AV Case Study: Top Gun: Maverick in Concert
The first two Panasonic PT-RQ45K projectors in Australia get drafted by CVP Audio Visual Productions and feel the need… the need for speed.
18 August 2026
CVP has spent more than 35 years building a reputation as one of Australia’s go-to providers for large-scale projection, particularly in the demanding world of Film in Concert. These productions pair big-name movies with top-shelf live orchestras, and the technical demands are exacting: big screens, high brightness to compete with orchestra lighting, dual-projector redundancy, precise alignment, and absolute reliability on tight touring schedules.
Managing Director Jon Willis traces the company’s deep relationship with Panasonic back decades. “We’ve had about a 20-year relationship with Panasonic. We’ve enjoyed a phenomenally close and positive relationship.”
Today CVP fields more than 60 Panasonic projectors, the majority high-brightness models. “A couple of weeks ago we had 38 projectors of 20,000 lumens or more deployed in four states in one week,” Willis notes. Reliability has been the constant. “It’s hugely reliable and we’ve had virtually zero failures – and that dates back to lamp projectors and now laser.”
THE RQ45 ARRIVES
When Panasonic launched the PT-RQ45K, CVP was the first in Australia to commit. Jon Willis and his team had already been considering a move to the RQ35 (~30,000 lumens/4K), but the timing of the brighter RQ45 proved decisive: “We bought the first two in Australia.”
The matched pair was deployed within seven days of arrival on Symphonic Cinema’s Top Gun: Maverick presentation at ICC Sydney. The screen measured 18 metres wide – a significant canvas that had previously been covered by dual 30,000-lumen projectors. Stepping up to dual 40,000-lumen RQ45s delivered a clear, visible improvement.
“The client was blown away; delighted with the result,” Willis says. “That’s what we’re all here to do… delight clients.”
DOUBLE STACKING REALITIES
Film in Concert shows almost always run dual projectors for redundancy. Double-stacking introduces its own challenges, particularly thermal behaviour and alignment stability as the projectors heat and cool during a long feature. Different brands can drift relative to each other, creating soft edges even when each individual projector is sharp.
“Panasonic recognised this challenge a number of years ago,” Willis explains. The company has since refined lens designs so optical performance remains more stable under changing temperature. CVP treats the PT-RQ45Ks as a matched pair and is careful with alignment and infrastructure. Aspect ratios also vary (16:9 versus 2.35:1), so precision in setup remains critical.
Brightness itself is a constant negotiation. Cinema projection can run at relatively modest levels because the room is fully dark. Film in Concert must overcome bounce from orchestra lighting and music stands. “You’re wanting to light the orchestra in a number of places… there is huge bounce,” Willis observes. The extra output of the PT-RQ45Ks gives the team more headroom without fighting the room.
Finally, the PT-RQ45K provides the big step up in brightness without increasing the size of the chassis, which is a huge consideration for a rental company such as CVP where truck space is at a premium. What’s more Panasonic’s latest high-brightness projectors are low noise – well suited to whisper quiet sections of a movie or indoor art installations and the like.
FUTURE-PROOFING WITH 4K
Many of the films CVP projects are still delivered in HD. Jon Willis is pragmatic about it: “Top Gun Maverick was shown in HD… most of those films are in fact HD. 4K is still rare, partly because of the file sizes.”
Yet CVP has decided that new projector purchases will be 4K only. “We’re not buying anything other than 4K now. The future is not going to be less 4K than it is now.” Longevity underpins the decision. “I expect these two RQ45s will be good for a minimum of 10 years, maybe more. We tour them, we buy road cases that protect them, but we don’t have any nervousness about them turning on and running every time.”
That combination of reliability, brightness, resolution, compact size and long service life has cemented Panasonic as CVP’s default choice. “We don’t consider other products.”
For a company that lives or dies by the quality of the image, and keeping its clients ‘delighted’, that confidence matters.
CVP: cvp.com.au
Panasonic: ap.pnd.panasonic.com/au/en
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