Orpheo Hybe Live: tour guide system with multimedia

A guided tour stands or falls on two things: can people hear the guide, and do they stay with the story? The Orpheo Hybe Live therefore combines a tour guide system and a multimedia guide in one small device. The guide talks live to the group, starts video on every screen and then lets visitors roam free. In this article you read what the Hybe Live can do, when to use it and why it works so well.

What is the Orpheo Hybe Live?

The Hybe is the hybrid guide from the French maker Orpheo. However, it comes in two versions. The Hybe Tour is a multimedia guide for visitors on their own. The Hybe Live can do the same, but it also has a tour guide mode.

Over DECT radio, the guide speaks live to the group, with a range of 100 metres. As a result, one guide can reach up to 1024 visitors per group. Each device also plays audio, video and images. You find all details on the product page of the Orpheo Hybe.

One device, three roles

Each device takes one of three roles: guide, guided visitor or solo visitor. You choose the role in a locked service menu, because it should stay fixed. So visitors cannot change it by mistake.

You spot the guide device at once by its dark green screen. The visitor devices, on the other hand, show the colours of your own brand. That way, nobody picks up the wrong device.

How a tour with the Hybe Live works

1. The guide plugs the microphone into the right jack.
2. Guide and visitors pick their route or language.
3. Next, the guide taps Create group and visitors tap Search for Guide.
4. The screen of the guide shows live how many visitors listen in.
5. Once the group is full, the guide locks it with one tap.

That lock is smart. After all, other groups in the same building can no longer cut into your tour. Each visitor sets their own volume, with the bar on the screen or the keys on the side. In addition, every device has two headphone jacks. A couple or a parent with a child can easily share one device.

Remote media for groups that speak many languages

From the play menu, the guide starts a video or audio clip on all devices at once. The guide also decides when the clip pauses or stops. Visitors, therefore, do not have to do a thing.

This is a strong asset for groups that speak many languages. Say the guide talks in Dutch and part of the group speaks English. Those visitors pick the English route and hear a recorded track in their own language for each clip. Anyone on a route without that clip simply keeps hearing the guide. Also read how the guide in control decides what the group sees.

Talkback: ask questions with push-to-talk

A good tour is a dialogue. That is why the Hybe Live has a built-in microphone and a push-to-talk button. A visitor presses the button and asks a question. The guide hears it right away, even at the back of a busy hall. So nobody has to shout, and no question goes to waste.

This talkback works with one guide per group. Read more about this talk between guide and group in our article on two-way talk with the Orpheo Hybe. Still, we often hear another question: can it work with two guides?

Duo talks: two guides in one group

Yes, it can. As an option, two guides can speak in the same group. Think of a curator with a guide, or a guide with an interpreter. Similarly, an artist with an interviewer works fine.

There is one key catch, though. In duo mode, push-to-talk for visitors is off. Duo talks and talkback do not go together. So choose per tour what counts most. If you want the group to take part, use one guide with push-to-talk. If the tour is a dialogue between two speakers, pick duo mode.

Solo for a while, then back together

Sometimes, however, a group wants to look around freely. With one tap, the guide puts all visitors in solo mode. Everyone then sees the list or the keypad of the multimedia tour and picks what to watch. Later, the guide brings the whole group back to guided mode with a tap. This way you mix a tour guide system and a free visit in one tour.

When should you choose the Orpheo Hybe Live?

• Museums with groups and single visitors: one fleet for both.
• Groups that speak many languages, such as school trips and business guests.
• Factory tours with a lot of noise. Read why a tour guide system for a factory tour pays off.
• Heritage sites and outdoor areas, because the case keeps out dust and splashes.
• Talks and duo talks with two speakers.
• Tours with a free part halfway.
• Q&A rounds and workshops with talkback for the whole group.

Why the Hybe Live is the ideal tour guide system

A classic tour guide system only carries the voice of the guide. The Hybe Live does much more.

• All in one: tour guide system, multimedia guide and push-to-talk in one device. So you run just one fleet.
• Tough: shock-proof and fire-resistant ABS, 2 mm shock-proof glass and IP64.
• Long life: up to 20 hours on one battery, and full again in about three hours.
• Easy to run: a charging rack for 16 devices and remote control with Orpheo EMM.
• Insight: a stats module shows how visitors use the tour.
• Made in France: built for years of heavy use.

Tech specs in short

• Touch screen of 4.3 inch, or 3.2 inch with a lit keypad.
• Size 15.8 × 7.5 × 2 cm, weight 242 grams.
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, infrared and NFC.
• Built-in microphone and also a speaker.
• Storage up to 2 TB on a microSD card.

Orpheo Hybe Live

Curious how this tour guide system works at your venue? Get in touch and ask for a demo.