Member Digital Signage Case Studies

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services.

CBC is dedicated to delivering its news journalism to a wide audience, exploiting new and innovative new media - such as digital signage - to connect with people no matter where they are.

CBC rolled-out its CBC News Express broadcast service to six major airports across Canada - including Toronto Pearson International Airport, the busiest in Canada - to ensure that critical news and weather reports are available to the thousands of people who pass through the country's airports each day.

CBC was replacing a previous system and needed a solution with advanced content management capabilities that would be able to support the expansion across multiple airports.

Outcome of the Project:

The Audience software platform enables CBC News Express to present the latest video content and live data feeds for up-to-the minute local and national news, weather, business and sports updates.

Because the Audience solution is an open system that integrates easily with existing hardware and software, the CBC didn't have to 'rip and replace' its entire infrastructure, which helped minimize costs.

Robert Bishop, Executive Producer at CBC commented: “As Canada's national broadcaster, CBC takes the management of public dollars extremely seriously. And, CBC News Express is an important source of commercial revenue for the Corporation. Similarly, we can't compromise quality for cost because we have a reputation for delivering technologically advanced broadcasts across every medium. After a rigorous selection process, we chose Capital Networks as our digital signage partner because it delivers on both these points: the solution is cost-effective because it's so scalable and open; and the quality of broadcast is second to none, as is content management.”

“Capital Networks bridges the gap between digital signage and broadcasting,” Bishop continued. “Most companies fall into one category - digital signage vendor or broadcasting production - but Capital Networks has a solid history in both. Its Audience solution ensures that our programming is really sophisticated in terms of layout and design and meets our need for flexibility and rapid delivery in a rapidly changing news environment.”

Because the Audience software platform is highly scalable and open it permitted CBC to replace the previous installation at an affordable price while also providing the opportunity for planned future installations at additional locations.

The digital signage network has become an important source of revenue and has created new sponsorship opportunities through the readily customizable scheduling found in the Audience platform.

Switching to the Audience platform provided the CBC with improved flexibility to transition to live breaking news programming across the entire network.

Northern Alberta Institute of Technology is a post-secondary education learning center offering more than 250 programs, including 35 apprenticeship trades, and more than 1,400 continuing education courses. NAIT is the largest apprenticeship trainer in Canada with nine schools spread over three cumpuses, and provides course-specific instruction to more than 84,400 students each year.

As students, staff and visitors arrived at the various NAIT campuses on weekends and evenings during reduced staff hours, many of them relied on a Web-based class scheduling system to find their classroom start times and the classroom locations. With such a large number of courses and locations students would frequently have difficulty finding their classes on time.

Outcome of the Project:

The digital signage system commissioned by NAIT was developed and installed by authorized Audience reseller Matrix Video. The system included a network of LCD screens and a client-driven content message system that was distributed to high traffic areas located throughout NAIT's main campus and two satellite campuses.

The NAIT Information Display System topology consists of a master PC workstation which controls distributed small-form factor PCs driving 13 LCD public display screens. All systems are connected on the NAIT corporate IP network. The screens are deployed at various heavily trafficked campus locations, enabling students and staff to get last-minute information about their classroom locations and classroom start times.

To coordinate content creation and delivery, a complete Audience software suite was utilized, including creation, management and playback software. As well, the remote access and management tool Audience Billboard was added giving students and staff the ability to post and manage messages on the network.

Carl Enright, director of the NAIT continuing education program, says because of the popularity of the continuing education program's Information Display System, its original use has expanded from just classroom start times and classroom locations to an all-purpose student communications system. “The IDS digital sign system now includes postings about exam schedules, campus sport scores, locations of instructor offices, NAIT News (updates on student and school activities) and is also a part of the Security Alert campus system,” Enright said. Enright is more than pleased with the digital signage system, as it has not only expanded into a more sophisticated campus news and activities “ticker,” but also has physically grown from its original nine LCD displays to 13 campus locations. Enright believes over time, as more of the students and staff come to depend on the Information Display System, it will evolve into an NAIT knowledge system. As for the effectiveness of NAIT's current digital signage system, Enright said, “Prior to the IDS installation, our department handled many student complaints, primarily, 'where is my classroom?' Now, with this digital sign system in place, this year to date, we only handled about six complaints, which is incredible."

