| LAS
VEGAS, NEVADA, March 22, 2004 — JBL Professional and
Crown International today announced its advanced Digital B-Chain
(DBC™) audio networking and performance technology. With
Digital B-Chain, exhibitors will be able to experience enhanced
digital audio performance and control. The advanced management
functionality of Digital B-Chain has definite business advantages,
since it gives exhibitors additional audio performance control
for film exhibition as well as alternative content applications,
such as pay-per-view sports events, corporate meetings, concerts,
and pre-show advertising.
“The digital engineering teams from JBL Professional and
Crown International have worked together to achieve the highest
level of networked audio and control systems for cinema applications,” said
Chuck Goodsell, Director of Cinema Marketing at JBL Professional. “Their
long and painstaking efforts have resulted in a state of the
art digital audio system that can also help facility owners keep
costs down and keep theater-goers packed into the seats. Digital
B-Chain adds another level of control for the modern cinema operation.”
For cinema systems, one of the key factors that theater owners
take into account is how to lower infrastructure costs while
still offering a high-quality digital audio system. DBC systems
keep the facility in the digital domain, eliminating unnecessary
A/D conversion assuring that digital audio quality is maintained
throughout. DBC uses inexpensive CAT 5 cable instead of special
speaker cables and permits a single labor force to be used for
the entire network. The entire audio system can be controlled
and monitored on the same facility network as concessions management,
box office ticketing, HVAC, etc., lowering infrastructure costs.
Commenting on the
introduction and the independence of digital audio from digital
cinema, Stephen Morris, Market Director for
Touring Sound, Installed Sound and Cinema Markets at Crown International
added, “With the introduction of Digital B-Chain, exhibitors
can sidestep the pitfalls of digital cinema and provide their
customers with compelling reasons to visit their theaters: better
sound and a more immersive customer experience. In addition to
being busier, Digital B-Chain theaters will be more reliable
and will be easier to manage and maintain.”
One of the most important features of a DBC system is that it
includes the capability of executing system-wide diagnostics.
Automated error reporting allows technicians and users to learn
about potential system errors before they happen and alerts technicians
immediately of any problems, providing specific data on where
to locate the problem. Remote error reporting can be accomplished
via email, fax, pager or cell phone.
In a DBC system,
analog or digital audio is received from the cinema processor
and is then transported on a digital audio and
control network where it remains in the digital domain to the
amplifiers. Both the digital audio and control information are
transported on a single network connection to Crown CTs Series
amplifiers loaded with IQ-PIP-USP3/CN modules. In a typical DBC
system, analog audio is sent to Crown CTs Series amplifiers with
IQ-PIP-USP3/CN modules, which power the JBL ScreenArray® screen
channels, subs, and surround channels. Both the digital audio
and control information are transported on a single network connection.
About JBL Professional:
Headquartered in Northridge, California, JBL Professional is
the world’s leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer
of professional loudspeakers for recording and broadcast, musician,
cinema, touring sound, commercial sound and contracting applications.
JBL Professional is part of the Harman International network
of professional and consumer audio companies. For complete
product and company information, go to the JBL Professional
website at www.jblpro.com.
About Crown International:
Crown International, a Harman International company, manufactures
amplifiers, microphones, and systems control products for professional
audio markets worldwide, with corporate headquarters located
in Elkhart, Indiana. For more information, please visit Crown
online at www.crownaudio.com.
###
Press
Release PDF File |