ESSENTIAL CEDIA

CEDIA JOINS POLICY CONNECT

News direct from CEDIA this month as the association makes an important announcement regarding membership of a new government Think Tank initiative.

CEDIA has been appointed as a member of the UK Government’s cross-party public policy think tank, Policy Connect. As part of its membership, CEDIA has become an associate member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology and will help oversee the Smart Homes and Independent Living Commission.

Matt Nimmons, Managing Director EMEA CEDIA, comments, “We are honoured to join Policy Connect and become a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology. Using technology to support independent living is an increasingly important business area for our members. This appointment means we can be at the forefront of discussions and able to influence policy and legislation around smart home technologies for disabled and older people. We will be inviting members to get involved and be part of shaping how policy evolves in this area.”

Policy Connect is a cross-party public policy Think Tank that specialises in running parliamentary groups and commissions. It works across a number of policy areas and industries, ranging from manufacturing and design to healthcare and climate change. The commission itself makes recommendations to government about how the latest technologies for the home can be used to help disabled and older people lead healthy, independent and socially rewarding domestic lives.

It is examining a number of issues facing suppliers and consumers including:

• Developing better housing planning policies at national and local authority levels that make the most of the range of available residential technologies • Building technology training and skills development across the health and social care workforce

• Supporting disabled and older consumers to purchase smart technology products, systems and services through improved advice, information and hands-on assistance from retailers and other providers. The Commission’s report will be published later this year and 2022 will see the key stakeholders come together to showcase the potential smart home technology has to improve lives.

For more information about CEDIA visit www.cedia.net and for further details on Policy Connect visit www.policyconnect.org.uk.

THE ANIMAL ATTRACTION BETWEEN PMC AND DOLBY ATMOS

If proof were needed that PMC’s Custom Install (ci) series speakers are the perfect choice for home theatre installations, then the number of systems used in the studios by the people who actually make the music and movies is surely that proof?

Since its launch, the ci series has quickly become the speaker system of choice for Dolby Atmos mixing rooms, with the latest install having been completed at Audio Animals, one of the leading UK mixing and mastering specialists. So impressed were owners Paul Ashmore and Nick Burchall with a demo at the PMC Studio London, they immediately ordered a 9.1.4 system comprising 15 ci series monitors that fully meets Dolby’s specification for its Atmos immersive audio format.

“We chose PMC because we were quite simply blown away by the quality of what we heard in the London demo facility,” Paul Ashmore says. “I was amazed by the sound and said to myself if I get this sound in my own studio, that would be incredible.”

This installation, along with those at world famous facilities such as Capitol Studios, LA, Dean Street Studios, London and many others, further reiterates the products’ credentials in the production of immersive Atmos soundtracks and music. And so, what better speakers to use in home installations?

The ci series has been finding fans around the world in the custom installation sector thanks to its ease of installation, flexibility of mounting options and the renowned PMC sound quality. And for Audio Animals, as with so many domestic installs, this ease of installation was a key factor, after the sound quality, for specifying the ci series.

Audio Animals is renowned for delivering high quality mixing and mastering to artists around the world. Its clients include artists such as French Montana, Flo Rida and George Ezra, as well as numerous Hollywood films such as Aladdin, X-Men, Frozen 2 and Avengers 4: End Game.

For Custom Installers, the ci series is ideally suited for use in dedicated movie and music rooms. The speakers are so designed that most of the models can be installed either onwall or in-wall, giving absolute flexibility for the custom installer. For example, the in-wall ci140 and ci140 subs, as used at Audio Animals, can be mounted within a baffle wall and behind a perforated screen for the LCR channels. And, for the rear effects and height channels, smaller models, such as the ci30 or ci45, can be surface mounted using the optional On-Wall-Kit with its dedicated cabinet sleeve to make then into aesthetically harmonious on-wall speakers.

The final word on why they are the perfect choice goes to Paul Ashmore, “We are delighted with and absolutely love our PMC speakers. You just can’t go wrong with PMC. There is a reason they have been in the business for so long and are known as one of - if not the best - speaker brands in the music industry. Their speakers are seriously good. They sound amazing and are so well built. And the fact that home users can purchase exactly the same system is a great bonus – they can enjoy the PMC/Dolby Atmos experience as much as we do.”

PMC Speakers pmc-speakers.com