The open air atrium of the Campus Centre at the New Westminster Campus of Douglas College in Vancouver,
BC, is the heart of student life and the visual centerpiece of the campus. Three floors of open air and natural light provide a framework for casual and formal meetings as well as easy access to campus business and student support services. As the administration began planning renovation of the facility and an update to the centre’s architecture, they quickly realized a large-scale presentation system would be needed to facilitate communication with visitors to the building. A few discreet video monitors were not going to cut it - this job was going to require something extraordinary.It became clear to the Douglas design team that a hinged mounting system attached to a main structural upright located in front of the student commissary might be the only viable location. With the right design and hardware, a large presentation screen could be suspended in a way that would enable the display to be turned to the back and left for general viewing, but also turned forward for formal presentations. No commercially available solution could handle all the requirements for strength, durability, and fluid motion that this project presented, so Douglas College called on the Peerless-AV Custom Solutions Team.

BEFORE

Install in Process

AFTER

Project Outcomes:

After the architectural firm’s designs were presented, approved, and accepted by the College in May 2011, the Peerless-AV Team took on the challenge. They came back just eight weeks later with a preliminary design and concept. The video wall matrix would hold nine 46” NEC displays in a 3 x 3 array. Each screen would need to independently move in and out to address any maintenance or service issues. The total weight that would have to hang and move on the two hinges was approximately 1,800 pounds. The entire apparatus would be balanced so that one person could change the viewing angle of the display.

By early August, the final product was completed and shipped to British Columbia. Once on the site, installing the unit was the final challenge. Special scaffolding was erected just for the installation of the mounting system. Almost a ton of weight was being added to the structural upright so careful adjustments had to be made to counterbalance the additional load that the structure would bear.

By September 22, 2011, the Douglas College administration and student body unveiled the new display system at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Peerless-AV Custom Solutions Team. Everything worked perfectly. The display, easily moveable by a single person, could face outward for general usage, or turn inward for formal presentations.

The product ultimately delivered by the Peerless-AV Custom Solutions Team was strong, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing, fitting in seamlessly with the design of the space and the needs of the people who use it. On time, on budget, on target, and exceeding expectations, this project was a win for all involved.

“We essentially created our own TV station, called ‘Inside MK TV’, which shares content from our corporate intranet.” Leigh Harrison, Manager of Employee Communications and Recognition, Mary Kay, Inc.

Business Challenges

• Deliver impactful, targeted messages: Send tailored information to internal employees and job applicants.
  
• Minimize IT department responsibility: Deploy a solution that wouldn’t create more work for IT.
  

Technology Solutions

• OpenService: The digital signage solution provides an easy way to create and deliver different content to various audiences, without requiring dedicated support staff.
  
• Remote management: Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT), ₁ enables the media players and displays to be securely maintained and supported offsite by OpenService*.
  

Company

Mary Kay* is one of the world’s largest direct selling companies with more than $3 billion in annual wholesale sales worldwide. Mary Kay was founded in 1963 by Mary Kay Ash with the goal of helping women achieve personal growth and financial success. Mary Kay remains committed to enriching women’s lives, and today more than 2.4 million people of all backgrounds are enjoying the advantages of being Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants. Mary Kay’s high-quality skin care and color cosmetic products are sold in more than 35 countries around the world.

Business Challenges

Mary Kay sought a simple way to communicate with employees and job applicants at its two large facilities in the Dallas, Texas area. Their goal was to tailor information for different audiences, such as safety, culture and company news messages to employees; and company values, culture and information to job applicants. Having relied primarily on paper, intranet and email to communicate messages, the company was turning to digital signage to extend their communication reach and speed up their time-to-message. For instance, they wanted to issue timely warnings, such as bad weather, fire or safety concerns, and connect with employees who didn’t have computer access and with “meeting warriors” – those who go from meeting to meeting and have limited desk time to read emails. Due to the many different factors, the digital signage solution had to be hosted offsite. The IT department supported this option and worked with OpenService to ensure the solution fully met Mary Kay’s stringent technical standards.

