Cirque du Soleil
Mesmering show experience in Los Angeles
The Customer
Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company renowned for its globally performed shows that blend acrobatics, theatrical artistry, and live music. Unlike traditional circuses that incorporate animal acts, Cirque du Soleil focuses on delivering an aesthetically and dramaturgically sophisticated spectacle.
Their performances combine acrobatic feats with live music and storytelling, emphasizing character and story development while increasingly integrating immersive elements through cutting-edge lighting, audio and video technology.
Unlike traditional traveling circus troupes, Cirque du Soleil operates as a professional organization employing thousands of artists, performers, and AV technicians from around 80 countries. These professionals present shows under a unified brand and concept worldwide, often exploring cross-genre entertainment collaborations, such as performances with pop musicians and other popular show acts.
The Challenge
To deliver an exciting, breathtaking, and unforgettable experience for its audiences, Cirque du Soleil‘s Los Angeles shows rely on state-of-the-art AV technology powered by various media production servers. While the high-performance equipment is housed in a central server room, the devices had to be managed from a remotely located control room. For seamless access and real-time switching between media content, the company required a high-performance KVM system that could be flexibly configured based on the show’s needs and could accommodate future expansions.
The Solution
After extensive testing, the show producers in Los Angeles selected a KVM system from kvm-tec, based on MX Matrixline extenders. Connected via a network switch to form a matrix system, it supports up to 480 endpoints. Each server is directly connected to an extender CPU unit, including legacy equipment with VGA outputs. These are integrated using the DVI-I interface’s analog audio support, enabling digital transmission of video signals. Cat X cables connect the extender units, routed through a network switch, to the extender CON units at the
control room‘s workstations for video and audio management.
Control room operators, equipped with monitor, keyboard and mouse, can simultaneously access multiple servers, manage all media and content, and switch between various sources without delay. High-resolution Full HD video and audio content, alongside USB signals, are transmitted in real-time and with premium quality.
The Benefit
The kvm-tec MX Matrixline solution ensures more efficient and ergonomic workflows while offering exceptional flexibility and scalability for future system enhancements. From the control room, operators can directly access all servers, monitor playouts, and manage the video and audio content distributed to the show arena. Multiple redundancy layers safeguard the system against failures — an essential feature for live performances in front of a large audience.
Thanks to kvm-tec‘s KVM solution, Cirque du Soleil can offer its Los Angeles audience an unparalleled experience, orchestrating media content into a cohesive artistic masterpiece. This not only highlights the performers’ acts but also underscores the dramatic narrative, immersing viewers in a mesmerizing world
that brings them closer to the action.
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