The Little Ghost: Christmas Video Mapping

Challenge

What was the context of your project, and what challenges did you face?

The city of Orsay wanted to revamp its Christmas lighting display with video mapping. The city was already equipped according to the recommendations of CFI and Stéphane Cormier: a video projector, a Proxima media server, and a Waves System show controller, all housed in a Vizibox enclosure.

With just one month to go before the first screening, there was no content. I was asked to create it and coordinate all the stakeholders to meet the deadlines.

What problems or constraints did you encounter?

The first challenge was time: only one month to put together the entire show. We had to quickly mobilize and coordinate the entire team. On the installation side, the constraint was simple: everything had to fit inside the mast-mounted enclosure. Finally, to ensure the city’s long-term autonomy, Stéphane Cormier provided training for city hall staff.

The Solution

Why did you choose our product among the available options?

I didn’t choose the solution myself; CFI recommended the media server and the EVP380. It was a good choice. To get a better grasp of it, I went to meet with Waves System at JTSE: the discussions and demonstrations immediately put my mind at ease. The on-site hands-on session confirmed that it was the right choice: simple to use, easy to integrate.

How did the implementation of our solution go in your project?

On-site, it went very smoothly. It was a successful project; the Proxima’s ease of use allowed for a quick learning curve. Integrating the EVP380, the Proxima, and the video projector is very straightforward. The compact size of the 4020 allows for installation virtually anywhere. And there’s no heat to manage.

Which features or benefits of our product were the most important to you?

Proxima may not have the same capabilities as some competitors, but it’s a smart choice, especially for local governments and museums. It’s stable, operates over a remote network, and doesn’t require specialized technicians for day-to-day operations. Where BrightSign can become a real headache and lead to extra costs by requiring dedicated technicians, Proxima allows city staff to quickly become self-sufficient. In Orsay, municipal technicians can restart a presentation like Le Petit Fantôme on their own—without outside help.

Photo credit: Compagnie Francaise Informatique

Feedback

What concrete benefits have you seen since installing our solution?

The Proxima isn’t usually on my list of recommendations, but it has more than met the client’s expectations at a reasonable cost. It’s easy to use, fairly priced, and reliable in the field—I’ve already recommended it to a colleague. And I’d be curious to use it on more ambitious projects—why not in an escape room?

If you were to recommend our solution, what would you say to someone who’s still hesitating?

What I’d say is that the end user will be able to operate independently very quickly. That’s a decisive factor, especially for local governments that don’t want to rely on a service provider for every follow-up.