In the Spotlight: Canadian Museum for Human Rights Utilizes Latest Directional Audio Technology from Brown Innovations

November 18, 2016 Maria McKinsey

Directional speakers are discreetly flush-mounted below each screen.

Winnipeg's recently-opened Canadian Museum for Human Rights contains an impressive array of interactive displays, many of which are outfitted with Brown Innovations directional speakers. During the museum planning stages, we worked closely with SH Acoustics to provide a variety of directional audio solutions for numerous sound-reflective galleries.

“This is not a museum with typical box-like galleries,” says Steve Haas, president at SH Acoustics. “There isn’t a single right-angle wall, and there are triangulated gaps two to three feet wide at their largest point. Standing on the first floor you can see exhibits on the fifth floor, so in developing audio strategies and acoustic treatments, we had to keep in mind the ferocity of the building.”

Despite the acoustical challenges, our engineers provided directional sound solutions in eleven galleries on seven different levels. Browse through the images below to get a sense of the environment. In many cases, our directional speakers are flush-mounted or concealed to discreetly focus audio.

At Heydar Aliyev Center, Sounds of Azerbaijan Heard With Help of Brown Innovations

November 1, 2016 Maria McKinsey

Over the years, our directional speakers have been used in numerous applications to focus music. Recently, our sound dome directional speakers were installed at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Azerbaijan. In the picture above, different instruments are displayed side-by-side, each with a Mini Localizer mounted overhead. In the video below, a museum-goer walks from instrument to instrument and records the sound heard in front of each display. It's a great example of how our directional speakers focus sound in challenging, sound-reflective environments.

Paramount, Walt Disney Motion Pictures, and L’Oréal Campaign with Brown Innovations Directional Speakers

October 19, 2016 Maria McKinsey

Over the past year, Brown Innovations and UK-based company Limited Space partnered on a number projects, including campaigns for Paramount, Walt Disney Motion Pictures and L'Oreal. In the gallery below, notice two SB-47 SonicBeams sitting flush above each screen. These directional speakers deliver crystal clear audio just in front of the video wall without bouncing sound and disturbing employees working nearby. Visit malls across the UK including Bluewater, Metrocentre, Arndale and Bullring to see these in action!

Rio de Janeiro Outfits Olympic City Museum with Brown Innovations Directional Audio

October 5, 2016 Maria McKinsey

SB-24 SonicBeam directional speakers, seen here mounted above interactive displays, focus audio to individuals in front of the displays.

Rio de Janeiro 's 2016 Olympics have come and gone. But the Olympic City Museum in Rio is there to stay. And thanks to directional audio from Brown Innovations, many of the museum's interactive displays play different audio presentations close to one another without creating a cacophony. The implementation of the SonicBeam audio-focusing speaker at the museum marks the use of the most advanced directional sound technology.

Per the Rio Times, "The new museum is a part of the city’s Nave do Conhecimento program, whose goal is to establish spaces in traditionally neglected communities and bring technology and science to the area through courses, events, and workshops."

AT&T Flagship Store Creates Unprecedented Retail Experience with Brown Innovations Directional Speakers

September 29, 2016 Maria McKinsey

Yesterday in San Francisco, AT&T opened it's new tech-centric flagship store, unveiling a one-of-a-kind retail experience for visitors. As part of the installation, AT&T tapped Brown Innovations to provide directional speakers that focus sound to specifically targeted areas.

As part of the development, store designers needed audio directed to different sections of escalators that connect the store's first and second floors. Brown Innovations provided a directional sound solution to meet the designers' needs. As visitors ascend and descend on the escalators, they pass through various zones and hear different focused audio presentations, each associated with a videowall. While these different audio presentations play in close proximity, each is heard distinctly, and without overlap.

The installation is the most recent collaboration in a long-term working relationship between AT&T and Brown Innovations.

