guidePORT

The Automatic Audioguide


guidePORT represents the future of audioguide systems. Sennheiser have combined their fifty years of experience in radio and audio technology to produce a new and award-winning international product. Key features of guidePORT are high quality stereo audio, ease of use for visitors and staff alike. One of guidePORT's unique features is its ability to play audio automatically as the visitor approaches a particular area of interest. With no buttons to push, this automatic triggering leads to a more fluid and dynamic audio tour for the user.

A guidePORT system allows for up to 30 simultaneous tours. Children, adults and foreign language visitors can all be served by the same infrastructure, as can hearing impaired and visually impaired visitors. With the addition of the more info button on the receiver pack, visitors can find out more information about a particular subject area, allowing the tour to cope equally well with the enthusiast as the casual visitor.

Another unique feature of guidePORT is its ability to deal with real-time stereo audio sources from video or other audio-visual presentations. For example a visitor can approach a screen showing a video and hear the audio track in perfect lip-sync.

 

Key guidePORT Features


  • Unlimited digital audio capabilities
    guidePORT downloads high quality audio information continually during a tour, so you are never limited by memory capacity. There is no limit to tour length or complexity.
  • Multi language and multi level
    A guidePORT system can provide up to 30 simultaneous tours. These can be different languages, levels (children, adults, experts) or fulfil a special function (tours for disabled or visually impaired visitors). Additional tours can be added at any point.
  • Radio triggered activation
    The receiver pack can be put worn on a lanyard and not touched for the duration of the tour, allowing the visitor to enjoy the experience without pressing buttons or holding a wand to the ear. guidePORT tours are radio triggered; as the visitor walks from point to point, the appropriate audio is played automatically. Audio playback is triggered by small battery powered identifiers located around the site.
  • More info
    Where more detail is required, the receiver pack's more info button can be used to provide extra levels of information.
  • Real-time audio
    CD quality stereo audio can be transmitted to the receivers to accompany audiovisual and interactive exhibits. A visitor can approach a video screen and hear the soundtrack in perfect lip-sync.
  • Indoor and outdoor use
    There are no limitations to where the exhibits are situated, with weatherproof outdoor identifiers allowing tours to continue outdoors and across wide-open sites.
  • Announcement Manager
    Announcements and messages can be sent to visitors via the guidePORT system.
  • Statistics Manager
    guidePORT's Visitor Statistics software can provide you with a wealth of visitor information. When receivers are placed back in their charging bays, the software automatically downloads and compiles data allowing you to see where visitors have been and how long they spent there.
  • Customised graphics
    Receivers and earpieces can be supplied with personalised logos and text. Receivers can be manufactured to a specific colour if required.
  • Security system
    guidePORT receivers can be supplied with internal security tags to activate an alarm fitted at the venue exits. This can be adapted to integrate with your existing electronic security systems if necessary.

guidePORT Equipment


Each user has a receiver pack which downloads its audio from the guidePORT system automatically. Buttons allow you to control volume level, repeat the last audio segment, stop playback at any time or trigger more information. The 16-key receiver pack has buttons that allow information to be accessed as a conventional audioguide, with or without automatic triggering.

The receiver is fitted with a 3.5mm stereo jack socket compatible with a wide variety of earpieces and headsets.

A hearing aid adaptor allows the guidePORT receiver to be used by hearing impaired visitors. Simply place the loop of the adaptor around the neck, plug the adaptor into the headphone socket on the guidePORT receiver, and set the hearing aid to the 'T' setting.

Identifiers for indoor and outdoor use, trigger the audio for each specific exhibit as the visitor approaches. Identifiers have an adjustable trigger area, and a variety of triggering methods, and being battery powered give the freedom to change exhibits with ease. Importantly they can be located completely out of sight of the visitor.

A charger stores up to 10 receivers and can also download data from the receiver packs to the Statistics Manager software.

The cell transmitter stores the downloadable audio for each tour in a solid-state non-destructible format and provides the connection to any real-time audio sources.

Receiver packs download audio from antennae, strategically placed throughout the site and connected to the cell transmitters via Cat5 ethernet cable. This ethernet cable is the only cable infrastructure guidePORT requires.

Orbital Contacts

Dan Morley
Dan Morley
Senior Project Manager
dan.morley@orbitalsound.com
+44 207 501 6868