The respected US superyacht manufacturer, Palmer Johnson, has chosen Lantic Entertainment Systems for the second time in three months to supply an integrated AV/IT system for its second 170 SportYacht – motor yacht PJ 170-2, currently under construction at its facility in Wisconsin, USA. Confirmation of Palmer Johnson’s return to Lantic after several years of evaluating alternative AV manufacturers marks a powerful vote of confidence from one of the world’s most important superyacht shipyards.

Rendering of Palmer Johnson superyacht PJ 170-2

When superyacht PJ 170-2 launches in the spring of 2014 she will be the second in the 170 Sportyacht series, and her Lantic system will be on a major scale. The 52-metre yacht will have 18 independent entertainment zones, each built around a Lantic Modular Entertainment Centre that acts as the control interface for the local hardware (screens, speakers, Blu-ray players etc.) and the comprehensive range of entertainment and cabin control options. These in turn will link back to a centrally-mounted 15 terabyte media server, satellite decoders and Ethernet switches. Services that will be controlled using the Lantic network and interface will include CCTV, position and chart view on demand, service call, alarms and optional HVAC and other cabin control facilities.

Lantic will deliver the system in early February 2014, allowing just a few weeks for assembly and testing. Its ability to manufacture and supply such a sophisticated set of components in a short space of time is derived from its unique position as the only manufacturer in the superyacht segment that designs and builds all its own equipment. The result is fewer components, easier installation and straightforward configuration.

Much of the time used in installing other AV systems is spent on programming the various third-party units – each often operating different protocols – to integrate with each other. This can take many hundreds of hours. But with Lantic the units all operate to the same standards, making integration literally a matter of plug-and-play. All that remains to be done is programming in the owner’s individual preferences, and even that can be done remotely.

“This is a very satisfying way to end 2013,” said Lantic’s Peter Bouman. “We are very pleased with a year that has seen Lantic systems installed on both sailing and motor superyachts, across a range of sizes, and 2014 is already shaping up to be even better.”