Project Gallery
Culture Meets Tech: Museum AV Systems & Archival Film Projection
Explore how Boston Light & Sound brings custom projection and sound for museum displays, cultural venues, and performance spaces—with precision, respect, and care.
Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
Summary
Designing a Seamless AV System for a Dynamic Cultural Space
In 2016, a public/private partnership set out to reimagine the Arkansas Arts Center as a world-class destination for both visual and performing arts. The result was the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts—a stunning venue requiring equally thoughtful audio and video integration. To deliver on that vision, the Arkansas Cinema Society recommended Boston Light & Sound for their ability to engineer cinema-quality presentation systems tailored to complex spaces.
Working Within Architectural Constraints
The cinema system needed to accommodate a range of events—from film screenings to live performances—within a modern theater defined by curved wood walls and sleek architectural finishes. Speaker placement had already been predetermined earlier in construction, which introduced limitations in both layout and equipment selection. Aesthetic integration was also key.
Acoustic Modeling and Custom Speaker Integration
To address these challenges, BL&S collaborated with Meyer Sound, renowned for high-performance, compact speakers. Together, they created a detailed 3D model of the room to test different speaker configurations and ensure optimal coverage. Ultra-compact Meyer speakers were selected for their ability to blend discreetly with the space while delivering excellent clarity and immersive surround sound. Subwoofers were added to enhance low-frequency performance without visual disruption.
4K Projection and a Flexible System Design
For the visual components, BL&S installed a Barco 4K laser projector and designed a custom screen frame with integrated loudspeakers that can be flown out of view during live theater performances. To mitigate reflections from the room’s glossy wood finishes, a high-contrast screen was chosen to maintain crisp, vibrant images under any lighting condition.
A Perfect Blend of Performance and Design
The result is a clean, elegant AV system that supports the museum’s full spectrum of programming—delivering exceptional audio and visual performance while preserving the room’s architectural integrity.
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Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Summary
Enhancing a Celebrated Film Program with Digital Projection
The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston is one of the world’s most comprehensive art institutions, drawing over one million visitors annually to its galleries, exhibitions, and educational programs. Its Remis Auditorium also serves as an important venue for film, showcasing a diverse mix of foreign, independent, and classic cinema.
To expand its presentation capabilities and offer greater flexibility, the MFA partnered with Boston Light & Sound to install a state-of-the-art 4K digital cinema system for interactive display solutions to complement its existing 16mm and 35mm projection systems.
Boston Light & Sound (BL&S) recently installed a digital cinema system in the museum’s auditorium to augment the existing 16 and 35mm films currently offered. The new state-of-the-art 4K digital cinema projection system enables the MFA to offer the highest resolution available today, and allows for easy transitions between a wide range of media, including legacy formats such as VGA computer, HD Cam, DigiBeta, Blu-ray, and DVD. The newly installed Digital Matrix Router also has an upgrade path to accommodate the newest 4K-UHD resolution from 4K video and computer-based sources to accommodate the MFA’s changing presentation needs.
A Seamless Bridge Between Legacy and Modern Media
The newly installed system delivers the highest resolution currently available, supporting pristine image quality for today’s digital films while retaining the ability to screen archival formats. To ensure broad compatibility, BL&S integrated support for a wide range of legacy media, including VGA computer inputs, HD Cam, DigiBeta, Blu-ray, and DVD.
Future-Ready Infrastructure
A new Digital Matrix Router lies at the heart of the system, enabling seamless transitions between formats and offering a clear path for future upgrades. The system is fully equipped to handle next-generation 4K-UHD content from both video and computer-based sources—so the museum can continue to evolve with changing presentation needs.
(Photos: © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.)
The best configured and easiest to use booth
“We have the best configured and easiest to use booth our projectionist has ever worked in. The screen set up looks fantastic. We couldn’t be happier with the whole project.”
