SLR in Germany

Horst Hess, who distribute SLR products in Germany have just secured a contract to supply Clearsound window transducers complete with amplifier and flash media player, to an internationally famous supplier of sports wear and equipment. These systems are to be installed in the flagship stores in no less than 7 European countries.

PLASA Exhibition: SOUNDLEISURE STAND N40

PLASA 2007 will be held at Earls Court 1 & 2 from 9th - 12 th September and Sound Leisure will be showcasing their amazing variety of audio and visual products on stand N40. It will give an ideal opportunity to introduce their new MiniPro flat panel loudspeaker, this has to be heard to be believed. At only 4 kilos in weight, plus having the ability to act as a sign as well as a loudspeaker, it can cover two jobs at one time. Perfect for public speaking events, churches, schools, small band PA, or fore to mid ground sound in such venues as 'lively' pubs and restaurants.

MicroPro Launches

The MicroPro loudspeaker is proving to be the success it always pretended to be. SLR can use upto three different types of panel material allowing the MicroPro to be positioned both inside or outside buildings, with the introduction of NO SMOKING in July, this flat panel speaker can double as a sign and speaker or can successfully operate outside in that newly erected 'smoking shed'!!

At 20 watts, the MicroPro is extremely efficient and due to its surprising dispersion characteristics, fills unusually large areas with clean and clear, non-directional sound. Over several years, flat panel loudspeaker technology has advanced to the point where newly developed compact, second-generation, high power transducers can produce significant sound pressure levels with a full-spectrum frequency response.

The MicroPro, when compared with conventional drive units, delivers an exceptionally even level of coverage within a room or venue, this is due to the low rate at which the apparent loudness of a flat-panel loudspeaker drops-off with distance. In many cases, just by using flat-panel loudspeakers in support of conventional systems, the acoustic responses of even the largest and most challenging venues can be dramatically improved.

for more details click here

THE GREAT XSCAPE : PART 2 The Sequel : Xscape Braehead

Continuing the success of the huge installation of 24 “Bubble” Plasma screens at Xscape Castleford, SLR have recently undertaken a similar installation at the brand new Xscape in Braehead, Scotland.

A 200m snow slope is the key feature of all the Xscape venues however the experience is unique in offering extreme leisure activities such as skateboarding, snowboarding and climbing as well as retail units, restaurants, bars and cinemas. This fusion of leisure and retail works really well and the venues themselves are stunning with a fresh modern design and. Perfect for SLR's dayglo bubble screens!

Rather than the conventional Plasma screens Xscape have learnt to be creative with their screens and at both Castleford and Braehead, have invested in large 32” bubble screens from SLR. The various selection of vibrant colours and the fact that they ‘glow’ brightly, make them visibly more attractive and interesting to the public. The screens display extreme sports footage and are interspersed with in-house Xscape offers, promotions and adverts.

SLR’s touch screen lollipops are soon to be introduced at all three Xscape centres offering elements of their website and specific centre information.

MORE REVOLUTION FROM SLR

SL Retail’s sound installation at FX Leisure group fitness clubs is said to be revolutionary. At the FX club, Stalybridge, Versatile Video Foreground music allows gym users to choose from thousands of video tracks whilst the correct ambience within the club is also maintained.

FX Leisure owns five clubs in the North of England and approached SL with the dilemma of how to allow customers the freedom to choose their own music, while ensuring that the music was suitable for the time of day, or type of activities going on.

Versatile Video installed system in the manager’s office was the SL solution, with full profiling of the music for every session of the day. A networked, separate remote selector unit was fitted into the public area of the gym where customers choose from the selection of profile tracks available.

"Both customer and staff reaction to this new system has been overwhelming,” says Keith Belshaw, FX Leisure ‘s Operations Manager. “The system gives us the best of both worlds in that we can profile the unit to play the exact tracks that we believe are correct for a specific period within our club and also still allow our customers the choice of over a thousand tracks to listen.”

Customers are said to revel in the fact that they have a choice of music and do not have to wear earphones. Music is selected via a touch screen and as an overall result, the clubs are gaining new members.

