Two of Rennes’ most prestigious cultural and conference venues have recently been upgraded with the latest projection technology from Digital Projection, enhancing their ability to deliver immersive, high-quality visual experiences.
Spearheaded by Lille-based system integrator Manganelli, the twin installations – at the Couvent des Jacobins and Les Champs Libres – reinforce the Breton capital’s reputation as a leading destination for events, conventions and multimedia exhibitions.
Located at the heart of Rennes’ cultural and artistic landscape, Les Champs Libres is a multidisciplinary venue housing a library, museum and science centre alongside its conference facilities.
To support its diverse range of events, Manganelli integrated a Digital Projection’s TITAN Satellite Modular Laser System (MLS) boasting 20K lumen and 4K resolution.
By allowing the integrator to separate the noise and heat-producing light source from the projector head, the award-winning modular MLS system enables greater installation flexibility, reduced noise levels and enhanced thermal efficiency.
“The goal was not to have the video projector in the control room, but to place it in the auditorium,” explained Stéphane Bourdon, Digital Projection’s regional sales manager for south-western Europe.
“In order not to disturb the spectators in the auditorium, we opted for the Satellite solution, which only allows us to place the head – which doesn’t make any noise – in the auditorium, and the RGB laser source in the technical room.”
Dewi Seignard, the auditorium FOH manager at Les Champs Libres, said: “We did a number of tests with other brands and the Satellite technology was the only one able to answer our needs for a very powerful projector without any of the usual inconveniences, such as noise, heat or a massive cabinet.
“4K compatibility was another deciding factor, as well as colour reproductions. We are also thankful to Stéphane Bourdon and his team for their availability and support during and after the integration phase.”
Situated a stone’s throw away from Les Champs Libres, the Couvent des Jacobins is a landmark of Rennes’ architectural heritage.
It was converted into a congress centre in 2018 after undergoing extensive modernisation while retaining its historic charm.
Within its 1,000-seat auditorium, Manganelli installed a Digital Projection TITAN 33000 4K-UHD projector to provide unparalleled image clarity, brightness, and colour accuracy for conferences, performances and presentations.
The original plan was to use the TITAN in La Nef, a smaller 400 seats auditorium in the congress centre, but after being impressed by the performances of the projector, the end user decided to use it for the main auditorium, demoting the existing projector to the smaller venue.
“We chose Manganelli following a public tender last year, and the company exceeded our expectations in terms of equipment quality and prices, but also in terms of sustainability commitment, which was particularly important for us as an ISO 20121 certified company,” explained Laurent Knobloch-Bard, production manager at the Couvent des Jacobins.
“Customer service was also a significant advantage in this constructive relationship. We’ve been using the equipment for months and we are completely satisfied.”
From a compact chassis, the powerful TITAN Laser 33000 delivers up 31,000 lumens at 4K resolution, making it the ideal projector for the most demanding of large-venue applications.
The 3-chip DLP TITAN Laser 33000 offers connection options including DisplayPort, HDMI 2.0 and HDBaseT, while its advanced electronics also bring HDR processing to the large-venue class of projectors.
Features such as Constant Brightness Control and DMX Art-Net compatibility make it the ideal solution for high profile events and fixed installations, with the class-leading 3 chip DLP projector also benefiting from features such as Non-linear Warp, Geometry Correction, Edge Blending and Picture in Picture as standard.
Digital Projection’s relationship with Manganelli proved instrumental in successfully completing both projects.
Yannig Morice, sales engineer at Manganelli, said: “The level of support from Stéphane Bourdon and his team was excellent, both before and during the installation phase. They provided an unbeatable package in terms of performance and price, which really helped us to secure both projects.
“For the Couvent des Jacobins in particular, the low environmental impact of the projector and the overall ease of integration were crucial, and both conditions were perfectly met by Digital Projection.
