Brompton Technology’s Tessera LED video processors delivered a landmark performance at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s 75th-anniversary tour, as the world-renowned show made a rare international appearance at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, from February 12 to 15 and at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand from February 19 to 21, 2026.
The Heroes Who Made Us, featuring over 1,100 international and local performers, was brought to life with an LED installation powered by a Tessera SX40 4K LED Processor and Tessera XD 10G data distribution system, with full redundancy, all deployed and managed by Creative Technology Australia & New Zealand.
The LED installation was monumental in scale. In Australia, the upstage main wall measured 50m by 22m, with a 32m by 4m cutout in the middle, totalling 875 sq m of ROE V6ST. A downstage wall of approximately 40.2m by 9.6m, around 250 sq m in its final configured state, used CB5 in T4 frames.
A slightly smaller setup was delivered in Auckland, utilising ROE MC7 in the upstage screen and ROE CBz5 in the downstage screen. Combined, the walls created an immersive visual backdrop befitting the grandeur of the Tattoo’s 75th-anniversary celebrations.
The choice of LED products was driven by the team’s familiarity with the equipment, as well as practical on-site considerations. The volume of product owned, combined with the panels’ weight, integrated wind bracing, and modularity allowing for real-time servicing, made the configuration the natural choice for an outdoor stadium environment. Each installation was completed within just two days, with the speed of deployment essential to meeting client timelines.
A technically critical aspect of the show was the use of in-screen imaging, which required the entire system to be Genlocked end-to-end with minimal latency, a feature delivered as standard with the Tessera SX40.
The processor’s OSCA and DynaCal features were also essential, ensuring a large, uniform canvas and colour consistency across the multiple LED types in use. Reliability, as ever, was paramount, with the Brompton system providing the confidence needed to deliver a flawless performance across multiple shows.
For the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, it marked a historic first: the organisation had never before used screens of this scale in their performances. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and put to the ultimate test by the weather. Rain fell throughout rehearsals and every show, yet the LED system did not experience a single failure.
Jeremy Moore, head of displays at Creative Technology Australia & New Zealand, said: “Working on a show of this scale and significance, and in these conditions, demands absolute confidence in your technology. The Brompton system gave us exactly that. We had two days to build these monster walls, and the speed and reliability of the Brompton processing was central to making it happen. The end client, REMT, was using screens at this scale for the very first time, and they were genuinely blown away by the performance. To not have a single issue through all that rain is a testament to just how robust the system and Creative Technology’s processes are.”
The Brisbane and Auckland run of The Heroes Who Made Us featured performers from Norway, Japan, Tonga and Australia, alongside massed pipes and drums, military bands, the Top Secret Drum Corps, and cultural dancers, a truly international celebration marking the Tattoo’s 75th year. The shows were highly anticipated, with many, if not all, performances selling out.
Image: Phil Laverty