Brown Innovations Unveils Directional Speakers with Directional Subwoofers

September 26, 2016 Maria McKinsey

CEDIA 2016: Brown Innovations Unveils Directional Speakers with Directional Subwoofers www.brownsinnovations.com

At the recent Cedia Expo in Dallas, TX, we introduced visitors to our latest innovation in the world of directional speakers - directional subwoofers. Check out the video above to see how listeners experience different "walls of sound" with this new advance in directional audio.

Philadelphia Museum of Art Solves Audio Bleed Issues with Brown Innovations Directional Speakers

September 22, 2016 Maria McKinsey

Directional Audio Philadelphia Museum of Art

Last weekend, Bruce Nauman's Contrapposto Studies, I through VII opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the American artist's installation spans two massive sound reflective galleries. Thanks to directional sound technology from Brown Innovations, museum visitors experience different audio broadcasts with clarity and focus.

The exhibition runs until January 8th, 2017.

Here Is A Great Explanation of How Well Our Directional Audio Works

August 18, 2016 Maria McKinsey

Here's an enthusiastic and concise explanation of how well our new directional speakers keep sound focused to tight zones. It was filmed at Infocomm 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada by DJ News.

brownInnovations directional speakers demo Http://www.brown innovations.com

Brown Innovations selected as the directional audio provider to the Saturday Night Live Exhibit

May 29, 2015 Maria McKinsey

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at the most famous sketch comedy show of all time? Well now you can. “Saturday Night Live: The Exhibition,” allows SNL fans to experience the shows iconic Studio 8H and the preparation that goes into producing the show each week.

The installation includes interactive displays and video screens playing many of the well known comedy skits from the past 40 years. While the frequent jokes and one-liners are funny, having the exhibition space sound like an arcade is no laughing matter. The designers needed a way to make sure the audio from each screen could be playing simultaneously without bleeding into other areas of the museum. Premier Exhibitions were tasked with finding a solution for this audio dilemma.

Brown Innovations’ SB-47 was chosen as the best solution after thorough research and testing of other speakers on the market. Everyone on the exhibition team was impressed with the quality of audio produced by the SB-47. Other speakers that were tested had a very thin and tinny sound and did not isolate audio as well. The Brown Innovations’ SonicBeam is able to combine both focus and fidelity making it the speaker of choice among designers and integrators.

“Saturday Night Live: The Exhibition,” is open to the public beginning on May 30th, 2015. The exhibit is being held at Premier Exhibitions permanent exhibition center located at 417 5th Ave in New York City.

Screen Bar Implements Revolutionary BarSound Directional Audio Technology

March 7, 2015 Maria McKinsey

This autumn, Screen Bar in Singapore implemented the latest BarSound directional speaker technology from Brown Innovations so each table could enjoy a unique listening experience. In addition to the Quadeo Sound Domes over the tables, Screen Bar also installed SonicBeam Directional speakers to keep sound isolated only to patrons standing at the main bar. In total, eleven Quadeo Sound Domes and two SonicBeam directional speakers were used. The installation is the first of it’s kind, and could prove to be a game-changer with how bars and restaurants utilize audio with multiple screens.

Check out Google’s Virtual Tour by clicking on this picture:

And here are a few more photos of the installation:

After 20 years, Localizer Sound Dome Still a Directional Sound Staple

June 20, 2014 Maria McKinsey

After more than 20 years, our original directional speaker - the sound dome Localizer- still stands as a popular directional sound solution. Because Brown Innovations holds a patent on the sound dome's unique hemispheric design, we provide the world's most precise audio isolation. The dome is able to deliver superior stereo sound because the hemisphere acts as a lens, creating an audio "hologram" where the sound is actually heard as if the speakers were floating just outside of the listener's ears. Until the development of the Sound Dome Localizer, this highly focused stereo listening experience was previously available only through headphones. Today, clients use our sound dome in lieu of headphones for countless applications.

