Gizmodo's Look at WDW's 40th - Tech Innovations

[Kamikaze]

http://gizmodo.com/5845771/happy-40th-birthday-disney-world

Today marks the 40th birthday of the largest, most visited amusement park in the world, Walt Disney World. Part of Walt. Disney's dream for the theme park was a planned community where people could live with the technology of the future, today. Although that dream was never literally realized, the spirit of technology runs strong throughout the park. Disney World has always been about creating the most magical experience possible with the most cutting edge technology available. Here's a sampling of just a few of the countless Imaginnovations that make it the happiest place on Earth:

http://gizmodo.com/5845771/happy-40th-birthday-disney-world

 

[NoChesterHester]

I love the article about "Mr Q" and the sound algorithm. Really neat.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[mp2bill]

Awesome, thanks for the link!

 

[Xethos]

Great site, Gizmodo, I usually check them along with WDWmagic, and a few other news sites.

 

[Timon]

I love the article about "Mr Q" and the sound algorithm. Really neat.

Thanks for sharing.

Holy hogwash, Batman!!! Yes, WDW has a real cool BGM music system, BUT there ain't any algorithms that do what they say. The music sources from racks of mismatched stereo CD players and is routed to zones of speakers using a 10+ year old giant Peavey Media Matrix to area Amp rooms and then out to the BGM speakers. Frankly it needs alot more love and updating. The speakers are constantly being replaced as they age poorly in the Florida humidity.

It does cool crossovers to parade or event mode but it really isn't using "mood changing super secret algorithms". Where'd this quackery come from, the National Inquirer?

 

[bgraham34]

Thanks for the link. I usually check that site out in the afternoon but I am glad I read it now.

 

[Rob562]

Holy hogwash, Batman!!! Yes, WDW has a real cool BGM music system, BUT there ain't any algorithms that do what they say. The music sources from racks of mismatched stereo CD players and is routed to zones of speakers using a 10+ year old giant Peavey Media Matrix to area Amp rooms and then out to the BGM speakers. Frankly it needs alot more love and updating. The speakers are constantly being replaced as they age poorly in the Florida humidity.

It does cool crossovers to parade or event mode but it really isn't using "mood changing super secret algorithms". Where'd this quackery come from, the National Inquirer?

I'm not sure about the other parks, but on our MK Keys to the Kingdom tour years ago (1999 or 2000, I believe) our guide demonstrated one aspect of the music system: how it adjusts the volume of the BGM to always keep it *just* in the background.

We were walking along the path near the wishing well, and we stopped. At that point there was no one else around but our group, and the BGM was pretty soft and just barely noticeable. The guide then started talking to us very loudly for about 30 seconds and then suddenly stopped. Sure enough, the BGM was noticeably louder than it had been a minute before.

According to the CM, the system listens to the ambient noise level in an area, and then adjusts the volume level to keep the music *just* in the background. But there's a delay built in to account for brief bursts of loud noise like a large group walking by, or a trash cart being wheeled by, so that the system doesn't crank the volume up and down all the time making the volume changes noticeable.

-Rob