DALSA turn to Gefen for digital, high-definition video

When Alan Lasky and the special projects team at Los Angeles-based DALSA Digital Cinema began to spec their vision for a 21st century, all-digital video chain theater showcase, they turned to Gefen, a manufacturer of extension, distribution and integration solutions for digital, high definition video.
DALSA Digital Cinema, a provider of high-performance and advanced cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, and accessories to the entertainment industry, was charged with creating a cutting-edge theatre designed to showcase their most advanced technologies, including the Origin digital camera, the world's only 4K digital output.
To do so required the development of a high resolution all-digital video workflow that would keep content in the uncompressed digital domain as it travelled from the on-set camera through the servers and to the Christie projector, mounted in the DALSA digital theatre.
Fortunately, the team was able to avoid some of the logistical challenges that causes holes to be drilled in floors and ceilings as cabling was planned at the level of construction; and they were able to build the digitally based workflow from the ground-up, without incorporating any legacy equipment.
Armed with maps of what they wanted to accomplish, Lasky and teammate, Deanan DaSilva, encountered some unexpected challenges as they prepared for implementation.
"We needed to find installers who could think outside the box," said Lasky. "Instead we found a surprising amount of analysis paralysis‚ that threatened to permanently stall the project. Everyone we talked to seemed afraid to venture into unchartered waters, but that was exactly what we wanted to do: build the best 21st century, 4k digital workflow with a robust infrastructure and we've got it here at DALSA."
Another challenge was finding the right support equipment that would work out of the box at various intervals along the pipeline. It was critical, for instance, that the high resolution digital video be patched from three sources (DVI Clipster, a PC and a Mac) into the screening room. Lasky and his cohorts found the solution with Gefen‚s 4x4 HDTV Matrix plus various DVI Boosters, DVI Splitters and DVI CAT5 Extenders, which are interwoven among the workflow as data traverses the pipeline.
(CD)