Panasonic contributes to the Tokyo Olympics

During the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which took place on July 23, a parade of dancers and performers transformed the floor of the Olympic Stadium during an immersive space light show. Through Panasonic's AV skills, the innovative art of projection mapping projects digital effects onto appearances and objects, enhancing them with surreal colors, patterns, and drawings. Building on the Rio 2016 Olympics and the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics, Panasonic took projection mapping to the next level in Japan.

Panasonic contributes to the Tokyo Olympics

　　This groundbreaking feature is made possible by the power of Panasonic's 50,000-lumen RQ50K projector, which was used for the first time at the Olympic Games – the ultimate showcase on the world's biggest stage.

With 4K resolution and about twice the brightness of the projectors used at PyeongChang 2018, the RQ50K projector creates deep, radiant and crystal-clear images. A single RQ50K projector masks large areas and achieves the same effect as multiple projectors from previous generations, reducing time and labor during setup.

Another distinguishing feature is the vivid occurrence of red colors, which most traditional projectors struggle to achieve with satisfactory intensity. To accomplish this, Panasonic has created a new monochromatic laser that produces pure red with the same intensity as other colors. Incidentally, "Japan Red" was one of the most visible colors at the opening ceremony, and the time and effort spent on making this upgrade undoubtedly worth it.

The projector's compact size makes it the smallest 50,000 lumen projector in the world. This was a necessitating undertaking – the projection tower at the Olympic Stadium could not accommodate a larger projector. Panasonic engineers refused to compromise on functionality, and instead resorted to sleek and sturdy plans that provided ample space for individual components, replacing them with the large support rods of the former type. More than half of the nearly 4,000 internal parts were also planned from scratch to preserve functionality with minimal scale variation.

Another problem comes from the dangers of exposure to harsh weather. Although the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium was equipped with specially planned booths to protect the equipment from rain and snow, the Japanese wind plan for the Tokyo Olympic Stadium ruled out the possibility of using such booths. In the typhoon-prone summer months in Japan, it's crucial to find a different way to safely waterproof your projector from rain. Unlike the messy reinvention solutions described above, the Panasonic team is here to go back to basics, wrapping each projector in plastic film by hand. Thankfully, the opening ceremony was held in a pleasant climate, which allowed Panasonic to put that worry aside and focus on the performance itself.

Since Barcelona in 1992, Panasonic has switched from analog to digital, from standard to HD, from tape to memory cards, and in 2012 even experimented with 3D broadcasting. This year, Panasonic has made progress in two important areas. First, the baseband serial digital interface (SDI) was upgraded to the Internet Protocol (IP). Transmitting more efficiently and with greater bandwidth also invents room for better audio quality – think clearer sound that makes you feel like you're on stage – and better video footage. Second, using 4K and 8K results in clearer, more realistic pictures than in HD. The official real-time inputs are in HD and 4K, marking the beginning of the Olympic Games, and providing special 8K inputs for national broadcasters.

This simplistic depiction belies one of the biggest Olympics broadcasts to date: 339 events in 42 different venues are being recorded in the World Broadcasting Center (IBC) building for the Games, and footage is being handled by more than 5,000 staff members in the Tokyo Bay Area. A total of 163 broadcast signals were touched, including 45 UHD signals for the first time. In addition to that, the Paralympic Games, with 540 events, are a bigger job. While Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) has full responsibility for broadcasting, Panasonic plays an important role in building and operating an extensive infrastructure.

IBC typically hosts 15,000-20,000 machines in dozens of rack rooms, processing footage for 50-100 national networks, all with a common broadcast that satisfies the interest of domestic audiences. These rooms must be air-conditioned to avoid overheating – a power-intensive job. To alleviate this power burden, Panasonic has improved its software and hardware and introduced a "concentrated skill field" that integrates most of the processing, reduces repetition and further reduces power consumption.

The program and management are handled by a team of eight people from the Panasonic Broadcast Systems section. "Under normal circumstances, this would have been a difficult mission, but it has become more difficult due to the pandemic," the team leader recalled. Their duties entail working on-site and touching on many tours, and the tight deadline means that a single infection can ruin everything. Strict anti-infection measures, weekly quizzes, and a robust backup system enabled the team to make this step a hit.

Of course, the role of the Panasonic team is to operate quietly in the background. If all of Panasonic's innovation, teamwork, and the 15,000 machines roaring in the IBC didn't go unnoticed throughout the Games, it would be a sign of outstanding project execution.

Panasonic expects that the skills advancement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including those brought about by the pandemic, will continue in the new digital age, inventing more magnificent and inclusive events in the future, so that the next generation will be intoxicated with the excitement and excitement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Panasonic contributes to the Tokyo Olympics

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