Moody Gardens located in Galveston, Texas USA, wanted to completely renovate the audio and visual systems and their exhibit hall experience inside their Aquarium Pyramid. The lobby needed a new dynamic display. 1220 Exhibits was contracted to oversee the audio/visual upgrade. 1220 Exhibits installed a FLEXLite NXG LED system from Nashville-based PixelFLEX™.
Although the original plan called for a 25K digital projector, the audio/visual equipment experts at 1220 Exhibits looked at the costs and the performance as well as the lifetime of such systems and decided that an LED video system would be a better investment.
Dan Chadwick, Director of Interactive Services, 1220 Exhibits commented, “With the project, we won the bid to oversee the complete A/V installation for the renovation of the Aquarium Pyramid where the original design for the lobby called for a 25K projector system. Once we ran the numbers, we were able to show how using a LED video system would be a better long-term solution while giving them a much more compelling digital display for the lobby experience.”
1220 Exhibits wanted to produce a compelling show for all the visitors to the Aquarium Pyramid.
“One of our primary goals with this renovation was to create a dynamic, immersive experience for guests the moment they stepped foot in the Aquarium Pyramid,” said John Zendt, President/CEO Moody Gardens. “The clarity and crispness of the image on the PixelFLEX™ video wall helps us achieve this goal and is exactly what we hoped for from this design.”
FLEXLite NXG Installed at Moody Gardens
FLEXLite NXG features fully front-serviceable video panels and offers seamless right-angle corner capabilities. PixelFlex claims that the FLEXLite NXG has one of the highest resolutions of LED video displays available today. With 2.6-6.25mm pitch options, plus a 6.25mm full outdoor IP65 version, the FLEXLite NXG 500mm x 500mm video tiles from PixelFlex come pre-calibrated. The company says that this pre-calibration ensures perfect color and brightness to help realize the full potential of any LED video system.
Chadwick continued, “Since all of the exhibit houses at Moody Gardens are built in a pyramid-style with the outer façade being made of glass, we knew there would be an uncontrollable amount of natural light that would bleed into the space. Because of this, they would need to install a fairly large projector to counteract the natural light, and even at its maximum capacity, a projection system would not provide the image quality that we could achieve with the high-definition FLEXLite NXG 3.9mm LED wall.”
LED Video Panels Mounted Above Crowd
During the system installation, the LED video panels would be mounted on a curved wall high above the crowd greeting guests as they arrive. In a busy A/V installation schedule where time is at a premium, the design of the FLEXLite NXG system allows quick and easy installation, according to PixelFlex. Chadwick pointed out that the completed video wall, which is mounted about 15 to 20 feet from the ground measures 20-feet wide by 10-feet high.
Chadwick commented, “To connect the panels to the curved mounting wall, we first removed the drywall and fastened ¾” plywood to the metal sub-structure underneath. We then bolted the panels directly to the plywood with about a 5-degree curve. We ended up using 72 total FLEXLite NXG panels and it went pretty smooth as we completed the full LED video system installation in only three days.”
Moody Gardens Aquarium Pyramid Lobby Display Informs and Excites
Once installed, the digital display would serve to both inform and excite visitors to the renovated Aquarium Pyramid. Chadwick knew that the high-definition FLEXLite NXG would create a true, attention-grabbing experience for the guests.
“The content for the lobby display is being driven by a custom-built Watch-Out computer with a full HD signal being sent through a PixelFLEX™ sending unit,” explained Chadwick. “The video itself shows a short intro movie to the new Aquarium Pyramid, then it switches over to the daily schedule for the events taking place throughout the exhibit. The video then plays in a loop as part of the completely renovated lobby experience, and it’s doing a great job of getting visitors excited from the moment they walk in the door.”
Moody Gardens Renovation Project Completed
After the full project was completed, Moody Gardens opened the doors to the newly renovated Aquarium Pyramid, letting guests explore the world’s oceans with a 1.5 million-gallon aquarium. The display had to operate in a busy theme park environment. So, it had to be durable, which is another reason Chadwick looked at PixelFLEX™.
Chadwick concluded, “As the entrance focal point for the renovated Aquarium Pyramid, the feedback we have received has been amazing. Everyone has been extremely pleased with how crisp and clear the high-resolution imagery comes through, and we have had multiple comments that the FLEXLite NXG LED video was a fantastic solution for the new lobby display.”
