Capilano Suspension Bridge Exhibit North Vancouver, B.C.
Interactive displays are always a challenge, and this rich historical landmark proved no exception. With life-sized photomurals, historical artifacts that visitors are allowed to touch, and informative flip-books, the Story Centre needed only one thing: a compelling audio show. Commercial Electronics was able to bring to life the pioneers of old, integrating sophisticated sound seamlessly with the natural surroundings. And nature posed its own challenges! Throughout the project a host of squirrels seemed determined to nibble at the cables, and our technicians soon added “squirrel deterrence” to their long list of specialties.
Mine Games, Science World Vancouver, B.C.
Interactive presentations – allowing the audience to participate in and even debate the important issues of the day – are becoming more common as a means to communicate, educate and entertain. Interactivity is a complicated technology to achieve in a presentation –
and it’s even more important to insure that the technology itself does not become the presentation. Commercial Electronics faced this challenge in designing the technology for the “Mine Games” interactive presentation at Science World in Vancouver, B.C.
Mine Games revolves around a fictitious small town in Northern B.C. The town faces a dilemma: whether to allow a mining company to strip-mine an area just outside the town (bringing economic stability to the region) or focus on attracting more tourists to the region
(preserving the area’s natural beauty). The audience explores this dilemma through an interactive presentation featuring a live actor and a series of linked video presentations shown on a Video-Wall. Randomly accesses laser disc footage creates the illusion that the audience is meeting various members of the town, such as the Mayor,
the mining company President, or the Town Council. The audience then gets to decide the town’s answer democratically with Omni Q’s interactive voting technology.
Mine Games presented the challenge of telling a complicated story, creating the illusion that the presenter was doing a live interview with folks at the mine. We designed a custom touch screen program that would allow the actor to branch to alternative scenes depending on the questions or decisions of the audience.
The touch screen was linked to a series of laser disc players, which could access the scenes quickly and seemingly live to the audience via a dramatic Video-Wall system. We achieved this complicated dramatization where the audience was oblivious to the presentation technology itself, allowing them to be more involved and therefore more entertained.
The value of this style of interactive audio/visual presentation is just one example of Commercial Electronics’ dedication to unique challenges and technological solutions.
Gulf of Georgia Cannery Exhibit Steveston, B.C.
The best part about exploring a historical exhibit is disappearing into the past. The clatter of tin cans, the rhythmic hum of machines, and the stories of mountains of sockeye bring the Canning Line Exhibit alive. The trickiest aspect for Commercial Electronics was concealing sophisticated sound systems among the displays. Over 400 square metres of interactive and multimedia exhibits give students a compelling look at cannery workers circa 1870-1950. They can punch a time card and see what it was like to work the line – sorting, weighing and scaling the salmon. This attraction has been so successful that Commercial Electronics will be returning to expand it further.
Hells Gate Boston Bar, B.C.
Known for its spectacular views, Hell’s Gate Fishways is challenged by two million determined sockeye each year on their relentless, epic journey to their inland spawning grounds. Commercial Electronics designed and supplied the audio and video for informative exhibits showing the fishway construction and the life cycle of the spawning salmon. The remoteness of the location demanded that all equipment be rigorous and problem-free. For Commercial the challenge was to make very sophisticated systems so simplistic to operate and maintain that they would not break down. And much like the salmon, the system continues to overcome the elements.
Vancouver Aquarium Vancouver. B.C.
Water and acoustics do not mix – or at least they didn’t until Commercial Electronics came on board to develop the Aquarium’s audio/visual presentations systems. Here the biggest challenge was to devise durable systems that could resist wind, saltwater and the pandemonium of excited visitors. The “Frogs” Room, several large display pools, and the Pacific Canada Pavilion as well as the Wild coast exhibit. are just a few of the exhibits on which Commercial Electronics worked closely with the Aquarium.
Vancouver Museum, Vancouver BC
See the neon! Hear the music! Experience Vancouver during this hopeful decade. A talking vintage car or a 50’s radio news cast performed by yourself are just part of the fun designed into the exhibits of the 50’s Gallery exhibit. With the tricky assignment of taking the automaton designs a little further than first anticipated, Commercial Electronics found itself firmly embroiled with the challenge of making the 50’s technology work with the latest technologies.
Discovery Centers
Today successful real estate developments differentiate themselves by carefully positioning their projects to appeal to the high level needs of the market. Not only is it important to communicate the details of a building or project, but also to convey a real sense of lifestyle. Discovery Centres have become a way to convey these stories of origin, identity and direction to the audience using pre-destined audio/video presentations as well as interactive displays. Commercial Electronics is proud to have participated in Discovery Centres throughout the world, including Aoki Corporation, Epic Systems Corporation, Franz Klammer Lodge, Hines Resort Group, Intrawest Destination Resorts, Schweitzer Moutain Resort, Star Resorts, the Dole Pineapple Factory, and several others.