45 Years of Solutions
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ISSUE NO. 15 45 Years of From Greenwich to Burbank BATTLEFIELDS AND BEER Solutions Visitor attractions - Pages 11, 12, 16 This issue of ELECTROSONIC WORLD marks the 45th anniversary of the THEN. Site of the first “office”. founding of Electrosonic. Electrosonic was founded During those 45 years in the UK in 1964. Its first Electrosonic has provided “office” consisted of two a unique service to rooms, originally intended to customers worldwide by be potato stores, above a providing audio visual market stall in Greenwich NETWORKED IMAGES solutions in the Market. Corporate AV systems - Pages 4, 5, 6, 7 corporate, cultural, Today The company stayed in entertainment and the Borough of Greenwich for Today Electrosonic exploits the latest projection technology, as over 25 years, occupying leisure markets. here at the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center. See page 16. four different buildings, but with the majority (1972 – 10 years ago 20 years ago 1990) at Woolwich Road. In 1990 the UK operation moved to purpose built headquarters at Hawley Mill, THE NEWSEUM near Dartford. Museums - Pages 13, 14, 15 In 1997 the original Newseum in Rosslyn VA set new standards in big This amazing video pyramid was screen display in museums, and one showpiece was this 130ft (40m) built by Electrosonic in 1988. Electrosonic’s recently “Newswall”. Electrosonic was the AV systems integrator. re-designed website gives details of office locations and When Electrosonic was news of major projects. www.electrosonic.com founded there were no video 30 years ago BIG IMAGES, BIG SOUNDS recorders, no microprocessors, Electrosonic Inc was no personal computers and founded in Minneapolis MN Projection, big screens and audio - Pages 8, 9, 10 no fax machines in normal offices. in 1972. In 1991 an office Video projection was possible was opened in Burbank CA, but extremely expensive, rapid and now Electrosonic has business communication was by five locations in the USA. Telex at 50 bits per second. During the 1990s it became AV meant film and slides, clear that a majority of the media that remained important group’s business originated The “London Experience” multi-media show installed in 1977 to the end of the twentieth in the USA, so the group WONDER WALL was one of many tourist attractions engineered by Electrosonic. headquarters moved to the Design - Pages 3, 5, 9, 11 century. Electrosonic was one of the 40 years ago USA, first to Minneapolis, first “AV Systems” companies to and then, since early 2008, meet the communication and display to Burbank. needs of corporate, cultural and entertainment clients and to apply emerging electronic technologies to them. Today Electrosonic continues to make use of new technologies in the service of effective AV solutions – at the design stage, in system ENTERTAINMENT “Carouselvision”, a spectacular 40 projector show at Photokina integration and in support services. NOW. Electrosonic group LED displays, theater, casinos - Pages 3, 10 in Germany in 1968, promoted Kodak’s new SAV projector. headquarters in Burbank. Electrosonic engineered the show system. 1 COMPANY NEWS Editorial This edition of ELECTROSONIC WORLD coincides with Electrosonic’s 45th anniversary, making it one of the longest established businesses in its field. Electrosonic has not been afraid of change, and over the years has continuously adapted to new realities and new opportunities. Some people still think of the company as the manufacturer of the celebrated “Rockboard” lighting control, the ES3601 slide dissolve unit or the PICBLOC videowall processor. The company was all of these, but right from the start was a specialist in systems integration. Today the company offers “Solutions” and “Products”. The products part of the business, based on image On the processing and distribution for display, now operates as a moon 40 separate unit to fit better with the trade’s requirements and expectations. Entrance to the Hollywood version of the Simpsons Ride™ winner of a Thea Award, and voted “Best New Years Ago ELECTROSONIC WORLD has generally been all about Attraction” by Theme Park Insider. Madame Tussauds in successful applications. So from this issue it is devoted London was quick to mark only to Electrosonic’s “Solutions” business. Broadly this the first moon landing with is supporting complex AV systems throughout their life Thea Awards go to an exhibit featuring cycle, and embraces systems integration, lifetime service, Armstrong and Aldrin within and, in appropriate cases, system design. its “Heroes Live” exhibit. The founders of Electrosonic often joked about being Electrosonic clients And Electrosonic was in the “fairground business”. But it is precisely the “show there (at Madame must go on” approach that has been the key to past The Themed Tussauds, not on the success and will be the stimulus for