Krung Thai Bank recently unveiled the Krungthai Innovation Lab at its head office in Bangkok, Thailand. The lab provides a space to work on developing emerging technologies for its banking services, innovation around the use of data, and improvements to its products and processes across the company.
At the core of the Innovation Lab is the Showcase Stadium, used for major announcements, product launches, and other events throughout the year. It features a stunning 26-foot by 7-foot display and can host a small group of on-site viewers in addition to offering live broadcasts. However, the stadium is located in an open floor plan environment near one of the facilities’ main reception areas. This means the ability to position sound precisely where it is wanted most – on the audience – was key in the AV integration.
“This was a project where we knew from the start that beam steering technology would be crucial, so we went with the very best in Renkus-Heinz,” said Juthamas Jailuck, Marketing Supervisor at Vichai Trading, the firm that designed and installed the AV system for the bank. “In addition to the need to keep sound directed in one place so it doesn’t interrupt banking operations, the flooring is tile and there are a number of hard surfaces that cause interfering reflections. Renkus-Heinz’s beam steering technology addresses these problems in one package.”
Vichai Trading integrated Renkus-Heinz ICL-F-RN arrays from the IC Live family of digital beam steering solutions on both sides of the super-wide display. Two CF18S-5 self-powered subwoofers complement the arrays. The IC Live family is designed primarily for applications that require higher output albeit with the same accurate control and functionality as the popular Iconyx Gen5 range. The fixed installation ICL-F-RN is considered the line’s intrinsic core product. Individual driver control means unsurpassed vertical pattern control – essential for delivering intelligible speech in reverberant spaces.
By utilizing this level of control with Renkus-Heinz’s RHAON software – which allows for precision programming on-site – the Vichai Trading team was able to ensure audio stayed solely on the audience in the Showcase Stadium.
The benefits to the bank were twofold. First, by positioning audio appropriately, sound was not being directed out into the reception area where it would disturb regular banking operations. Second, by ensuring sound was not hitting reflective surfaces within the space, the audio quality and clarity was improved for listeners on-site. Further, reducing reflected sound in the room means the talent’s microphones don’t pick up additional sound – keeping the broadcast audio crisp also.
“The IC Live provides exactly what Renkus-Heinz promises: the sound solution to make the space sonically amazing without any acoustic treatment,” said Phuriphat Sutthivanichkul, Project Sales Engineer at Vichai Trading. “This is the biggest advantage you get in trusting Renkus-Heinz. It’s also worth mentioning that the loudspeakers have a very good appearance. They come in a compact footprint, which looks great, and still offers high output sound that can be used in live performances, music, and for speeches.”
Renkus-Heinz offers the IC Live in black and white as standard colors – but also provides custom colors for loudspeakers as requested. This ensures the diminutive speaker arrays blend in with any space.
“The bank is extremely happy because of the rich sound they have in the space,” Jailuck said. “It’s another excellent installation we’ve completed thanks to our partnership with Renkus-Heinz.”