SLR Provides the Great Xscape

Xscape, Castleford, is Yorkshires ‘Coolest’ and most unusual attraction and the ultimate entertainment destination offering a unique combination of 430,000 sq. ft extreme sports and leisure activities for all ages.

SLR are delighted to supply 16 of their 19” Bubble Screens and 8 of their 32” Bubble Screens to deliver the sites information/entertainment and advertisements to the customers entering the building and making their way to the snow slope. A touch screen lollipop placed at the entrance will be the information post that will guide customers to the many restaurants, pubs, shopping areas as well as to the many other activities available.

Gary Orrell, SLR’s Business Development Manager said, that to be able to install their bubble products in such a high profile leisure attraction shows the true potential of their new innovative products.

Media Store Paris Install

Sound Leisure Retail’s partner in France, Alfa Entertainment, has undertaken its largest installation yet and this has been completed at the new Mediastore, situated in the famous Palais des Congress in Paris.

The store, which is situated in sight of the Arc de Triomphe at Porte Maillot, opened its doors just before Christmas. The store has been fitted with three of SLR’s free-standing multi-media, points-of-sale, Lollipops, 15 Bubbles with LCD screens and 12 loudspeaker Bubbles.

“This is certainly the most high profile installation to utilise SLR's innovative audio/video products to date,” said Gary Orrell, SLR’s business development manager.

Mr Fabrice Nouvian, Director at Alfa Entertainment, is SLR’s partner in France and is rapidly building a customer base of blue-chip companies for the SLR range. He said, “I first supplied SLR Lollipops to the Pernod drinks company and the fun and quality design of the SLR range of products is fast gaining popularity here in France.”

"Heavent" Sent

SL Retail were well represented at the recent ‘Heavent’ show held at the Hippodrome de Longchamp, Paris. TK GeoMedia had a working demonstration of the ‘through glass’ touch screen product called ClearTouch with the glass window being energised by our ClearSound and Sound Driver transducers. La Griffe Parrot Communication, suppliers to the trade of many useful, novelty and essential products to the bar and leisure industry were using two Lollipops and a Bubble to run video content of just how their products could best be used.

SLR Distributor clinches Amsterdam deal!

Mazzo Nuovo, SLR’s distributor in Holland recently held their spectacular Alive & Kicking event in the prestigious music theatre of Amsterdam.

This event, in the very heart of Amsterdam, was to celebrate the first years success of the new management team and also the signing of a multi annual agreement between the MuziekTheater of Amsterdam and Mazzo Nuovo, for Mazzo to be their preferred supplier.

SLR’s business development manager, Gary Orrell attended the 2 day event to present the latest SLR products which included, ClearTouch, ClearSound, Lollipops, bubbles and the VVS (versatile video system).

The event was very well attended and Mazzo Nuovo should gain much credit and prestige from their excellent presentation.

Hull FC Choose SLR :

‘Hull FC, one of the leading clubs in Super League have recently installed a Lollipop, Bubble and ClearSound into their club shop at the KC Stadium, Hull.

Richard Horne, the Hull and Great Britain scrum half/stand off can be seen alongside the Lollipop which is being used to advertise and inform of the many special offers available. A Bubble is also installed where Richard can watch himself on the 19” screen, scoring his latest try. The ClearSound transducer is attached to the shop window transforming the window into a loudspeaker, informing the passing supporters on match day of all the new merchandise and special offers that can be found inside the shop.’

Equinox Design Includes Bubble into stand :

Leading exhibition design and build contractor Equinox Design were pleased to include an SLRetail Bubble unit into their stand for the Exhibiting Show – The annual trade show for Exhibition stand designers and builders. The 15” Bubble LCD screen was in the same day-glo green colour as the stands Perspex walls and featured a film displaying footage of previous exhibition stands the company has built. In Addition to the Bubble, a ClearSound Transducer was fitted to the structure itself turning the walls into a large loudspeaker sound panel.

Scott Monroe of Equinox was extremely pleased to incorporate SLRetails technology into their design and felt it gave them an additional edge in a forum where the focus is on building the most stunning exhibition stands available.

