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NEC has a visual display solution to suit the needs of every application and user.NEC has the widest range of visual display products on offer - LCD desktop displays, large-screen LCD and LED public displays, mobile to high light output, digital cinema projectors, intuitive digital signage software and everything else you need to complete your display solutions. NEC visual display products deliver outstanding image quality, boasting leading-edge technology and advanced functionality. Enhance your visual experience with an NEC display solution today.

Experience our range. Experience a world of opportunity.

www.nec.com.auLearn how NEC can create a solution for you

NEC. The Communications Systems Integrator

NEAUST0120_ad-220x286.indd 1 4/06/12 9:57 AM

4 Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty Ltd, 348 Victoria Rd Rydalmere NSW 2116 www.MitsubishiElectric.com.au ph: (02) 9684 7777 fax (02) 9684 7208

Proud partner of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image

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If you’re still sticking a USB key into the back of a screen, then we need to talk.If your ‘digital signage’ looks like a dodgy Powerpoint display… or worse, then it’s time we had words.If you’ve got blocky text and crappy jpeg compression

on your images, then please, let’s put our heads together and fix things.There’s no excuse for shoddy, half-arsed digital signage. The technology is comparatively cheap, the skills are available… everything is in place to produce stunning com-mercial communication.The parallel I often use is that of website design. For anyone old enough to recall the early days of the internet you’ll remember just how rubbish most websites looked back in the ’90s. Remember how your mate had a brother who knew someone who ‘could put together a website’? Do you also recall that after you’d sent this mysterious gee-zer your letterhead and 100 words on what your business sold (no doubt on a double-sided, double-density 3.5-inch floppy disk), you’d get an HTML web page that was uglier than sin and served no discernible purpose?There was no discussion with your web ‘guru’ about design or page hierarchy; no talk about a site map (whatever that is/was!); while SEO was still a term waiting for Google to arrive.So here’s a question for you: would you now, in 2013, really trust a ‘friend of a friend’, without any consultation, to take care of your web presence? No, of course not, no one would be that stupid. And if you were relying on web-based sales, would you have a crack at banging together your site’s e-commerce functionality because, I mean, ‘how hard can it be?’. No. Don’t be daft, too much is at stake.So why then, do you think it’s a good idea to trust your business’s digital signage to amateurs? Why risk the cor-porate identity you’ve spent years nuturing with something half-baked?So for those who haven’t been paying attention, here’s a quick recap:Digital signage is not a screen at the front of your premises

with a USB key stuck into the back. Well, strictly speaking, it is digital signage, but it’s an abject apology for digital signage.Digital signage really only comes into its own when you can ‘schedule’ content remotely. Do this with some signage software from one of a dozen or so reputable providers, a network cable, and a suitably equipped commercial display, or a display with a ‘media player’ nearby (the media player is a little PC that stores your files and plays them on the screen when it’s told to by the scheduling software).Just like any computer network, you can run network cable to additional screens which can then play the same content or different content, as you wish.None of this is ‘rocket surgery’. But you will need a technical person to assist, preferably someone with digital signage experience. From there, someone needs to care about what’s being displayed on the screens. In the same way that you don’t launch a new website and then check in on it next month to see how it’s going, your digital signage requires love. Which describes the second person you’ll need: a digital signage ‘champion’ — someone (preferably within your business) who cares about the display content and under-stands the DNA of your business.The signage champion will then need assistance from a third individual — a creative type. In the first instance that may be a graphic designer.Ever been presented with a business card that you just know has been ‘designed’ by the rank amateur handing it to you? And, worse, printed on his bubblejet on some perforated card? Most people can see bad graphic design a mile away. Don’t risk it. Get some help to build a few templates that have your logo and the colours you’re happy with. Ask the graphic designer to pick out a couple of fonts — stick to them. Good graphic design is afford-able and relatively plentiful — in other words, there’s no excuse. The graphic designer can assist you with some basic animations as well.So there you have it: Digital Signage 101 in 500 words. Here’s the summary again: There’s no excuse for a half-baked approach to signage. Once you’ve decided that sig-nage matters, engage a technical person to help you with the equipment and installation; identify someone within your business who’s excited by the possibilities and is in touch with what your enterprise stands for (the ‘champion’ I was referring to); and talk to a ‘creative’ — which could be a big ad agency if you’re loaded, or a talented new-grad graphic designer if you’re not.Where to begin? Try our industry directory for start-ers. And/or drop me a line and let me know how you’re progressing. I’d love to hear from you.

