KCP&L selects Barco for LED video wall upgrade to utility’s Transmission Control and Emergency Operations Centers
Latest technology boosts image quality, significantly reduces maintenance and operating costs
Duluth, Ga., USA – 8 August 2012 – Visualization pioneer Barco has been selected as the preferred control room display provider for KCP&L once again, this time to retrofit the existing Barco video wall with a brand new LED engine. Utilizing Barco’s convenient LED upgrade kit, audio visual integrator AVI Systems, Inc. cost-effectively upgraded the previous video walls while significantly enhancing picture quality.
The utility has relied on Barco technology since 2006 when it replaced its original front projection Transmission Control Center mapboard equipment with a two-high matrix of 24 edge-matched Barco OV-80” DLP SXGA+ cubes creating a canvas of 16,800 x 2,100 discrete pixels. KCP&L decided to remain with Barco for the next generation of its system because of its proven reliability, superior image resolution and maintenance-free operation. The utility also upgraded the Emergency Operations Center video wall, also installed in 2006. The Emergency Operations Center, which serves as the command center for restoring power during outages is comprised of 15 Barco 50” modules.
Boosting quality and efficiency with LED
“When it comes to reproducing precise, uniformly pure color with respect to images and data, no one does it better than Barco,” commented Tom Madsen, Project Development AVI Systems. “Even single-pixel-height lines just pop out of the background and are perfectly aligned because of the wall’s excellent black levels and consistent brightness.”
Stephen Diebold, KCP&L’s Real Time Systems Manager – who presided over the initial Barco solution and is managing the new system today concurs: “We’re impressed with the clarity of the images and data on the Barco modules. The new LED technology enables our transmission system operators to read the same map-board displays at an even greater distance. This enhanced readability helps to significantly reduce the potential for errors.” Diebold also mentioned, “Barco and AVI Systems have been reliable partners from the beginning, and we’ve enjoyed the experience with the original and the enhanced Barco walls.”
A simple upgrade path
Designed and optimized for use in 24/7 mission critical environments, Barco’s rear-projection LED video walls have set an industry standard as a high-performance, yet energy-efficient projection module. With the LED upgrade kit, owners of its legacy video wall systems can easily and cost-effectively migrate to Barco’s LED-lit projection system and enjoy all of the benefits of this technology: industry-leading brightness (20 percent higher than other video walls on the market); guaranteed color uniformity and consistent brightness over time and across the display; completely maintenance-free operation; and up to 80,000 hours of continuous operation.
“We’re thrilled that we can offer KCP&L an economical way to migrate to our industry-leading LED technology,” commented Hans Dekeyser, VP Sales Enterprise for Barco North America. “They can be secure in the knowledge that they’re making the best decision from not only a performance and cost basis, but also from an environmental standpoint.”
About KCP&LHeadquartered in Kansas City, Mo., Great Plains Energy Incorporated (NYSE: GXP) is the holding company of Kansas City Power & Light Company and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company, two of the leading regulated providers of electricity in the Midwest. Kansas City Power & Light and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations use KCP&L as a brand name. More information about the companies is available on the Internet at: www.greatplainsenergy.com or www.kcpl.com.
About AVI Systems
AVI Systems is one of the top five audio visual integrators in the nation, with 16 offices in the Midwest, California and New Mexico. Every day it partners with architects, consultants, engineers and end users to plan, design and install leading-edge video presentation, broadcast, distance learning and video conferencing systems.
About Barco
Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with more than 3,500 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 1.041 billion euro in 2011.
© Copyright 2012 by Barco
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