With Christmas just days away and the New Year jaround the corner we thought it must be time for our annual yearly recap! 2024 has been another exciting year for Blackbox-av as we continue to launch new products and complete projects big and small all over the world. Here’s some of our favourites;

Built with our software package ‘Lightbox 3 – Hotspot’ and presented on 3 x 43″ touchscreens, this bespoke interactive unit is truly a showpiece. With a timeline of The Battle of Britain spread across 3 screens multiple users are able to interact at once while audio is shared via our Heavy Duty Handset Recoilers, avoiding audio bleed and ensuring cables are automatically retracted for tidy storage when not in use.

A recent project at Rhondda Heritage Park has seen Blackbox-av collaborate closely with the in-house heritage team to provide and install a wide range of AV solutions throughout the site. This includes a Video Wall made of 4 x 65″ Screens, a projector powered by our VideoClip HD8 device, and multiple touchscreens running our Lightbox 3 software package.

‘The team at Blackbox were very helpful when it came to installing the equipment and uploading and creating the content.” says Rhian Hall, Heritage Collections Manager at Rhondda Heritage Park. “They always took the time to carefully explain the processes and provide their advice on what would work best for our exhibition and engaging visitors.”

Field Studio, in collaboration with The National Archives designed the exhibition while we were commissioned to supply and install many of the elements that brought it to life.

“We’re so pleased to have worked with Blackbox AV, in transforming our Conservation Centre into a wonderful interactive and immersive space.” Says Lisa Wardell, Park and Education Manager at Trentham Monkey Forest. “We had a couple of bespoke ideas which Blackbox were able to turn into a reality – and now our visitors have an amazing space where they can both see and hear all about our endangered Barbary macaques. “

This project is a great example of our off-the-shelf software ‘Lightbox 3’ in action. Interactives are developed and updated on-site by the staff and students using the simple to navigate content management system.

Coupled with our free-standing kiosks the museum and Durham University are able to display a myriad of historical multi-media through richly designed touchscreen interactives that are easily revised as and when required.

“In each room there’s at least one “MiiaMillaMallika nupp“ a small hidden media player inside of a box, connected with 2 x Single Cup Headphones from Blackbox-av. In each room the “MiiaMillaMallika nupp“ plays a different story in connection with the room. All voice overs are done by children and available to listen to in English, Estonian and Russian.”

– Sandra Aleksius, Project Manager at Motor OÜ

“The headphones were a perfect fit for our needs at the Formula 1 Exhibition. They provided comfort and excellent audio quality, enhancing the overall immersive experience and the rugged design met our exact requirements. The included knuckle mounting plate added durability and security, making them an ideal choice for the exhibition simulators.”

– Alex Keay, Project Engineer, Sysco Productions

The River Reflections Listening Bench is a part of the Ebbsfleet Citizen Archive project. It features audio memories of people working on the river by Tony Farnham, Jacqueline Byrne and Barry Dowe, and can be found at Chimney View Park in Northfleet, North Kent.

Our Traditional Solar Audio Bench was put to good use for this project, providing audio without concerns for weather or the need for mains power. The engravings on the metal plating provide instructions alongside additional information, company logos and a scannable QR code for more information.

Our Single Cup and MKII Headphones can be found installed in multiple locations across the exhibition whether paired with video screens, fun interactives such as a silent disco DJ table, or providing multi-lingual audio for visitors in both Dutch and English at the many audio points dotted throughout the museum.

With a history spanning three centuries, the Atkinson is Southport’s home for music, theatre, art, literature and history. It’s now also the home to one of our Audio Frames…

“Our exhibition celebrates the contribution of the Windrush generation in the Sefton area. We wanted to present first-hand accounts of peoples experiences and memories in as direct and engaging a way as possible. The Audio Frame from Blackbox-av allowed us to do that very effectively. It’s very easy to upload audio clips and simple to use. Importantly in a busy gallery space its robust and easy to clean.”

“The staff at Blackbox AV guided us through the design and set up process and the result is an attractive addition to the exhibition and the Audio Frame will have a variety of uses in future projects.”

– Stephen Whittle, Principal Manager at The Atkinson.

For a new listening booth installed in the Australian town of Lismore, Armsign used our Solar Audio Post electronics modified to work from mains power. Within the booth you’ll find a graphics panel with 2 buttons, USB charging points for phones and a QR code that links to additional information.

Pressing each button will activate a story about Lismore as told by local members of the community – with the plan to update these stories from time to time encouraging repeat visits to the booth.

The resulting phone booth is a colourful example of community interpretation that really stands out in this urban setting.

We’ve also launched a new product range this year – our new MediaScreens! These are displays that boast internal media players, HDMI connectivity and elegant thin bezels to allow the sharing of video content in a quick and easy way. They are available in various sizes ranging from 32″ to 55″ with the smaller format being HD and the larger 4K quality.

That about concludes our 2024 round up! We can’t wait to get stuck in to the many projects we already have in the pipeline for 2025 and are excited to discover those we’re yet to know about.

Have a very Merry Christmas and we’ll see you all in the New Year!