Signal Hill, CA, USA — Adaptive Technologies Group, comprised of Allen Products, ATM Fly-ware and Adaptive Video Walls and Displays, and a premier provider of state-of-the-art rigging and mounting solutions for a wide range of audio and video applications, is proud to introduce its StarGrid overhead mounting system, specifically developed for clustering ceiling-mounted cinema speakers. This new system, which supports the latest ceiling speaker formats found in movie theaters, is designed to reduce the cost of multi-channel surround sound installations.
With digital cinema and 3D exhibition becoming state-of-the-art, directors and studios have begun implementing new object-based surround sound technologies, such as the Atmos surround format from Dolby Laboratories and the Auro format from Barco, to compliment the enhanced visual experience. Recent examples of this include the films Brave, Life of Pi and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure, to name a few, as well as upcoming titles such as Star Trek: Into Darkness. Adaptive’s StarGrid system supports the adoption of such technologies with a safe, easy-to-install ceiling grid that reduces total installation costs and optimizes the installation of surround speakers.
Cinema exhibitors are taking advantage of the StarGrid system and quickly recognizing its impact on safety, ease-of-installation, as well as the confidence and predictability that Adaptive designs bring to each of its theaters.
“The engineering and design behind Adaptive’s StarGrid system has enabled us to complete our overhead installations quickly and confidently in order to meet our client’s ever-shrinking installation timelines,” says Adam Peterson, director of technical services, Universal Cinema Services. “While an auditorium is under renovation, it isn’t generating any revenue. The StarGrid allows us to get in and out of an overhead installation fast, in order to help the client get back to selling tickets.”
Proper placement and aiming of speakers in a cinema setting is vital to achieving the desired audio experience. Not every facility, however, is designed the same way. To address this, Adaptive has developed a complete beam-to-speaker design that allows the StarGrid system to be easily retrofitted into almost any theater’s space. This system comes with a variety of components that accommodate most building materials and structures, including trusses, beams, pipes and channels. Further design considerations take wire management, sound isolation and seismic conditions into account. Lastly, Adaptive offers a variety of adjustable speaker mounts that accommodate standard cinema speaker models, including those produced by Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW), Electro-Voice, JBL Professional, Klipsch, Meyer Audio and QSC Audio.
“With Adaptive’s StarGrid there is finally a structurally engineered ceiling speaker attachment method that’s perfect for cinema,” says Jim Kappus, director of sales and logistics, ACS Enterprises, Inc. “It is a safe and risk-free method for properly installing overhead speakers.”
For this customized solution, Adaptive can provide the installer with a complete ceiling grid design based on facility drawings that includes dimensioned drawings for installation, a bill of materials, working load and safety factors, as well as auditorium-specific recommendations. Theater owners need only provide Adaptive with the drawings (preferably CAD files) of the facility and the placement of any acoustic wall treatment. Adaptive then creates the installation design for installers to follow, detailing the exact location of the ceiling speakers and the grid components that support them. This can also provide support for the submittal of plans for approval.
“It is really exciting to once again be a part of another major cinema technology build-out,” says Paul Allen, CEO, Adaptive Technologies Group. “For decades we have worked with leading theater chains and speaker manufacturers to develop cinema specific surround mounts for walls. With StarGrid, we have created an easy way to safely and efficiently install ceiling surrounds in auditoriums, making the whole process more predictable and less costly for theater owners. Adaptive has had a long history of supporting sound innovations and we are happy to continue this tradition with this latest offering.”
