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IN THE NEWS Listening in to the future

LSi looks at how Sennheiser’s new MobileConnect technology is helping the Ambassador Theatre Group connect with the future . . .

UK - Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is support it. It was the right fit at the right the largest owner of theatres in the world, time and ATG was happy to be at the owning and operating a total of 45 venues in beginning of the system trial.” the UK and abroad. The company has ATG chose to trial MobileConnect in five a policy of supporting its customers’ needs venues - Trafalgar Studios, the Duke of and ensuring that their experience is of the ’s, Apollo Victoria and highest possible quality. With that in mind, theatres, all in , and the New Victoria one of its most recent investments is in Theatre in Woking, Surrey - running Sennheiser’s MobileConnect technology. alongside the existing induction loop Described as ‘an innovative system for systems. Stage Electrics supplied and theatre, opera, musicals and cinema’, installed the technology into the test venues, MobileConnect streams high quality live with Sennheiser’s technical team providing audio to a user’s smartphone via WiFi. It initial field testing and continuing on-site does this via the Personal Hearing Assistant support alongside Stage Electrics. app, which allows the user to easily adjust “We put it in as an option a little over many parameters of the sound, according to a year ago and it very quickly became clear individual hearing needs. that, if we could get it right, the quality of With so many people now carrying MobileConnect completely outweighs smartphones as a matter of course, bringing reinvesting in existing systems,” says Stuart. assisted hearing into the realm of Bring Your “I give a lot of credit to Davie Bell from Stage Own Device (BYOD) is an obvious Electrics for driving this product through. development, eliminating the need for His passion for it is exceptional, his a separate hearing aid, such as the headset commitment to us and the product is highly receiver for an infrared listening system. commendable.” Sennheiser’s MobileConnect can be used to Stuart is unequivocal that the potential of replace traditional infrared and induction “The feedback has MobileConnect in ATG venues is very high. loop systems, but its potential is far greater. However, understandably, his priority is the This concept was introduced to ATG in been good, which is experience of ATG’s paying customers. 2014, not long after Sennheiser’s initial “The technology is right, but we need to launch of the product, and the technical why we’re going keep thinking about the user,” he says. “For team at ATG quickly recognised that it could many, BYOD is a completely new way of be the ideal solution to replace its existing forward with it. thinking, which brings with it a considerable infrared systems. number of challenges. It’s not just about “We’ve always kept an eye out for what We believe it’s the clarity, how it links with WiFi and those kinds technology is available to deliver as high of technical issues. We know that the ageing a quality experience to our customers as right product and population will be a large proportion of our possible and we have a long relationship customer base, which is reflected in the fact with Stage Electrics [UK dealer for the quality is that we use it for hearing assistance and Sennheiser equipment], mainly regarding audio description, and how technology is production equipment,” says ATG’s head of unquestionable.” embraced could be a challenge for ATG and technical operations Stuart Graham. “Stage its customers. Electrics’ Davie Bell started talking to ATG Stuart Graham, ATG “There is also a need for people to get about MobileConnect and how we might used to the fact that the system is in use

66 SEPTEMBER 2016 • LSIONLINE.CO.UK News_ATG:Layout 1 31/08/2016 14:55 Page 67

FEELING THE SQUEEZE? NOT WITH OUR PRICES!

Pro Half Coupler

B How it works . . . a MobileConnect system diagram D Some of ATG’s theatres adopting Sennheiser’s MobileConnect system. Self Locking From left to right: Trafalgar Studios, the Apollo Victoria, the Harold Pinter and the Duke of York’s Easy Clamp

and to be prepared before they the right product and the quality come; simple things such as is unquestionable. It’s a new making sure they have a fully way of working and we need to charged phone - they’re reliant be looking at the future for our on their device for many things, customers,” says Stuart. “I think so they can’t sit for three hours investing in Sennheiser using it and have it run out of equipment is the right thing. battery. During my career it has been “This is all the sort of ‘the’ brand for customers in live Half Coupler feedback that we send to entertainment. I think they’re Sennheiser, because we’re very definitely the people who can keen on knowing what our deliver this technology to a high customers think. It’s a learning standard.” curve for all of us. We need to “In our continuous journey of ensure that we get as much making the future of audio information as possible out to tangible, we’re glad to be audiences, highlighting the collaborating with companies benefits of the technology. with a similar mindset such as However, while BYOD is ATG, that is striving to introduce undoubtedly a challenge at the new technologies and enhance moment, we know it’s the right user experiences in every way to go.” possible way,” says Sennheiser Self Locking Truss Clamp While MobileConnect is manager - global strategic currently being used only in alliances, Nick Pemberton. “We auditoriums, ATG has plans to consider them to be a strategic use it in its cloud network, partner, alongside existing perhaps as part of a single app partner Stage Electrics, whose which brings together a number team has understood what of customer-focused services. MobileConnect can offer, both For example, it could also be now and in the future as it a latecomers’ device, allowing continues to develop. Working them to watch a monitor as a three-way partnership is anywhere in the venue, or listen invaluable and helps us all to FForor the full rangerange to the audio from the production develop the right solution for the while elsewhere in the theatre. end user.” I Visit:Visit: www.prolight.co.ukwww.pprolight.co.uk “The feedback has been P www.atg.co.uk Email:Email: [email protected]@@prolight.co.uk good, which is why we’re going P www.sennheiser.co.uk forward with it. We believe it’s P www.stage-electrics.co.uk Call: 0012541 254 707041114111

LSIONLINE.CO.UK • SEPTEMBER 2016 67 LIGHT & SOUND INTERNATIONAL • SEPTEMBER 2016 ENTERTAINMENT • PRESENTATION • INSTALLATION

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