NEWS
The divisible ballroom can accommodate up to 420 guests
CHINA: The Marriott hotel chain has called
upon China Tech Engineering Co Ltd to install
an A/V system into the multi-functional
ballroom and public areas of the Marriott
Courtyard in the Sha Tin district of Hong Kong.
The installation is tied together with an AMX
NI-3100 control system.
The Grand Ballroom can accommodate up
to 430 guests in theatre mode, although
it can be sub-divided into three sections.
Providing room combining functions and DSP
parameters, China Tech Engineering Co Ltd
installed two Symnet Edge Dante networked
processors to provide an open architecture
WORLD: Harman International
Industries, has signed an agreement
with The Duchossois Group, Inc. and
its af liates to acquire AMX LLC for
US$365 million. The transaction
is subject to customary closing
conditions, including applicable
regulatory approvals.
AMX will be integrated into
Dante scalable DSP audio system into the 557
sq-m space. The Dante protocol promotes low
latency audio expansion over the standard
Cat-5 infrastructure, whilst transmitting and
receiving 16 x 16 channels of audio. The Edge
processors have been installed into a control
room rack above, which connects to the Grand
Ballroom’s three main panels.
‘The hotel wanted Dante as it allows future
upgrade expansion and can be con gured
whilst in operation,’ explained China Tech
project manager Emma Leung. ‘Working
with Sound Classy, it was the rst occasion
we have used Symnet Edge and it was easy
Harman’s Professional division
joining the likes of AKG, BSS, Crown,
dbx, JBL, Lexicon, Soundcraft,
Studer and Martin Professional.
‘Starting with the acquisition of
Martin lighting last year, Harman
has set forth a clear strategy to
add visual solutions to our legacy
of audio offerings,’ said Blake
to programme. The consultant, Campbell
Shillinglaw Lau, who was receptive to new
ideas, but we did encounter problems with the
interior design.’ Guests arriving at the 6.5m
oor-to-ceiling ballroom are greeted by three
overhead crystal chandeliers. ‘Unfortunately,
these were not con rmed when we were
making our plans and so we had to make
adjustments accordingly.’
Three overhead Panasonic 10,000-ANSI
lumens HD projectors were to be recessed
into the ceiling. ‘Because of the chandeliers,
we had to make recalculations before placing
them in new positions,’ explained Ms Leung.
‘Furthermore, the ceiling above the Grand
Ballroom had insuf cient room to house the
projectors. We therefore decided to disguise
them when not in use with covers.’
Powered by dual-channel Biamp CPA650
ampli ers, some of the 24 EV C8.2HC ceiling
speakers also had to be relocated. Interfaced
to an AMX NI-3100 control system, the hotel
technician can manage all the A/V parameters
via an iPad with a customised GUI. Sources
xed to mobile racks include Sony Blu-ray,
Philips DVD and TASCAM CD-200i players, eight
channels of Shure SLX wireless microphone
receivers and a Mackie VLZ3 1604 mixer. An
Avolites Pearl 2010 and Extron ISM824 multiswitcher provide lighting and video control.
The main hotel’s BGM including the lobby
Augsburger, president of the
Harman Professional division.
‘AMX’s strong portfolio of video
distribution hardware and software
is a signi cant step into the video
domain, reinforcing Harman’s
commitment to expand our
professional portfolio with industryleading technologies and brands
The ballroom is served by two Symnet
Edge processors
the hotel over the Dante network if desired,
although both systems are generally used in
standalone mode. EV C4.2LC and EV C8.2LC
speakers have been installed throughout the
hotel, with the exception of the outdoor area
which is catered for by Bose Freespace 360PII
models.
www.soundclassy.com.hk
www.china-tech.com
www.marriott.com
in adjacent and complementary
markets.’
‘Harman is a world-class company,
and this transaction will provide
additional opportunities to grow
the AMX business,’ said Robert
1/4 Horizontal
4 PRO AUDIO ASIA July–August 2014
reception area, Signature MoMo Café, toilets
and executive lounge are served by a third
Symnet Edge processor, which is linked to the
two processors used in the Grand Ballroom.
This allows it to receive the audio feed from
L. Fealy, president and chief
operating of cer, the Duchossois
Group, and Chairman of AMX. ‘The
sale to Harman ful lls one of our
fundamental objectives, which was
to position this business with a
leading entity that will take AMX to
an even higher level of performance
and success.’
www.amx.com
www.harman.com