From LED video displays to digital billboards to AFL scoreboards, Daktronics provides the industry’s most complete product lineup. Our services will deliver lasting solutions for your installation.
The Daktronics Advantage: Daktronics LED video displays are bright enough to provide excellent image clarity and contrast even in direct sunlight. The displays are fully protected from water, salt, dust and other particles, and are tested past the point of failure to ensure they perform in the harshest of environments. Which is why venues across Australia have chosen Daktronics: NIB Stadium (Perth), ATC Royal Randwick and Rosehill Racecourse (Sydney), Brisbane International Airport, Sydney Cricket Ground, Westfield Shopping Centres (Australia wide), Skoda Stadium (Sydney), Metricon Stadium (Gold Coast), Melbourne Airport, Canberra Stadium, Adelaide Oval‌ and many more
Daktronics Australia www.daktronics.com/au
(02) 9453 4600 sales@daktronics.com
BASIC MONITORING
is
Cloud-based Monitoring Software for SpinetiX HMPs
FREE for
SpinetiX Dealers
Cockpit Monitoring • Maintenance • Support
TM
Cockpit is advanced remote monitoring software for SpinetiX Digital Signage player installations that detects issues with connections, screens, environment, content, firmware and more. Dealers and Integrators can use Cockpit to offer a highly valuable service that exceeds customer expectations.
cockpit.spinetix.com
Book a demo on 1800 00 77 80 or email av@madisontech.com.au
SX410-495
Sit in the Cockpit. Connected. In Control. Anytime. Anywhere.
Editorial:
When Hardware Gets Out of the Way
Story: Christopher Holder
I
t’s always worth checking in on Times Square. It’s the the St Peter’s basilica of digital signage.
Recently, Google has been running a campaign on one of the huge screens there. Funky Android characters populate the space. It’s a stunning advertising campaign on the world’s largest digital billboard.
It does go to show, the bigger the canvas, the bigger the audience (300,000 people a day file past the Time Square sign), and the higher the stakes, the greater the pressure. Witness the nuttiness that goes on during the NFL’s Superbowl. There’s almost an advertising industry within an industry, as big brands endeavour to be more creative, more surprising, and sometimes more shocking than the next.
Now picture if you will, transporting a terrible, provincial ambulance chasing billboard ad for a suburban lawyer into that primo Times Square space. Or running that shouty cut-price rugs ad at the half time break of the Superbowl. I know, it makes me weep thinking about it too.
Clearly it’s not the right forum for those ads. They simply don’t make the most of the opportunity. But this issue we’re looking at integrated networked signage that makes the very most of the hardware. INTERACTION ISN’T ENGAGEMENT
The key aim of digital signage is universal: to engage. Whether the object is to inform, to sell, to educate, to entertain, to brand, it all counts for nought unless the audience has an engaging experience. And there’s another key distinction to make: interaction doesn’t necessarily constitute engagement. Technology is moving at a breakneck pace and it’s easy to be bamboozled by the choice of the display products and back-end hardware. Nits, WUXGA, HDBaseT, pixel pitch… Don’t panic, the technology still remains secondary to the content and the needs and preferences of the audience. Which brings me to our cover story.
I must confess I was just a little dubious about how well this story would fit with DigitalSignage. Yes, there are plenty of glowing screens at the Australian War Memorial’s First World War exhibit, but in my experience, digital signage and museums have always had an uneasy relationship.
4
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
They’re often add-ons or standalone kiosk-style affairs that don’t seem to fit somehow.
But in this case, I have been amazed at just how well digital signage has been integrated into a tradition museum environment.
At its core, the museum is using technology to allow people to better connect with the 100-yearold items and stories. Technology is also used to present the exhibit such that audiences can ‘join the dots’; make sense of the timing, the factors, the geography and the nature of the various WWI theatres of war. As you’d imagine, knitting technology and digital signage into the very fabric of this exhibit took years of planning. And to the Memorial’s credit, it realised technology (high-brightness projectors, touchscreen, super-high resolution video walls, the whole gamut of hardware) was simply the canvas and the interface, it wasn’t main event. The exhibits and the stories remain the focus.
What’s more, in five years time when the gloss of the technology has well and truly worn off, the engaging stories, the human aspect of the exhibition will remain as compelling as it ever has. It’s a colossal undertaking and one the AWM staff and the long list of contractors and suppliers should all rightfully be proud of. It’s inspiring to see an instance where the best hardware can really shine, but still remains subservient to the stories they’re displaying. Christopher Holder, Editorial Director chris@dsmag.com.au
6
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
Advertising Office: (02) 9986 1188 PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086
CONTENTS ISSUE 16 2015
Editorial Office: (03) 5331 4949 PO Box 295, Ballarat, VIC 3353
Publication Director: Stewart Woodhill (stewart@dsmag.com.au) Editorial Director: Christopher Holder (chris@dsmag.com.au) Publisher: Philip Spencer (philip@dsmag.com.au)
27
24
Art Director: Dominic Carey (dominic@alchemedia.com.au) Graphic Design: Daniel Howard (daniel@alchemedia.com.au) Contributing Editor: Graeme Hague (news@dsmag.com.au) Technical Editor Andy Ciddor (andy@av.net.au) Accounts: Jaedd Asthana (jaedd@alchemedia.com.au) Circulation Manager: Mim Mulcahy (subscriptions@dsmag.com.au)
14
alchemedia publishing pty ltd (ABN: 34 074 431 628) PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 info@alchemedia.com.au All material in this magazine is copyright Š 2014 Alchemedia Publishing Pty Ltd. The title AV is a registered Trademark. Apart from any fair dealing permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. The publishers believe all information supplied in this magazine to be correct at the time of publication. They are not in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. After investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, prices, addresses and phone numbers were up to date at the time of publication. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements appearing in this publication comply with the Trade Practices Act, 1974. The responsibility is on the person, company or advertising agency submitting or directing the advertisement for publication. The publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, although every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy. 6/5/15
FEATURE STORY 8 War Story: Australian War Memorial World War 1 Exhibition COLUMNS 16 Martin Salter, Sydney Airport 17 Andrew Christopher, OAMM 18 Sean Matthews, Visix REFERENCE 30 Who’s Who Company Profiles
IN ACTION 14 Melbourne Central Shopping Centre 20 The Star Digital Wayfinding 22 Allianz Stadium, Sydney 24 Sydney Culture Walk, Hyde Park 26 Westgate Freeway Big Screens 27 New London Architecture Display COMMENT 34 Mug Punter
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
7
War Story The new First World War exhibition at the Australian War Memorial is a moving and engaging showcase of the best in digital signage technology and media. Story: Christopher Holder
T
his is a story about engagement. It’s a story about knowing your audience, and working hard to develop content that will capture the imagination of that audience. Not only that, but to serve that content in a way that your audience feels comfortable interacting with. Not only that but to house that content in technology that’s best suited to delivering it. In essence, this is a story about digital signage done right. Of course, the true subject of the story is the new First World War exhibition at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. But I wanted to make sure you don’t dismiss this article as just a ‘museum story’ where touchscreens are wheeled out to distract the rolling mauls of school groups for more than a minute. Rather, what we have here is a digital signage masterclass. FRESH LOOK
The Australian War Memorial (AWM), to its credit, knew from early planning stages that this new exhibition would be different. Gone are the days of papier mâché models, static displays and a drafty theatrette. AWM engaged technical experts with specialist museum sector smarts as well as 8
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
some newcomers who could bring a fresh perspective to how the content could be delivered.
And here’s the challenge: the AWM has no shortage of potential objects to display — thousands of items, artworks and photos are in the memorial’s archive. The digital ah-ha moment came when curators realised the AWM was no longer totally constrained by space on the wall or within glass cases. Many more related photos and objects could be available for viewing via digital displays. And here’s where Sydney-based interactive media specialists, Holly, came to the party. Yes, there are thousands of items and photos that could be displayed, but which should be selected and why? The first question Holly asked: who exactly are the people viewing the exhibition? “We knew there was a large, traditional group of people interested in the technology of war,” observed Holly Managing Director Zina Kaye. “These are the people you might assume would represent the largest group — men who want to know the calibre of that shell. But increasingly, there are people who go to hear the personal stories, and they crave layers of interpretive experience on a theme or some depth beyond the presentation of the piece.”
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
The AWM and Holly (independently of each other) commissioned research so as to better profile the patrons. And it informed the way in which the content is delivered. Zina Kaye: “We knew there wasn’t one single way of presenting the content. It needed to suit the various user profiles. For example, there’s the profile of an older lady who wants to know about the personal connections. And this has really informed how we presented the large ‘photo ribbons’ [a touchscreen wall populated with WW1 photos]. And it’s been enormously satisfying to see just how popular those displays are, with people looking at an image, checking the back of the photo, clicking on related images and getting immersed in the stories and connections. It’s real proof that the display is fit for purpose; it meets that group’s expectations.” If the ladies are typically lapping up the photos and reading the diggers’ letters home, then hubby may well be at the artillery display, where the associated digital content is presented in a very different manner better suited to the more leftbrain interrogation of a technology-focused bloke. Similarly, school children are often drawn to the dioramas where the digital content is presented
Image: Mental Media
very differently again — using clever depth of field techniques the school child can highlight aspects of the diorama. NEW DEPTH
Another big ah-ha moment came when curators realised they were no longer constrained by traditional printed labels that accompanied a displayed object. Interested viewers could now drill down as deep as they like one ‘chunk’ of information at a time. Kate Morschel, Assistant Curator, Photography, puts it this way: “Static labels can only allow you to tell so much of a story. Digital labels allow you to add secondary content. We can link to other material that we otherwise couldn’t display in the galleries. Which gives us deeper insight into the personal experiences of the soldiers and their families.” “Each digital sign has its own template in the CMS,” explains Holly Technical Director Mr Snow. “From there the curators can decide what related content might be displayed. So for a bayonet in a cabinet, the bayonet image on the digital sign may point to related objects just as the sheath with its own story or the soldier’s slouch hat etc.” At the ‘Life at ANZAC’ display, the digital assets
are tagged to ensure related material, such as the season, time of day, the food etc, allow larger groups of material to easily come to hand.” What’s more, the digital labels support up to five different languages across the galleries. DIGITAL LABELS
The final ah-ha moment came when curators (particularly those in the photographic department) realised they could be far more responsive to the public’s photo caption corrections and amendments. The AWM receive these types of emails, phone calls and letters every day — correcting, clarifying or elucidating on the detail of the displayed portraits and photography — and the information can be updated in the database whereupon the digital signage is also immediately updated (the digital labels are networked to the server via ethernet) all without the issue of printing new labels etc.
