TORONTO – Canada's largest cycle studio opened in the new Altea Active club in Toronto's Liberty Village with a unique experience for cyclists thanks to sparkAV and a Christie® GS Series 1DLP® laser projector. The club officially opened its doors on March 4, 2022, and the 89,000-square-foot center features over 185 weekly studio fitness classes and unique amenities which include the relaxing Somadome Meditation Pods, a full-service in-club restaurant and entertainment features, including Duckpin Bowling and Topgolf Swing Suites. 

Altea Active retained sparkAV – an experienced audiovisual design and integration firm based in Toronto and Montreal – to select and install AV technology into the club's various amenities, including the cycle studio. "sparkAV was to design and implement immersive and state of the art technology solutions that tied in all aspects of AV, network and CCTV, with tie-ins to modern fitness technologies and customer engagement," says Derek Shama, sparkAV's president and co-founder. The goal was to bring Altea Active's stated vision "of an elevated fitness experience in an environment suitable for both physical and social wellness" to life.

The intention for the cycle studio was to create an experience that would transport members to roads all over the world. With 75 bikes, surround sound, music-synched lights and a 285-inch screen with a Christie laser projector, the cycle studio is a club highlight.

sparkAV explored several projectors for the cycle studio. "Ultimately, a Christie projector was chosen due to its specifications, industry excellence, Canadian support and presence, and premium image quality," states Shama. "[Altea Active] was very pleased that [it] could achieve all this with Christie and remain cost competitive."

The Christie DWU1075-GS projector delivers bright, vibrant and high-resolution visuals at a budget-friendly price. Beyond high image quality, the GS Series range of 1DLP projectors is ideal for high-usage environments due to the reliable, low-maintenance, long-life operation associated with laser technology. The projectors are whisper quiet and compact, making them ideal for education spaces, places of worship, corporate environments and smaller entertainment venues.

Despite the pandemic and unprecedented supply chain issues, sparkAV was able to successfully deliver the project on time and within budget and is currently collaborating on other Altea Active locations in Canada. "To say that the client is thrilled is an understatement," exclaims Shama. "As key stakeholders, investors, municipal officials and, of course, customers started coming through the doors, the results were the same – sheer awe with the space, its experience and the outstanding video quality."