“A major factor was the OpenService* solution could be easily extended internationally, which was important because Mary Kay* is a global company.” Leigh Harrison, Manager of Employee Communications and Recognition, Mary Kay, Inc.

Technology Solutions

Mary Kay selected OpenService because it was a one-stop digital signage solution that satisfied all their needs. This included content creation and management software, media players and displays, offsite hosting and remote management.

High performance, yet compact media players
The OpenService solution employs AOpen* DE67-HA media players to render multi-zone content on high definition (HD) displays. AOpen DE67-HA, pictured in Figure 2, is one of the world’s smallest media players, yet it is built with high performance, mobile 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors designed with power saving features. The processors integrate Intel® HD Graphics, which satisfies the growing demand for dynamic interactive apps such as video conferencing, social media, interactive menu boards, kiosks, HD movies, and many more powerful, content-heavy applications.

Remote Management
The AOpen DE67-HA lowers the total cost of ownership (TCO) for digital signage through the use of Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT). This key ingredient enables OpenService, to diagnose and repair Mary Kay signage systems remotely, thus maximizing uptime and lowering support costs by reducing the number of expensive on-site repairs, Intel® AMT can also be used to automatically power systems on/off during off hours to minimize overall power consumption or to track hardware asset information without physical interaction, even in a powered-off state. The advanced management capabilities of Intel® AMT enabled OpenService to offer the only solution that could be expanded internationally, where Mary Kay has operations in 29 countries.

Software Flexibility
OpenService also made software changes to accommodate special requests. Security was a huge concern; and there, content encryption was implemented as specified by the IT department. Mary Kay also requested the number of time slots be increases from three to four, allowing them to have more granular control over turning off the systems during non-peak time to reduce power consumption.

Initial Deployment

Mary Kay’s global manufacturing plant in Dallas operates 24/6 and produces a good portion of the products needed to meet worldwide demand. For the corporate employee communications group, manufacturing was the ‘last mile of employees’, meaning they weren’t getting essential information from the company intranet, revamped print media, and email blasts. As a result, a digital signage pilot was started with seven systems, three of which were placed in the global manufacturing plant: in the break room, main cafeteria and a gathering place called the coffee hall, as shown in Figure 3. The remaining systems were located at the global headquarters’ facility in three of the elevator lobbies and the HR lobby in view of job applicants.

When the system went live, OpenService transmitted the content wirelessly over the Sprint* network to the displays (via OpenService media players) located throughout Mary Kay. The wireless connectivity allowed Mary Kay to place the systems where they would be most effective and without installing hardwired network connections. In addition, OpenService securely managed the digital signage using Intel® AMT. This technology enables the remote diagnosis and repair of many issues over the wire, regardless of the system’s hardware or software state.

Content Production

A major portion of the project was content creation, for which OpenService worked together with Mary Kay to develop forty screen templates that automated the production and playback of content. According to Leigh Harrison, OpenService was the only vendor capable of providing content direction through all facets of the project. Consultants guided the process of setting up the templates, suggesting how long content should sit, how much content should on the screen and how to organize the enormous amount of content. “OpenService* brought a vast amount of knowledge to help us understand what we were getting into” said Leigh Harrison.

The templates were divided into zones to accommodate graphics, videos, photos, text, RSS feeds, news tickers, traffic and weather feeds and the like. Since different groups, like manufacturing and HR, wanted to broadcast specialized content, some of the templates were customized. The work was captured in digital blueprint – a 100 page document stating what content is on each panel, font sizes, file naming conventions, etc.

OpenService’s graphics expertise helped Mary Kay develop an internal brand image, called ‘Inside MK TV.’ Custom graphics and backgrounds were created to highlight the various company programs, such as wellness, social responsibility, green activities, corporate responsibility and the culture committee. Another visual element was a “photo story” that rotated through a series of images using a special template. The artistic and creative contributions by Mary Kay and OpenService made the large amount of content look unique and inviting.

Sustainable and Green

Knowing its actions today will affect the quality of life for future generations, Mary Kay continuously seeks opportunities to improve their environmental performance. The company is proud of its many sustainability programs, including tree planning, the use of renewable materials and efforts to be classified as Zero Landfill at the manufacturing and distribution facilities, among many others.