Burton Steps Back in Time!

The Burton press day had a retro feel to it as the venue was filled with the sights and sounds of burton adverts from yesteryear. Adverts ranging from the 50's and 60's feature burtons range of burtex suits and hand tailoring and also created a talking point for visitors not only in their entertaining content but the video selection system that was created especially for the event by SLR.

A custom maide hanging rail was built to incorporate space to hang the latest fashion offerings from Burton and also the latest technology from SLR. Utilizing our AV combi hardware SLR created a custom touchscreen interface to match the retro feel of the content. Once a selection was made, the content was then delivered to a series of 17" LCD screens incorporated into the hanging rails as well as projected onto a huge overhead screen.

A similar VVS system is currently in use in most Burton stores across the UK featuring the latest audio and video content that can be selected by shoppers instore.

What's INSTORE from Sound

Sound Leisure Retail will be exhibiting at this year’s In-Store Show at Earls Court stand number F07. The Leeds-based company will be exhibiting an innovative range of video and audio display solutions, some of which have never been shown before.

SirenSigns use flat panel loudspeaker technology to guarantee speech clarity in messaging and public announcements. The unique loudspeaker concept combines the written message with the spoken word and is ideal to communicate information, health and safety and sponsor’s messaging, indoors or out.

Also new at In-Store is SwingSound – a new take on the classic swing sign which can now also attract customers by emitting a sound signal. It may be a ring tone, a jingle, an advert, information or just background music – anything to attract attention. A rechargeable battery version of this new product is an option when the sign is to be situated in area where electricity cables would be prohibited.

Both SirenSigns and SwingSound are constructed using lightweight panels that in themselves are diffuse loudspeakers – this means that the sound does not carry far enough to become a nuisance or annoy the local environmental authorities.

Among the other products SLR will be taking to London is the Lollipop, a free standing point of purchase display equipped with a 15” TFT screen and loudspeaker to deliver you’re A/V content and is available in a number of day-glo plastic colours. Lollipop is available in a wide variety of formats, including a jukebox version.

The popular range of Bubbles will also be on show. Bubbles are multicoloured, illuminated day-glo plastic globes containing high quality LCD screen housings. These high quality TFT screens are available in sizes ranging from 6.8” to 30” in size. Bubbles are a fun, low cost way to deliver an audio/video content and they are also available as a dedicated transparent 2-way, 100 watt, loudspeaker unit.

The increasingly popular ClearSound from SLR will be exhibited and demonstrated at In-Store. It is ideal for retail environments, as it converts windows, wooden surfaces and stud walls into high-quality diffuse sounding boards. ClearSound transducers transform the amplified audio output signal into an ambient, vandal-proof, discreet sound source.

ClearSound can be combined with ClearTouch to provide a fully interactive experience. ClearTouch utilises Sound Leisure’s screen seal technology to allow any touch-screen interface to be safely housed behind a sheet of glass, such as a window. This would allow customers access to promotional information from the outside of a store, shop, bar or pub – even when that venue is closed.

“We are really looking forward to In-Store,” said SLR new business development manager Gary Orrell. “We have a really eye-catching product range which we are sure will attract people to our stand number, we had a good In-Store show last year and trust that this year will be even better. “

New Kiosks hit Burton Stores

Sound Leisure has installed a series of custom designed VVS kiosks into Burton stores around the country. The machines are built exclusively for Burton, featuring glowing red see-through screen surrounds, a selection of music specifically profiled for the Burton brand as well as all the very latest chart video releases.

Burton already feature SL's VVS Browser jukeboxes at many of their stores and the VVS Kiosk offers the same high end capabilities as the VVS Browser, however due to its compact size, these machines are ideal for those stores that may not have the same amount of floor space to house a VVS Browser.

The VVS machines not only offer the chance for customers to choose their own in store music and video content while shopping, but also gives Burton a comprehensive on-screen advertising capability. Video and Audio adverts can be programmed to play either between or overlayed on top of jukebox tracks. Burton also utilise the VVS ticker tape messaging system to promote sales and promotions on a store to store basis.

