LED Solutions recently replaced the aging poster boards at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC) with a digital solution. Photos courtesy LED Solutions
By Carly McHugh
A few years ago, LED Solutions of Hamilton showcased their talent with digital displays by creating their largest video board installation project, at local Theatre Aquarius. Spanning 0.9 x 18.2 m (3 x 60 ft), it wrapped around the marquee, and informed theatregoers and passersby which productions they could delight in that season. Indeed, the goal of the signage was to draw attention, and based on the interest that followed, it played its part quite well.
Shortly after the project’s completion, LED Solutions received a call from the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC). The fellow theatre liked the work the shop had done in the neighbouring city and wanted to have their own poster boards replaced with a digital solution. The glass doors which protected their seasonal posters were getting old, and one of them had broken, so BPAC decided it was time for a change.
After the initial call, communications went quiet for a while—until the theatre’s new operations manager reached out in March 2022. From there, the process moved fairly quickly, with the decision to remove the glass doors, access the shell of the building, and insert the new video boards. From there, LED Solutions would set them up on a network, close up the wall, and waterproof the section of the building with new cladding.
The project began with site visits, as well as quoting and determining the appropriate budget. At first, BPAC was not sure if they wanted to do one or both sides of the poster wall, so the shop provided quotes for each option. Eventually, the team determined the most beneficial and cost-effective solution was to finish the entire area. However, before they moved on to the next step, BPAC wanted to see a project LED Solutions had recently completed, which brought them to a pylon sign at an Access Storage facility in nearby Oakville. Then, the operations manager asked to see a piece of equipment from the project and hold it in their hands. The shop provided them with a sample module, so they could see the construction quality of the boards. Once BPAC had seen how the project would come together, it was time to proceed with the permit.
The theatre handled this portion of the project, as they had a close working relationship with the City of Burlington and were confident they could secure it quickly. As a result, it was never required to go to variance, which helped ensure a smooth transition. When the team had the permit in hand, they were ready to order the materials. The vision for the project was eight 1.5- x 2.1-m (5- x 7-ft), single-sided video boards with 6.6-mm (0.2-in.) resolution. They would be kitty-cornered along the wall by the building’s main entrance, with four on each side.
LED Solutions worked with the theatre’s electrician to make sure there was an appropriate power load to each board back to the breaker. After some tweaking, the electrical system was finalized, and the team met with the project’s integration technician. A contact of LED Solutions through fellow shop Media Resources Inc., his role was to get the signage networked into the building’s system and educate the client on its integration and operation. While this portion of the project took place at the theatre, the video boards were also being fabricated back at the shop.