Christopher Holder, Editorial [email protected]

Story: Christopher Holder

Editorial:THE ‘WHY-BOTHER’ SIGN PHENOMENON

IN ACTION10 Opera Kitchen, Sydney12 Nissan HQ, Melbourne13 Bridgestone HQ, Ohio

COLUMNS14 Trevor Jones, PHD Creative16 Stuart Armstrong, ComQi

NEWS28 News & Product Info

alchemedia publishing pty ltd (ABN: 34 074 431 628)

PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 [email protected]

All material in this magazine is copyright © 2013 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. 30/4/13

Advertising Office: (02) 9986 1188 PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086

Publication Director:

Stewart Woodhill ([email protected])

Editorial Director:

Christopher Holder ([email protected])

Publisher:

Philip Spencer ([email protected])

Art Direction:

Dominic Carey ([email protected])

Graphic Design:

Leigh Ericksen ([email protected])

Contributing Editor:

Graeme Hague ([email protected])

Technical Editor

Andy Ciddor ([email protected])

Accounts:

Jaedd Asthana ([email protected])

Circulation Manager:

Mim Mulcahy ([email protected])

Editorial Office: (03) 5331 4949

PO Box 295, Ballarat,

VIC 3353

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

FEATURES18 Scoreboard Pressure:

Parramatta Stadium20 South of the Border:

Guzman y Gomez24 Leave those Kids Alone:

QUT Cube

REFERENCE30 Who’sWhoCompanyProfiles

COMMENT34 Mug Punter: When Signage

is in a Class of its Own

CONTENTS ISSUE 8 2013

18

20 24


The new suite of Samsung MagicInfo™ Digital Signage SolutionsSamsung is recognised as a world leader in digital signage solutions. Expanding on its comprehensive range of commercial large format LCD displays, Samsung now has four signage solution offerings in the MagicInfo™ suite designed to meet your digital signage needs. From a simple single screen deployment in a retail environment through to remote managed national or worldwide digital signage networks, Samsung has the solution.

MagicInfo™ Lite – High Impact with Simplicity An “out of the box” signage solution included with the ME, MD, UE and DE/PE series LED* BLU Commercial Displays. Intuitive and easy to use, the MagicInfo™ Lite scheduler / player (included with the displays) enables simple scheduling and delivery of your important content via the display’s internal media player, without the need of complex digital signage systems. With just a simple set up you can start scheduling and delivering content from the built in player to the display using the display’s remote control. The player is compatible with an array of file formats including .jpeg, .ppt, .mp4, .avi, .wmv and .mkv.

MagicInfo™ Premium-S - An Integrated Signage Platform for Easy Audience EngagementCompatible with the latest PE-C, UE-C and UD-C series LED* BLU displays, employing system on chip (SoC) technology, SSSP eliminates the need for an external PC module to streamline display and content management. This technology, combined with MagicInfo Premium-S software, allows for creation, scheduling and delivery of content to either a single display or multiple displays over a network**. MagicInfo Premium –S is included with the latest PE-C, UE-C and UD-C series for stand-alone applications only. For network applications, server licenses are required at additional cost. MagicInfo Premium-S offers over 60 design templates to help with content creation as well as web based content** and device management.

MagicInfo™ Premium-i – Customise, Create and Control with EaseMagicInfo Premium-i** lets you display the right con-tent to the right people, at the right time—from virtually anywhere in the world. Samsung MagicInfo™ Premium-i is a web-based solution that is optimized for the near-seam-less management of your digital signage network. A com-plete content management and Samsung display and PC media player control system, MagicInfo™-i Premium helps deliver messages with impact. Through a web based centralised control, multiple users can access remotely to create immersive content using MagicInfo Premium-i Author (included) and schedule playback as well as monitor and control display devices using MagicInfo Premium-i Server (included). Displays and media players sold separately.