Kate Morschel again: “We have a huge photographic collection. We get new identifications of portraits coming in every week and we can update captions immediately and remotely. We don’t need labels printed and checked. That’s going to a real advantage in the photo section and the AWM as a whole.”
THROWING AWAY THE COOKIE CUTTER
What’s obvious as you take a tour through the various uses of digital media is that no one technology, or packaging of the media, fits all. The packaging and presentation of the media is very dependent on the profile of the viewer, the desired dwell time (believe it or not, often the task it to reduce dwell time to ensure people keep moving) and the nature of the content. Meanwhile, the type and size of the technology is very dependent on the presentation. How big does the display need to be? What resolution? How many simultaneous touchpoints?
And the other key lesson to learn is in the CMS. The back-end interface has to be easy to manipulate, and the metrics need to be easy to interpret. Fine tuning a network is crucial. Holly freely admitted that it’s been spending time massaging the interface of a number of its displays. More ‘touch me here’ colour has been added to the graphics of the ‘ANZAC From Above’ video wall, for example. I’m in awe of the quality of this exhibit and the consideration invested in its execution. I hope you find it as inspiring as I did. Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
9
USING ANDROID TABLETS The world is awash with Android tablets. To say ‘you can’t give them away’ has some truth… telcos pass them out like confetti as deal sweeteners. But at their core, the humble Android tablet is a super-cheap touchscreen digital sign. The AWM’s digital labels are all Android tablets — normally two per showcase. The digital label is a godsend to curators (who can manage, edit, and update content easily and remotely) and to patrons (who can dig deeper into descriptions and explore related objects in a way conventional labels never could). All the tablets are powered over ethernet and updated over ethernet via the CMS from a server. An ethernet to USB converter is used at the tablet to access push data and power to the device. (Image: Holly)
10
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
CRAZY RESOLUTION Two video walls display super-high resolution digitised WWI images. The official photography from the likes of Frank Hurley were originally on 8x10-inch glass plates. The resolution of these large-format photos is astonishing and needed an equally astonishing display technology to do the images justice. Bruce Brown of Mental Media, the lead technical contractor, decided on a shootout of the rearproject video cube technologies. Eventually the Eyevis OmniShapes won the day in a hotly contested runoff with the Christie Microtile product. The Microtile is brighter but it was deemed the OmniShapes ran quieter and cooler, features particularly important to the AWM.
The Eyevis OmniShape is a tad larger as well and can also be serviced from the front, which is important when rear access is limited. The 7x7 OmniShapes install displays the official photography at a mind-bending resolution. Every OmniShape is XGA resolution (1024 x 768) resulting in a total count of 10,000 pixels (at around 6m) across. The images — driven by 16 Synchronised Dataton Watchout Outputs from four Computers — dissolve from one to the next and it’s mesmerising. If you thought 4K resolution was an eye-opener then you simply won’t believe how beautifully these photographs are rendered. (Image: Mental Media.)
200 PHONES, 50+ WAPS & A BIG TOUCHSCREEN WALL Mental Media has pushed the boat out here. This is an audio tour on steroids. I thought we’d investigate it not so much from an audio tour perspective but for the technologies it uses; technologies crucial to many a contemporary digital signage deployment. The tour starts by grabbing your personal audio device (which just happens to be an Android phone with a heavily modified OS) and placing it on the large MultiTaction video wall in the orientation gallery. There are five different audio tour programs to choose from. Once you place your device down on the touchscreen bench, and the MultiTaction cells recognises it, you’re presented with a menu. You can drag ’n’ drop the desired tour into a placeholder that then ‘loads’ (or, more correctly, selects) that tour onto the device. You’re now good to go. You don’t need to interact with the device again except to fine tune the volume. As you walk through the gallery, the device triggers content relevant to that position thanks to some clever indoor positioning. Here’s how: There are some 56 wireless access points (WAPs) spread throughout the gallery; some directional some omni. Mental Media measured the signal strength from those WAPs and created a fingerprint (or map) of the entire space. The app (developed by Art Processors) reads that fingerprint — effectively allowing the device to see all those access points. From there an API in the app (developed by the Fraunhofer Institute) interprets the signal strength, compares it against the known fingerprint, locates the device, and triggers the relevant audio track at the appropriate point.
The WAP doesn’t carry or push data, it collects info from the devices. Does that sound a little like using beacons? Similar. Beacons use Bluetooth rather than wi-fi. Bruce Brown, boss of Mental Media, did a thorough appraisal of how the market is using beacons and/or WAPs and surmised that Bluetooth beacons weren’t going to cut it. He couldn’t find a beacon that wasn’t batteryoperated, which makes them unsuitable for mission critical applications. Plus, when you have dozens of these points throughout a venue and a handful start to lose power, they’re effectively a lump of plastic stuck to a wall — potentially hard to locate when they’re not pinging you. Beacons also tend to be lowerpowered than a WAP. Meanwhile, a WAP can be connected to power over ethernet — they can be powered and monitored remotely. Bruce Brown: “WAPs are the way to go. We’ve used a standard Aruba WAP at the AWM. We then engaged the Fraunhofer Institute (the equivalent of the CSIRO in Germany, best known for developing the MP3 audio codec). It has a large department working on positioning in general. So we’re talking about driverless cars and sophisticated warehousing systems, or, my favourite, putting a device in a soccer ball to accurately sense its position on the field — which will change the way the game is described and analysed, and put an end to goal line disputes. “We also engaged Art Processors, which did the positioning system for MONA in Hobart, to develop the app, building it around the Fraunhofer API that reads the wi-fi density ‘fingerprint’ of the gallery.” (Images: Mental Media.)
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
11
Mt St Quentin: This traditional diorama has been updated with the addition of an animated backdrop. Projectiondesign F32 projectors take care of the eight hours of programming from the video artist. The installation was programmed and installed by Interactive Controls. (Image: Mental Media.)
Gallery Hardware Highlights 4 × Samsung 55-inch monitors 101 × Outform iMonitor 10-inch 14 × Outform iMonitor 18-inch 15 × Advantech 15-inch XGA Monitor 13 × Clarity Matrix 46-inch Video Wall Monitor (MX46HD ERO) 1 × Ideum 55-inch 4k Touchscreen 79 × Eyevis OmniShapes 44 × Lightware HDBaseT Transmitter/ Receiver (DVI) 4 × Projectiondesign F32 18 x Medialon MIPHD interactive Players 2 × BrightSign Digital Signage Players
ANZAC FROM ABOVE Remember the old-school 3D models, where you’d press a momentary switch on a panel and it would light up a bulb on the model? Aaron Pegram, Senior Historian, Military History, at the memorial does: “In the old galleries we had a large papier mâché model of the Gallipoli peninsula and of the fighting positions at ANZAC cove. Technology has advanced so much in the nearly 30 years since that was first put on display. Now we’re able to use up to 100 aerial photos taken of the Gallipoli peninsula by the members of the Royal Navy Air Service in the First World War. These were assembled into a large aerial mosaic then draped over a 3D terrain model of the peninsula. Using these technologies and the creative thinking of Holly, it’s forced us to look at that story in a new and exciting way. To make the story of the first world war relatable to all Australians.” The realtime 3D environment on the 3x3 touchscreen (a Planar Clarity Matrix LCD Video Wall System) is something to behold, providing perspective and context to one of WWI’s most 12
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
famous theatres of war, and allows those attending the museum a way of visualising the ‘where’ of the stories, letters and despatches. The original reconnaissance photos were often shot on large-format film with spectacular resolution. The 100 or so images were stitched together in a montage. Holly then purchased modern-day satellite imagery of the area. The resolution of the data is a very workable 2sqm per pixel. The old aerial shots are overlaid on the new to present a 3D model that can be spun and manipulated on screen. The 3x3 video wall exploits every pixel of the hi-def (1080p) displays for a total of 5760x3120 pixels. Each row of three screens is driven by a 4-channel AMD W7000 performance 3D video card. Each computer runs a copy of the custom 3D application designed and built by Holly, which syncs its state via the network, keeping all nine screens in step. When combined with the infra-red touch overlay, the result is a highly detailed image that responds instantaneously to touch. (Image: Australian War Memorial.)
