AV integrator Snelling Business Systems (Wymondham) and lighting integrator Cosmic Electronics (Essex) recently outfitted Samsung KX in London, a destination for the public to experience the company’s range of connected technologies, with HARMAN Professional Solutions networked AV, control and lighting systems.
Situated in the recently developed Coal Drops Yard shopping district in King’s Cross, London, the 20,000 square-foot space has a 32-foot Screenmax LED display wall, connected “smart kitchen,” immersive augmented reality experiences and a changing list of temporary installations. To further enhance the experience, Samsung KX required a facility-wide immersive AV, lighting and control system with enough flexibility to serve current and future needs.
“In terms of design, we didn’t approach Samsung KX like any other traditional shop,” says Tanya Weller, Director, Samsung Showcase. “It was very much about creating an incredible space to bring the latest innovations to life and showcase our products working seamlessly together, but also a flexible environment that we could invite the community into for various events and experiences. The beauty of it is that it’s incredibly adaptable. If we’ve got an event in one zone, we can ensure the sound is great in that area, or we can have total takeover of the space.”
The centerpiece of the venue is the Screenmax video wall, which hass tiered seating for presentations, panel discussions, movie nights, gaming sessions, interactive experiences and other events. To provide sound for any of these applications, Snelling installed JBL CBT1000 line array column loudspeakers with CBT 1000E extensions on either side of the screen. Along the top of the screen, four JBL AC16 compact loudspeakers provide additional center coverage, with proprietary Coverage PT waveguides that are designed to provide consistent 90-degree vertical and horizontal dispersion. Two JBL VTX F18S subwoofers complete the system, and Snelling also supplied four JBL 708P powered reference monitors that can supplement the system to create a temporary surround-sound setup.
The opposite side of the space offers a Samsung The Wall Professional LED display in a living room-style environment. Two soffit-mounted JBL Synthesis S3900 loudspeakers provide the coverage, accompanied by JBL AC115 subwoofers for additional bass.
To provide AV control and easier reconfiguration of the space, Snelling equipped Samsung KX with BSS signal processors, Crown amplifiers and AMX control systems. BSS Soundweb London signal processors provide a digital audio bus that is specified to route up to 256 individual channels over standard Cat-5 cable. The processors feed network-connected Crown amplifiers that are driving the many loudspeakers throughout the showroom as well as DSP via HiQnet Audio Architect software. An AMX Netlinx NX-1200 integrated controller, Modero MD-1002 touch panel and multiple Samsung tablets loaded with the AMX TPControl app provide seamless control over the audio, video and lighting systems.
“In order to deliver mission-critical performance with a versatile and robust AV infrastructure, we turned to HARMAN’s technology,” states Steve Royans, Director, Snelling Business Systems. “The BSS signal processors allow for highly flexible deployment of DSP over two ‘wings’ of the store, as well as full audio routing to independent zones. Using Dante networked audio, we were able to configure all 52 speaker channels individually, which enabled us to ‘move’ audio around the space. The AMX NX-1200 integrated controller, Modero touch panel and AMX TPControl app give Samsung KX staff complete control of the space at all times. From simple volume and display control to full video and audio routing, the AMX NX-1200 is what holds the store together day to day.”
Meanwhile, Cosmic Electronics deployed a variety of Martin lighting fixtures and LED video elements. In the Screenmax area, three Martin MAC Encore Performance fixtures provide spot lighting for presentations and events, while seven MAC Aura XB fixtures supply washes with color mixing. Additionally, Cosmic Electronics highlighted the unique architecture of the bridge that joins the two wings of Samsung KX using Martin VDO Fatron 20 LED video blades. Mounted vertically at intervals along the floor-to-ceiling windows, the fixtures have a 20 mm pixel pitch and 16-bit color mixing.
“MAC fixtures are used in theaters and TV studios all over the world, so we knew that the refresh rate was going to be fine for any sort of camera work and not conflict with anything on the screens,” concludes Mark Damon, Director, Cosmic Electronics. “They’re also ultra-reliable. Since they’re mounted very high up, they’re not the easiest to get at and we can’t access them during the day, so it was very important for us to have very high-quality lights up there.”
HARMAN Professional Solutions
Snelling Business Systems
Cosmic Electronics
