Mexico. The renowned Xcaret theme park, located in the heart of the Riviera Maya, is one of the tourist places in Mexico with the greatest international recognition, and offers, among its many attractions, the Xcaret México Espectacular show, an artistic representation of Mexican culture that combines the energy of more than 300 actors on stage, with music, dance, beautiful costumes and attractive audiovisual resources.
The show, which leaves the visiting public with a wide smile, is presented night after night, for 17 years, on the stage of the El Gran Tlachco theater. So, to maintain the high level of quality of this staging, it renewed its image deployment equipment with the incorporation of four Panasonic laser-LED projectors of 30 thousand lumens.
This is not Xcaret's first experience with Panasonic, since previously the same show used six projectors of the Japanese company, but with the previous mercury lamp technology. So when it came time to plan the renewal of the equipment, Panasonic was one of the brands that those responsible for the technical and artistic areas of Xcaret decided to consider for evaluation.
The renovation of the audiovisual equipment went hand in hand with the technical needs demanded by the actualization of the staging of the show. The new concept includes a new lighting design so it required more powerful projectors, mapping projection on the floor of the theater to create virtual scenographies and the display of images on the screens suspended from the ceiling, in which the public enjoys the detail of the approaches that the cameras make to the faces of the actors. In addition, the technical staff was looking for a more reliable and agile operation to perform from the daily review of the equipment to any type of adjustment.
One of the key points for Xcaret to once again choose Panasonic as its projector supplier was the service and availability to listen to their needs. "When the previous projectors reached the end of their useful life, Panasonic staff came to the Riviera Maya to bring us their new laser-LED model. We tested it, we saw its performance and we decided to stay with Panasonic again," says José Manuel Rodríguez Vázquez, Deputy Manager of the Technical Area for Xcaret Experiences.
The solution proposed by Panasonic was the installation of four projectors model PT-RZ31, with 3-Chip DLP technology, laser-LED light source with 20 thousand hours of useful life, WUXGA resolution and brightness of 30 thousand lumens. The projectors, installed 20 meters above the stage, are networked, which makes it much easier from on and off to their operation and daily monitoring of their status.
For his part, Rox Hernández Miranda, of the Head of Artistic Production Xcaret, assures that most people finish their visit to the park with this multimedia show, so a very strong emotion is generated due to the narrative of the history of our country, which goes from the Aztecs and the Conquest of Mexico, to the musical traditions of each state. "In the show we use a lot of projections. The mapping resource helps us with the narrative in several of the main scenes and it really is impressive, it is something unique and spectacular," says Rox Hernández.
The Gran Tlachco theater, in which the projectors are installed, is a semi-closed enclosure that has some exposure to the high temperatures and humidity of the area, the salinity of the environment, in addition to dust and wind. These conditions make it mandatory to review and adjust all its audiovisual elements and resources daily. Erwin Nava, from the Head of the Video Department at Xcaret, explains that previously, with the mercury lamp equipment, you had to wait until it got dark to leave the projectors ready, as they were not bright enough to make the adjustment during the day. With the new PT-RZ31 and its 30 thousand lumens, the revision and any changes are made at any time, even when sunlight bathes part of the stage.
"Panasonic's software has also allowed us to reduce the adjustment time of the projectors. The functions are very accessible, now the time it takes to frame the four projectors is minimal. It is a more agile process, it is a more complete software that gives us greater detail in specific areas to adjust more precisely, "adds Erwin Nava.
"Xcaret already knew the brand and knew perfectly what it wanted, they were looking for direct technical support, so we offered them a support plan that allows us to respond almost immediately. Our team of engineers monitors the status of the projectors every day in communication with Xcaret's technical staff. This allows us to know the status of the equipment and act immediately to prevent any surprises. In addition, Xcaret has a backup team, ready for installation, in the remote event that it is necessary to replace one of the original units, "explains Alejandro Ramos, Display Sales Manager of the B2B Solutions group of Panasonic de México.
According to José Manuel Rodríguez Vázquez, in the event of any request for support or technical doubt, Panasonic's response is very fast, which generates great tranquility among Xcaret staff, since it is difficult to have technical support in a place so distant from the large cities of the country. "They understand that for us the show can't stop. So, if something is wrong with the equipment and you have to download it for review, I have to have a replacement projector, which we have... to that degree of commitment comes Panasonic", describes the deputy manager of the Technical Area of Xcaret.
"Panasonic developed a maintenance plan that, when it meets its deadline, will leave us with almost new projectors, as maintenance includes the change of the main blocks of the projector prism, which is the heart of the team. Thanks to this we will have projectors guaranteed for another 4 or 5 years", concludes Rodríguez Vázquez.
