With their business focussed on corporate conferences and retreats, Hemisphere demands first class performance from their audio-visual systems. Their existing system was not capable of meeting these standards, suffering from poor sound quality that was often muffled and uneven. In addition, many of their clients were now demanding access to a projector and screen, facilities not readily available in-house.
After their installation of an audio-visual system in the conference rooms of Holmesglen TAFE's Chadstone campus, Lightmoves were approached by Hemisphere to provide a solution that would enhance their overall audio-visual quality, but also fall within budget.
Lightmoves' Peter Gray, in collaboration with Joe Scalise from Broadcast Services, prepared an initial proposal for Hemisphere to consider. The following months saw extensive discussion and refinement of the specification, leading to the development of a cost effective solution that met all requirements. The primary priority was audio quality and intelligibility.
To achieve this, Lightmoves installed a control rack in the back of the restaurant that gives global control over the audio system. This includes Australian monitor Synergy SY 400V amplifiers and an AMIS ZRM4 6x4 routing audio mixer that operates in conjunction with the existing radio, tuner, DVD and CD player. This set-up allows the audio to be controlled and distributed to the four required zones; the restaurant, the bar, the café and the foyer. A microphone can also be connected to the system, allowing a complete paging and public address system to be distributed to any or all of the zones.
A total of 28 JBL Control 24 CT micro speakers were installed in the bar and restaurant area, due to their sound quality and durability. Using a NEC MT 1065 LCD projector and a Screen Technics lecturer motorised roller screen, Lightmoves created a complete presentation space in the restaurant. To complete the setup, a microphone input point was added along with two video and VGA input points linked directly to the LCD projector. This simple, but effective, setup facilitates professional corporate presentations, by simply hooking up a computer to the VGA input point.
An additional video / VGA input point, located on the wall behind the projector extends the flexibility of the system This point also feeds the vision back to the control rack allowing it to be distributed to other areas of the bar and restaurant. This also provides flexibility for large presentations, with video feeds being accessible to video screens at points throughout the complex.
(Chris Henry)
