Barco and Alterface bring the magic of immersion and interactivity to ASTC 2006

“Barco’s visual systems make education more creative, engaging, and fun than ever before,” said Hernan Rodriguez, Director, Sales and Marketing, Latin America for Barco’s Simulation business. “These are exactly the solutions which museums, planetariums, and science centers need to captivate guests and to keep them returning again and again.”

ASTC attendees will marvel at Barco’s 3D stereo exhibit made possible by the TRACE system. TRACE is an industry standard for active 3D stereoscopic display. Powered by a Barco Galaxy WARP DLP projector, TRACE depicts high-resolution imagery in crisp detail. With a simple pair of electronic shutter glasses, the viewer can experience the magic of 3D imagery generated by this portable, freestanding unit. TRACE immerses the viewer in a world of floating subjects, creating an environment of learning that is both thrilling and memorable.

In addition to the 3D exhibit, ASTC attendees will experience a remarkable presentation of diverse visual solutions in a uniquely hands-on way. With content and programming provided by Alterface and visualization powered by Barco’s high-definition Sim 6 Ultra II LCD projection system, this exhibit will turn viewers into active participants. Upon entering the exhibit, an image of the guest is captured by the system; their image is made part of the virtual environment and appears on the display screen. The guest will then have the option to “select” screen content through virtual interaction. “This is the stuff of fantasy,” said Xavier Marichal, Alterface CTO. “These robust technologies will revolutionize the way contemporary museums and science centers operate. The unique interactivity and arresting imagery promise new heights of participatory learning.”

Paul Lyon, International Product Manager for Barco’s Simulation business, will participate in a panel discussion during the conference. Mr. Lyon will highlight features and benefits of Barco’s high-definition projection systems, and offer key insight into creative solutions which can transform vision into reality.

As a conference sponsor, Barco will supply a high-definition ICON projector for use during presentations. This intelligent, scalable projection system simultaneously displays data collected from multiple sources on one large screen, making it perfect for intuitive visualization and educational collaboration.

About Barco
Barco, a global technology company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, designs and develops visualization products for a variety of professional markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. For fiscal year 2005, Barco posted net sales of euro 712.0 million.
Barco’s ordinary shares are listed on the Brussels/Euronext stock exchange. Barco is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company. Share information may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbol BAR BB and on Reuters under BARBt.BR.

About Alterface
Alterface S.A. offers a range of interactive multimedia systems for museums, science centers, and amusement parks. Combining innovation with industrial quality, Alterface has developed the Salto™ software driver, a robust interactive systems management tool designed to operate 24/7. Alterface maintains not only a design engineering department, but also a research & development department and a content integration department. With a high-definition video publishing unit and a 3D render farm, Alterface can meet visualization challenges of all kinds. Alterface controls patents on its innovative technology, and invests in research in order to supply its customers with increasingly richer and more natural interactive solutions.

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