sandbox for a variety of uses.
• A 400-person Lecture Hall is fitted with two Christie Mirage WU12K-M 3D projectors and Christie Twist, a solution that enables full image warping and advanced edge-blending to ensure pixel alignment onto the curved projected surface. A Christie HD7K-J projector was installed in a separate, 100-person meeting room.

"Christie has been central to the success of the Hunt library, helping us to redefine a space and create a true visual environment, rather than just simply fill up a screen," York said.

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