MagicInfo™ Videowall 2 – Captivate your AudienceMagicInfo-i™ VideoWall 2 software provides the tools to publish vibrant content on a video wall. Content can be displayed across as many as 250 compat-ible displays which are capable of delivering UHD picture quality based on the number of displays used and the content format. Samsung displays, media players, appli-cations and content are managed through one intuitive, remote interface**. The MagicInfo-i™ VideoWall 2 applica-tion consists of four major software components, includ-ing MagicInfo-i™ Author for creating video wall content; VideoWall 2 Console for managing schedules and playlists; VideoWall 2 Live Caster for broadcasting up-to-the minute action and live streams; and VideoWall 2 Video Wall Client for synchronizing devices and playback. Displays and media players sold separately.

www.samsung.com/au/[email protected]

*Samsung LED BLU Commercial Displays use LCD display panels with LED back or edge lighting.**Internet connection required. Data and subscription charges may apply, subject to third party service provider agreement

From inside the box... … to outside the square !

YCD Multimedia, a global leading provider of smart digital media solutions, today announced that the company’s products have been selected to drive promotional displays at the Opera Kitchen restaurant in Sydney, Australia. Media Play, an Australian multimedia company, was the project integrator. Opera Kitchen restaurant is an open air venue located on the lower concourse of the Sydney Opera House, offering the best views of Sydney Harbour, the Har-bour Bridge and the city skyline. The screens are located at points-of-sale at the restaurant’s Misschu Vietnamese food and Bécasse Bakery departments and were originally de-signed to promote special products and offers through the quieter winter period. YCD Impulse, the company’s solu-tion for merchandising and promotion at the point-of- sale, displays promotional information about the restaurant’s offerings, including some of Sydney’s most sought after dishes and seasonal food specials, as well as information about Opera House events. The screens are connected to the in-house wireless network, and receive content updates via the YCD platform, managed by Media Play. Opera

Kitchen has local control to change daily specials. The new screens join a music channel that has been installed by Media Play, with customised playlists featuring soul, reggae and roots to suit the outdoor sunny vibe. “We had great success with the screens’ impact on sales and awareness of items, such as mulled wine, which customers previously would not have known were offered,” said Pete Boyce, Business Operations Analyst, Opera Kitchen restaurant. “We plan to install the YCD Ramp management system and YCD’s Menu Board solution, which will further help us drive sales of new products.” “The project demonstrates the importance of digital media as a promotional and selling tool in restaurants, attracting diners’ attention and assisting them in their decision making process.” said Arik Roztal, General Manager of International Operation, YCD Multime-dia. “The ability to create and change promotions easily and quickly at the points-of-sale, according to season, time of the day and stock levels increases sales and enables effec-tive suggestive selling.”

Harbour MasterOperaKitchenwhetsappetitewithsignage

In Action

Media Play: 0408 804 814 or www.mediaplay.com.au

YCD Multimedia: www.ycdmultimedia.com


10


11

Robust, compact and powerful HD Digital Signage Player The award-winning Digital Signage Players from SpinetiX let you unleash your creativity, converting ideas into presentations quickly and easily. Boasting simple connectivity, infinite scalability, and powerful software included; SpinetiX will have you communicating on a grand scale in no time. Quite simply, all you need is SpinetiX.

Contact us on 1800 00 77 80 or go to www.madisontech.com.au/unleash

TM

Award Winning HD Digital Signage

SX41

0-04

4

Nissan Australia has kicked its in-house corporate communications into a much higher gear. A com-pletely new and dynamic communications platform has ensured high visibility for relevant information and department metrics.

Crystal Clear Business Services worked with Nissan to create a unified, digital messaging platform that delivers business-critical information to employees in a clear and concise manner.

At the heart of the solution is the NEC Live Win-dows-based software and digital signage scheduler. Dynamic video, images and text content is delivered directly to a network of NEC 55-inch LED displays and NEC media players.

The NEC solution got the nod in large part because of its ability to integrate with and interrogate Nissan Australia’s databases to provide accurate, real-time financial and customer metrics. That way depart-ment stats, sales targets and trends; individual and corporate achievements; company and CEO mes-saging; brand information, new product launches and promotions; new dealerships; HR updates;

along with health and safety messages can all be displayed easily.

