Vue installs Auracast assistive listening across U.K. and Ireland cinemas

Vue is rolling out Auri, an Auracast-based assistive listening system from Ampetronic and Listen Technologies, across cinemas in the U.K. and Ireland. The deployment is designed to improve accessibility, with more than 28% of Vue admissions now covered by venues using the system.

Why it matters: - Vue’s rollout gives moviegoers with hearing loss, and others who want clearer venue audio, a new way to access cinema sound directly on compatible personal devices. - The deployment also expands access to audio description and a quieter listening option for some neurodiverse patrons. - The installation adds momentum to Auracast broadcast audio as an emerging standard for public venue accessibility.

What happened: - Listen Technologies and Ampetronic said Vue, the U.K.’s largest cinema operator, is installing Auri in cinemas across the U.K. and Ireland. - The system is now installed across 20 Vue cinemas. - Those 20 venues account for more than 28% of admissions across the circuit. - The companies said that gives more than a quarter of Vue’s customer base access to enhanced audio experiences.

The details: - Auri is an Auracast broadcast audio-based assistive listening system co-developed by Listen Technologies and Ampetronic. - Vue chose Auri for its audio quality, low latency, reliability and ease of use. - Auri works as a bring-your-own-device system for guests with Auracast-enabled hearing aids, cochlear implants, headphones or earbuds. - Guests can also borrow dedicated Auri receivers and listen through connected headphones or earbuds. - Auri can deliver audio description for visually impaired patrons. - Auri transmitters broadcast venue audio to an unlimited number of receiving devices within range. - The transmitters come in white or black and can be mounted on walls or ceilings. - Auri can be installed alongside existing assistive listening systems. - Cinema operators can manage transmitters and receivers with Auri Manager, a Windows software tool. - Vue said the rollout fits its wider effort to combine premium comfort and technology for a better customer experience. - Vue U.K. & Ireland General Manager Narinder Shergill said the partnership is meant to help remove barriers and deliver crystal-clear audio to every seat. - Vue has also recently added Ultra Lux seating, EPIC by Vue premium large-format screens with HDR by Barco laser projection and Dolby Atmos, and Vue Your Way retail concept.

Between the lines: - The installation marks one of the first large-scale Auracast deployments in cinemas, according to Ampetronic | Listen Technologies. - The rollout also signals that venue operators are starting to prepare for broader adoption of Bluetooth LE Audio devices. - The focus on BYOD plus loaner receivers suggests Vue and its technology partners want accessibility without forcing a single device path on patrons.

What's next: - The companies said Vue will continue installing Auri across its cinemas throughout the U.K. and Ireland. - Demand for Auracast-enabled devices is expected to rise as more hearing aids, headphones and earbuds support the standard. - Other U.K. venues using Auri include the University of Oxford, Brighton Station, Everyman Theatre and Birmingham Hippodrome. - The broader expectation is that more venues and public spaces will adopt Auracast as device availability grows.

The bottom line: - Vue is betting on Auracast to make cinema audio more accessible now and more future-proof as compatible devices spread.