Technology: Sennheiser company developed in Hamburg cinema for the ears – Hamburger Evening Gazette

26/09/14

subsidiary of headphone manufacturer in Hamburg developed a technique that can track movies by people with visual and hearing impairment. The system is already running in the Hamburg cinema Abaton.

From Daniela Stürmlinger

Photo: Klaus Bodig / HA holds in hands With this device, the SST-CEO Jörn Erkau, cinemas and theaters, the new Sennheiser technology to their guests offer

Hamburg . Many people in Germany are very limited despite a hearing aid or glasses in their hearing or eyesight. They are found not only in the older age groups. This is the result one commissioned by the headphone manufacturer Sennheiser survey of TMS Emnid comes under 1,031 people in Germany. Then there is in this country a total of 5.7 million people with stronger visual and hearing disabilities, of which 47 percent are under 60 years old. Although the integration of people with disabilities has long been an important social issue, are approximately twelve percent of respondents believe that they do not get enough support in opera, theater or cinema visit.

That should change soon. The Hamburger Sennheiser daughter Streaming Technology (SST) will come in October with a new free app on the market, get acoustic support over the hearing impaired in the theater or cinema. Even people with visual impairments can then audio description – track films and theater performances better – so lively reportage. “We create software and hardware solutions that will make life more pleasant. Currently we therefore develop the app, audio description, and assistive listening multilingual audio content directly to your smartphone makes possible,” said Jörn Erkau, CEO of SST. Moviegoers who want to hear the movie shown in a different language, it will be able to control via the channel “multilingualism”. With the app, visitors can connect, for example, at the cinema with a wireless network and get access to additional audio tracks for assistive listening, Audio Description and multilingualism when watching movies. Provided however, that equip cinemas and theaters with the newly developed Connect system from Sennheiser.

The first customer was already won with the Hamburg cinema Abaton . Meanwhile, all cinema halls of the Abatons have taken in their screening rooms, the new system into operation. “Together with the app called Cinema Connect is hearing assistance brought to the cinema,” says Erkau. The 48-year-old is confident that more cinemas and theaters are showing interest. “With our technology culture is experienced by all. Wherever audio is transmitted, the Connect system can be used, such as in museums, sports stadiums and churches. We believe inclusive and currently constructing an online map, on which all the venues that participate are to be found. ” Among culture-inclusive.com also created an online portal that offers interested topics on inclusion and culture. “The online map and additional information is also displayed on our apps,” says Erkau.

Blind people can already hear reports about football games or movies. “However, with our method, audio description, in which we do without noticeable latency, ie delay of the audio signal, the spoken reports are made foreseeable. Due to the live reports of the players are described, for example, gestures, facial expressions or dropping of the ball in a goal” so Erkau. The need for acoustic image descriptions is apparently available. 30 seats for non-sighted viewers reserved as second division side FC St. Pauli. Even movies can be so described for the blind. Among culture-inclusive.com and using the apps Theatre and Mobile Connect Hearing Impaired, Blind and all other people interested in culture can in the future, and about the cinema or theater has been converted into their city to the new system. The revenue potential is large, eventually the German film funding already requires that from her partially funded films are provided with Audiodeskriptionsspuren.

People with disabilities are not the only target group of company. The new technology is to be a communication platform. In the future, it could for example happen that many people see the same movie, but hear it in different languages. See the sci-fi classic “The Matrix” in Italian and listen? No longer a problem. “We have Hamburg location deliberately chosen because we find the workers we need,” said Erkau. So far, the company employs ten full-time employees and numerous experts on time. SST is planning further apps around the new Sennheiser technology. Among other things, they could be used in all rooms for large events. The CEO is convinced that will prevail this trend and even increase. That is reason enough for Sennheiser now to go with the new subsidiary to the market.