Honour Roll Cunningham Martyn Design (Exhibition design): www.cmdesign.com.au Mental Media (Technical Direction/ Content Production): www.mentalmedia.com.au Holly (Co-Executive Producer AV Design & Production): www.hollysydney.com Luscious International (Executive Producer AV Design & Production): www.luscious.com.au Sonar (Specialist Audio Services): www.sonarsound.com.au Interactive Controls (Dataton Watchout & Medialon Show Control): www.interactivecontrols.com.au ITI Image Group (Eyevis): www.iti-imagegroup.com.au Rutledge AV (Hardware Supply & Installation): www.rutledge.com.au Arlo Mountford (Diorama Digital Backgrounds & Sound Design): www.arlomountford.com
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
13
Hanging A Double-Sided Portrait NanoLumens LED a Shopping Centre Favourite
In Action Story: Christopher Holder
Digital Place Solutions: 0412 339 489 or digitalplacesolutions.com Nanolumens: www.nanolumens.com Mediatec Group: www.mediatecgroup.com.au
Melburnians will attest: hanging a big screen into Melbourne Central shopping centre’s conical atrium doesn’t look like an easy task. Sure enough it was a logistical nightmare. Fortunately, Digital Place Solutions, the supplier of the oversize NanoLumens LED screen, has friends in ‘high places’. Mediatec was called in, which has oodles of rigging experience. Four lines were secured to available atrium anchor points, each a different distance from the display. The result is a stunning-looking screen that appears to be engineered by a giant fifth-dan puppeteer. The GPT group, owner of the property, has high hopes for the screen. Not only is it a hi-def canvas for advertisers, the panel also displays Melbourne Central marketing material. The screen will also be a boon for special events and personal appearances. The NanoLumens panel has a maximum output of 1500 nits and a pixel pitch of 6.6mm. In normal operation the screen will only need to operate at a fraction of its potential output.
14
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
DigitalSignage chatted with Digital Place Solutions Director,
Gerry Thorley, about spec’ing indoor LED. “NanoLumens has panels in a variety of pixel pitches. In fact, we’re soon to have a 1.8mm pixel pitch panel. But it’s not all about pixel pitch and brightness. Very often in an indoor environment you need to tone down the brightness and if your average viewing distance is 5m or more, you don’t need the ultra-fine pixel pitch. We work with the property owner to select the right product.” DigitalSignage: Why are property owners investing in LED rather than letting the oOh!s and the APNs do the heavy financial lifting? Gerry Thorley: “The likes of GPT, Novion and others are beginning to see LED screens as a capital upgrade. By owning the screen they can partner with the likes of oOh! Media and MCN to benefit financially from the sale of advertising, but also have access to the screen for shopping centre theming and special events. Property owners
are seeing the power of these screens as more than advertising hoarding.” Part of Digital Place Solutions’ sales approach is to encourage property owners to do a dummy run. Which means, for venues that currently don’t have a big screen, to get an equivalent piece of vinyl cut and hang it in place to see how it impacts the space. Is it too big? Too small? How does it impact on adjacent retailers? What are the sight lines? Great idea! Much better than blowing tens of thousands on a screen that’s not perfect.
property owners are seeing the power of these screens as more than advertising hoarding
NanoLumens, based out of Atlanta in the USA, has an indoor LED product that’s fabricated to order, based on the dimensions and how you’re rigging the screen. The product can be formed to bend around pillars or pivoted around corners. It’s a lightweight, very thin screen, which lends itself to being double sided, as it is in Melbourne Central, Indooroopilly Shopping Centre and, more recently, Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s west. Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
15
Retail:
Hi-Def LED Coming in from the Cold Martin is Head of Advertising & New Media at Sydney Airport, leading an integrated digital strategy which incorporates web, mobile, digital outdoor and an extensive digital signage network across the T1 and T2 terminals.
Story: Martin Salter
W
e are constantly fine-tuning the digital signage at Sydney Airport. It’s been an interesting journey as we form a broader understanding of the space as the technology evolves.
One thing is for certain: the portfolio needs to offer opportunities to lock step with the rhythm of travel, and that rhythm begins at home as soon as the customer starts researching their holiday or business trip. In other words, we don’t consider our signage as simply an animated advertisement on a screen onsite, but rather as part of an integrated digital strategy that allows our customers (the traveller) to plug into a world of relevant, contextual information along with value-add benefits from our marketing partners. It’s a holistic media solution which encapsulates digital signage, mobile and content, that focuses on delivering high-level engagement with our customers throughout their journey.
This strategy is underpinned by our free wi-fi network. The technology is now available to create a walled garden content environment which we’re planning to integrate with our other digital networks including digital assets, other marketing communications and at gate lounges. All of this happens before the customer even goes online and means that we will be able to send content to customers based on their location and not worry about using beacons. That’s right — same result yet no beacons!
When Sydney Airport was featured back in Issue 1 of DigitalSignage we were pursuing a strategy of placing multiple screens along the journey the customer takes through the terminal. There were (and are) key touch points where travellers dwell (either through requirement or choice) — such as gate lounges, food courts and other retail areas — and we placed larger-format video walls in these areas. After signing APN Outdoor in March 2015 as our principal media partner for the next five-anda-half years, Sydney Airport has commenced an improvement program to deliver a world-class media portfolio, which will deliver a generational change to our digital signage, addressing the position and quantity of our displays. This works into our overall approach of constantly reinvesting in the signage by reviewing our portfolio strategies.
16
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
LED COMES OF AGE
Much has changed since Issue 1, but the biggest changes have been to the screen technology. Notably, LED technology has come on in leaps and bounds. No longer simply the preserve of outdoor billboards or sport stadium scoreboards, LED is now of sufficiently high resolution to be used as a replacement for LCD video walls.
In 2014 we installed an 8m-wide, 2.5mm pixel pitch Screencorp LED display in T1 at the Departures entry. The specifications of the screen needed to deliver exceptional picture quality due to its statement location. It was a strategic investment for Sydney Airport and it’s performing exceptionally well as (in my opinion) one of the best indoor displays in Australia. APN’s Screencorp LED installation has made something evident to us. Yes, we need a collection of smaller screens that are effective in departure lounges, but elsewhere a smaller number of larger LED displays can more effectively replace the previous strategy of smaller screens in high-dwell areas. Our strategic approach is to provide less signage, but with better quality and more impact. Delivering a smaller number of bigger and brighter LED screens will help reduce visual clutter, heighten the impact of the marketing message and, crucially, enhance the customer experience. IT’S ALL ABOUT HIGH DENSITY WI-FI
And if all this wonderful hardware is like a beautiful sports car idling away, and customer engagement is like the race car driver jumping in and planting their foot on the accelerator, well then, the fuel, the 98 Octane go-juice, is wi-fi. Without solid wi-fi we don’t garner strong customer engagement analytics and that beautiful high-performance vehicle remains parked at the kerb. We plan to continue to improve customer engagement by using the insights into customer behaviour on site and this is where our wi-fi solution will be able to deliver analytics previously not available. Sydney Airport’s commitment to our wi-fi network is paramount, hence we have boosted our up/down speeds to 200Mb/s and will continue to build upon the current platform. Naturally, our wi-fi is free for our customers and, at present, sponsored by Amex. We were the first airport in Australia to launch a free wi-fi service,
which is not only useful for travellers but also has the business benefit of strong customer engagement. In 2014, there were 4.8 million sessions with strong penetration across both T1 and T2. Without question it’s our most popular digital offering, so it’s got to be performing for our customers.
We’re currently looking at other ways of using wi-fi to entice customers into the Sydney Airport ecosystem, either by promoting our free iPhone and Android apps for download or interaction with a screen, management content, retail offers or our website.
For example, we’ve been providing destination-relevant information in the Departures lounges (such as weather forecasts for destinations) and, in partnership with TripAdvisor, we’re now working on destination-appropriate travel guides. These will be available as a digital download from our website or app that will showcase information such as the ’10 Best Restaurants in Tokyo’ or ‘The Most Popular Attractions to See in Vancouver’. The content will also be available on our digital ‘walled garden’ and on our digital screens at the gate lounges. They won’t replace a Lonely Planet guidebook, but will be ideal for time-poor travellers about to hop on a plane seeking specific destination information. The next phase of Sydney Airport’s media strategy will be to deliver more relevant content to customers as they remain mobile, so they may be better informed and enjoy an enhanced experience while they are within the Sydney Airport precinct.
Screens, Wi-fi & Matchday Heaven
Out of Home:
Andrew is Sales Director of OAMM, the operator of the largest network of Australian sports and concert venue screens, including Allianz, SCG, Etihad and All Phones Arena.
Story: Andrew Christopher
T
here’s a good reason why the stadiums have invested and continue to invest technology. The primary reason is to improve the fans’ experience. The more the broadcasters provide more camera angles, allow you to pause live play, and jump between games, the greater the temptation for the footy fan to watch it from the couch.
With that in mind, priority number one is for every fan to have a bird’s eye view of what’s on the pitch — whatever seat they might be in. To achieve this, the received wisdom from The States (which is a good few years further down the track) is to complement the big screens with an IPTV network across the venue precincts: the major thoroughfares, F&B areas, queueing areas, bathrooms etc. The aim is to ensure every fan is within eyeshot of a screen regardless of where they might be. In some cases there might be 1500 screens across the venue broadcasting the feed. WHERE THE BRAND FITS
The stadium has its own clean feed, so brands can become part of the broadcast in the same way they might become part of the TV broadcast. But the stadium can offer something different to the broadcaster. Brands can run live social media content across the bottom of the screen, for example; they can run call to action messaging — especially F&B, wagering, digital content brands that want to drive a direct response — they can use the screens to drive that response.
The really cool thing about the IPTV network is that we can break up or zone the venue. Accessing 80,000 people at a stadium is great but brands want to drill down into particular pockets of the stadium to promote certain products and services. If you think about a bank for instance, it might want to promote a high-end credit card into affluent members’ or corporate box areas. Then they might want to promote a more mainstream product into general admission. It allows them to have a presence and integration at major events but to drill down into audiences in a way not many other approaches can. F&B is another area that benefits from its own zone. PIECE OF THE WI-FI PIE
The second piece of the stadium puzzle is the mobile phone/wi-fi connection.
Traditionally, the problem has been: the greater the audience, the more the 3G and 4G networks were struggling. The answer is high-density wi-fi.
Wi-fi can offer fans a richer experience and solve the internet access problem: fans can’t get a fast free data when there are 40,000 people trying to dial in at once. Once the fan has joined the wi-fi network there’s a opportunity for brands to target the fans and acquire their data — to offer them entry to competitions, to offer them F&B specials; content you can’t access unless you’re at the ground on that particular day. Pivotal to this is the stadium app. The app hosts the offers that improve the fan’s gameday experience — which might be discounts on parking, merchandise, F&B.
