Coxhoe, County Durham’s Active life centre@Coxhoe features high-quality AV equipment in the region’s first 21-bike ‘virtual cycling ride studio’. While working out on fixed cycles, users take part in a virtual ride, with a video of a cycle route – which could be a sedate and leisurely mountain track with fabulous views or a furious downhill adventure – projected in front of them. The centre is aimed at all ages and all levels of experience.
The room also needed AV equipment for a wide variety of different uses including a meeting room, exhibition space and a cinema club, while being easy to use for first time or occasional users. Good sound quality was an important requirement: loud enough to fill the room with full-range audio for the virtual cycling crowd while being easy for the cycling instructors to connect their own mp3 players.
Universal AV of Newcastle was approached by Melanie Adams, centre manager, to specify and install the equipment. The integrator designed and installed a sound system from Apart Audio comprising Mask 4 Loudspeakers and subwoofer, amplifier and pre-amplifier with radio microphone input and local audio mixing via a wall plate. A high light output Panasonic video projector was ceiling mounted and the wall space used as a projection screen. A DMX-controlled LED lighting system provides a changing colour wash to provide dynamic impact to the room lighting.
“What we wanted to accomplish has been realised and we are very thrilled how this project has worked out. We are very happy with the service Universal AV have provided us – it’s been a very quick, clean and tidy installation,” commented Melanie Adams.
