In todays post we are going to look at a recent project we completed with Richer Sounds for the Panam bar & restaurant in Liverpool. We were first contacted a few days prior to the cup final and asked to update their current AV system. Our engineer arranged the survey that evening to discuss their requirements and begin to design a new system. We discovered that the existing system was very old and no longer working well. It was running off a composite video amplifier serving 720p. There was also a few old flat screen TVs and a redundant projector installation with big screen. The image quality was very poor, not at all like the rest of the building and view which was amazing.

The Correct AV solution

The client decided on four wall mounted QLED 4k 50″ flat screen TVs around the main bar area. Supported by a 4K Optoma UHZ65 5000 lum projector with a 3m wide electric projector screen. Firstly we explained the need to upgrade the distribution system from composite to HMDI to enable 4K. Then a new 4K Freesat box was provided which was located 50 meters from the main bar area along with the audio equipment. We connected the Freesat box to a HDMI distribution amp in the bar area using 4k HDMI over CAT6. We then ran HDMI over fiberoptic from the distribution amp to each screen and the projector. This was the most cost efficient way of serving the area with a 4K signal from the office to multiple screens in the bar area.

The new system also needed to provide an audio feed for the existing house system. We achieved this by using a HDMI audio de embedder prior to the HDMI over Cat6. This provided a analogue stereo audio signal we could plug directly into the existing audio switch. Four 50″ QLED screens were wall mounted at high level using tilting wall mounts. Two screens either side of the main bar area catering for the main central area. The projector and screen were much more complicated to install as mounting positions were not easy.

Projector Screen Installation

We mentioned before the projector and screen installation was particularly challenging. Most of the challenges were sure to ceiling. Constructed from cast Iron beams and pillars between the beams was a suspended arched red brick ceiling vaulted either side. A cast Iron arched bean run through the center of the bar area, this was also the desired location for the screen and projector.

In order to hang the projector screen beneath the cast iron supports we had to suspend the screen. We used 10mm threaded rod along with articulated Lindaptor SW10 M10 Swivel units. This allowed us to counter the contour of the arched bricks providing a level mounting. For additional safety we also provided a high tensile steel cable anchored to the tie bars on the ceiling.

Projector Installation

As with the screen the projector needed to be mounted directly beneath a main cast iron beam. We used a RA Technology projector mount and secured this to two short lengths of Unistrut. This created a cradle platform that we could suspend beneath the iron beam. We suspended the platform using the same Lindaptor swivel units we used before with M10 threaded rods. This Swivel heads made it possible to fix to the arched brickwork. Next we run a 20M HDMI over fiberoptic cable back to the distribution amplifier. Lastly we installed a trigger to RF screen controller so the screen comes down automatically when you turn the projector on.

AV Installs provides a complete range Audio Visual Installation services and sales. We offer TV lift mechanism, ceiling recessed projector lifts, motorised TV brackets, and a wide range of other commercial audio-visual installation services for various businesses.