Fans understand the transaction: free wi-fi in exchange for their data. And once the fans are using the app the brands have an understanding of who their audiences are and their behaviour in a way that previously they struggled to understand.
Previously you bought tickets for you and your mates, and the stadium only really retained any contact with you. This new platform opens up a communication link with a larger base of customer. METRICS
Once the fan has downloaded the app we can learn from their behaviour: what handset they’re carrying and what offers they’re responding to. And we can look at the cross sections of the fans across the codes, how each code responds to the offers. For a brand in sport that’s critical information because it informs a lot of their marketing strategy in sport.
pects of the platform that are extracting the most: using screens to promote a marketing push that you can redeem on your handset.
Allianz Stadium has 1400 screens and Etihad even more, so just between these two venues you have around 3000 screens to push a promotion that drives takeup of a campaign. We’re very quickly seeing results in these types of cases. Whenever a wicket is taken, a goal is scored or a try is in dispute via video replay, every eyeball is trained on a screen. That’s a brand’s opportunity to reinforce a campaign. And if you’re running with something exclusive and urgent — that can be redeemed before leaving the stadium — the chances of hooking these guys is really quite good. But the platform’s influence is far greater than simply being a matchday sell. And you might think the sweetspot is for wagering, beer and pies. Interestingly, we’ve found the real value comes in developing the insights garnered from the fan on game day and using those insights to inform a strategy with the fan once he’s left the venue. So it’s not just about bombarding the fan with offers in the couple of hours they’re in the ground but developing a working knowledge of his behaviour, such that when you reach out to him via the app when he’s on the train on his daily commute, you’re actually offering him something he wants at a time that he wants it. And in this way, it can be much more than just an impulse-based call to action message service.
We’ve been talking to the brands that already invest in sport. They know they need to align themselves with the big codes; they invest big; but they struggle to get a lock on the best way to measure the return on that investment. In this case, an incremental extra amount of money buys them a whole world of new insights.
These brands have been sold to by the broadcaster, the codes and teams, without hard metrics to back up their claims. But this platform allows the brands to get out ahead of the sponsorship market and reap some invaluable insights from the handsets of the fans. I mean, why spend $20m with the AFL simply to get your logo out there? Why not have a deeper engagement with the matchday fan? BIG SCREEN/SMALL SCREEN MARRIAGE
OAMM works with two key suppliers: Cisco for the IPTV and Telstra for the high-density wi-fi. And it’s the brands that leverage both these as-
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
17
Technology:
Making the Case for E-Paper Sean Matthews, President & CEO, Visix, Inc. and a 21-year veteran of the visual communications industry. Since taking on the helm of Visix in 2004, he has introduced a suite of new products and services, growing revenues by more than 471 percent and tripling the number of employees to provide better products and services.
Story: Sean Matthews
M
any businesses and universities are using sheets of paper outside meeting rooms to show who’s using the room and when. This isn’t very practical because your staff has to constantly print out paper sheets, take them down when meetings end, and start the whole process again the next day. E-paper meeting room signs are better than paper for five reasons:
1. Electronic room signs are modern: Paper signs don’t look great. Not only are they labor-intensive, but they can make a beautiful conference area look a bit shabby. Electronic room signs are sleek and modern, and can be customised with frames and mounting that fit your environment. E-paper signs are small and unobtrusive, and they mount easily to walls, glass or other surfaces. You can customise a frame or enclosure to fit your décor, and even tailor the layout of the schedule information on the screen.
2. E-paper room signs integrate with your calendar program: You can feed calendar data to e-paper signs using popular programs like Microsoft Exchange, Google Calendars, EMS by Dean Evans and Associates, 25Live by CollegeNet, and Delphi by Newmarket. If you don’t have a calendar program, you can import a standard text file with your schedule data. By integrating your signs with your scheduling application, you can manage all of your events in one place and have them go to the screens with just the click of a mouse. It’s a lot easier to click ‘Publish’ one time than to have to sort and print individual calendars for each room.
3. E-paper room signs are wireless and batteryoperated: One of the challenges that people worry about when installing room signs is getting all of those wires run through the walls. E-paper signs
WHAT’S EPAPER? If you’ve ever seen or used an original Kindle then you know what epaper is. It’s a portable, flexible, reusable storage and display medium that’s ideal for static signs. Once set it doesn’t use any power so you can set the epaper sign and forget about it until you decide to reset it — wirelessly from your control PC.
18
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
save you that headache because they don’t need any cabling. They get updates through wireless RF transmission, so no network cables are required.
E-paper signs run on batteries, so you don’t have to worry about bulky power bricks or cables. The batteries are only used when they change data, so they can last for up to three years or 10,000 updates. 4. E-paper room signs are very affordable: If you have a large training or conference centre, fitting out every room with an electronic sign can add up. However, e-paper signs are a very inexpensive option to bring your rooms up to date. With each sign costing only about $300, you can outfit all of your meeting rooms without breaking the bank. The entire package consists of the signs, your scheduling application, and an RF transmitter to send your data to the signs.
5. E-paper room signs save time, money and waste: Publishing updates from a desktop is faster and easier than manually printing, posting and removing signs, so you’ll definitely save time. Also, consider the hours of lost work and productivity from the staffer that’s tasked with maintaining your paper system. You’ll also be saving on ink, paper and printer maintenance if you bin those paper signs. And there’s the green benefit of saving on the raw materials and waste that printing brings with it. Bonus: E-paper room signs are great for office hoteling: E-paper signs are small and flexible enough that you don’t have to just use them for conference rooms. They can easily attach to a cubicle or workspace for ‘office hoteling’.
If you have a mobile workforce, or an activitybased workplace, you can use e-paper signs for temporary desk assignments. Room sign data is quickly and easily updated, just like those used for meeting rooms, and they can be easily moved around your space because they’re wireless.
By integrating your signs with your scheduling application, you can manage all of your events in one place
Base your visual communication network on TechMedia's world leading technologies and one of the most widely adopted platforms for digital advertising and content management in the industry.
• Cutting edge architecture • Advertising management • Multiple channels per player • Real time content rendering
• Scala as a service (SAAS) • Manage from any smart device • Integrate with any data source • Internet of Things (IoT)
• Multiple Media Player options • Template based content creation • Audience measurement integration • 4K & 8K Media playback capable
www.techmedia.com.au Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
19
Follow That Star The Star’s Digital Wayfinding Hits Jackpot
In Action
Story: Christopher Holder
Techmedia (Scala): (02) 9526 7880 or www.techmedia.com.au
Let’s see: 25 dining venues, 17 other key destinations, 10 bars, three hotels towers, eight separate function spaces… Little wonder a digital wayfinding system was a priority for The Star.
lightly. There was a lot of consultation. One of the first groups to be consulted were our security guards. They had a better sense of where the traffic flow was originating from than anyone.”
And after considerable consultation, planning and development, The Star has an excellent solution.
It transpired that security also had the best handle on the hierarchy of the wayfinding home screen. “We asked security about the most common questions they were fielding from patrons,” recalls Trevor Watt. “Using that feedback we developed a number of hotspot buttons on the wayfinding homepage that direct people instantly to key landmarks and amenities such as the bathrooms, ATMs, disabled access and more.”
Talking to The Star’s Casino Production Manager, Trevor Watt and Digital Media Technician, Michael James, the first decision was perhaps the easiest: the platform. “We have 150 or so existing Scala media players on our cloud-based server,” noted Michael James. “So we knew we wanted the digital wayfinding to use the Scala platform as well. I have no interest in introducing another content management system to do the same thing.” Scala is a way of life at The Star. Anyone with the appropriate logins can access the CMS and make their own tweaks and updates. If you’re an F&B operator with a Scala media player next to your restaurant then you can customise the content on ‘your’ screen(s) to suit your needs. Which meant that when the digital wayfinding screens were introduced, they hung off the same digital signage network and were updated using the same Scala user interface. Content, advertising and other assets were all pulled from the same virtual server.
SECURITY NEED TO KNOW The next decision was ‘where?’. Trevor Watt picks up the story: “This is The Star and decisions like this don’t happen 20
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
ANALYTICS With the critical research done, the signage began to roll out, starting with the areas of highest foot traffic. When idle the landscape-oriented wayfinding screen plays house content, advertising Star events or other content best suited to the position of the kiosk. Once awoken, the touchscreen provides patrons easily followed directions to their destination, across the whole precinct and over the various levels. The journey is laid out in a neat animation to show the shortest route specific to the location of the screen. What’s more, you can conduct your enquiry using the Chinese language version. While the patron is making their enquiry, a micro camera links to an analytics engine making an assessment of the patron’s age and gender, something Trevor Watt is getting excited
about: “The analytics are gold in a place like The Star. We get a real sense of who’s using the units and what they’re searching for. What’s more, we can dynamically tailor some of the onscreen advertising content — we can point the 25 year old male to the Rock Lily Bar, or we can insert a Chanel advertisement into the 50 year old female’s enquiry.” Credit here should also go to Techmedia which, in consultation with the various stakeholders at The Star, developed the content design and programmed the interactive wayfinding using the Scala Designer application.
FUTURE PROOFING The Star makes no secret of the fact the digital wayfinding network is just the beginning. At some point in the not too distant future the wayfinding will also exist on your phone or tablet via a Star app (“That’s the beauty of the Scala platform, it can integrate with just about any device”). Michael James is also looking into putting at least a few of the wayfinding kiosks on the internet so they can pull down online content such as restaurant menus. But at its core, this is a thoroughbred wayfinding system. And when you have a venue such as a modern casino that constantly regenerates, refits, reorients and reorganises, that’s exactly what you need.
