Banshee Ride Rumor

[NelsonRD]

This is my first time starting a thread on this forum, and it will be several years before any credibility to this post is confirmed or denied, but here it goes.

The Banshee ride rumor is that it will be utilizing an LED display. No IMAX projection, no screen. The LED video wall will be in front of you, and serviced from behind. This screen is going to offer brightness and amazing colors that will provide a visual experience that is unbelievable. It will be similar to other LED displays currently in use in theaters such as the one at Radio City Music Hall, and the size of various very large LED video walls that are being installed thought the country.

There it is, take it for what it's worth. Rumors are rumors.

 

[Tom]

Honestly, this is the most realistic explanation I've heard so far. They can build a relatively small building and plop in several of the Banshee rider pods in a couple of large rooms with screens and fans. Makes far more sense than a coaster, and would be easy to build now or later.

 

[Figment2005]

My only concern is, at least with current LED walls that I've seen, won't pixelation be an issue? I can understand if it is something like a super sized computer monitor, but I just can't picture those large LED panels being crystal clear up close.

 

[heath.sneyd]

If (and a BIG "if", we're talking TDO here...) they go with the new ultra 4K tech, pixelation shouldn't be too much of an issue. The 2 largest screens in the US (AT&T Stadium in Dallas and Charlotte Motor Speedway) are NOT 4K and look amazing, so if 4K was used, it would be pretty epic.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Question out of ignorance. What is currently available in LED screens for high frame rate and 3D?

 

[heath.sneyd]

For home-use, retail aspects, 240Hz is the best refresh rate on the market right now (realistically), and is still best implemented in Samsung TVs. The best resolution available is 4K (3840x2160 progressive if you want numbers, as compared to 1080p which is 1080x1920), and active 3D is my personal preference for 3D, although it's the more expensive option.

 

[MUTZIE77]

After reading this, Iger's comments from a few weeks ago about riding the prototype start to become more clear.

 

[lazyboy97o]

If (and a BIG "if", we're talking TDO here...) they go with the new ultra 4K tech, pixelation shouldn't be too much of an issue. The 2 largest screens in the US (AT&T Stadium in Dallas and Charlotte Motor Speedway) are NOT 4K and look amazing, so if 4K was used, it would be pretty epic.

Why would a 4K screen (or less) be more impressive than multiple 4K projectors?

 

[flynnibus]

My only concern is, at least with current LED walls that I've seen, won't pixelation be an issue? I can understand if it is something like a super sized computer monitor, but I just can't picture those large LED panels being crystal clear up close.

You don't use big screens... you use lots of small screens that butt together seamless. Think 'jumbotrons' but instead of large 3 color dots, you use much finer pitch displays. It's done all the time in custom video wall applications and is pretty well understood. You use computers and scalers to create very large displays that maintain the same kind of dot pitch you are used to on a stand-alone display. But normally you would use a big screen like this to collage different things vs one large image.. because you need something of that resolution to start with. But with avatar being pure digital to start with... I could imagine them trying stuff like this.

It's been a few years since I've seen these up close... I don't do the tradeshows anymore.. but they were pretty hardware intensive. You'd think just doing synchronized digital projection would be cheaper to create the large image... which is also very common.

 

[kap91]

Why would a 4K screen (or less) be more impressive than multiple 4K projectors?

There's no inherent resolution to a video wall so it could very well be larger resolution. In reality it's not resolution that matters but pixel density and screen size. 4k is actually overhyped. There's multiple studies that show that unless you're ridiculously close to the screen or looking at text you can't tell the difference. What DOES make a huge difference in perceived quality is color, brightness, and contrast. And an LED wall would be so much better than projection on those accounts it wouldn't even compare. It's actually kind of a brilliant idea. Pixelation would have been an issue historically as pixel density on large led screens was terrible (the largest portion of the illuminations globe is only 256*256 pixels - which is almost fewer than a tamagotchi (sp?) ) but that no longer is the case. They can easily be made much higher res now and the differences you'd get in color and contrast would make even standard hd look better than 4k. Even more interesting-Dolby and technicolor have both been working on new color science models precisely for these reasons for a while now. Knowing that the Dolby tech for 3d has now become the gold standard for theme park 3d (star tours, transformers, Harry Potter) one has to wonder. Because that tech is more color based rather than polarization based it might be transferable to an led screen. I'd see that as being the biggest obstacle.

Heck led would even be better for maintenance in many ways cause it's modular. And no lint would ever get on the projection lens.

Sorry -just talking out loud. The idea is a very good one even if not happening.

 

[Master Yoda]

If (and a BIG "if", we're talking TDO here...) they go with the new ultra 4K tech, pixelation shouldn't be too much of an issue. The 2 largest screens in the US (AT&T Stadium in Dallas and Charlotte Motor Speedway) are NOT 4K and look amazing, so if 4K was used, it would be pretty epic.

Actually, the largest screens in the world are at Everbank Filed in Jacksonville Fl.

http://www.jaguars.com/news/article...o-boards/50919b20-e9e4-4891-bfac-0e42d29e93df

They look insanely good from anywhere in the stadium, but not so much from 20' away.

 

[kap91]

Actually, the largest screens in the world are at Everbank Filed in Jacksonville Fl.

http://www.jaguars.com/news/article-JaguarsNews/Jaguars-to-unveil-world’s-largest-video-boards/50919b20-e9e4-4891-bfac-0e42d29e93df

They look insanely good from anywhere in the stadium, but not so much from 20' away.