And the impact of the new network? David Mont-gomery, Marketing Communication Manager, picks up the story: “There is so much information about what is happening within our organisation that is better delivered by the new display system; informa-tion that is crucial to team building and promoting pride in our positive initiatives.

“Staff are receiving information pertinent to their jobs and performance. And importantly, with everyone engaging with the company’s overall value proposi-tions, we can all pull in the same direction.”

New Communications VehicleNissanAustralia’scorporatecommunicationsnetwork

In Action

Nissan Australia: www.nissan.com.au

NEC Australia: 131 632 or www.nec.com.au

Crystal Clear: 1300 769 655 or www.crystalclear.net.au

Rubber Hits the RoadBig screen, tricky audio

In ActionAkron, Ohio, has a long and storied history as the heart of the US tyre business. In April of 2012 the city celebrated that proud heritage with the grand opening of Bridges-tone America’s 24,000sqm worldwide technical centre. The US$100m research and development facility was designed by architects Harris/Day to exceed Gold LEED standards, and it shows. The building features wide, open spaces, a ‘living roof’ with gardens and lounge areas, and plenty of natural light thanks to an abundance of glass throughout.

The showcase structure’s east and west wings intersect at a massive three-storey atrium area that serves as the building’s social nexus. The common space is outfitted with a large video wall, and serves as the hub of the tech-nical centre’s communications with the outside world, and with the company’s headquarters in Tennessee.

Of course, three stories of glass, while visually stunning, tends to create a less than optimal acoustical setting. As Gary Matthews of Audio Video Interiors (AVI) explains, even with a fair amount of acoustical treatment, the envi-ronment was a challenging one.

“It’s a big, open, reverberant space,” he says. “They did a great job in treating the back wall, which helps a lot,

but it’s still a large, glassed-in space, with a high level of ambient noise, and intelligibility inevitably suffers.”

The architect’s vision included a desire for low-profile audio and video components, but the design was at odds with that goal. “Their original proposal was for 34 individual loudspeakers hung on walls and on ceilings throughout the area,” says Matthews. “They came to us and asked if there was anything they could do differently, because they didn’t want to see so many speakers.”

AVI’s recommendation was for three Renkus-Heinz Iconyx steered steered arrays to cover the entire area. “So we got it down from 34 speakers, to three Iconyx ICX7 units built into the video wall, with zero visibility. And the sound coverage is far superior, with no distribution issues and no dead spots.”

“The Iconyx system was perfect for aiming the sound only at the areas we wanted to cover, and away from the walls and windows,” Matthews concludes.

Hills SVL (Renkus Heinz): (02) 9647 1411 or

www.hillssvl.com.au


Static menu boards used to be favoured because of their cost-effectiveness. But the mainte-nance and human capital required to keep the board up to date and accurate has lead many operators to consider digital menu boards.

The benefits of digital menu boards are numerous and include: • The ability to use automatic day parting • The ability to remotely update menus and make instant, pre-programmed changes• Make changes and update prices for single or multiple locations, from anywhere in the world• Centralised control of marketing, promotions and menu board content• The ability to link inventory levels and point of sale (POS) to change marketing and pricing instantlyDigital menu boards allow messages to be dynamic, clear and in-teractive, as well as integrating static or full-motion content into menu display. This then allows the operator to incorporate cross promotions with vendors, partners and suppliers.CURRENT INDUSTRY VIEWS

IT departments traditionally initiate digital projects. The focus is on hardware and the ROI is measured by operational cost sav-ings. However this is only part of the equation.Digital menu boards provide a range of operational benefits including:• Online management to update a single store or a national net-work, all from a centrally located web browser with a few clicks• Reduction in print and distribution costs• Speed of distribution of content to quickly and easily update menu text, pricing or product images instantly• Low cost response of deployment and activation of any menu board changesUnfortunately, digital menu board content is often an after-thought. Content development is often added to the current advertising agency brief where they treat digital menu board material as repurposing of the existing assets. Existing material is not optimised for the in-store environment and doesn’t take into account the customer need state.RETHINKING DIGITAL MENU BOARDS

Digital menu boards communicate directly with customers: video and animation effects; flexible playlists to highlight product of-ferings; time of day scheduling to customise menus; and instant menu updates in response to changing circumstances are just some of the features that allow businesses to use digital menus to increase sales.