continuing business. Entertainment Association moon) with innovative “represents the creators of Electrosonic World - An occasional projection technology. compelling places and The visors of the space publication of Electrosonic experiences”. Every year it helmets carried by the Electrosonic Offices recognizes the creation of astronauts had back www.electrosonic.com outstanding visitor projected images appearing LOS ANGELES EDINBURGH experiences by its Thea on them – matching the 3320 North San Fernando Blvd. 107-111 Whitehouse Loan Awards. The awards are given reflections seen in the Burbank, CA 91504 Edinburgh EH9 1AT Tel: +1.818.333.3600 Tel: +44.131.447.6211 to the attraction concerned, real helmets. Fax: +1.818.566.4923 Fax: +44.131.452.8372 E-mail: E-mail: but clearly those who Electrosonic devised [email protected] [email protected] contributed to the creation the projection system based MINNEAPOLIS HELSINKI of the attraction do bask in on mirrors and projectors 10320 Bren Road East Kornetintie 3 Minnetonka, MN 55343 FI-00380 Helsinki the reflected glory of the with long focal length Tel: +1.952.931.7500 Tel: +358.9.251.55500 award, and in this respect The Newseum in Washington DC was honored with a Thea Award in the Fax: +1.952.938.9311 Fax: +358.9.565.1774 USA, and recognized by the Museums & Heritage Awards in the UK. lenses hidden under the E-mail: E-mail: Electrosonic is no exception! “moon surface”. [email protected] [email protected] Website: www.electrosonic.fi The 15th Annual Awards techniques, automated show Attraction category NEW YORK 80 Broad Street STOCKHOLM were presented in March control systems, visitor (described on Page 10). 6th Floor # 616 Åsögatan 155 participation exhibits and The Simpsons Ride was New York, NY 10004 S-116 32 Stockholm 2009. They all represent peer Tel: +1.212.837.7923 Sweden recognition of jobs well media management. also voted “Best New INFOCOMM Fax: +1.212.837.7825 Tel: +46.8.522.057.00 E-mail: Fax: +46.8.223.181 done, and their importance Thea Awards for Attraction” by Theme Park Award [email protected] E-mail: can be judged by the fact Outstanding Achievement Insider. In response to this [email protected] NEW JERSEY that only 17 awards were were presented to The vote Mark Woodbury, Electrosonic’s long 5 Terry Lane, Unit 12 DUBAI Burlington, NJ 08016 Electrosonic LLC given out of more than Newseum (described in detail President, Universal Creative, association with the AV Tel: +1.609.239.6930 PO Box 62425 Industry was recognized at Fax: +1.609.239.0089 Dubai 120 nominations. on Page 15) in the Museum Universal Parks & Resorts E-mail: United Arab Emirates Four of the Thea Award category, The Simpsons said of the honor, "The INFOCOMM 2009 by an award [email protected] Tel: +971.4.3324027 Fax: +971.4.3328871 recipients were clients of Ride™ at Universal Studios in Simpsons Ride represents to its co-founder. ORLANDO Email: 4501 Vineland Road, Suite 105 At the INFOCOMM [email protected] Electrosonic, and in each Orlando and Hollywood in the what Universal does best - Orlando, FL 32811 President’s VIP Reception Tel: +1.407.839.1154 SHANGHAI case Electrosonic made a Attraction category, Jungala which is to take pop culture's Fax: +1.407.839.2055 Suite 1003, Block A significant contribution to Busch Gardens (Tampa) in blockbuster entertainment Robert Simpson received the E-mail: Shanghai Universal Mansion Distinguished Achievement [email protected] 172 Yu yuan Road the attraction concerned. The the New Theme Park Land concepts and bring them to Shanghai 200040 Award, the highest honor LONDON Tel: +86.21.6249.2522 contribution was different for category and the Tree of life in wildly entertaining Hawley Mill, Hawley Road Fax: +86.21.6249.3358 bestowed on an industry Dartford, Kent DA2 7SY each project, embracing Prosperity at the Wynn theme park experiences". E-mail: Tel: +44.1322.222211 member by the association. [email protected] novel projection and optical Casino, Macau, in the Casino Fax: +44.1322.282215 E-mail: E-mail: Electrosonic was [email protected] [email protected] www.electrosonic.com/china founded in 1964 by Denis LONDON CITY Naisbitt, Michael Ray and Room 47, Albert Buildings HONG KONG Unit B, 12/F Shun Pont UK Awards 49 Queen Victoria Street Robert Simpson. London, EC4N 4SA Commercial Building Electrosonic in the UK supports the annual AV Awards 5-11 Thomson Road Tel: +44.207 653 1905 event, both by attending and by entering appropriate E-mail: Wanchai [email protected] Tel: +852.2525.1828 categories. The awards are valued because they are Fax: +852.2877.5811 E-mail (sales): independently judged and entries are of a high standard. [email protected] Over the years Electrosonic has been successful in Trademarks winning many awards. In 2008 it won both the “Systems Electrosonic, ES and the Electrosonic logo are registered Company of the Year” award, and the award for “Business AV trademarks of Electrosonic.