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
21
$20M Tech Love Bomb Allianz Stadium invests in screens big and small
In Action
Allianz Stadium now boasts one of the largest video screens ever seen at a rugby league, union or football match in Australia. The Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar match on 15 March 2015 was be the first time Allianz’s giant superscreens, free high density wi-fi and new 1200-screen IPTV network were operational. NSW Waratahs fans got their first chance to experience the $20m worth of world-leading technology on 22 March when the Super Rugby champions hosted arch rivals, the ACT Brumbies, in a replay of 2104’s semi-final.
Daktronics: (02) 9453 4600 or www.daktronics.com OAMM: (02) 9939 3264 or www.oamm.com.au
The Sydney Roosters v Penrith Panthers match on 23 March was the first opportunity for NRL fans to try the mobile food and drink ordering and to experience the high definition 277sqm screens. Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust Chief Executive Jamie Barkley said: “They’re bigger than the video boards at Wembley and Twickenham, and are nearly five times larger than the screens they replace. “Our goal here is to give Sydney’s sports fans an unmatched experience right now — not several years and many millions of dollars away. “You can order food and drink from your seat, keep up with the action on an IPTV screen anywhere in the venue and experience the biggest video boards of any rectangular stadium in Australia.”
22
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
The Daktronics superscreens will introduce Australian fans to a new 13mm LED module, with more than 1.6 million pixels, linked to LED ribbon boards around the upper seating bowl, SCG Trust General Manager Strategy and Projects Piers Thompson said. “The superscreens are 27m wide and more than 10m high, configured in the new 24:9 widescreen format,” Mr Thompson said. “As well as high definition live action and replays, there are opportunities for split screens showing scores, statistics and other stadium-specific messaging. “The technology allows the stadium to be branded by the home team or event, a first for Australia that will improve spectator engagement and provide a home ground advantage for clubs, their fans and sponsors.” The video boards will be the brightest and clearest resolution currently available anywhere in the world, Daktronics Australia General Manager Blair Robertson said. “Allianz Stadium’s new superscreens will breathe new life into what is NSW’s favourite place to watch rugby league, rugby union and football,” Mr Robertson said. Check out OAMM Sales Director, Andrew Christopher’s, column this issue regarding how the IPTV and wi-fi integrate with the big screen experience.
Connect. Engage. Deliver.
Connect your brand to 5 million sports fans.
www.oamm.com.au
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
23
Bring Home The Beacon Beacons Help Animate World War II Sculpture
In Action
Sydney Culture Walk: sydneyculturewalksapp.com Beaconmaker: beaconmaker.com Meld Strategies: meldstrategies.com Brand Culture: brandculture.com.au We Make Apps: wemakeapps.net
24
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
Visitors to Hyde Park can now hear the story behind a major new artwork that honours Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander diggers by tuning in through an app on their smartphones.
“By trialling beacon technology the City is bringing this important historical story to the more than 15,000 people who have downloaded the Sydney Culture Walks App,” the Lord Mayor said.
The City of Sydney is trialling Beacons which will be installed at four locations near ‘Yininmadyemi — Thou didst let fall’, a dramatic sculpture by Aboriginal artist Tony Albert that features imposing marble and steel bullets.
The app features 10 walking tours and includes more than 400 of Sydney’s historical and public art points.
When users of the City’s free Sydney Culture Walks App are in Hyde Park South, a beacon will send them a notification letting them know they can listen to the story that inspired Mr Albert’s artwork. If those on the cultural walk already have the app open they’ll see a popup on their smartphone saying, hey you’re near this particular statue — find out more. The trial will run for 12 months and is being jointly run by the City, Meld Strategies, Brand Culture and Beaconmaker, which are working with the Sydney Culture Walks App developer, We Make Apps. Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the Beacon trial was a great way for people to learn about the meaning of the important new artwork, which is one of seven public artworks being commissioned as part of the City’s Eora Journey program, curated by Hetti Perkins.
DigitalSignage spoke to Beaconmaker’s VP of
Design, Peter Chen, about when and how you should use a beacon. “Only use beacons when you have great content. Beacons are about getting the right content in front of the user; the right messaging. Who knows, a far more sophisticated technology than beacons may well come along in a few year’s time that allows for a far greater level of interaction, but quality content is still going to be paramount. “We work with museums and precincts to help them leverage beacons by developing an app that works with beacons out of the box. Which is what we’ve done with the Sydney Opera House, Central Park shopping centre and Australia Museum. “Last year was about exploration — seeing what beacons could be capable of. This year is about implementation and testing these concepts. “But remember, without content, beacons are nothing.”
Tablet • Desktop • Mobile
videoandfilmmaker.com 150,000 + Likes & Rising! Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
25
Road To Success VideroLED hits Australia with Instant Success
In Action
Story: Christopher Holder
Corporate Initiatives: (03) 8878 9000 or ciasia.com.au VideroLED: videroled.com Camden Signage & Building Services: www.camdenneon.com.au
What better way to introduce a large-format LED technology to the market than to put a couple of examples in one of the most high-traffic locations in the country? Corporate Initiatives (CI) has done exactly that. And in the process it’s ably demonstrated just what VideroLED is capable of. CI partnered with Camden Signs to install, adjacent to the Westgate Freeway, one of Melbourne’s busiest arterials (with plenty of ‘dwell time’ in peak periods), two large-format signboards (one of which is pictured). The portrait-oriented screens enjoy considerable advertising patronage and demonstrate the brightness and colours possible with VideroLED. These screens are, in fact, a first for roadside billboards in Australia, offering both an 8mm pixel pitch and an ‘industry leading’ warranty (up to 5 years). The picture quality is particularly vivid, featuring all SMD technology and brightness level up to 7500 nits. However, sophisticated control mechanisms make it easy for VideroLED to be visual pollution compliant. The larger screen is 63sqm, the other is 30.5sqm. CI has already been enjoying considerable success selling VideroLED into the market,
26
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
including some high-profile clients such as the MCG and Etihad stadiums, which are sporting VideroLED perimeter and parapet LED advertising screens. Clients are liking the fact that fully customised screens are possible direct from the manufacturer, which is bringing down costs considerably. I should stress, VideroLED is much more than a generic LED supplier. One of the consortium partners, Videro of Germany has developed and engineered one the most sophisticated content management systems in the world. Few understand the challenges of video content better, whether moving or still images. CI has years of experience in professional AV design and installation and will help you arrive at the ideal hardware design for the task prior to manufacture. You then have the choice of a turnkey solution that CI can provide or employ your own installation team. Either way, CI will provide the expert assistance you desire. CI will also provide ongoing support and back up the generous factory warranties with a large technical team Australia wide.
Fiddling While London Burns Interactive display shows city’s past and future
New London Architecture (NLA) has unveiled a new interactive model of London in the NLA galleries at The Building Centre. Measuring 12.5 metres in length, the New London Model provides a focal point for Londoners and tourists to learn about the history and future development of the capital. The model replaces its predecessor, first unveiled at the organisation’s inception a decade ago, the day after the announcement that London had won the Olympic bid. Built by Pipers with data supplied by Ordnance Survey, the 1:2000 scale model covers more than 85 square kilometres of London, 19 Boroughs and approximately 170,000 buildings, including 34km of the Thames with its corresponding 21 bridges. A sophisticated projection and lighting system allows buildings and major infrastructure projects to be digitally animated across the surface of the model. Controlled by touchscreens, visitors are able to call up detailed information and key facts on London’s newest buildings and future projects that will help to define the capital. The model is the city’s only physical manifestation of how London will look and progress as new buildings and developments are given the go-ahead.
A series of five bespoke interactive films, integrated with live projections, bring the story of London’s past and future physical development to life. Key moments in history that have shaped the fabric of the city are displayed through sophisticated lighting displays and audio presentations, such as the Great Fire of London in 1666. This event is dramatically visualised on the model as the ‘Square Mile’ of the city of London appears to burn while the rest of the city is plunged into darkness, highlighting the terror and devastation that ravaged London. The future development of the city is represented with the location of the 263 tall buildings planned or under construction in London mapped across the model. Visitors are also able to track the route and impact of new transport links.
In Action
NLA: www.newlondonarchitecture.org
The New London Model will offer an everevolving display, allowing visitors to see how the city will adapt and change, creating a newly improved centre of discussion for London. Regular architectural walking tours of eight central London neighbourhoods — taking place on the second Saturday and last Wednesday of each month — will further reveal how the capital’s buildings and streetscapes are changing.
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
27
BENQ SIGN UP
AGAINST ALL ODDS: RACE BLIMP
Digital display solutions provider BenQ Australia is shipping its series of dual side digital signage solutions. Consisting of two variants, the D Series dual-side DH and DL models are tailor-made for commercial installations looking to increase the impact of their advertising efforts and public information points. “Public spaces are in need of striking solutions that can engage, inform and entertain viewers in order to break away from today’s crowded multimedia surroundings,” Jack Hung, Business Development Manager at BenQ Australia, said. “By putting research and development at the centre of our innovation process, we’ve developed a groundbreaking family of digital signage products that use interactivity, stunning aesthetics and new display possibilities to genuinely capture the attention of viewers. The results are new interactive experiences that can effectively deliver high quality content in any setting.” BenQ’s series of dual-sided signage panels include four 55-inch displays (DH550C, DL550C, DH550F and DL550F). Providing both horizontal and vertical installation options, the solutions can be mounted to walls and ceilings in both indoor and outdoor settings, making the series ideal for a wide range of locations including airports, train stations, transportation hubs and retail stores, the company said. The lightweight displays, which measure less than 25mm thick, feature brightness levels between 450 and 700 nits.