As well as installing VVS Broswer and Kiosk Jukebox systems, Sound Leisure's retail division SLR also provides LCD Video Walls and individual screens, custom screen surrounds, speakers and amplification in each store.

EUROSHOP A GREAT SUCCESS FOR SLR

SL Retail Ltd were exceptionally pleased with their first showing at the ‘EuroShop’ Global Trade Fair in Düsseldorf. Positioned in Hall 6, (there were 17 large halls in total with over 800 stands exhibiting) our busy stand received interestfrom companies representing 49 different countrie. Products generating the most interest includedLollipops Day-Glo bubbles and our range of neatly presented TFT screens. However it was our ClearSound Speaker devices that really captured peoples interest - These small devices utilise virtually any flat surface to create a soundboard. Attatch them to windows, walls, ceilings and create a small, simple yet great sounding loudspeaker.

click here for more information on ClearSound Speaker devices.

Our next show will be the MCRS at Excel London on 15th and 16th March where we will once again be showing our innovative product range for the retail market

FIRST EUROSHOP FOR SLR

Sound Leisure Retail will be exhibiting at this year’s Euroshop in Düsseldorf for the first time on stand number F21 in Hall 6. The Leeds-based company will be exhibiting an innovative range of video and audio display solutions and plans to use the show to develop new distribution agreements.

Among the products SLR will be taking to Germany is the Lollipop, a free standing point of purchase display equipped with a 15” TFT screen and loudspeaker and available in a number of day-glo plastic colours. Lollipop is available in a wide variety of formats, including a jukebox version and the brand new “Cartoon” – where the screen becomes an animated face that talks directly to the customers. Promotional messages for Lollipop can be delivered by either composite video or via a flash media card. A remote keyboard can add text messaging to display special offers or up to date information in a matter of minutes. The Lollipop is available powered by a mains electrical supply or a battery version can power the unit for up to 14 hours without the need to recharge.

SLR will also show its popular range of Bubbles. Bubbles are multicoloured, illuminated day-glo plastic globes containing high profile LCD screen housings. These high quality TFT screens are available in sizes ranging from 6.8” to 30” in size. Bubbles are a fun, low cost way to deliver an audio/video content and they are also available as a dedicated transparent 2-way, 100 watt, loudspeaker unit.

ClearSound from SLR will also be exhibited at Euroshop. It is ideal for retail environments, as it converts windows, wooden surfaces and stud walls into high-quality diffuse sounding boards. ClearSound transducers transform the amplified audio output signal into an ambient, vandal-proof, discreet sound source. ClearSound can be combined with ClearTouch to provide a fully interactive experience.

ClearTouch utilises Sound Leisure’s screen seal technology to allow any touch-screen interface to be safely housed behind a sheet of glass, such as a window. This would allow customers access to promotional information from the outside of a bar, club or arcade – even if that venue is closed.

Finally, SLR will show the best-selling Browser digital jukebox and the TFT video screen wall, which the company has installed into a number of high profile retail environments. “We are really looking forward to our first ever Euroshop,” said SLR new business development manager Gary Orrell. “We have a really eye-catching product range which we are sure will attract people to our stand number F21 in Hall 6. We have already developed strategic European partnerships in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy but we are hoping to expand our distribution agreements in other markets as a result of the show.”

SOUND LEISURE RAISES ITS PROFILE AT ATEI

Sound Leisure is pushing forward the boundaries of digital music delivery still further at ATEI 2005 with a number of systems and innovations that will allow operators to maximise the potential of their digital jukeboxes. After three years of leading the field with digital music upgrades via CD ROM, Sound Leisure will unveil its online system at this year’s show. The online system allows operators direct access to the Jukebox server – meaning they can download tracks on a daily basis if necessary.

In addition, settings such as timers and price of play can be changed at the press of a button. “This online system is the logical development from the CD ROM updates for some of our customers,” says Managing Director Chris Black. “However, as our CD ROMs feature pre-release music, those who wish to continue with CD ROM delivery will still have all the latest tracks. The great thing is that all our digital jukeboxes are fully upgradeable, so operators can change over at any time.” Flexibility is also the key when it comes to profiling the music on the boxes to suit individual venues.

