Digital Signage Blog

That was the most “over the top” opening ceremonies I’ve witnessed. Perhaps the most impressive aspect was the shear human participation involved. Just the ceremony entertainers totaled 15K. The event included 2,800 Tai Chi dancers, an impressive boat scene with paddling dancers, Tron-looking green lit frolickers, and digital signage.

Nearly one third of the floor was taken up by a giant LED screen, where dancers were assisted by various changing lights. Included in the signage was a complete circular projection screen surrounding the stadium, cutely referred to as the “bird’s nest.” In fact, this circular projection screen was used in the lighting of the Olympic torch at the end of the ceremony.

The overarching theme of the projections was an unwinding scroll. Both the LED on the floor and the circular signage overarching the stadium held the theme. In fact, the final torch bearer was hoisted around the entire stadium while the scroll was “unwrapped” on the signage. Impressive.

Despite the great controversy surrounding this Olympics, China outdid themselves. It truly was an impressive site. I really do think that with 1/5^th of the world’s total population, China is a force to be reckoned with. And, with all the Chinese leading in the digital signage bout, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a great deal more than what we saw tonight.