Campbellsville University Projection

​Ransdell Chapel at Campbellsville University (CU) is one of the most used venues on campus and is also the brightest due to its floor to ceiling glass wall on each side of the sanctuary.

The image from the eight year old 15,000 lumen projector could hardly be seen, the screen was beginning to have issues (was the outdated 4:3 format) and all of the switching equipment was outdated. Andrew Bennett, the AV Director at CU contacted JCA Media in the fall of 2018 and was ready to begin the search for a system replacement.
Finding the right projector and new video system were not an easy task.
The system had to be able to:
1. Control a confidence monitor independently from the main projection feed
2. Send a feed to the recently installed broadcast system
3. Receive a signal from the broadcast system for IMAG purposes
4. Send a switchable feed to a new lobby TV
5. Be able to send and receive video feeds from two different locations on stage (over a
150’ cable run).
To accomplish the switching, JCA Media chose a Kramer VP-778 switcher capable of running
two completely independent outputs that offered simultaneous HDMI and HDBase-T
connections, simplifying the need for more conversion boxes. CAT6 cables were run from stage floorboxes to the booth to send and receive the signals needed on stage and a patch panel was installed in the booth to allow the video tech to pick and choose which feed was sent and/or received to each floorbox. An HDBase-T transmitter and receiver could then be used at either location on stage to adapt the signals back to HDMI.
The old 15’ wide, 4:3 tensioned screen was removed and replaced by a nearly 800lb, 20’ wide, 16:9 screen to match the new format of current HD content. The gem of the project was the projector chosen for the job. After weeks of research, JCA chose the PT-RZ31KU 3-chip laser projector from Panasonic. This beast of a projector boasts an impressive 31,000 lumens at its center and is rated at 20,000 hours so no more lamp replacements! The room is used so frequently that JCA knew a laser projector was the best option to keep up with the needs of the University. Due to its abundance in brightness, JCA decided to run the projector at 80% of its full output, increasing its estimated lifespan, without compromising the quality. As an added bonus, the better contrast ratio and color rendering you get from laser projectors vs lamp makes this projector ideal for maximum clarity.