We love it when our products put a smile on people’s faces. That’s why we are delighted to continue our partnership with SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, helping them bring the livestream of their Sub-Antarctic Penguin exhibit to viewers all over the world.
Despite being allowed to reopen in June, SEA LIFE has maintained their commitment to deliver the aquarium experience to fans who can’t attend in real life with a 24 hour live feed of their ‘Penguin Expedition’ display.
Our penguins are among the Aquarium’s most popular animals. The species we have here are all native to Australia and its islands, and we put an important focus on understanding these birds and their habitats. Now the SEA LIFE fans at home can also enjoy studying the behaviour of these amazing creatures. – Richard Dilly, General Manager, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium.
The Panasonic AW-UE4 with a bird’s eye view over the Penguin Expedition enclosure.
The feed is captured using a Panasonic AW-UE4 Ultra-Wide Angle Integrated Camera with Digital Pan/Tilt/Zoom. In addition to its pin-sharp 4K picture quality, the cameras lens delivers a 111° viewing angle to ensure viewers are treated to the full scene of all the action happening within the enclosure.
The Penguin display is the second location where the camera has been set up within the Sydney Aquarium property. The first was in front of the ‘Day and Night on the Reef’ exhibit where it attracted over 72,000 views shortly after being installed.
The easy setup of the AW-UE4 meant that SEA LIFE’s in-house AV/IT team of two were able to install the camera within a day, giving the Aquarium the creative freedom to move the camera to various locations throughout the property with relative ease.
Video output via 3 interfaces – HDMI, LAN & USB
The camera only needs one CAT5e or CAT6 cable for power, video and control, and then you’re ready for RTMP (Real Time Messaging Protocol) streaming to You Tube, Facebook, Twitch or any other RTMP/RTMPS service. This single-cable control also makes it really easy to move the camera when you need to. – Mathew Alexander, Panasonic Broadcast
The AW-UE4 camera also supports a HDMI connection, opening up possibilities for SEA LIFE to simultaneously show the real-time output from the camera to visitors at the enclosure or elsewhere in the building – a clever way to keep people entertained if they are waiting in a queue. The HDMI out could also be recorded if, for example SEA LIFE wanted to keep it for research purposes.
The exhibit features 34 penguins in total. The 7 King penguins and 27 Gentoo penguins are all native to Macquarie Island, a Tasmanian State Reserve that measures approximately 128 square kilometres. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the island is located 1550km south east of Hobart and 1200km north of Antarctica.
Macquarie Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The colony at Sydney Aquarium live comfortably in a controlled environment that mimics the temperature and even the seasons of their natural habitat. Lighting is also dynamically adjusted to sync with sunrise and sunset on Macquarie Island to ensure their breeding cycle and moulting process remains as close to real as possible.
Apart from being unbelievably adorable, penguins are also incredibly inquisitive and intelligent animals. To keep their minds stimulated, SEA LIFE staff regularly interact with the colony by playing games like soccer, blowing bubbles, building ice sculptures and giving them new interactive toys to play with.
Fun fact: Did you know Penguins poop every 17 minutes on average? No joke! So despite appearances, taking care of penguins is not all fun and games and as part of the upkeep of their enclosure, up to 4 tonnes of fresh snow is added to the display each and every morning!
On top of all this activity, the penguins also receive 3 meals a day, giving you plenty of reasons to tune in to the livestream more than once to see something new! Here is a general timetable of activity to help make the most of your viewing experience.
Watch the Live Stream Now!
Could your organisation leverage live streaming to promote your products and services or amplify your marketing? Hit us up on LinkedIn @Panasonic Australia and let’s chat!
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