Revitalizing Dubai’s Entertainment Precinct

Panasonic, a long-standing partner in the IMAGINE spectacle, joined forces with Al-Futtaim TechServe and Kraftwerk Living Technologies to breathe new life into the experience. Located at Dubai Festival City Mall in Dubai, IMAGINE features among the world’s largest permanent projection screens and water screens. The event runs every night all year round, captivating guests with a mesmerizing blend of light and pyrotechnics, water features, music, and projection mapping. Occupying an area of more than 80,000 m² across Festival Bay and Dubai Festival City Mall, the show’s centerpiece is a 360-degree fountain synchronized with lasers, water-screen projections, and music. Vast projections also illuminate the nearby InterContinental Hotel, transforming it into a canvas for stunning 4K projections.

A Technical Marvel Takes Center Stage

“Al-Futtaim TechServe engaged us to help them replace the projectors at Dubai Festival City for the IMAGINE team,” explains Andrew Nu, General Manager of Kraftwerk Living Technologies, the company entrusted with installing the system and executing the upgrade. “The original projectors were Panasonic
PT-DZ21 lamp-based projectors, and the PT-RQ35K 4K laser projectors have replaced them.”

Panasonic’s PT-RQ35K 3-Chip DLP™ projector addresses the needs of a large-scale, permanent attraction like IMAGINE. A key benefit, Mr. Nu claims, is the elimination of light-source maintenance. Traditional lamp projectors require periodic lamp replacement, which leads to downtime, increased maintenance resources, and challenges regarding the disposal of expired lamps. Laser technology eliminates this concern while helping to secure uninterrupted operation—a critical factor for a near-continuously running show.

“Replacing the lamp-based projectors with laser projectors means that total cost of ownership is obviously much more efficient,” Mr. Nu confirms.

Fewer Projectors, Improved Image Quality

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the upgrade is the reduced projector deployment, made possible by increasing light output from a compact body. Despite the decrease from 60 to 30 projector units, image quality has actually improved with the benefits of reduced resource consumption and workflow complexity stemming from a smaller projector fleet.

“We’ve now come down to 30 of the laser projectors, but that actually has had an improvement on the image that you can see on the actual projection, which has become brighter, clearer, and more distinct,” Mr. Nu confirms.

PT-RQ35K delivers outstanding contrast and color performance with up to 30,500 lm of brightness and 4K resolution. The improved clarity is noticeable even when mapped at a vast scale on challenging projection surfaces. The projector’s blue and red lasers, which spurred the development of a proprietary control system to manage red-laser temperature, result in lavishly saturated color, particularly red tones. This ensures that IMAGINE’s immersive visuals maintain fidelity to the artist’s intention.

A Seamless Upgrade for a Captivating Experience

The installation itself presented a unique challenge. Upgrading the projection system within a functioning mall with minimal disruption was vital. Thanks to the PT-RQ35K’s compact form factor and labor-saving features to streamline installation workflows, the changeover was accomplished with surprising speed, Mr. Nu says.

“The installation took place over a weekend because Festival City is an operating venue, so we had to do the work over a weekend to a tight time scale. This involved bringing down these 60 lamp-based projectors with a crane because the projection room is on top of a building. We removed the 60 projectors and delivered the new projectors as a rotation so that we kept downtime to a minimum and everything was up and running within four working days.”

Panasonic: Illuminating the Future of IMAGINE

Panasonic’s PT-RQ35K projectors are now a cornerstone of the revitalized IMAGINE experience. They not only deliver a superior visual experience for audiences but also help the show operators save time, labor, and cost while personalizing the program with custom content, such as birthday celebration messages, making each nightly experience unique.

This renewal marks another successful collaboration between Panasonic and IMAGINE, ensuring that the amazing spectacle continues to inspire and delight for years to come.

Note: PT-RQ35K supports a maximum physical resolution of 3840 x 2400 pixels (4K) with Quad Pixel Drive set to [ON]. Brightness measurement, measuring conditions, and notation method comply with ISO/IEC 21118: 2020 international standards and is the average value of all products when shipped.