Wood panels offer cinemas a way to block mobile phones
Magnetic wooden panelling which blocks mobile phone signals will be considered for use in some Hong Kong cinemas if a push to introduce jammers succeeds.
The wood panelling packed with magnetic particles absorbs microwave signals, making it impossible to use a mobile phone in rooms lined with the material.
It also means that theatres and cinemas could stop people using mobiles without resorting to signal jammers, which have been blamed for interfering with telephone calls outside the buildings they cover.
The Telecommunications Authority plans to issue a consultation paper on the issue later this year to gauge opinions on the use of devices to jam signals in cinemas and theatres.
UA Cinemas general manager Bob Vallone said he was interested in the hi-tech material because it promised to totally block phone signals in his cinemas.
'When our Cityplaza venue opened last year, there was a company from New Zealand which manufactures a foil-backed product which reflects the signal, but they could not guarantee [that it would work],' Mr Vallone said.
'But this wood product blocks and destroys the signal.'
Mr Vallone said the material could be considered for use in future cinemas.
Golden Harvest Entertainment spokesman Raymond Ho Che-wai said if his company had the budget it would consider the new technology as a possible option.
The research team leader, Hideo Oka, of Iwate University in Japan, told New Scientist magazine that the material could be used to make doors and walls and even for entire buildings.
Professor Oka believes the hi-tech panels will be cheap to manufacture as they use recycled magnetic materials and waste wood.
He said wood was selected as the preferred blocking material as it offered more natural, aesthetic options for interior design.
Hong Kong interior designer Caroline Ma was enthusiastic about the concept because many auditoriums already use wood as part of a retro revival in design.
'The trend for interiors is to go for a natural look, such as those pioneered by Finnish architect Alvar Alto, who in the 1960s designed theatres in strip-wood, which is making a comeback,' Ms Ma said.
'As long as you don't have to do the entire room in it, such as the floors, ceilings and walls, because that would be like being in a box.
'But if you just have to do one of those features, then it sounds good.
'The only thing they should do is to produce options for designers, such as different types of wood, different colours or even laminate.'
A UA Cinema survey last year found that 87 per cent of people would welcome the introduction of jammers in cinemas.
'The majority feel that the best way to do it is to interrupt signals any way we can because most people are not going to be good citizens and turn their phones off,' Mr Vallone said.
