Christie along with newly acquired Vista Systems provided high-brightness visual solution for the Rugby Ball Venue in Paris during the Rugby World Cup. Located in front of the Eiffel Tower, the Rugby Ball Venue—a giant inflatable structure in the shape of a rugby ball—used eight Christie Roadster S+20K three-chip DLP projectors and the Vista Spyder high-resolution video processor and windowing system to showcase the best of New Zealand.

Under creative direction from Inside Out Productions, the unique venue is 82 feet long by 49 feet wide by 39 feet high and can hold up to 220 people. To create an immersed visual experience, the appointed audio-visual provider, New Zealand-based Spyglass Group Limited, will use eight Christie Roadster S+20Ks and the Vista Spyder video processor and windowing system to create a visual extravaganza on a full surround screen promoting New Zealand tourism, businesses, culture, lifestyle, food and wine, and technology. The New Zealand-themed video was shown every half hour throughout the day onto the surround screen. This visual solution allowed content to be displayed in full 360-degree surround with the option to open different live windows on the interior of the rugby venue for business presentations and live rugby match screenings.

"We selected the Christie Roadster S+20K projector for its balance of high brightness, contrast ratio, compact footprint, flexible mounting, and other features. It's a great-looking product. We're very pleased with the projection results. It offers excellent intensity and accurate color reproduction that are natural and true to its source," comments Scott Davis, director, Spyglass Group Limited. "It's extremely satisfying knowing we don't have to compromise on quality with our Christie Roadsters and we would like to thank all the folks at Christie for looking after us."

Davis adds, "It took about 30 seconds for me to be hooked on the Vista Spyder. Watching the ease of its windowing capabilities was impressive enough.  But it was the system's ability to take any input source, digital or analog, at any resolution and then output to any resolution, digital or analog, that really got us hooked."

The Rugby Ball Venue project was a cross-government initiative involving Tourism NZ, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Labor, and Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

The Rugby Ball Venue officially opened to the public on October 5 and remained open during the Rugby World Cup 2007, as part if its four year build-up to Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.

The venue was designed by Fabric Shelter Systems with the team at Inside Out Productions and took six days to construct.