Turn Me On

AUDIO VISUAL AND ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY IS A FAST MOVING SECTOR, AND YACHT OWNERS WILL ALWAYS WANT THE LATEST ON OFFER

At the touch of a switch these days you can wake up in the darkest forest in Bhutan as sunlight slits through the trees; take tea in Sensō-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple; rest your head on a golden bed in the Taj Mahal, just after that late night swim in a blue lagoon and all the while listen to Handel on your head phones (but you don’t even need the headphones now). In today’s remote world you can at least. And at the touch of another switch, your bath will run, your curry will come and Champagne will arrive on ice. So nice!

How did that happen? It came about because the technology geek brains don’t stop whirring and yacht owner appetites for new audio-video innovations never sate.

Maurizio Minossi is Co-Founder and Technical Director of Videoworks, a tech company employing those guys with the whirring brains. More accurately, he is Technical Director of an international system integrator with more than 20 years of experience in design, realisation and installation of innovative audio/video, communication, entertainment & home automation systems dedicated to the most exclusive clients in the yachting, as well as private residences and commercial businesses.

Its success is based on a combination of engineering, top-end design and robust construction presented with user friendly solutions. The result being one of the leaders in the high-end Audio-Video-IT system integration sector. It also offers advanced solutions for Room-Automation and Lighting-Controls. A sister company ‘It Works’ specialises in supplying the hardware and software system architecture, removing the need to outsource.

According to Minossi, best sellers among the product range in 2019 were the professional and safe wi-fi products and good and loud outside music systems. The challenges of creating underwater music is a passion with Minossi and Videoworks recently twinned up with Ferretti Group engineering department to create music that blares out from the underwater hull of the Pershing 8X. There are no actual speakers in the hull (or holes, thank God), rather devices described as ‘shakers’. These make the hull that lies underwater vibrate in the frequency of the music that then spills out into the water.

Says Minossi, “We will launch a brand new marine specific audio amplifier and processor (SAM) at MYS this year and a full range of solutions for underwater music and similar situations (material panels acting as a good quality loudspeaker).” In 2020 the focus will be to better understand the way customers use the current systems and find ways to improve the experience as well as grapple with the system dimension and production challenges that the new gigayachts will bring.

Michael Munro is Technical Director of CIPOD, the world’s only custom-built home cinema pod, combining unrivalled acoustics and pioneering audio-visual technology. Each CIPOD is uniquely constructed to an exacting specification, slotting handcrafted design and cutting-edge technology into the chosen slot of your home or yacht. His ideal client is somebody with a passion for great quality sound and vision coupled with an appreciation of luxurious bespoke interior design.

Munro cites the in-room cinema & entertainment space (Gaming/ Movies/ Music) as the most popular product in the CIPOD range It can be situated onboard within an existing room with full studio quality. CIPOD can also be situated within a client’s home with the same results internally or externally (for example, in your garden). Says Munro, “Our new product line with CIPOD includes DOLBY ATMOS featuring JBL Synthesis as our flagship audio package.” And next year we will be introducing a dedicated gaming CIPOD.

In terms of fitting the CIPOD systems on board, Munro rarely encounters too many problems. “Because of our unique build system, we rarely find issues with retrofitting cinemas within a space as CIPOD stands isolated from the boat’s superstructure. We are further enhancing our reduction of sound transfer from within the host environment. The only issue can be head height!”

ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY
As a global leader in smart home technology, Crestron is about to make even bigger waves in the marine automation market and set a new course in the very specialised marketplace. The soon-to-be-launched Crestron Marine Programme will provide huge advantages to shipbuilders, specifiers, and ETOs, with Crestron set to authorise a number of its dealers with ‘Crestron Authorized Marine Dealer’ status.

As detailed in a recent press conference by John Clancy, VP, Residential at Crestron, “We are in the final steps of creating and launching this programme, working to build a network of only the most qualified and experienced marine dealers. We are extremely excited to be improving this important business sector and will be making an official announcement about our authorised marine dealers very soon.”

After a close working relationship for many years, VBH have also partnered with Crestron in their new marine division. Jeoen van
den Hurk, CEO of VBH stated, “We both strive to be at the forefront of onboard technology by constantly improving our products and services. This partnership in the marine division will also enable us to offer smart solutions that address the needs of our customers.”

There are major technological advances and innovation touching every part of our lives. Some say it’s a little too much. For those of us who remember having to actually stand up and push one of the three buttons on the TV to change station, it can be a little bemusing, but for those young guns at the forefront of innovation, there are no limits and with our yacht owners lapping up new tech, who knows what’s around the corner in terms of entertainment and even AI on board our superyachts.

TRAINING FOR ETOS
Just ETOS is dedicated to providing AV, IT and satellite systems training for yacht crew around the globe.

What is covered? First they demonstrate the system. Often the students are looking to get a start in the industry. These students know they need to learn about yacht AV systems, but may have never seen one. So Just ETOS start with a familiarisation of the system, so they understand the end result they’re working towards. Then they go from the ground up; fundamentals, common hardware and interconnection. As the week progresses, they go into administering and troubleshooting the common components. This includes systems such as Crestron, Lutron, and Audio DSP. Whereas many can be transfixed with the ‘latest and greatest’, crew just need to know how to support the common onboard equipment. That is usually slightly older equipment, so that is what they focus on. On the final day they return to the ‘end result’ again by demonstrating how to deliver the best possible AV experience.

Just ETOS then finish with a final assessment. They really break the system. The students have to fix it using what they’ve learned during the week.

What’s next? They’re launching at least one more unique training course in the next few months. This is just one of the developments Just ETOS are excited about. Stay tuned!
For more details visit www.justetos.com