Panoramic projection in the Connecting corridor of the National Museum in Prague

The National Museum is the largest museum in the Czech Republic. It covers a range of disciplines from natural sciences to specialized areas of social sciences. It combines collections of materials documenting the development of nature, history and prehistory of Czech and foreign origin.

Extensive reconstruction

For several years, the Historical building of the National Museum was closed due to extensive reconstruction. The ceremonial reopening took place on 28 October 2018 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia and 200 years since the founding of the museum.

Connecting corridor

During the reconstruction, the exhibition spaces of the museum were expanded, the halls were roofed and thus the exhibition area was increased. The connecting corridor between the Historical and New buildings creates a Museum Complex of the National Museum thanks to the new underground connection of both buildings. More than 50 meters of panels were installed on both sides.

Exhibition "Moments of History"

The local exhibition is called Moments of History and uses a unique multimedia projection to map the history of this place from prehistory to the present. Here we can observe the transformations of Wenceslas Square in Prague, a detailed visualization of individual buildings and events. The aim of the entire exhibition is to draw the viewer into the projected event as much as possible, which is taken care of by an image over two meters high, as well as an immersive audio system with 32-channel sound.

Technical solution

The entire projection is provided by 38 Panasonic PT-RZ660 laser projectors, which create a perfectly smooth image in conjunction with 38 Panasonic ET-DLE035 lenses with ultra-short projection distance, to prevent glare from visitors and at the same time eliminate projection interference.

The individual image parts handle Intel NUC computers (19 pcs, each for 2 projectors) and one Intel NUC control computer, which ensures the final synchronization of the image so that it is absolutely seamless.

Specifics

As the installation itself was accompanied by sophisticated and very accurate image calibration, the AVT Group designed a sprung anchor system for the projectors with special silent blocks that dampen vibrations from road traffic above the tunnel and eliminate future inaccuracies that could disrupt image consistency. Before starting the installation itself, an operational test was performed in another area to confirm the functionality of the entire system in advance.

Sound part of the exhibition

The visual part of the exhibition is complemented by a sound system, which allows you to compose a custom sound so that it is in line with what is happening on the screen, so that the sound and image are aligned. This is achieved by a large number of speakers (32 pcs of Bose RMU105), each of which has its own channel on the amplifier (4 pcs of 8-channel PowerMatch 8250 amplifiers).

The whole set is designed so that both parties can function independently of each other. Despite their compact dimensions (necessary for placement in confined spaces between the ceiling slats), the selected speakers have sufficient power and suitable radiation characteristics, which allow the viewer and the listener to identify the position of the sound source, which creates the right spatial perception.