Panasonic keeps an eye on Cathedral of Our Lady
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: The Cathedral of Our Lady in Germany, known as one of Munich’s highest profile churches, has become one of the first adopters of new Panasonic software that monitors and predicts the maintenance requirements for projectors and professional displays. The cathedral sought a solution to remedy the fact that the chancel and alter could not be seen from the pews due to several large columns that form the building's expansive nave. Working alongside Müller-BBM GmbH, Dobler Consult and VETH e.K., Panasonic decided to make use of the church’s existing screen storage solution while expanding the system with a newly designed electronic storage solution for two Panasonic PT-DZ21K projectors.
The newly installed projectors are connected to the manufacturer’s ET-SWA100 software, which is capable of monitoring of over 2,000 pieces of equipment. The software has been targeted at environments such as houses of worship, where projectors and displays are either expected work extended hours, or where equipment failure would be time-consuming to repair. As budgets are often especially tight for many HOWs, the software can also predict when certain components are expected to fail, provided a method for churches to predict and budget for maintenance costs in advance.
‘To prevent the projection of church services and ceremonies from being interrupted, it is essential that maintenance can be performed at suitable times,’ commented Hartmut Kulessa, European marketing manager for Panasonic. ‘The Early Warning Software records operating conditions, helps to prevent problems occurring and predicts when consumable parts will have to be changed.’
At the Munich cathedral, the Panasonic software monitors just the two new PT-DZ21 projectors, which are used in conjunction with a custom-made flexible screen able to operate successfully even under direct sunlight.
‘For organisations with a large A/V infrastructure, it means a more proactive approach can be taken to maintenance, with monitoring often done remotely reducing down time and labour costs,’ concluded Mr Kulessa.