AV integrator TVC Technology Solutions has completed an AV installation for the new entertainment venue, Hollywood Bowl Cardiff XL in the UK.
Building on a longstanding relationship with Hollywood Bowl Group and its sites, TVC was tasked with its most ambitious AV project for the group to date. The impressive new venue demanded an immersive, flexible AV technology ecosystem across bowling, karting, lounge, dining and social spaces. From arrival and reception through to the key entertainment areas, the AV system
needed to support the entire customer journey throughout both levels of the new Cardiff venue.
The brief called for live sport, marketing content, prize and leaderboard information, karting promotions and pre-race briefings, with different content available in different areas at the same time. The system also needed to provide clear, consistent audio and straightforward employee control, while remaining discreetly
integrated and practical to manage during busy trading periods. With extensive experience in creating just that commercial AV environment in entertainment venues across the UK, TVC was the natural choice for the XL project.
At the heart of the visual installation are 26 Philips commercial displays, with individual screen groups assigned to specific functions throughout the venue.
Four 49-in landscape
displays at the main bar provide live sport and marketing content, while four portrait screens at reception deliver customer-facing digital signage. Additional portrait displays provide prize and leaderboard information, while four 50-in Philips displays around the lounge column showcase live sport, marketing content and the live karting feed.
A four-screen 49-in videowall beside the pool tables provides a larger
visual canvas, complemented by a further four-screen sports wall in the basement party and karting area. A dedicated 65-in display in the karting briefing area lets employees quickly select health and safety videos with a simple two-button control.
TVC also installed a 55-in high-brightness, dual-sided digital poster in the venue window facing Hills Street, giving Hollywood Bowl a high-impact
platform for promotions and customer information both inside and outside the venue. A separate 55-in digital totem acts as a dynamic leaderboard.
Supporting the displays is a WyreStorm NetworkHD AV over IP platform, incorporating nine encoders, 12 decoders, a NetworkHD Pro Controller and managed Netgear switching.
Four Sky boxes, four marketing sources and the karting computer feed are distributed
across the network, allowing employees to select live sport, branded promotions or karting content for different display groups rather than being tied to a single source throughout the venue.
To support the immersive entertainment experience, TVC created 12 independently managed audio zones. Across the 20 bowling lanes, Audac Vexo 110 loudspeakers provide the output and headroom required to carry music,
live-sport audio and announcements above the noise of bowling and customer activity. Vexo and Alti loudspeakers provide more controlled coverage throughout the lounge, dining, pool, darts and party areas.
The karting experience uses further Vexo loudspeakers across reception, waiting areas and the track, with compact Vexo 106 models dedicated to the briefing screen to prioritise speech intelligibility.
Optimal Audio
Z8 and Z4 DSP controllers, Audac amplification, PAD4 wall controllers, and two iPads give employees straightforward control over sources and volume, including background music, Sky, karting content, and wireless microphones.
B-Tech mounts were used throughout the venue to provide secure, discreet and serviceable support for the various display configurations, including the larger videowalls, portrait displays and central lounge screen arrangement.