Li Kar Shing Faculty of Medicine

The Medical Faculty of Hong Kong University (HKU) is the longest established faculty in the Special Administrative Region. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, the Faculty was accorded the position of premier Faculty when the University was opened in 1911. In 2005, the Faculty was named Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine in recognition of the business tycoon’s generous donation of HK$1 billion (US$127.4 million) to HKU.

Over the past 130 years, the Faculty has been playing a pioneering role in medical education and training. It has also invested in various technologies that offer a broad range of innovative benefits for its academic staff and students. These include enhancing communication and improving the delivery of lectures and tutorials for better results. Its strong belief in utilizing teaching equipment of the highest quality has seen the Faculty deploying state-of-the-art AV systems for its multipurpose hall and director’s office.

Various types of display solutions had been judiciously considered for use in these two venues –including projectors employing different illumination sources such as UHP lamps, Xenon and laser – before the final decision was made to install two Christie® DWU850-GS 1DLP® laser projectors in the director’s office and three Christie D4K2560 3DLP® 4K projectors in the multipurpose hall. Christie’s longstanding Chinese partner, Wincomn Technology, supplied the projectors and also served as the projection system integrator.

Tony Chen, General Manager, Wincomn Technology, pointed out that the Faculty had very specific requirements for the deployment of the DWU850-GS projectors in the director’s office. It wanted a reliable projection solution that offers the same level of brightness and detail as the 98” LCD monitor mounted on the adjoining wall of the director’s office.

“The main challenge faced at this venue was excessive ambient lighting from the surrounding downlights and fully-opened windows, which made it difficult for conventional projectors to match the color and brightness of the adjacent LCD panel. But this issue was easily resolved with the Christie DWU850-GS together with a dnp optical screen,” Chen noted.

Equipped with Christie’s proprietary BoldColor Technology and built-in color matching functionality, the 8,400-lumen DWU850-GS is capable of displaying images that perfectly match those on the LCD panel in terms of brightness and color reproduction.

“Such image consistency is essential when visuals related to the study of medicine are displayed during meetings,” Chen added. “Other features appreciated by the end user include a small footprint, quiet operation, and 20,000 hours of long-life laser illumination, which translates into cost savings in the replacement of lamps, filters and other consumables.”

Delivering optimal visuals for the multipurpose hall

Another location that Christie projectors are “showing their mettle” is the Faculty’s multipurpose hall. It has been purpose-built according to the design concept of a cinema to offer a superior visual and audio experience to the audience. It is hoped that this venue can serve as an ideal location for lectures, meetings and live broadcast events.

The Faculty decided on using three Christie D4K2560 projectors for the multipurpose hall due to their superior performance and durability, making them the ideal choice for large applications. Contents of up to native 4K resolution are projected on three screens measuring about 4.2 meters each. With a brightness of up to 25,000 lumens, the D4K2560 delivers ultra-realistic, cinema-quality visuals and smooth video at 60Hz thanks to built-in Christie TruLife™ electronics – a quantum leap in video-image processing that is a breakthrough in high frame rate and high-resolution video projection.

“Audiences in the hall are able to appreciate the precise detail and vibrant life-like images that capture their attention,” said Chen, adding that the end user was also impressed with the projector’s flexible input options, cleanable optical engine, fast set up time, as well as reduced maintenance time and costs.

He added, “The technical director responsible for the Faculty’s AV technology is a very strict person known for having very high standards. We’ve put in a lot of effort to make sure that every aspect of the installation met his expectations, and are delighted that he was very satisfied with the end results, commenting that the projected visuals in the director’s office and multipurpose hall are bright and beautiful. As well, the Faculty is highly appreciative of the Christie products installed, as well as Wincomn’s pre-sales and after-sales service.”

Michael Bosworth, Executive Director for APAC, Enterprise, Christie, commented, “The advent of projection technology has enabled educational institutions to work and communicate more efficiently. At Christie, we can provide the whole package, from small- and mid-sized projectors to very high-end projection technologies that suit the needs and budgets of different organizations. The wide array of display technologies in use across campuses is indicative of continued growth in dynamic learning approaches. Chosen thoughtfully, with technical and use case parameters in mind, these tools can take educational experiences to the next level.”