In a world-first, betting company Coral has unveiled a digital blimp above Cheltenham Festival, broadcasting live odds and race results, while also delivering a live aerial feed to Channel 4. The 20m Coral Digital Blimp, created by innovations agency Curb in partnership with Aerial Camera Systems, was fitted with a 6m x 1.2m LED screen on both sides. The blimp was using a new lightweight flexible screen technology called FlexLED, which allows digital screens capable of showing real-time content to be wrapped around everything from buildings to hot air balloons. The result is large format and high resolution digital screens of any shape and size, which can be placed anywhere. Not sure the photo does the screen justice.
Curb Media: www.curbmedia.com
BenQ: (02) 8988 6503 or www.BenQ.com.au
Retail digital signage results in 5 — 15% increase in enquiries, and 35% SPINETIX REMOTE MONITORING: Spinetix, the Swiss manufacturer of digital signage products, has launched its new cloud-based service called Cockpit. Cockpit enables dealers/ administrators to set up, monitor and control customers’ digital signage players from anywhere, performing maintenance and addressing problems before they become an issue. Market research has shown that the quality of on-site service and support is one of the top three challenges for digital signage projects. Up to 30% of the budget is reserved for integration and support services, in particular when digital signage networks are mission critical to customers. Yet, providing quality maintenance and on-site support can be a challenge for dealers. Without
NEWS:
28
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
professional remote monitoring tools, these missions can be unpredictable, risky and expensive, with labour costs adding up quickly. With Spinetix Cockpit, dealers can proactively react and prevent players reaching critical status. Maintenance and support can be done remotely from anywhere, dramatically reducing labour costs. Madison Technologies: 1800 007 780 or www.madisontech.com.au/spinetixcockpit. REALTIME DOOH METRICS: Primesight, in conjunction with On Device Research, has launched Primemobile Live, the first “realtime reporting platform” for outdoor advertising campaigns. Primesight’s
online customer portal will provide instant access to consumer feedback by reporting data on campaign awareness and resultant changes in attitudes and actions as they develop during an ad campaign period. Primesight’s clients can now access performance data on their campaigns at the critical time — while the campaign is in display. Clients utilizing digital displays can also use real-time data to establish a recommendation to change the weight of exposure, or to make creative changes which will optimise the display towards the most effective creative treatments, and therefore benefit from improving ROI. Primesight Outdoor: www.primesight.co.uk
NAVORI GOES TO SCHOOL
CHRISTIE BRINGS DRIVE TO LIFE
The U.S. Department of Education is rolling out a digital signage network powered by Navori Labs, delivering timely and dynamic content to digital display screens throughout in its Washington, DC headquarters. Citing “exceptional ease of use and infinite scalability”, the department will extend the network to locations in Dallas and Denver later this year. The Department of Education facility services team selected the Navori QL digital signage engine following an extensive evaluation of several leading systems. “We wanted full-service digital signage software that would be simple enough for casual users, but robust enough to go department wide,” said Program Manager Joy Jordan, who works for the Office of Management, Department of Education. “We didn’t need a toy. We needed a tool that could be used by a wide variety of people.” Jordan stresses the importance for different users to easily build playlists targeted to specific screens, and how that creates a unified communications experience for the department. To date, the QL digital signage engine is reliably delivering native video, graphics and data to screens in high-traffic areas at headquarters, including lobbies, the cafeteria and waiting areas by the elevators. Jordan notes that the visual quality of the network is exceptional, and is capturing the attention of employees.
One of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers chose Christie’s 4K 3D high frame rate (HFR) projection technology to modernise its 240-square-foot HD glass powerwall at the company’s Vehicle Engineering Center. The upgrade comprises two blended Christie Mirage 4K25 3DLP 4K 3D projectors with Christie Twist and Christie AutoCal for automated blending and alignment for high performing projection at true 120Hz, as well as two Christie Spyder X20 video processors. View powerwall video at automotive company on Christie’s website. The four-sided, room-sized CAVE solution (pictured) provides an environment where users share ‘true-to-life’ experiences. In the case of this company, engineers, while wearing 3D stereoscopic glasses, enter the CAVE and become completely immersed in the computer-generated graphics of the exterior and interior of a vehicle. Engineers will then evaluate ‘view and obscuration’ studies including the mirrors, placement of controls, overall layout and accessibility, styling, and design quality, such as gaps, fits and finishes. With six Christie Mirage HD6K-M 3DLP projectors, each with 6000 ANSI lumens, and one Christie Mirage WU14K-M, with 12,500 ANSI lumens, the total resolution increased from 6.7 megapixels to 12.5 megapixels compared to the former installation. With an Advanced Real Time (ART), virtual reality motion tracking system, the user can perform certain tasks using real world movements and actions.
Command Digital Signage: 1300 780 204 or sales@commandaustralia.com.au
Christie Digital: www.vrs.com.au
reduction in perceived wait times — Lyle Bunn 2014. TURBO-CHARGED WI-FI: The Ruckus ZoneFlex R710 access point (AP) is the industry’s first wi-fi AP based on Wave 2 features of the 802.11ac standard that extends wi-fi to enable multi-gigabit wi-fi performance and unprecedented capacity. The new standard allows transmission of multiple client streams to different devices over the same frequency, a highly anticipated new capability called multi-user multiple input/multiple output (MUMIMO). This enables over two times the density of mobile devices versus Wave 1, and aggregate data rates exceeding two gigabits per second. Among the first organisations to deploy the ZoneFlex R710 within a production environment, the City
of San José, CA, which was able to achieve dramatic performance improvements, reaching over 445 megabits per second speed with two-stream-capable laptops, and over 200 megabits per second with single-stream mobile smart phones. Ruckus Wireless: www.ruckuswireless.com ROLL PLUG ’N’ PLAY DISE: DISE software has been developed for Samsung Smart Signage Platform (SSSP) — an easy plug ’n’ play solution for customers who don’t want to use PC or an external media player. You only need a network, a code and then you are ready to display your
content. The customer has the choice to either run the system as rental subscription (SaaS) or as a self-owned installation on a server. All you need is an internet connection, DISE Composer and DISE Cloud. SSSP is included in DISE new product package called ‘DISE Xpress’. This package will also include Android-based hardware’s and is supported with DISE Composer for those who wants higher freedom and add their own unique templates and content, tickers and other file formats. Works for Samsung DB, DM and DH models.
COUPONS COUPONS COUPONS: iSign Media Solutions is teaming up with POPcodes, a cloud-based Software as a Service company that enables the secure distribution, data gathering and redemption of promotional, loyalty and purchase related content into existing in-store devices. Together they’re working on ways to better facilitate the in-store proof of redemption of all promotions delivered by iSign’s mobile messaging technology to consumers on printed receipts and to provide additional proof of redemption to the retailer/brands/ advertisers.
DISE: dise.com
JEA Technologies: (03) 8736 0330 or jeatech.com.au Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
29
WHO’S WHO:
YOUR GO-TO GUIDE FOR DIGITAL SIGNAGE
3M AUSTRALIA 136 136 www.3M.com/touch
AERIS SOLUTIONS - JUST DIGITAL SIGNAGE (03) 9544 6902 www.justdigitalsignage.com.au
ADVANTECH AUSTRALIA (03) 9797 0100 www.advantech.com
AMBER TECHNOLOGY (02) 9452 8600 www.ambertech.com.au
www.commandaustralia.com.au Command is a specialist digital signage and wayfinding supplier, installer and technology partner. Command is the distributor of the successful Navori digital signage software, a multi-user, multi-site management and screen display software, now including the low cost Android hardware player. Navori is a technically advanced solution suitable for all types of installations from Small Business to Enterprise as either a self-hosted or SAAS system. As a technical partner, Command can provide full supply, project management and installation for the deployment of digital signage systems for corporate, government, hospital, education, small business, retail, stadium and specialist requirements. Command’s product range includes Wayfinding, GlassVu projection films, RoomManager software, kiosks, video extenders, LED displays, media players and a range of mini computers. With 11 years specialising in digital signage, Command’s experience is guaranteed to leave their customers satisfied and productive. In summary, Command is your one stop shop for digital signage solutions and interactive displays.
Shops. DAT Media offer a comprehensive Content Management System and can assist new clients in broadcasting material across existing networks such as those mentioned above or will help you create a complete digital signage network from the ground up. They also have a Creative Services department that can take the hassle out of putting everything together.
Digital Place Solutions International Pty Limited Elanora Heights, NSW 2101 hello@digitalplacesolutions.com www.digitalplacesolutions.com Digital Place Solutions offers - Consulting, Sourcing and Supply services, all with a commercial imperative in mind;
AMX Australia (07) 5531 3103 5 Commercial Drive Southport, Qld 4215 sales@amxaustralia.com.au www.amxaustralia.com.au AMX is synonymous with networking and control systems. Not surprisingly AMX has entered the digital signage industry in its own right (after all, AMX supply a huge amount of gear for everyone else’s DOOH) and have on offer two products. Inspired Xpress is for smaller or simpler installations with a ‘tiny’ media player called the Is-Xpress-1000. The integrated software is comprehensive, yet straightforward and intuitive enough to cater to clients to get their screens up and running quickly with a minimum of servicing the message afterwards. Inspired Xpert is — as you might guess — a more serious DOOH product with better options like HD broadcasting that, among many other extras, takes advantage of those system command and control devices that AMX has in other corners of the warehouse to provide fully-blown large networks. Plus with Inspired XPert customers have access to custom content development and content management services from AMX.
COMMUNITECH (07) 3205 6188 www.communitech.com.au
CISCO SYSTEMS (02) 8446 5000 www.cisco.com/go/dms
COMMAND DIGITAL SIGNAGE Unit 2, 30 Park Road Mulgrave, NSW, 2756 Level 2, 22 Township Drive Burleigh Heads, QLD, 4213 1300 780 204 sales@commandaustralia.com.au
30
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
• Digital Concept Development including Hardware, Content and Software considerations; and • Technology Sourcing as well as Project Management through to Installation Digital Place Solutions assists proactive clients gain a commercial edge through achieving their digital display and consumer engagement ambitions, always with a clear point of difference and a business outlook in mind.
