- When it comes to entertainment, California represents a mecca of sights and sounds movies, music, fashion and bowling. It may be perhaps a little hard to imagine that a bowling alley could thrive where other area attractions competing for the consumer's discretionary dollars include Disneyland and Sea World. Welcome to Lucky Strike Lanes, a bowling venue quite different from what you may be accustomed to. In fact, it's known as a "bowling lounge" for the new millennium, which combines high-energy audio, visually stunning artwork, the finest cuisine and contemporary décor. Local hipsters and visiting tourists take in a game or two, and when celebrities and other members of Hollywood's in-crowd stop by on a regular basis, you know this is one of the coolest places in town.
- When Steven Foster, his wife Gillian, and long-time business partner Kevin Troy dreamed up the idea for Lucky Strike Lanes, their collective vision was to transform the dead wood, smoked-filled lanes of yester-year into an upscale, multimedia-driven spectacle. Picture a retro bowling environment with the look and feel of a nightclub. Far beyond strobe lights and mirror balls, however, Lucky Strike Lanes incorporates the latest technology to bring it all together: huge video and plasma screens, DVD and CD players, lighting systems, projectors and AMX control. The result is a seamless presentation of audio and video that sets the mood and generates mass appeal.
- Foster realized that the bowling experience hadn't changed much during the last 50 years. Aside from brighter lights and cleaner carpets, what else could make one of America's favorite pastimes more enjoyable? Consumers demand now, more than ever, more bang for their buck. Lucky Strike Lanes represents something unique: an entertainment complex that caters to anyone, whether you're serious or just in it to have fun. Grab your bowling shoes, sip your martini, and get ready to roll.
- Open to the public in mid-October of this year, the newest Lucky Strike Lanes in Orange County is an approximately 15,000 square-foot tenpin hot spot complete with 18 lanes, a full restaurant and bar, and a private dining area for business or pleasure. By all indications, it is successfully capitalizing on the resurgence of the $4 billion a year bowling industry.
Second Location
- The new Lucky Strike Lanes required a robust, reliable AMX Control System engineered to route a large number of A/V signals to several different zones, as well as an easy-to-access, simple-to-operate central point of control. The Fosters and Troy called on a proven confidant: Be Media®, an El Segundo, Calif.-based audiovisual and lighting systems integration firm. Be Media President and CEO, Mohammad Ahmadi, was excited to do it again.
- "The first Lucky Strike was a prototype, and therefore a learning experience for our clients as well as ourselves with regards to pushing the envelope in this genre of 'fashionable' technologies," Ahmadi said. "This second facility in Orange, Calif., is more impressive on every level. Its larger and more fantastic, which is amazing considering the first facility is so exceptionally impressive."
NI-3000 Implementation
- In order to continue using the network and cable already wired throughout the building, Be Media engineers chose to incorporate the new NI-3000 NetLinx Integrated Controller from AMX. Another platform of control would have called for an overhaul of the architecture already in place. The NI-3000 saved time and money. Strategically hidden away in a dedicated closet, the NI-3000 directs incoming and outgoing signals between other integrated electronic devices on two separate equipment racks. From here, audio and video can be routed in a matter of seconds, which allows overhead music and on-screen images to seamlessly change on demand.
- For example, the plasma screens positioned at each bowling lane can be used for scoring or, when not in use, to display graphics, television programs or movies. Large video screens that span across the back wall of the building are, in essence, oversized canvasses for showcasing artwork. According to a specified schedule, the digitized paintings and computer-generated images are programmed to fade slowly in and out, from one to the other. The atmosphere is never the same.
DJ Booth Features
- All the elements of control go through the specially designed DJ Booth, where a single AMX 15" Touch Panel provides access to 18 plasma screens, nine 150" video projection screens, DVD and CD players, turntables, a CD mixing system, projectors, and a Media Matrix X Frame 88 computer, perhaps the most important piece of equipment. "It's a tool that works really well with AMX," Ahmadi said. "Instead of the user going in to find the right zone, device and level, we have programmed a 'button' on the AMX Touch Panel that brings up the equipment levels automatically."
Touch Panel Layout
- The AMX Touch Panel's user interface includes a navigation bar at the top of the page. The touch of an on-screen icon reveals control functions for any device, in any area. With so much happening at once, the panel had to be extremely intuitive for management to control. For added security, the panel is password protected. Only authorized users can log in and take control. "We wanted to keep this part of the project as simple as possible," explains David Archer, Be Media Senior Project Manager, whom oversees the Lucky Strike projects. "Our goal was to make the Touch Panel useable without a lot of training. I wanted it to look like a Web page because it is familiar to most people."
Bowling Evolution
- The AMX Control System installed by Be Media enables Lucky Strike Lanes to control different source equipment with minimal effort ultimately delivering a unique environment that achieves maximum entertainment value. Authorized users can take control even when the complex is closed - without having to be there. Be Media programmed dedicated IP addresses that connect to the NI-3000, PV Media Matrix Computer and a Sports Ticker mechanism. This allows for remote control of the facility, from any off-site location, at any time. According to Be Media, the FTP site allows for instant delivery of artwork and services unique to the growing firm.
