CMU School of Drama


Saturday, September 08, 2007

LED Screen: World's Biggest Fake Fish Tank

Gizmodo: "A 250m by 30m LED screen has been installed in the ceiling of a new mall in Beijing. That's an impressive 7,500 square meters of viewable area, and comes with an impressive $32 million price tag to match. It hangs 80 feet in the air, and is actually five screens combined."

14 comments:

BWard said...

...why?

wait, let me answer that myself:

why not?

Derek said...

Looks pretty cool. Thats probably a lot of weight up there, but is probably worth it nonetheless. Watch them end up using it as really expensive advertising space.

Aaron S said...

Entertainment has always been about one-upping the last guy, and this seems no different. The Fremont Street Experience in Vegas anyone? That said, which designer will ask for this and get laughed at in budgeting first?

Anonymous said...

I actually read about this in live design, way back in whenever, but it seemed form that article that they wetre more interested in using it as a more interactive media installation. Maybe the project got scaled back or something, or more likely there is more stuff to come.

Nonetheless this is one incredible screen with a lot of potential for unheard of media display.

Anonymous said...

that is pretty amazing. i agree with derek though, i could see it being used for advertising space. that and they'll screen large sporting events, where everyone will have to lay on their backs or get neck cramps. it has a lot of artistic potential though, let's see if the y use it.

Anonymous said...

As far as I'm concerned it is a huge waste of resources. Who said "We have 30 million dollars, how can we put it to good use?" More importantly, who answered with "a giant TV"?

Anonymous said...

This absolutely ranks up there as one of the biggest wastes of money that I've heard about recently. Hopefully, they will come up with a way to use this giant screen for something more than a fake fish tank, but at the moment, I can't really think of anything that it could be used for that would be worth the 30 million dollar price tag.

Anonymous said...

This is a really amazing and expensive installation though it doesn't fit that area.
China probably is the last virginal and treasurable market for worldwide industries. After opening its gate, China government has been trying hard to modernize its coastal cities and to catch the leading position in the world without doing too much effort to the poverty and development in inland towns. The government largely allows international companies entering its market and doing business under its strict and weird regulations. Greeting Olympic 2008, Beijing is busy with the decoration everywhere in city to impress the worldwide audience by its "modern". And the international enterprises are also working hard to snatch the businesses. Next we may expect is what both of them will "create” for the Opening of Olympic 2008.

Serrano said...

I wonder if the owners have put aside a budget for cleaning the screen when the elements start to affect the output quality. Some type of under hung window washer contraption perhaps...

AShotInTheArm said...

I personally find nothing appealing about this installation. On one end, I can appreciate what the mall is doing in terms of Marketing. I'm sure an attraction like this can bring quite a large amount of business. However, is it attracting an audience and business that is worth 32 million dollars?! In my eyes, it's just another measly attempt for some corporation to say "Look what I can do!"

Anonymous said...

That much money, Space, and Energy just to show footage of fish? I don't get it. The idea of walking under it makes me feel claustrophobic. That must have taken a huge amount of . $32 Million? To show fake fish? Who thought of this brilliant plan? Can they explain to me exactly why they thought this was a good idea, a good use of a very large sum of money that could have gone towards far less self indulgent things?

shupcey said...

Apart from all of it's possible and inevitable down sides, it is still extremely impressive. Looking at the other views you can get a concept of how MASSIVE it is. I'd be interested in seeing the idea and proposal behind this screen. What were their ideas and justification for such an expensive piece of eye candy?

Anonymous said...

I think the thing that really impresses me the most about this that it shows that video can take more shapes than the ones we normally think of, i.e. 4:3 and 16:9. It's just fun to think of all the shapes we could slowly find ourselves seeing different video projects that we are so use to as just being square or just slightly rectangular.

Anonymous said...

oh look, another way to waste a whole lot of space and prove that one man's bank account is bigger than another man's...that's cute. A bunch of fish floating 80 feet in the air...digital fish, that is. I'm glad technology is being used for productive causes, like curing cancer, iphones, and...gigantic digital fishtanks. Yes, it will be used for advertising. Why else would anyone put up a 32 million dollar screen above a mall? The reason it was placed over a mall is becuase that's the perfect place to advertise for your store...right in front of it, 80 feet in the air, and 7500 sq meters of it.