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Author Topic: Usage of inductive loops for hearing impaired Harold Hallikainen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 906 From: Denver, CO, USA Registered: Aug 2009 posted 06-19-2015 06:47 PM                        I'm talking with a theater owner who has received a complaint that the theater does not have an inductive loop to drive the T-coil in the patron's hearing aid. The patron does not want to have to use anything (like a neck loop or headphones over the hearing aid). Can anyone estimate the percentage of theaters using inductive loops? I believe it is higher in Europe, but I'd like estimates for various parts of the world, especially the US. Thanks! Harold  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 06-19-2015 07:01 PM                        I have one at my theatre. But in nearly 20 years of working in movie theatres, I have never had a single customer ask to use one. We have customers using the descriptive audio and closed captioning every week, and we have people using the regular assistive listening devices almost every day.  |  IP: Logged Harold Hallikainen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 906 From: Denver, CO, USA Registered: Aug 2009 posted 06-19-2015 07:03 PM                        Thanks for the response! Is that a room loop that is always active, or is it a neck loop that someone has to request? Thanks! Harold  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 06-19-2015 07:13 PM                       There was a guy wandering around the wine country installing a long loop of wire around the cinema and back to a rack mounted box that drove it for free. I think the idea was some sort of a promotion It all went quiet. after a while.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 06-19-2015 08:17 PM                        The ones we have plug in to a portable Phonic Ear unit - about the same size as a pocket transistor radio. The Phonic Ear system was our old ALD system where each auditorium had a different radio frequency. The inductive loop just plugs into the headphone jack. I honestly don't know if it's supposed to be worn around the neck, or just kept close to the hearing aid.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-19-2015 10:34 PM                     We have one. It's about double the size of a USB drive with a headphone jack and a volume control. You plug a loop of wire into the headphone jack and wear it around your neck. It receives signal through the assistive listening system just the same as headphones. I don't see why it couldn't be merely kept near the user but I have never tried it that way. If you already have assitive listening in your theater, you can probably pick up a neck loop for the units you might already have for about $50. Assuming your existing ALDs have headphone jacks, that's all you need to do. If you don't have ALDs with jacks, you'll need to pick up one of those, too. Assuming you already have an ALD system, the whole thing shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred, max.  |  IP: Logged Harold Hallikainen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 906 From: Denver, CO, USA Registered: Aug 2009 posted 06-19-2015 10:41 PM                        The original patron does not want a neck loop or anything that identifies her as hard of hearing. She wants a room loop. How many theaters have room loops? Thanks! Harold  |  IP: Logged Stephan Shelley Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 854 From: castro valley, CA, usa Registered: Nov 2014 posted 06-19-2015 10:50 PM                     I know of two with room loops. Both single screens. One in St Helena CA and the other in Sonoma CA.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-20-2015 02:54 AM                     Uh... The room is dark... and the thing is only a little bigger than my thumb. Other people would have a hard time to see it if they were looking right at it. Maybe we should all hand out Prozac, instead?  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 06-20-2015 10:08 AM                       I think the idea of the room loops is the customers own hearing aids pick up the signal so no other hardware is needed.  |  IP: Logged Harold Hallikainen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 906 From: Denver, CO, USA Registered: Aug 2009 posted 06-20-2015 11:16 AM                        Yes, that's the idea. The customer's hearing aid picks up the magnetic field from the room loop. Many (most?) hearing aids have and automatic T-coil switch that switches the input from the microphone to the T-coil in the presence of a DC magnetic field, like that generated by the permanent magnet in a telephone (for which the T-coil was designed) and headphones. With a room loop, there is no DC field, so people have to figure out how to manually switch it. I'm interested in knowing how many cinema auditoriums have these loops. I believe they are more costly than IR/RF transmitters and receivers, may suffer from interference between auditoriums, may pick up AC hum, only carry one channel (no VI), etc. These issues tend to discourage their installation. But, how many are installed? 1% of theaters worldwide and .05% US? What would be good numbers? So far we know of two installations in the US. Thanks! Harold  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 06-20-2015 12:29 PM                     They are definitely "preferred" by those that have a T-Coil setting on their hearing aid. However, the number of places that actually have loops is pretty small...particularly in actual cinemas. The cost of putting one in is relatively high other devices can deliver the equivalent. Not wanting to deal with a neckloop shouldn't be sufficient a reason to put on in. I've seen two types of loops. One uses ordinary "Rotor Cable" (flat) and it run around the room. You then "series" the conductors such that you effectively have several "coils" of the loop. If you are within the loop, you pick up the audio. The other kind imbeds the audio in the floor around the seating area (or on the surface via flat wire). You present those options versus an RF or IR system to an exhibitor and it is a non-starter. The IR/RF systems are FAR cheaper and easier to maintain if there is a problem. http://www.youtube.com/embed/K94bzXFHlSE?rel=0 Given the choice...Hearing Aid people want loops and those that need captions want open-caption all of the time.  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 06-20-2015 01:17 PM                     I did not know it was so complex to install, thanks Steve. They need a bigger soldering iron though  |  IP: Logged

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