Those have no need to be greater res though because of the viewing distance. Also they're outdoor ones and might use different tech.

The average movie screen is only getting about 50-100 pixels per foot. (2048 pixels divided by small screen that's 20 feet wide or large screen that's 40. 4k would double the density with 4096 pixels. ). Just a quick Google search can find modular led panels in that range and the people that know where to look and can spend $$$ could conceivably get better ones than your run of the mill concert supply store can.

Granted pixels aren't everything but the idea is plausible.

 

[Master Yoda]

Those have no need to be greater res though because of the viewing distance. Also they're outdoor ones and might use different tech.

The average movie screen is only getting about 50-100 pixels per foot. (2048 pixels divided by small screen that's 20 feet wide or large screen that's 40. 4k would double the density with 4096 pixels. ). Just a quick Google search can find modular led panels in that range and the people that know where to look and can spend $$$ could conceivably get better ones than your run of the mill concert supply store can.

Granted pixels aren't everything but the idea is plausible.

There is no question that the idea is plausible, I am just wondering how practical it is in the current "quarterly profits" driven world we live in.

 

[kap91]

There is no question that the idea is plausible, I am just wondering how practical it is in the current "quarterly profits" driven world we live in.

Well we all know Disney spends way more money than they need to on projects. ;-)

Honestly I'm not well versed enough-but building a screen like the one is soarin and an iMax projector is not cheap by any means. Video walls have the benefit of mass production on their side.

Honestly the more I think about the better am idea it sounds. The picture quality would conceivably be unlike anything ever seen. Jumbo Trons can be seen in daylight and look great. No projector on earth can approach that.

You're right that the cost thing might eventually get in the way but oh the idea. But considering that jaguar stadium cost 63 million and it included 3 displays plus other enhancements and the avatar budget is in the 500 million range it's not inconceivable either.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Those have no need to be greater res though because of the viewing distance. Also they're outdoor ones and might use different tech.

The average movie screen is only getting about 50-100 pixels per foot. (2048 pixels divided by small screen that's 20 feet wide or large screen that's 40. 4k would double the density with 4096 pixels. ). Just a quick Google search can find modular led panels in that range and the people that know where to look and can spend $$$ could conceivably get better ones than your run of the mill concert supply store can.

Granted pixels aren't everything but the idea is plausible.

A cinema only uses a single projector. This attraction in all likelihood would use multiple, synchronized projectors. Laser projectors would also allow a lot of the equipment to be centrally located and not at each theater.

 

[kap91]

My point was that you can get cinema or above cinema quality with led tech currently available on the market. That the giant pixelated jumbo trons currently in use at football fields arent the only option

 

[kap91]

Some other benefits I can think of:

Screen can be any size and shape you want. (No visible edges are possible ala soarin.)
No shadows on the screen if the ride vehicle is over it. (Another soarin problem)

 

[FerretAfros]

What happens when somebody drops a flip flop or bag of snow globes onto the screen? It seems like using TV screens gives a much greater potential for guest-inflicted damage (unintentional or otherwise) than a projector, which keeps the sensitive equipment far away from guests.

If somebody drops a shoe on the Soarin' screen, they just need to brush it aside and everything works fine; if that happened on a fancy-schmancy TV screen, it could easily cause damage that would require serious repair or replacement of the unit completely. While it may work great for a screen that's in front of guests, I'm not so sure it's a good idea for a screen that guests will be dangling over

 

[NelsonRD]

My only concern is, at least with current LED walls that I've seen, won't pixelation be an issue? I can understand if it is something like a super sized computer monitor, but I just can't picture those large LED panels being crystal clear up close.

In general:

There are 2 concepts to LED displays. One is physical resolution, this is the actual space between pixels, then there is the actual resolution. Indoor LED displays have Surface Mount LEDs. This means, it is Red, Blue and Green, all in one 'pixel', opposed to some digital signage you may have seen that has a separate red, green and blue - the tip board by the Land comes to mind. Then space them closely, about 8mm physical resolution, and only up close (closer than 10 feet) will you start to see the pixels.

Also, LED displays rely on a principle called persistence of vision. What this means is your eyes keep the image for a split second after the image is not there. This is how the brain fills in the space between pixels. The result, if you stand a few feet away from the screen, the image becomes amazingly crystal clear. In fact, the images is perceived even clearer than an image without the space when viewed from a distance.

So, the question about resolution, I guarantee, it will be the best display on property.

The advantage is this will allow them to have a screen that requires less maintenance, no film, and should look great for years. The only concern with this approach I have, as flynnibus said, the displays are built from multiple little screens. If one section fails, and is replaced over time, while not properly calibrated, the colors of that one section can be noticeably different, mainly in the white range. You may have seen that in some older displays that do not have calibration, one that comes to mind is the Chicago Airport. The displays in the terminal look terrible to me because of this.

 

[NelsonRD]

What happens when somebody drops a flip flop or bag of snow globes onto the screen? It seems like using TV screens gives a much greater potential for guest-inflicted damage (unintentional or otherwise) than a projector, which keeps the sensitive equipment far away from guests.

If somebody drops a shoe on the Soarin' screen, they just need to brush it aside and everything works fine; if that happened on a fancy-schmancy TV screen, it could easily cause damage that would require serious repair or replacement of the unit completely. While it may work great for a screen that's in front of guests, I'm not so sure it's a good idea for a screen that guests will be dangling over

An SMD LED display is rugged enough to have a shoe dropped on it. Others have glass on top and have been used for dance floors.