Unlike some jukeboxes, which can overwhelm the customer with millions of tracks – Sound Leisure’s boxes are all individually profiled with specific customer needs and they continue to profile themselves without ongoing operator involvement. The IMMS – Intelligent Music Management System – currently works with the CD ROM system and will be available On Line also. Each time a music update is available to the Jukebox, it is scanned and those tracks that are similar to those previously most played are actually downloaded onto the system.

At this year’s ATEI, Sound Leisure will also be demonstrating another profiling breakthrough. The Rapid Profiling System – or RPS – means that a new jukebox can be profiled after is has left the factory, in as little as five minutes! Operators will now be able to keep jukeboxes in stock and once they are put on site, they can ascertain the venue profile – contact Soundnet and in return they will be sent an email with a code. Once the code is entered into the box, it will automatically adjust itself so as to display the type of music most requested in that site. “Even if you move a jukebox from one site to another, it doesn’t matter. In five minutes you can go from Irish music to Glam rock – and the jukebox will work to maximum revenue right away,” said Chris Black. Sound Leisure will also be showing its Audio/Video Combination for the first time in London. “All jukeboxes we build from now on will allow both audio and video. And no matter if an operator only wants audio to start with – he can upgrade to video at any later stage. We really mean it when we say we offer the Complete Digital Solution!” said Chris Black . Finally Sound Leisure and D.T. productions will unveil their Top of the Pops branded offer. This ground-breaking UK chart show is one of the biggest licences in the music industry and following intensive negotiations by DT Productions, Sound Leisure have signed an exclusive deal to use it on their products

Lollipop Makes Waves at the Boat Show

Raymarine at Schroders London Boat Show

Sound Leisure Retail, a division of Sound Leisure Ltd Group, supplied two of its innovative Lollipop, point of purchase display units to Raymarine International– the world leader in marine electronics – for use on its stand at the Schroders London Boat Show. The lollipops, running two different video loops in separate locations on the stand are also being utilised to hold the ‘give away’ bags containing their written information and contact details.

SLR Hits Westend.

SLR has recently been involved in major audio and visual installations on Londons Oxford St and Regents St.

Dickens & Jones have utilised SLRetails Clearsound audio products to enable shoppers outside the store to hear selected music from Phantom of the Opera - incorporating audio into their themed window displays, thus turning their windows into loud speaker systems!

Burton has incorporated SLR's Picture wall - Plasma Screens into stylish display units as well as a huge video wall behind the cash tills. These are hooked up to our "free play" Browser Video Jukebox system, allowing customers to play their own selection of music and video in-store as well as displaying advertisements, offers and latest deals for burton in between tracks.

Disney store on Regents St have utilised the ClearSound Window Speaker system to great effect for their Muppet Halloween Window display. Using Vinyl window stickers, the units are attatched to the back of these so that they are hidden from view whilst still allowing the customers outside hear great quality audio!

SLR Provides Audio-Visual Style for Burton Show

Continuing our work with high Street giants Arcadia, SLR was asked to display its full range of in-store Audio Video products at the Burton 2004 Autumn/Winter conference. Attended by Philip Green, the board, high level staff and national store and assistant managers, the conference aimed to give Burton personnel a view of what is to come in stores up and down the country.

SLR's displayed a full range of Bubbles, Lollipops, and in store Video Jukebox products, as well as putting the ClearTouch 'through the window' jukebox system and 'ClearSound' window transducers through there paces. Both were positioned inside the venue behind 45mm bomb proof glass, allowing users on the outside to select, listen to and watch their chosen video tracks without the need for external harware.

This is was a great way of demonstrating how potential customers could use SLR's 'ClearTouch' and 'ClearSound' technology to access and manipulate Audio and Video content from outside the store, even after business hours.

SLR is committed to working on several Arcadia in store projects over the coming 12 months, so keep your eyes peeled in your local store for SLR's latest developments.