Titanic Belfast immersive tour deploys Panasonic projectors

Panasonic projectors have been installed at the Titanic Belfast to create an immersive space that places visitors at the heart of the liner’s ill-fated maiden voyage.

Twelve years after the visitor attraction opened in Northern Ireland, the Titanic Experience has been refreshed to convey the emotional impact of the human tragedy.

Integrator DJ Willrich installed more than 30 PT-MZ16K, PT-MZ780 and PT-VMZ71 LCD projectors for the self-guided tour that aims to re-create what it might have been like to have been a passenger travelling on the liner.

Titanic Belfast chief executive Judith Owens says: “Unfortunately, we can’t change the tragic ending of the Titanic story, but we wanted it to be even more impactful for our guests.

“That’s where we looked to technology to help us. We felt that the best way to do that was through immersive technology.”

The Panasonic projectors, equipped with ultra-short-throw and short-throw lenses, provide the optimal balance of high brightness and vivid colour pictures for the Titanic Experience. The ultra-short-throw lenses enable the projectors to be positioned in any space, even close to walls, without fear of visitors casting shadows.

The quiet operation of the LCD laser projectors has been critical to the success of the experience, so as not to disturb the visitor experience. The fact that they offer up to 20,000 hours of maintenance-free operation has also been a boon.

“We have built a steel staircase in this incredible new gallery, The Ship of Dreams, where guests can follow the journey while being completely immersed in original images,” says Owens.

“The key to the success of the installation is that the guests never see the technology. They just feel that they are part of the story – and that’s incredibly important.”

The use of the Panasonic projectors in the Titanic Experience has helped Titanic Belfast win the Outstanding Achievement – Visitor Experience Re-envisioned: Limited Budget accolade at last year’s Themed Entertainment Association Awards.