Daktronics Australia Pty Ltd LED display manufacturer Suite 108, Ground Floor, 18 Rodborough Rd Frenchs Forest, NSW 2087 (02) 9453 4600 Blair.robertson@daktronics.com www.daktronics.com Since 1968, Daktronics has been reinventing the way you display. We are the world’s industry leader in designing and manufacturing electronic scoreboards, programmable display systems and large screen video displays. It’s our passion to continuously provide the highest quality standard display products as well as custom-designed and integrated systems.
BENQ AUSTRALIA (02) 8988 6503 www.benq.com.au BLUFI (02) 9792 4188 www.blufi.com.au
• Digital Strategy & Tactics - Develop/Evaluate/Execute;
Drawing from deep experience our four service pools offer diverse capability - Place Based Environments; Technology Insight; Advisory and Implementation; Education and Training. Digital Place Solutions represents NanoLumens Inc. in Australia and New Zealand. NanoLumens creates innovative new generation LED displays in any desired size, shape, or curvature, backed by the industry’s only Six-Year, Zero Failure Tolerance Parts Warranty. Digital Place Solutions also represents Panasonic LED display products in collaboration with the Panasonic Australia Business Systems group. Panasonic have supplied LED displays to the Australian market for over 20 years including some of Australia’s most Iconic sports score boards. Founders Stephen Rubie +61 412 333 710 Gerry Thorley +61 412 339 489
DYNAMIC VISUAL SOLUTIONS (02) 9431 6070 www.dynamicvisualsystems.com.au DAT MEDIA (07) 5575 7798 Ground Floor, 183 Varsity Parade Varsity Lakes Qld 4227 sales@datmedia.com.au www.datmedia.com.au DAT Media was established in 2003 to manage BIG W’s national in-store radio network. With over 15 years experience within the in-store media industry, Managing Director Andrew Becker was quick to notice the emergence of digital signage advertising within the retail sector. He began focusing on creating a visual media solution for current and future clients to harness the power of what was still back then a developing media. The strategy resulted in DAT Media creating a complete digital media network for BIG W that now includes in-store radio, digital signage, register Point Of Sale (POS) and a customer queuing solution that reduces the frustration of being caught in a long — or even wrong — queue. DAT Media expanded rapidly as they claimed some serious scalps for clients — among them Coles, Target and ABC
ENGAGIS 144-148 Pacific Highway North Sydney, NSW 2060 1300 203 810 www.engagis.com Engagis creates connections for over 30 blue chip clients across ten industries, including retail, hospitality, telco, finance, auto and real estate. Specialising in digital touch points along the pathway to purchase, including digital signage, self-order kiosks, mobile apps, mobile loyalty and enterprise solutions, Engagis manages over 19,000 connected devices in more than 4,000 locations. Engagis is the in-store digital media provider for the likes of Telstra, Bupa, Target, Flight Centre, Noodle Box and Country Road, to name a few.
INNOVATEQ (03) 9465 5055 www.innovateq.com.au
FINGERMARK DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES 15 Halsey Street, Freemans Bay Auckland, New Zealand +64 (09) 358 4047 sales@fingermark.co.nz www.fingermark.co.nz A specialist provider of indoor and outdoor digital signage and kiosk solutions, Fingermark proudly offers its customers a complete turnkey solution, providing specialist advice, all hardware and software, content creation and distribution and nationwide service and support across Australasia. Adding to this, we have full software capability in-house which delivers a seamless approach. We design and develop our own customised solutions and have built a reputation for being leading edge thinkers, understanding the complexities around implementing digital technologies within challenging environments, especially in the outdoor market. Our service orientated model allows us to tailor our solutions to more accurately meet the specific needs of our customers. Enquire today. Innovate tomorrow.
FUJITSU DIGITAL MEDIA SOLUTIONS (03) 9924 3468 www.fujitsu.com.au HERMA TECHNOLOGIES (03) 9480 6233 www.herma.com.au
HEWSHOTT INTERNATIONAL (08) 6230 2780 www.hewshott.com
IMAGE DESIGN TECHNOLOGY (IDT) 1300 666 099 Unit 2, 33-35 Alleyne Street, Chatswood Nsw 2057 Sales@idt.com.au www.idt.com.au Image Design Technology (IDT) is based in Chatswood, NSW and operates primarily as a wholesale supplier of signal distribution equipment and commercial video displays including, of course, digital signage devices. Among a long list of products IDT is the distributor of Brightsign solid state digital signage devices and Magenta signal distribution solutions. Displays include NEC and Samsung screens. IDT doesn’t have any one particular digital signage service or software application to which they align themselves to — it doesn’t have its ‘own’ complete digital signage solution aside from the Brightsign products — instead, IDT’s specialty is in providing from its catalogue of preferred manufacturers of display and monitor screens, media players, streaming video over IP, matrix and signal distribution boxes — you name it, to get the job done. Have a look at the credits for any major project undertaken in Australia during the last few years and you’ll probably find IDT has been involved somewhere along the line.
INSTOREVISION 0412 960182 www.instorevision.com.au/digital-signage/
JEA Technologies Pty Ltd (03) 9757 5060 44-48 Rocco Drive Scoresby, Vic 3179 sales@jeatech.com.au www.jeatech.com.au
INTEL (02) 9937 5800 www.intel.com
interactive controls
pty ltd
INTERACTIVE CONTROLS (02) 9436 3022 www.interactivecontrols.com.au Interactive Controls (IC) offers a variety of services to customers from consultation to sales, hire and installation of display and control system equipment and software. They also design and develop media and hardware control systems for specific events, installations, film and commercial shoots, exhibitions, museums... okay, you get the picture. Medialon and Dataton hardware and software products get the nod from Interactive Controls and for digital signage in particular IC offers the Medialon show and media control software and embedded controllers along with Dataton Watchout and Medialon MIP HD Interactive Media Player. There is also the Medialon Scheduler application, which allows control of multiple venues and screens from a central server. Given Interactive Controls’ wide experience in installing innovative display systems it can help you choose the best way to deliver your vision and with Medialon’s strong history in show control systems, IC will no doubt have a neat trick or two to suggestfor impressing your audience.
INTERACTIVITY 1300 797 199 Level 1, 1268 - 1270 High Street Armadale, VIC, 3143 sales@interactivity.com.au www.interactivity.com.au In 2004 Interactivity was set up as a result of a partnership between F1 Software to develop the Interactivity foil which enables any window to become fully interactive ‘through the glass’ by allowing anyone, using their finger, to interact with a rear projected image or screen behind the glass. Interactivity is now embedded in this emerging popular industry of Interactive and Digital Signage and associated products. Its products and services are known for reliability, functionality and most importantly our ability to future proof the technology we deliver.
JEA Technologies has partnered with leading manufacturers of electronic peripherals and display products from around the globe and supplies these products to customers in Australia and New Zealand. Our customers can rely on JEA to work with them to carefully select and supply the most appropriate products for their needs, ensuring that these products meet our customer’s technical and commercial requirements, and to support these products over their life span. JEA’s Display products include Very High Brightness LCD’s, in sizes up to 72in and 5000cd/m² ( nits), Stretched LCD’s, MultiTouch Tables and Multi-Touch application software, Touch screen sensors and touch screen monitors, with particular emphasis on Projected Capacitive Touch technologies, Panel PC’s, Digital Signage PC’s and Industrial Grade Wireless modems. JEA customers are mainly systems integrators and resellers. JEA supplies these customers with high levels of technical support, pre-and post-sales, as well as warranty and non-warranty support and service from our Melbourne offices and workshop. JEA also stocks in depth allowing customers to source products at short notice.
LG ELECTRONICS (02) 8805 4409 www.lg.com.au
MADISON TECHNOLOGIES SPECIALIST AV DIVISION 1800 00 77 80 Australia wide avexperts@madisontech.com.au www.madisonthech.com.au Madison is a manufacturer and distributor of technology infrastructure and hardware across cabling, networking, wireless, audio visual, and test and measurement disciplines. Australian owned and operated for over 20 years, Madison has been keeping Australian homes and business well connected. Which is appropriate, because our brand promise is Well Connected™. The principle behind our brand promise is that by working with Madison, either as a valued supplier or customer, you are well connected. It’s how we connect to our market, and it’s how we help you connect to your world. Madison Technologies’ Broadcast and Audio Visual solutions include AV Cable and Cabling Assemblies, Connectors and Adaptors, Digital Signage, Microphone Systems, Switching and Conversion, USB Extension, Video and Audio Distribution. Did you know? Madison is the largest Australian Distributor of Belden Audio Visual products, with stock held in four warehouses across the country, and dedicated specialist staff in each state.
