CBeebies Land is an immersive experience for children and young families
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd.'s Video division has supplied the first Green Hippo AViary magpi video playback solution in the UK to Alton Towers Resort, to drive the visual and interactive displays in their popular CBeebies Land - one of the theme park's newest attractions.

Home to a range of themed rides and live entertainment, CBeebies Land is an immersive experience for children and young families. The five-acre site within Alton Towers Resort offers opportunities for kids to interact with some of their favourite characters and TV shows. In addition to rides, CBeebies Land includes play areas, live experiences and character appearances designed to inspire and educate.

Green Hippo's AViary Video Tools range was launched to much acclaim last year, and represents a new approach to realtime high-resolution video playback and control. Drawing upon the manufacturer's wealth of experience developing the pioneering Hippotizer realtime video manipulation & control solutions lineup, the AViary range provides up to 4K+ video playback-only devices that bring a unique, high-grade and ultra-flexible way of working to a host of applications from digital displays through to corporate AV and installation.

Featuring a choice of 4K, 2K and HD / SD resolution playback devices, the ultra-slim and affordable magpi offers up to four streams of high-definition video or 6 channels of SD video playback, and provides highly configurable media feeds, realtime correction and trimming of clips, along with a host of tools to tackle the most challenging display setups.

Stuart Burdett, video technical sales executive in AC-ET's specialist video product division, worked with Simon Horsley, technical manager at Alton Towers Resort, to find the right solution for CBeebies Land's video requirements.

"Alton Towers needed a media system that would comfortably playback individual channels of audio and video 24 / 7, 365 days a year," explains Stuart. "After introducing Simon to magpi, he was immediately attracted by the device's intuitive and familiar software control, as Alton Towers' technical team already have experience using a Green Hippo Hippotizer HD media server onsite. He also liked the expansion opportunities magpi presents - if the system changes in the future, then additional components of output channels can be purchased as an accessory to each magpi."

AC-ET supplied magpi units for various areas within CBeebies Land. magpi devices provide six SD channels in 'Nina's Science Lab'; six SD channels in the Photo Studio & Big Fun Show Time; and five SD channels in Justin's House. This adds up to a total of 17 independent channels of audio and video being sent to third party monitors and audio amplifiers.

"magpi proved to be the ideal solution," says Alton Towers' Simon Horsley. "Multiple channels of audio and video playback daily is exactly what we required for CBeebies Land. magpi is also at a fantastic price, considering the many additional components and functions that you get in comparison to competing products."

The AViary magpi sale is the latest supply by AC-ET to Alton Towers Resort. In November last year, the Ultimate Fireworks Spectacular at the resort utilised a Jands Vista lighting & media control console and Green Hippo Hippotizer HD system, both supplied by AC-ET.

(Jim Evans)


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