Consistent with these green values, the OpenService solution enables Mary Kay to automatically power-off systems after business hours, such as Sundays in the manufacturing plant, and weekdays between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., as well as weekends, in the global headquarters building. The system uses Intel® AMT to reliably power on/off displays and their associated media players.

Already Paying Dividends

In a short time, the digital signage solution is having a positive impact. Employee participation is increasing at corporate events, including volunteer activities, and manufacturing workers seem to have a better understanding of what’s happening in the organization. The displays convey important safety messages, track progress on minimizing safety incidents and communicate expected behavior.

In the corporate office, the displays rally employees to cheer for notable visitors when they enter the building – image looking up eight floors and seeing hundreds of folks clapping from the rails. The displays also keep employees informed about all sorts of things: Earth Day events, the schedule for Mary Kay Day or when the latest corporate magazine hits the newsstand.

The digital signs also improve the visitor experience by giving them a feeling about the corporate culture and information they need to know about the company. Job candidates see recruiting videos of employees talking about Mary Kay, allowing them to get a better sense of whether or not they would be a good fit for the company.

From a system support perspective, Mary Kay has seen the benefits of Intel® AMT. OpenService can see the digital signage network and make sure everything is working; thus, the IT department doesn’t get calls to service the digital signage solution. On one occasion, a unit required service and OpenService used Intel® AMT to quickly remedy the issue remotely, avoiding a more costly on-site repair visit.

One-Stop Digital Signage Solution

OpenService* is an alliance of hardware, software, installation and content creation partners seeking to minimize the challenges associated with digital signage deployments. The alliance addresses system architecture, content creation, hardware and networking, content hosting and system management. Today, many small and medium sized businesses deploying digital signage are overwhelmed by the complexity and are typically unable to achieve their original objectives.

“Basically, the alliance is trying to make the process simpler and the end result much more effective,” said Vernon Slack, director of business development for AOpen* America. “The reality is running and maintaining a digital signage solution may be outside the comfort zone of some businesses, and now it’s possible to oursource all aspects of the digital signage experience, leveraging the capabilities of the OpenService* alliance.”

OpenService* end to end services include:

• Consulting Services: A consulting team will facilitate the process of creating a customized solution and developing a long-term strategy to meet business needs.
  
• Remote Management: Advanced Intel® technologies are used to update, maintain and repair systems remotely, lowering the overall total cost of ownership.
  
• Content Management: Unique and customized content can be developed by OpenService to keep messages fresh and viewers engaged.
  
• Analytical Services: The effectiveness of digital signage can be measured using Intel® audience Impression metrics Suite (Intel® AIM Suite).
  

To learn more about OpenService, visit www.open-service.org
For more information about Intel in digital signage, visit www.intel.com/retail

Advertising can get lost in the fold and many theater and concert audiences have grown impervious to traditional billboards, pop up signs, and posters. MSSI and AOpen are looking to change the way signs and advertising are presented to audiences and viewers around the world. 

The Best Buy® Theater, located in the heart of Times Square, is very well known for hosting high profile events such as concerts, press events, live television, web broadcasts, and award shows, including the Heisman Trophy Ceremony, which has taken place at this venue since 2005. The multi-use facility has hosted famous bands and singers such as Jennifer Lopez, Rhianna, Linkin Park, The Roots, New Found Glory, and Jay-Z. Drawing in such a wide and diverse audience, the Best Buy Theater® has the potential to influence and inspire on a level that most venues would be unable to match with its intimate and updated décor and sophisticated digital signage deployment.

Working with the one of Best Buy’s architects, MSSI helped design, spec and implement the digital deployments now residing in the Best Buy Theater. The original build out for this deployment took only two months, with the full deployment taking an additional nine months to develop the patent pending SoftSync syncing technology now used  for the video wall. MSSI chose the AOpen DE67 and DE7000 media players because the deployment required media player hardware that could handle high uptimes with low failure rates as well high end computing specifications to run the syncing technology and high definition video.

Walking into the lobby, patrons are greeted by a large 6 by 3 video wall. The wall is 20 ft. across and displays High Definition content powered by an AOpen DE67. This wall provides a wow factor that captivates users and draws them in to look at the brand building HD content on the screen.

