Surround audio from Videlio and APG enhances the shopping experience at Europe's largest shopping center
The Parisian Westfield Les shopping center 4 Temps has carried out a renovation of its sound system with the help of Video which has provided a solution based on compact speakers APG iX5 and column ones Active Audio.
Westfield Les 4 Temps, located in La Défense, the commercial district west of the French capital, It is the largest shopping center in Europe with its more than 200 stores, 40 restaurants and a cinema 16 salas. The audio upgrade, carried out by Paris-based AV specialist, Video, was designed to immerse visitors in the environment, making audio an integral part of your shopping experience.
Stéphane Le Roux, head of digital media for the division specialized in complex projects at Videlio, Videlio-Scénotechnique, has been working with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, owner of Westfield Les 4 Temps, overseeing the maintenance of your existing audiovisual systems and advising on future upgrades. He explains that the owners of this shopping center were convinced of the possibilities of spatial audio after Videlio demonstrated it. Tadamm, a “immersive experience box” that showed the possibilities of immersive audio and video solutions.
“As a technology partner of Tadamm, We invited Westfield to witness the added value of an immersive sound system that complements the video system originally planned for this project”, affirmed Le Roux. “We demonstrate how the impact of the visual component on Led screens, along with the sound system, could significantly improve the capture of visitors' attention, preventing them from looking at their phones on escalators or during downtime and, instead, interact with content”.
After Westfield commissioned him to integrate Digital Dream (a series of three curved Led screens that, with a total area of 250 square meters, is considered the indoor interactive video display largest in Europe) in The 4 Temps, Videlio turned to APG for the surround audio, and tasked the French manufacturer with creating a striking soundscape that would capture the attention of busy shoppers..
The design of both the Digital Dream screen and the surround audio system was carried out by the creative agency Gloomy, who commissioned Acoustic & Advice (AC) consulting on this last aspect of the project.
AC's recommendations were that any new audio system should be able to deliver clear and intelligible sound at a constant volume within a defined area around the LED wall., as well as creating a spatialized and fully immersive audio environment: “a demanding assignment, but for whom the iX series was the perfect choice”.
According to Le Roux, The decision to specify APG speakers was based on four factors: your technological experience, the strength of your offer, the fact that its products are designed and manufactured in France and the support that the company can offer to its integration partners.
“Beyond the solution itself, we needed a high level of service and support, in particular for the acoustic study of the site. Advertisements are broadcast hundreds of times a day, so they should not be a nuisance for staff and retailers. There was extensive consultation before and during the project. All this differentiated APG from the competition”.
To create the desired immersive audio environment, Videlio integrated an audio system 12 channels composed of 28 iX5 Ultra Compact Indoor Coaxial Speakers the APG, distributed in two convex Led screens that surround the balconies of the first and second floors of Les 4 Temps for smooth, object-based surround sound coverage.
The iX5, a miniature two-way full-range speaker that offers studio monitor-like compactness and sound quality, It is the smallest member of the iX family. All speakers in this series combine coaxial technology with an integrated baffle to eliminate defraction and provide a linear acoustic field and consistent.
Besides, los R210TC column speakers from APG's sister company, Active Audio, are located on both sides of the main Digital Dream screen (a curved central screen shaped like a totem), ensuring accurate and intelligible sound projection.
Regarding the need for high quality audio provided by APG and Active Audio in Westfield Les 4 Temps, Perceval of Saint-Seine, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield media director for Europe, comment: “We want to offer a complete experience to our customers and surprise them positively.. This leads us to choose top-notch technology and partners to ensure that quality is not compromised.”.
De Saint-Seine adds that, thanks to the iX5's range of personalized finishes, The audio elements of the installation are “extremely discreet and integrate perfectly into the environment”, which generates minimal visual impact and offers maximum sound coverage.
Reflecting on the integration of Westfield's first immersive audio system Les 4 Temp, Le Roux de Videlio is proud to have partnered with APG to deliver a world first in Paris: “The largest and most innovative retail LED wall in Europe, and the only one that integrates immersive audio, 3D and interactive”.
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