Moreover, digital menu boards provide great picture quality, high reliability, low power use, and marked savings over time. Think about the customer experience when developing your digital menu board communication strategy. Consider creating compelling digital content with combos to drive margin, and promotions to engage, up-sell and cross-sell to queuing custom-ers. Use day part menus. Carefully structured content can boost impulse sales. All the while giving a contemporary look to the in-store environment.In addition to displaying prices, digital menu boards can help an operator:• Promote products that are in high inventory • Add new items to the menu • Run special promotions • Cut costs, including printing and shipping menu board inserts • Maintain brand consistency throughout multiple restaurants • Display required nutritional information • Communicate corporate messaging and training materials • Share information and entertainment with customers• Streamline deployment, integration and activationINFLUENCING BEHAVIOUR

In-store communications’ ROI can be measured by customer engagement, brand equity, preference and liking. The main ROI for the digital menu board is influencing customer behaviour. Content can be delivered in an exciting and engaging way with measurable and actionable results, becoming a long-term tool of your integrated marketing communications.An agency with specialist digital expertise can provide invaluable experience, insights and in-house capabilities. It is of paramount importance to partner with key suppliers who provide expertise and add value to your business.By following these simple rules you’ll be in good shape to develop an effective digital menu board strategy — by utilising the full capabilities of what digital media is ideally suited to, namely, responding to audience needs and optimising commercial returns.Benefits and advantages:• Take full control over your screen’s content• Provide a better experience for customers• Deliver effective engaging content and useful information to customers• Increase customer satisfaction and sales.

The Leap to Digital Menu Boards

Trevor Jones is principal of phdcreative, a retail marketing agency, based in Sydney. He works across the creative and digital teams to help brands take advantage of the opportunities offered by integrating traditional with digital communication. phdcreative was an early advocate of the power of digital placed based media to engage consumers in the retail environment. You can learn more by visiting www.phdcreative.com.au

Story: Trevor Jones

Creative:



Wilson & Gilkes02 9914 0900 www.gilkon.com.au

When ‘off the peg’ just won’t cut it, call on the expertise of Wilson & Gilkes, Australian-made metal designers & fabricators.

For a limited time, the Wilson & Gilkes design team is offering one full day of design time to develop your concept – FREE OF CHARGE!www.wilsongilkes.com.au/bespoke

Smart Signage, Smart Phones & Smart Retailing

In a retrospective moment I decided to pull out an article I wrote in early 2008, ‘Merchandising 2.0’. In this article I predicted the following: “If the remote control has spelt the death of advertising on television, then the mobile phone ushers in the re-

birth of advertising — as information — at retail. The mobile phone is the new remote control of marketing, and this time it’s our best friend.”I go on to point out that (now-called) smartphones will serve as a just-in-time information resource and support transactions anywhere, anytime for the shopper. As much as I was directionally correct in the influence of this technology on retailing, my predic-tions fell short of what today’s technology is capable of and how retailers are already reinventing the in-venue shopping experience.Smartphones are a game changer, particularly in the retail indus-try. However, applications can be either a friend or foe to the retail store. Pricing and consumer report apps can turn a retailer into a physical showroom for the shopper as they touch and feel prod-ucts that they will ultimately buy elsewhere. We need to know how to best utilise the smartphone so it’s no longer a foe. How can this ubiquitous device help you drive conversion, transaction size and loyalty? First we must understand how smartphones are currently being used amongst shoppers and where our greatest opportunity lies. According to research done by both comScore and Forrester, four out of five consumers use smartphones to shop and an average of 22% of smartphone owners have used a shopping application in the past three months. Add to that, a fact uncovered by the CMO Council: 54% of North American consumers would consider end-ing their loyalty relationships if they were not given tailor-made, relevant content and offers.These statistics show that smartphones have a significant presence with shoppers yet phone apps need to be more targeted and offer greater incentives to encourage engagement. Retailers should look for ways to interact with shoppers through web-generated applications that come up instantly versus downloadable apps that create a barrier in adoption. Also, don’t rely too heavily on information or the novelty factor to earn high adoption amongst shoppers. The incentive or the entertainment factor needs to be significant enough to prompt shoppers to take out their mobile devices and engage. If done correctly, smartphones can be an important and valuable point of in-store engagement between the shopper and the retail brand. To get there, let’s look at the potential interplay between the smart sign and the smartphone.

‘Demand shopping’ is something many retailers are talking about it and I believe it is a good example of what is possible in retailing. We are all familiar with the model. We have seen it used success-fully in some of the biggest shopping brands such as QCV and Groupon. At its most basic level, it is the promotion of an item where there is a finite inventory that gets counted down both in units and time. When implemented in a store, the promotional price can be driven down based on the number of shoppers opting in. Imagine a designer handbag is displayed on a smart sign with the starting price of $80 for the next 40 minutes. The shopper is instructed to scan the QR code, triggering a web-based app to appear on his/her mobile phone. The app prompts the shop-per to sign in directly on a mobile webpage or they can link in through Facebook or Twitter. Once signed in, the shopper can tag the handbag, which in turn drives down the price and sends a redemption code to their phone. Further, her friends can view the purchase and inspire a wave of similar purchases. As the number of shoppers who opt-in increase, the cost of the bag will decrease. Of course, the shoppers need to buy the item before the inven-tory or time runs out. Items can be selected to be displayed on the smart sign based on a planned promotional calendar, end of season items or by flagging over-inventoried items.Other brand reinforcing experiences can be voting, trivia quizes, and games. The last idea I want to touch on is taking a standard fixture in fashion retailing — the mirror — and changing it to create a more efficient and interactive experience with the customer. By way of a plug, ComQi has launched a product called DelayMirror that ‘reflects’ an image back to the shopper with a three-second delay. In reality it is a digital screen with a mirror-like feel and a digital video camera mounted in the bezel; a media player controls the images. The shopper steps out of the dressing room in a new outfit, walks up to the DelayMirror, spins around and sees him/herself in that outfit from the front, sides and back. Meanwhile, the ‘mirror’ can then display accessory ideas such as handbags, shoes, and jewellery alongside the shopper. The shopper can then capture the image on her smartphone and share with her friends on Facebook, or any other social media site, to get their opinions and feedback on the outfit.Good things happen when smart signs, smart phones and social media come together in retail. The technology enables retailers to create experiences for shoppers that foster a dialogue between the retail brand and its customers, a dialogue that promotes loyalty, increased conversion and increase transaction size.

Stuart is ComQi’s President of North America. His career is marked by an early recognition of the potential of digital media solutions to drive companies’ productivity and performance. Stuart is the immediate past president of the US Digital Screenmedia Association where he served two consecutive terms.

Story: Stuart Armstrong

Retail:


SCOREBOARD PRESSUREParramatta’s new big hi-def screen is the envy of the West.Story: Christopher Holder

Photography by Image One


What a year it’s been for the Western Sydney Wanderers. The A-League’s newest team made the grand final in its first season and has attracted

a large and loyal following of already-rusted-on supporters.A new team needs a home. And that home is Parramatta Stadium. Parramatta Stadium is, of course, also home to the Eels and being the most populous hub of the West seems like a natural fit. But the Wanderers could just have easily wandered off to other pastures, such as Skoda Stadium in Olympic Park.The point being, there’s plenty of competition in this sector, and a good long term tenant like the Wanderers doesn’t come along every year. Part of the infrastructure that’s now expected in any professional stadium is a big screen, and Parramatta Stadium can now boast one of Australia’s finest.“Previously, we hired in a screen for events,” noted Parramatta Stadium Director, Luke Coleman. “But to maintain market position for events, we started looking for an opportunity to install a permanent screen.”From there came a scoping document in preparation for a tender document… but the funding tap was never turned on. Not to be thwarted, Luke Coleman persisted and struck a deal with one of the leading players in the scoping process, Mitsubishi.100SQM DREAM

The result is the installation of a state-of-the art LED screen that measures 12.8 metres wide by 7.68 metres high, for a total screen area of 98.3sqm. Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision X-Type technology powers the LED screen system, providing high brightness with low power consumption and wide viewing angles. Coupled with the Mitsubishi Electric proprietary LED controller/processor, each individual LED element is controlled to provide exceptional colour and brightness uniformity.

It’s a cracking piece of display hardware but only really half of the equation. Behind the scenes, plenty of work is required to design the hardware and software to display gameday content, or indeed advertising, scoreboard-style content… the list goes on.Mitsubishi Electric engaged TechMedia to provide the new SportLive Digital Production platform for the control room. SportLive is something TechMedia has designed from the ground up to address the unique demands of a multi-purpose sports venue, and is itself based on Scala, one of the world’s foremost digital signage content management systems. TechMedia has designed the clock and scoreboard template within SportLive, which provides the clock for the stadium’s timekeepers. And although, up to this point, SportLive has only needed to show a glimpse of what it’s capable of (largely being used to schedule live broadcast feeds and/or the scoreboard) it’s powerful and flexible enough to incorporate all manner of twitter-style crowd interaction, assign square meterage for permanent or scheduled naming rights sponsorship advertising, etc — in other words, it’s ready for anything the hirer of the venue wants to throw at it.From a back-end hardware perspective, the Newtek Tricaster acts as the audiovisual hub, allowing the screen to be addressed by multiple live HD cameras and digital sources. A central switching desk means the screen is capable of delivering high impact visual effects to rival those offered by class-leading free-to-air and Pay TV Sports Broadcast trucks. With the ability to co-ordinate multiple screen layouts with unlimited live data feeds and digital media playback, productions can be taken to new heights for fans, sports bodies and corporate customers alike.“There’s a level of technical infrastructure naturally expected by national code hirer of a professional stadium like ours — certain facilities are expected. We need to provide those,” said Luke Coleman. “The fact that we now have a package that exceeds expectations is a real bonus. The Mitsubishi screen really brings us right into this century.”

“There’s a level of technical infrastructure naturally expected by national code hirer of

a professional stadium like ours”

TechMedia designed the clock and scoreboard template, which provides the clock for the sta-dium’s timekeepers.

Parramatta Stadium: www.parramattastadium.com.au

Mitsubishi Electric: (02) 9684 7777 or [email protected]

TechMedia (Scala): (02) 9526 7880 or www.connectedsignage.com.au

You should meet the co-founder of Guzman y Gomez, Steven Marks. He’s a loud-mouthed, fast-talking New Yorker… and, I hasten to add, instantly charming.

Steven Marks and Robert Hazan scouted Australia about 10 years ago, and discovered something any Aussie over the age of 20 already understood instinctively: Mexican food in Australia is all about packet mixes, refried gloop rolled into different shapes, syrupy daiquiris, and cornball ‘holy frijoles’ Mexican cliches.Guzman y Gomez filled the void with simple, authentic Mexican cuisine that fairly leaps off the plate with freshness. The Australian public has responded enthusiastically, allowing GYG (as the restaurant is affectionately known) to expand at a Speedy Gonzales rate — 24 locations at last count. (In fact, as you read this, GYG will have its flag-ship World Square restaurant opened in Sydney.)STRONG FLAVOUR

GYG’s brand is strong. The eponymous (and fic-tional) Messrs Guzman and Gomez have charac-ters all their own, and the sassy attitude flows freely throughout the organisation — from the CEO down to the tomato chopper in a franchised outlet. Little wonder then that head office is committed to keeping its brand fresh and exciting. Technology

plays a significant role, having recently installed a sophisticated digital signage network, designed by Daraco IT.DigitalSignage had a chat to Guzman y Gomez CFO Robert Hazan about the grand plans for the network, and how he came to make the invest-ment: “It’s great to change the menu board artwork when we need to — I’m not downplaying the importance of that — but I think we really want to take our digital signage to a whole other level.”GETTING THE TECH RIGHT

Sounds intriguing! I thought we’d find out some more about the technical back-end goodness that promises so much, from Daraco IT Services’ David Cox.David Cox: Back when there were only five GYG outlets we identified that technology was going to be central to the rollout of the restaurants. We had conversations about the internet connection, which led to the request to play in-store music, and the capacity to centralise the data and deliver it out to the other outlets — which we did. That then evolved into an exploration of what we could do with the digital signage — namely, a central repository to update the stores in a dynamic way.Robert Hazan: I love technology and I wanted to resource our restaurants to be ahead of the curve. By which I mean, when we have the ideas,