The downstairs Best Buy lounge area features five interactive touch screen displays. Each display is powered by an AOpen DE7000 and offers users a unique experience in advertising. One of the largest challenges in interactive advertising is the loss of the branding message when users are interacting with the system. But in this case, each display has the ability to play an interactive video, without losing the background branding, utilizing a proprietary transparent flash and video layering system. This allows content such as Best Buy products to be browsed while the branding is clearly visible in the background.

About MSSI:

MSSI provides digital media communications software and integration services for companies operating digital media networks. It offers custom applications that manage multimedia content or that interact with customers, employees, or the general public. MSSI develops and markets software that interacts with a wide range of devices, other software; and third party systems. In addition, MSSI offers managed services, including hosting, monitoring, support, and content development. The company’s products are used to remotely manage, schedule, and deliver digital media content on an Internet based network to various display devices. MSSI serves retail, hospitality, large venue, and government sectors in the US and Europe. MSSI was founded in 2009 and is based in Bloomington, Minnesota with a development group in Arhus, Denmark.

About AOpen:

AOpen, Inc. founded in 1996 is headquartered in Taiwan with offices in America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. AOpen has more than 10 years of IT hardware manufacturing experience along with keen insights into IT industry trends that help drive the growth of AOpen. As the leading manufacturer of digital signage hardware solutions world-wide, AOpen keeps expanding its products and services for digital signage and other vertical application markets. With in-depth market knowledge, AOpen can offer advice for complete digital signage platform solutions. AOpen has cultivated a sophisticated ecosystem of premium solution providers to offer its solutions via its value added channel network to the market.

Objective of the Project:

Customer Overview:

The Rose Garden is a $267 million, multi-purpose arena that opened in the fall of 1995. The arena is part of The Rose Quarter in Portland, Oregon and home to Portland Trail Blazers NBA franchise. The Rose Quarter includes the 20,000-seat Rose Garden, 12,000-seat Memorial Coliseum, 6,500-seat Theater of the Clouds, 40,000-square foot Exhibit Hall and the Rose Quarter Commons all of which is managed by AEG Facilities. The Rose Garden, which is owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, is the main indoor sports arena in Oregon. It is the host venue for many large indoor events, including ice hockey, rodeos, circuses, conventions, ice shows, and concerts. Ovations Food Services is the official food and beverage concessionaire for the Rose Quarter venues.

Project Scope:

To transform static backlit menu board and promotional posters to a dynamic 1X4 video wall appearance with full motion video interlaced with the menu items and pricing. In addition, provide a promotional point of purchase element with social networking elements like Twitter or Facebook.

Project Outcome:

The results of the objective were met with rave reviews from the mall management as well as peer retailers. The director of marketing noted a 22% increase in their bulk cookie sales after 12 days of the install going live. Our solution was reproduced and LPS supported the install of the solution in Dubai. This is currently being used as the digital signage solution model for all future change overs and new store openings for Nestle Tollhouse Cafe. **Note** Although the objectives were met and the solution is successful, points of conflict and contention did arise due the lack of a clear plan after the install and technical knowledge to maintain the equipment and content internally.The results of the objective were met with rave reviews from the mall management as well as peer retailers. The director of marketing noted a 22% increase in their bulk cookie sales after 12 days of the install going live. Our solution was reproduced and LPS supported the install of the solution in Dubai. This is currently being used as the digital signage solution model for all future change overs and new store openings for Nestle Tollhouse Cafe. **Note** Although the objectives were met and the solution is successful, points of conflict and contention did arise due the lack of a clear plan after the install and technical knowledge to maintain the equipment and content internally.

Contact Information:

Jeff Grandell

JGrandell@LPSot.com

In June of 2011, London Ont. based EyeLook Media Inc., a digital signage solutions company, took on the task of providing a digital signage system to present real-time updates, images, and elements of entertainment in relation to the annual fundraising event benefiting translational breast cancer research; which fundamentally puts valuable medical theories into practice, a progression deemed absolutely necessary in finding a cure for breast cancer.

More Information About the Event: