Virgin's Silver Screen

Combining the installation of a new AV system with the advent of a revenue-earning opportunity is the 'holy grail' of the retail world. Store owners and managers are generally open to the idea of giving their audio and video systems the once-over but, if that over-haul can be shown to earn its keep from day one, then so much better.

The virgin retail chain is a case in point. As part of a recently completed refurbishment of its flagship Oxford Street Megastore, Virgin commissioned an unusual giant video screen system on the ground floor that is all but invisible until in operation. In the centre of the main stairwell, flat 'blades' rotate and lock into position in like an enormous set of Venetian blinds to reveal the 5m-wide screen.

PAI and AV designer Vincent Rice carried out the design and installation. Paul Adams, MD of PAI, explains: "Following a referral from PPM (Perspective Project Management) for whom we had worked with previously for UGC Cinemas, we were approached by Richard Greenleaf of the design company Red Jacket. Vincent is an independent who we work with a lot – we brought him onboard after Red Jacket approached us. We presented the idea of the 'Venetian blind' screen to Virgin and Red Jacket jointly, and they loved it.''

The screen itself would have to be custom-made but, as luck would have it, a company located on the same industrial estate as PAI was happy to take up the challenge. "The firm is called Daniel Fans and is run by a friend of mine,'' says Adams. "They manufacture industrial fans which are 10m or 12m in diameter, and they built the screen to our specification in two to three weeks.''

"The whole concept was that the screen would be visible when not in use – Virgin realised that if they had it going 24 hours a day, it would lose impact. So what happens is that the shutter close and the screen comes to life three times an hour, playing a pre-programmed 'show' which the record companies pay for. They are effectively buying airtime from Virgin to promote their artists. There are three different shows, so you would have to be in the store for well over an hour to see the same show twice.''

For maximum visual impact, PAI specified a Panasonic PTD9500U – a 10,000-Lumen projector more commonly seen in rental applications. "This is the first time, to my knowledge, that one has been used in a fixed installation,'' says Adams.

An Apple iMac running Dataton's Trax software provides the timeline and cues for the show. The Megastore's in-house radio station, VMR, is shut down automatically for the duration of the show (though it continues broadcasting to Virgin's other stores around the UK), and the surrounding house lighting is also switched out, to be replaced by a selection of ETC source 4's and Martin Mac 500's. Virgin-branded gobos are projected around the area and the lighting choreography comes under Pulsar Masterpiece control.

The Trax package also triggers the audio and video content from a Pioneer DVD. This content has to be made to a fixed length because, as Adams explains: "The technology doesn't yet exist to make the DVD player tell Trax that its time to finish.''

Audio control is provided by a BSS Soundweb 9088I, while Extron and Kramer switchers are used to select video sources. Flanking the screen are a pair of Mackie Fussion 3000 active speakers and two pairs of 1800SA/1800S active sub-bass combos from the same manufacturer.

"Vincent wanted something speaker-wise that would make an impact visually, and that's what Fussion does,'' says Adams. "We also wanted to wind the sounds up, because there is no point having such a striking video image and all those lighting effects if there isn't the audio to match.''

Vincent Rice agrees: "We needed a rock'n'roll vibe. The screen and projector are so impressive that we wanted it to sound equally as good, like a live gig, with all the level and dynamic range that that entails.''

Rice admits that his choice of Mackie Fussion wasn't made after exhaustive listening tests. "I'd heard them briefly at a trade show and to be honest I chose them off the spec sheet. I've got two Mackie mixers in my own studio, and I needed something that would just plug in and work, which would require no maintenance and that could be completely tamper-proof.''

"Once they were up and running, though, I was completely blown away. I rushed out to the car, got all my CD's and spent the next three hours listening to them at various levels – much to the irritation of the installation crew! The Fussions exhibit very low distortion for such a loud speaker with wide dispersion characteristics, and they also have astonishing stereo imaging – absolutely rock solid, which suggests excellent time alignment and plenty of amplifier headroom. The sub-bass units are very powerful but always feel controlled.''

Both Adams and Rice have done their bit to ensure that the Megastore's customers are drawn to the screen. PAI has lined the aisle from the store's main entrance to the screen with a run of six Panasonic plasma panels (there are four more up in the outlet's gaming zone, while Rice recorded a sweeping synthesiser chord to announce the start of the show in what amounts to almost subsonic audio.

The final word goes to PAI's Paul Adams: "What we have here is a balance of quality design and technical integration which works excellently.''

The fact that the installation will soon have paid for itself os, of course, the icing on the cake – for client and installer alike.

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