MDS PACIFIC (02) 9888 7715 www.mdspacific.com Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
31
WHO’S WHO:
YOUR GO-TO GUIDE FOR DIGITAL SIGNAGE
MOOD MEDIA AUSTRALIA 1800 808 368 www.moodmedia.com.au
SEIFERT SYSTEMS (03) 9801 1906 www.seifertsystems.com.au
TOSHIBA (02) 9887 6000 www.mytoshiba.com.au
NEC AUSTRALIA 131 632 www.nec.com.au
THE SCREENMEDIA GROUP (02) 8090 6565 www.thescreenmediagroup.com
TRIPLE PLAY (02) 9929 3849 www.tripleplay-services.com
OAMM 02 9939 3264 www.oamm.com.au
SHARP AUSTRALIA 1300 13 55 30 www.sharp.net.au
URBAN INTELLIGENCE (03) 9514 6000 www.urbanintel.com.au
PANASONIC AUSTRALIA (02) 9491 7400 www.panasonic.com.au
PRODUCTION AUDIO VIDEO TECHNOLOGY (03) 9264 8000 www.pavt.com.au
QUINTO COMMUNICATIONS (02) 9894 4244 www.quinto.com.au
RUTLEDGE AV www.rutledge.com.au (03) 9488 1534
SAMSUNG 1300 362603 8 Parkview Drive Homebush, NSW 2127 sales@samsung.com www.samsung.com Samsung’s digital signage is centred on its Large Format Display (LFD) range, a screen with chameleon characteristics in its role as the basis for all Samsung’s DOOH products. There is a straightforward model that can be used either stand-alone in portrait or landscape mode or as a part of a limited multi-screen display. A slightly different UD model can be linked with up to 250 units for a wall of vision. There is a Touchscreen version including an outdoor type with features to withstand the elements and a specialised uVending model for installing in the front of vending machines. MagicInfo is Samsung’s proprietary software for content control and creations. Samsung’s PROM system is already taking DOOH solutions along the fast-developing path of providing audience statistics to tailor the signage content. A wide dynamic range (WDR) camera embedded discreetly somewhere in the installation captures and recognises faces to determine who is actually watching the screen. PROM can either just collate the information for market analysis or actively change the display according to who is viewing it. It’s both clever and almost scary ‘big brother’ stuff. We’re assured these systems are completely anonymous. Still, maybe keep one hand on your wallet.
SCREENCORP 1300 65 90 93 www.screencorp.com.au
32
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
SONY AUSTRALIA 1800 017 669 www.sony.com.au STREAMING MEDIA (02) 9460 0877 www.streamingmedia.net.au STREAMVISION PTY LTD 1300 300 407 www.streamvision.com.au SUMO VISUAL GROUP (03) 8290 0500 sales@sumovisualgroup.com.au www.sumovisualgroup.com.au
INTRODUCING VIDEROLED www.videroLED.com VideroLED brings together the world’s most efficient LED manufacturers, Europe’s most advanced control and content management engineers and Australia’s most innovative AV integration company. It’s a combination that delivers you a properly specified and finished project every time, inclusive of design and specification, procurement, installation and maintenance support. Overall it’s a value proposition so compelling that prior to its official launch VideroLED won major contracts at Emporium, the MCG and Etihad as well as for QIC shopping centres throughout Australia. Such customers readily understand an LED screen is on display for its lifetime, not just the day of install. They are also delighted to substantially save on costs. Because thanks to its manufacturing strength, VideroLED is able to offer exceptional quality across a range of price points up to and including Nichia componentry, and is able to do so at a remarkably competitive price.
TECHMEDIA DIGITAL SYSTEMS (SCALA) (02) 9526 7880 Unit 7 / 65 Captain Cook Drive Taren Point NSW 2229 info@techmedia.com.au www.techmedia.com.au TechMedia is one of Australia’s premier digital visual communications companies. TechMedia’s expertise is centered around the digital platforms, content and services driving the growth in Connected Signage and DOOH. With over 17 years of experience with Scalabased network deployment and management as well as customised hardware and data integration development, there is an abundance of local knowledge to tap into. Scala boasts an impressive list of clientele and is responsible for over 200,000 screens worldwide. Scala’s experience shows in its product; the comprehensive content creation and distribution software goes one step further with Scala Ad Manager, an accounting add-on that handles the financial side of your DOOH business such as generating invoices. In the hardware department, Scala has its own Scala Player for linking with the Content Manager software. From there Techmedia will source display screens and networks best suited to the job.
TECHTEL (02) 9906 1488 www.techtel.tv TELSTRA 1300 835 782 www.telstraenterprise.com
VISION2WATCH 1300 369 294 www.vision2watch.com.au As part of Vision2Watch global, Vision2Watch Australia is locally owned and operated. We deliver a range of out-of-home (OOH) Interactive and Digital Solutions to transform ordinary spaces and surfaces into touch and motion-activated displays. We’re also excited to be involved with Augmented Reality (AR) technology - specialising in the development of customised AR applications to help our clients achieve a cutting-edge promotional campaign.
VISUAL TECHNOLOGIES (03) 8692 6644 www.visualtechnologies.com.au
WILSON & GILKES (02) 9914 0900 www.gilkon.com.au
Should your business be included in our Who’s Who section? Listing is free. Contact Chris Holder at: chris@dsmag.com.au
Get Your Own
Do you work in the digital signage sector and would you like to secure your own copy of DigitalSignage? It’s easy, log onto our website and register. It’s free.
www.dsmag.com.au
Comment:
Museums: A Mummy Blog
Story: Mug Punter
F
or hundreds of years museums have rightly been dim and dusty places, protectors of our heritage filled with tattered books and moth-eaten, stuffed animals; our precious history safeguarded behind glass cabinets with little name plaques written in Latin. Admittedly, not a place for the academically faint-hearted. Usually, you could pick up a sort of mud-map at the front door, then you followed lines and arrows marked on the floor through the building’s maze, dutifully pausing at various displays because the instruction booklets insisted these are somehow really interesting (no, we’re still talking about museums, not Ikea) until you eventually emerged into the sunlight again and feeling somewhat bewildered about it all. With a bit of luck, you might have seen an ostrich egg. You might agree it can be hard to get excited over much of this historical stuff. A lot of it is just... well, stuff. Even a piece of moon rock looks like something the curator picked up in the museum car park for a laugh. Tutankhamen’s sarcophagus? Meh — I’ve seen it on the telly a million times. In fact, it was much more exciting on television, because then it had this angry dude wrapped in bandages lying inside. He’d jump out and chase people with his arms out-stretched, eventually killing them somehow even though King Tut was obviously not in good physical nick under all those wrappings.
It’d be cool to visit that museum in the movies that comes to life at midnight and everybody goes crazy, trashing the joint. You probably think that it’s all make-believe, but seriously — a film script like that is going to send anyone bananas. I reckon it’s real. Technology and digital signage have been trying to make museums real and more relevant in the modern world, bringing them to life with animations and interactive displays. Touchscreens have played a big part in this and it’s kind of bizarre that for centuries we’ve been slapping children on the back of the head for putting their sticky fingers on the glass — and now that’s exactly what we want them to do... at least, if they could do it properly. One of the new social problems associated with interactive displays is that people are now expected to wait their turn. There are few things more frustrating than standing back,
34
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
waiting for your turn, watching some over-zealous parent intent on educating their hyperactive rugrat by encouraging them to operate a touchscreen themselves — and the gumby little sod keeps hitting the wrong buttons. It’s worse than queuing up behind an ATM-illiterate, who reads every word on the screen, can’t decide what they want to do — and drags out one card after another.
Okay, settle down, nothing is as bad as waiting for someone who can’t work an ATM, but you know what I mean about folks hogging interactive displays. There should be a law against it, or maybe an automated announcement built in, something like, “Your idiot child has exceeded the time limit required for proving any meaningful intelligence or hand-eye co-ordination. It’s annoying. Please move on”. I’m not joking. Otherwise we’re in danger of spawning a whole new 21st century phenomenon called “Rage-quitting the museum”.
Here’s a weird thing — many visitors in a museum can feel strangely obligated to stand and watch an entire audiovisual presentation, even though they’re not particularly interested, because they don’t want to somehow offend the electronic gizmo behind the black curtain. Museums can be sneaky, triggering these displays by using infra-red beams and motion detectors (hmm... I wonder if Tom Cruise in his black Mission Impossible ninja suit could walk through an entire museum without tripping any hidden automated displays?). Trapped by a voiceover, the audience stands like a deer in the headlights enduring an AV show on something they couldn’t give a hoot about. It’s a bit like going to the cinema in Hollywood. Apparently it’s a cardinal sin to leave the picture theatre before all the credits have rolled in case someone sitting next to you is mentioned in them and gets their feelings hurt. We’ve possibly caused a whole new condition we’ll call “digital content congestion”. When three of more people refuse to move out the way, because they’re watching an AV presentation they don’t like, but don’t want to offend anything. Modernised museums... I’m not convinced. By the time your overloaded senses have seen the final PowerPoint presentation, heard the last voiceover from a mannequin, pressed every button and touched all the screens setting off a million bells and whistles— maybe that smelly, dusty museum of yore might not seem such a bad place after all. They were kind of quiet, right? Full of stuff that might be unremarkable, but at least it’s real and
not virtual. Most of the time you had the joint all to yourself, too. I’d want to be chased around by Tutankhamen’s mummy, though. Only for a little while, long enough to work up a thirst for a warm beer and stale egg sandwich in the cafe. That can be the interactive bit, being chased by a homicidal bloke wrapped in bandages.
That’s not too much to ask for given what they can do nowadays. Mug Punter’s curmudgeonly carping does not necessarily reflect the views of DigitalSignage. If you have a differing view contact the editor Chris Holder on chris@dsmag.com.au
Cloud-Based
Digital Signage Solutions WebSuite
A Web-based Digital Signage Content Management Platform*
Enterprise Class Features Server Publishing Content Playlists User Permission Levels Multiple User Access Database Integration Support (EZ-Steam Add-on)
Call Today to Learn More
Contact PAVT sales@productionaudio.com.au 03 9264 8000
*Available in a cloud-based SaaS or on-premise server configuration Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
35
Get the WOW Factor with NEC
NEC launches large format entry level commercial display panels to further enhance their comprehensive range. NEC Large E Series Display Panels are feature-rich, with superior visual quality, ideal for boardrooms, education and digital signage applications. E705, E805, E905 are 70, 80 and 90 inch respectively, with 23mm bezel width Full metal chassis, commercial grade panel with thermostatic temperature control Programmable ambient light sensor, full scheduler feature Optional OPS slot for PCs, HDBaseT receiver NaviSet 2.0 Admin Asset Management Tool 3 year warranty RRP starts from $6600 Large stocked range of Chief mounting solutions also available from IDT For the latest promotions news and product information, contact our telephone support team
1300 666 099
Or visit www.idt.com.au to find out more.
A MIDWICH GROUP COMPANY