NATIONAL REPORT—Have you ever looked up at a television in a hotel’s lobby, restaurant or gym that had its sound muted and really wanted to hear what was being said?
Lance Glasser, president and CEO of Silicon Valley, CA-based Audio Everywhere, was in that predicament when the idea of his television-to-smartphone audio solution popped in his head.
“At my local gym, I was frustrated by the fact that I couldn’t hear a television program that I was watching while working out in the free-weight area,” he said. “I approached the front desk and asked if there was anything I could do to hear the televisions. They politely explained the only way I could hear the audio was on a cardio machine with the proper input for headphones—and that assumed the connection on the machine I chose was functional. I later spoke with someone from the maintenance staff at my gym who told me he replaces up to 20 audio jacks a month on cardio equipment.
“It was this experience that made me question why there was no existing capability to listen to the audio from a television on my smartphone,” he added.
The Audio Everywhere system consists of three parts: 1) the free downloadable app for users, which is available for the Android and iOS platforms; 2) the appliance that connects the audio sources to the local area network in the venue; and 3) a central cloud system for management of the connected devices, and to source venue-specific ads, blogs and tweets.
The appliance is called the ExXtractor, which connects each audio source—such as a DirecTV receiver—to the local area network.
“Once audio is connected to our appliance, it can be sent over the local area network and then over the venue’s WiFi to Android and iOS smartphones and tablets,” said Glasser. “It is a little bit like one-way VoIP [voice over IP], but doesn’t transmit the audio over the Internet.”
For guests, the app is extremely easy to use, according to Glasser, who added, “Once launched, the app will allow a user to select the proper audio by tapping on the icon for any connected television. There is also a function to scan sources just like you do with your car radio.”
Audio Everywhere can be used in any environment where the sound is muted, or where there’s too much noise to hear what’s being broadcast. Glasser has found that the most popular places where the app is being used are fitness centers.
“The largest applications of our systems so far have been in fitness centers,” the CEO said. “It is common to have multiple televisions with people moving around to use different pieces of equipment, so it has become a prime application for our technology.”
Even when the guests leave the fitness center, they can keep Audio Everywhere active so that they can pick up audio signals from connected televisions throughout the property.
“With one app, the hotel guest could roam from the gym to the bar to a hotel kiosk or digital sign,” Glasser explained of the system, which currently can be found in more than 100 locations across the country. “There is an opportunity for an integrated system which could be embedded within the hotel’s own branded app.”
While Audio Everywhere is currently being used only in public areas, guestroom televisions could eventually be equipped with the ExXtractor, so that a sleeping guest doesn’t have to be disturbed by a roommate who wants to catch up on the late baseball games or watch a midnight movie.
Glasser also sees another practical use for his system: “Those in the hotel industry have told us a major challenge—especially with international properties—is encouraging guests to utilize all the amenities. When there is a language barrier, guests are far less likely to take advantage of whatever the property has to offer. They believe a major opportunity for our technology is the ability to deliver information in multiple languages—making it less intimidating for guests to understand signage in order for them to take advantage of areas such as a gym, spa or business center.”
—Adam Perkowsky