St. Joseph's University Creates Collaborative Learning Environment With Brown Innovations

November 15, 2013 Maria McKinsey

St. Joseph's University has unveiled a sophisticated collaborative classroom outfitted with directional speakers from Brown Innovations. The speakers keep audio focused to specific zones and allows students to videoconference. Media Services engineer Justin Fowler says, "I envision the concepts and technology utilized in this room being implemented in classrooms throughout campus in the future."

Students Work in the New Collaborative Learning Center

Heathrow Airport Upgrades Samsung Displays with Maestro Directional Speakers

April 12, 2013 Maria McKinsey

Some things in the world never change. There will forever be airline delays, overbookings, and flight cancellations. Finding the serenity to accept such unchangeable realities is often difficult. But if you find yourself stuck in Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, you might find the wait isn’t so bad. World Visual Communications has installed more than 60 Samsung displays equipped with Brown Innovations Maestro directional speakers. From news broadcasts to sports coverage, sitcoms and more, stranded travelers can now enjoy a complete viewing experience thanks to the focused audio.

Adspace Networks Thrives with ‘Sound’ Business Model

January 9, 2013 Maria McKinsey

It’s a topic of endless debate in the digital signage sector: Will audio enhance your display or be disruptive and get your display unplugged? For AdSpace Networks, America’s largest in-mall digital signage network, directional audio has played a key role in their success. As a result, Adspace’s model is changing how others look at utilizing audio. For years, digital signage networks have avoided audio due to problems with sound bleed. Frequently referred to as “employee burn,” conventional speakers blaring repetitive audio invariably lead nearby employees to unplug displays or even cut wires. After research and tests, AdSpace chose the Brown Innovations Maestro to ensure audio doesn’t disturb mall employees and patrons.

Besides keeping sound focused in front of displays, Maestro speakers can be linked, networked and communicated with remotely. “Health monitoring and adjustments to speakers on the network can be made from a single location,” said Jeremy Brown, CEO of Brown Innovations. “Maestros automatically make volume adjustments when ambient noise fluctuates, which ensures sound levels are always heard at an appropriate level above the ambient noise.”

The network has become an attractive medium for advertisers wanting to deliver more dynamic content. “We like to think of our screens as living posters and encourage our advertisers to take advantage of our unique, full motion video and audio-enabled medium with truly captivating creative,” says the AdSpace website. Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Estee Lauder, Coach, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and Sean John are just a handful of companies advertising on the network.

In total, the network currently consists of 2844 displays and reaches 48 million unique individuals per month.

Vatican Installs Brown Innovations Sound Domes

November 15, 2012 Maria McKinsey

Rome, Italy - In the Charlemagne Wing of St. Peter’s Square in Rome, an exhibition celebrating diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the Republic of Azerbaijan features a music section containing various instruments and interactive displays. To prevent sound bleed from the displays, exhibition designers chose Brown Innovations Localizer sound domes to keep audio contained to their targeted listening areas. The exhibition was organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Prada Exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art “Made Possible” by Brown Innovations

May 10, 2012 Maria McKinsey

New York, NY – The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s newest exhibit “Impossible Conversations” features a series of imagined conversations between Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, two Italian-born fashion designers who lived in different eras and never actually conversed. For exhibit designers, “impossible” took on another meaning: in a sound reflective gallery, these conversations would be impossible for visitors to experience with traditional speakers due to the acoustical challenges of the space. Brown Innovations made these conversations possible by introducing custom designed directional speakers to ensure the exchanges are heard clearly without overlap.

“You feel like you’re eavesdropping,” said Andrew Bolton, curator of the exhibition who coupled iconic designs by Schiaparelli and Prada with videos in which their make-believe exchanges are heard. Visitors experience a succession of different digital discussions as they walk the exhibit‘s narrow corridor.

