Miraikan Museum Visualizes Global Issues with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton December 16, 2022
0 Comments
Like Earth, museums are in a constant state of change. Attracting new visitors and inspiring repeat visits requires attention-grabbing exhibits and regular updates to existing installations. With this in mind, the Japanese National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Tokyo launched its spherical earth installation Geo-Cosmos in 2001, which it's since renovated three times. The latest iteration of Geo-Cosmos elevates the museum-goer experience with 1,500 nit display brightness, exquisite high dynamic range (HDR), wide color gamut (WCG), and high frame rate (HFR) visuals. More than 70 experts through a joint venture from Miraikan, Dentsu, Mitsubishi Electric, GK Tech, and Go and Partners collaborated on the project, which involved the replacement of 10,362 LED display device panels and the development of a new audio, video, graphics, and control system. The team built the solution with AJA technology at its core to ensure rich colors, extended luminance, and smooth video.
The new Geo-Cosmos paints the planet in a more realistic light than previous exhibit iterations, with vibrant imagery and video that instantly capture the attention of patrons. Its goal is to shed light on modern environmental challenges, such as climate change concerns, and help museum-goers better understand their impacts. New to the exhibit are vivid cloud images powered by weather satellite photo data that visualize Earth's ever-changing appearance. A division of base map background imagery illustrates seasonal color changes, including polar ice and vegetation fluctuations.
Geo-Cosmos is a project with purpose and uniquely marries art with science, shared Go and Partners Executive Producer and Chief Technical Producer Tsuyoshi Go Hotta. Between abnormal weather caused by global warming and ecosystem interference, Earth is reaching a breaking point, and the new Geo-Cosmos depicts these changes in a way that's easy to comprehend. Naturally, we were thrilled to be a part of the initial installation and subsequent upgrades, and our AJA gear proved key in creating a wow effect.
Miraikan knew the renovation would require a deep understanding of the latest video specifications for content production and systems integration. With a rich technical knowledge base and a team that excels at out-of-the-box thinking, Go and Partners proved a perfect fit for the job. In talking with the Miraikan team, we knew that conventional SDR technology wouldn't cut it for a project like this. Accurately depicting the clouds that hover above Earth, the ice fields that blanket the Arctic and Antarctic, and fluctuating cloud luminance would require high dynamic range, Go Hotta explained. Yet, working with HDR can be challenging because content often doesn't look as expected due to differences in creator intent and the production environment. The technology behind it is complex, and very few products perform as we expected, which is why we looked to AJA gear for assistance.
AJA FS-HDR proved essential in allowing artists to make subtle corrections to the content in the projection environment. The creative team leveraged its fine correction and preset functions to switch out images for content and adjust imagery as needed depending upon ambient brightness variations in the museum environment. Go Hotta added, FS-HDR and our other AJA equipment suited our project specifications while also giving us the stability and reliability required for the job, plus the developer SDK is great. It helped save us time.
An impressive technical feat, the new Geo-Cosmos supports 8K playback of video files output from an 8K recorder/player. Content is produced as OpenEXR still image files in 6,204 x 3,102 resolution, HDR (HLG or PQ), Rec 2020, 59.94 Hz. The system's HP workstation converts still images into a Geo-Cosmos panel layout with 8K resolution and transforms them into HEVC (H.265) .mp4 8K video. Using computer application software, audio is then added to the HEVC (H.265) .mp4 file, which is transferred to an 8K recorder-player developed with ASTRODESIGN. The sphere plays back the upper half of the 8K image, and two 4K single-link SDI [2 Sample Interleave (2SI)] outputs run through an AJA KUMO 1616-12G router.
The two KUMO outputs are input to two AJA FS-HDR HDR/WCG converters equipped with SFP modules (HDBNC-2TX-12G), which output four Quad Link 3G-SDI signals. The SDI embedded audio signal is output from a separate KUMO channel and sent to a de-multiplexer. The 4K UHD monitors connected to the KUMO are used for video quality control. Eight 3G-SDI signal outputs from the FS-HDRs are converted to fiber, sent into the sphere via optical fiber, and finally displayed on the LED panel.
Geo-Cosmos also supports real-time video playback from external connections, such as a high spec laptop PC. For this use case, an external PC HDMI signal is output in 4K UHD (59.94 Hz or 29.97 Hz) with a 10-bit, 4:2:2, Rec 2020, HDR (display peak brightness 1500 nits), map projection equidistant cylindrical projection. HDMI signals from an external PC are input to an AJA KONA HDMI capture card on an HP workstation, converted to panel placement within the workstation, and output via an AJA KONA 5 I/O card on two 4K SDI (2SI) channels, which are then input to the KUMO.
Go Hotta concluded, The world is rapidly changing, and installations with cutting-edge technology like Geo-Cosmos will soon be commonplace in museums worldwide. However, working with these tools to take the museum-goer experience to new heights requires the ultimate agility and flexibility, which AJA solutions provide.
###
Enjoying the news? Sign up for the Creative COW Newsletter! Sign up for the Creative COW newsletter and get weekly updates on industr
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Miraikan Museum Visualizes Global Issues with AJA Gear 