Remarkably, none of the conversations interfere with one another. “The exhibit was designed with an incredibly challenging acoustic specification,” said Kevin Brown, head engineer at Brown Innovations. “The space has granite floors, acrylic walls, and sheet rock ceiling. I used every trick I could think of to focus sound where it needed to go.” Despite the challenges, Brown implemented a directional speaker that successfully keeps audio contained to their target zones. Check out the video below to hear a demonstration of the speaker's directionality.

Rock Hall of Fame Museum Unveils Brown Innovations Speakers at Induction

April 12, 2012 Maria McKinsey

Our SonicBeam directional speakers are mounted above the display.

Cleveland, OH – This week, as the Rock Hall of Fame (RHOF) inducts Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns n’ Roses, and Beastie Boys, the Museum concurrently unveils newly renovated exhibits equipped with state-of-the-art directional audio systems from Brown Innovations. The technology significantly enhances the visitor experience at a landmark where sound and audio quality are paramount.

A primary goal of the facelift was to eliminate sound bleed. RHOF President, Terry Stewart, said, “A great deal of what the renovation is about is reacting to what we’ve learned about the building.” Stewart and museum architects realized directional speakers were required to prevent different music tracks from overlapping and creating a cacophony of noise.

Raymond Kent of Westlake Reed Leskosky (WRL), the architectural firm responsible for the new exhibit designs, said “The previous loudspeakers were pointed out in the space at a rather high SPL and a 90-degree dispersion – effectively throwing sound everywhere. We wanted to provide more focused sound dispersion within each exhibit, while providing greater control over audio bleed into adjacent exhibits.”

Challenged to find a speaker capable of focusing sound while maintaining high quality audio, the museum tested all options. Research and evaluation found Brown Innovations custom speakers could discreetly send stereophonic sound to explicitly targeted listening zones. Individuals or small groups in these zones enjoy an audio experience with depth and dimension, while just an arm’s length away others hear virtually nothing – or enjoy a completely different audio presentation.

“Before the renovation, audio bleed was a major issue. We addressed it with Brown Innovations focusing array loudspeakers strategically placed to keep patterns tight, give better directionality, and minimize bleed,” said Kent. “The architectural changes and technology helped to shape distinct rooms and experiences with their own individual characteristics,” added Paul Westlake, managing principal at WRL.

The Rock Hall of Fame Induction runs from April 5th through April 14th. All exhibits will be open to tour during the event, including the museum’s newest exhibits, “The Grateful Dead: The Long, Strange Trip” and the 2012 Hall of Fame Inductees exhibit.

MIT and Stanford Turn to Brown Innovations for Project WormHole

July 7, 2011 Maria McKinsey

The Forbes family, a leader in social, economic, and philanthropic sectors, had a vision – bring students of MIT and Stanford together to discuss new technologies through a revolutionary conferencing system. The Forbes Family previously funded both university cafeterias and envisioned connecting students through a dining experience where casual conversation leads to an open exchange of ideas.

The concept was dubbed “the Wormhole.” After testing current market solutions, both universities realized off-the-shelf audio solutions wouldn’t make the grade. In a joint venture, MIT and Stanford consulted and commissioned sound experts Brown Innovations to create a custom, head-set-free system.

Brown developed an innovative conferencing system, ensuring private communication between participants despite noise levels at each café. A spherical sound dome mounted overhead focuses sound directly to each listener. The sphere acts as a lens, creating an audio “hologram” where voices are actually heard as if speakers were floating just outside each listener’s ears. Amazingly, the technology is so precisely focused, only individuals seated at the table can hear audio playing through the speaker. Others just steps away hear virtually nothing.

Another hemispheric lens mounted flush under the table utilizes multiple microphones to selectively collect each individual’s voice. The reflective dome concentrates sound waves from each participant to a corresponding microphone enabling crystal clear reception while minimizing ambient noise.

“Our solution provides an intimate experience for both parties to hear and be heard in any environment.” says Kevin Brown of Brown Innovations. “The technology opens new realms of possibilities for patrons to communicate or socialize privately in noisy public locations such as coffee shops, malls, airports, etc.”