Guzman y Gomez leads the QSR field with a long-view approach to dynamic signage.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Story: Christopher Holder


it’s a simple case of hitting the ‘go’ button — the technology wouldn’t let us down. And believe me, those ideas are happening, so I just wanted to build the restaurants in a way such that when the ideas arrived we’d be ready to roll, remembering that once you’ve fit out a restaurant, then re-cabling it is not an easy task.UNCONVENTIONAL

As at the time of going to press, Robert was tight lipped about the exact nature of his big ideas — “let’s just say, the results will be unconventional”. The network as it stands, with its gorgeous army of hi-def commercial Samsung large-format panels, looks fabulous but isn’t breaking any ‘rules’.Robert Hazan: At the moment I could be using a $90 Western Digital media player for what we’re doing. But that’s soon going to change. Sending people around restaurant to restaurant to change media is expensive, or putting SD cards in the mail, that’s a thing of the past. The Spinetix media players afford us full networkability and we’ll be able to tailor our message restaurant-to-restaurant, screen-to-screen and hour-to-hour if we want to. They’re not cheap, but I think in technology you get what you pay for. THE POSSIBILITIES

So what’s so special about the Spinetix HMP200? It’s compact (easily mounting to the screen if needs be), it’s non-PC based, has no moving parts and requires zero maintenance. It’s been designed to display full HD video combined with multiple live news feeds and animations. After Robert explained what the network was packing, he found the eyes of his ‘creatives’ lighting up.Robert Hazan: We work with some really talented creatives. When I told them what these players are capable of you could immediately see the cogs turning. For example, we have a Head of Food In-novation, who’s based in California and going on a ‘taco tour’ of Mexico. It’s not hard to imagine how we could be streaming his experiences on one of

“ I WANTED TO RESOURCE OUR RESTAURANTS TO BE AHEAD OF THE CURVE … WHEN WE HAVE THE IDEAS, IT’S A SIMPLE CASE OF HITTING THE ‘GO’ BUTTON ”

‘GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR’

David Cox, Daraco IT Services: When it came to light what Robert and GYG had hoped to achieve we began looking at technology options. We’d worked with Spinetix media players on another project, and were impressed with their perfor-mance. Their ability to control and change content on a screen by screen basis made them ideal. We can cue up individual restaurants with unique content then return to global setting af-terwards. We can synchronise multiple screens easily. They’re robust and reliable.Robert Hazan, GYG: It’s a great thing to spend money ahead of the idea, that way the idea won’t be slowed down by the technology, which is really important, because you never know when you’re going to come up with a really amazing idea.Years ago David and Daraco set us up with the ability to stream music to all the restaurants from a central point. That’s great. But it was even more useful when someone had the idea to stream live Mexican radio. We had the technology in place, so it was easy to make that idea happen. To know the possi-bilities are wide open, that’s what gets creative people excited.David Cox: GYG uses Samsung commercial LCD panels — which are excellent. Commercial screens have come down in price, almost to the point of parity with domestic ‘equivalents’. A 46-inch commercial screen might be 1100 bucks, which is good value. So, as a client, there’s really no point trying to save money by sourcing your own screens — you may as well get the commercial displays. You’ll find the performance is far better — better image, brightness, durability, viewing angle etc — and you’ll get a good warranty.Simple, stable, robust, easily managed, warranty — that’s what I need out of any technology purchase.


21

the restaurant screens during the day. You can see the ideas going on their heads when you tell them the functionality available. TAKING THE LEAD

If you’re thinking Robert will be taking his lead from looking at what quick service restaurants (QSRs) are doing in his native New York, then think again:Robert Hazan: New York is well ahead of the game in so many regards. But QSR hasn’t adopted digital signage in the US with any degree of sophistication. There aren’t a lot of exciting brands out there. Take Chipotle, for instance. Chipotle is the best and the biggest in our field but from a menu board perspective they keep it really, really simple. I find inspiration in areas outside the QSR market. I’m looking at the creative use of digital signage and thinking about how to apply it in GYG.

HOT RIGHT NOW

QSR is clearly a huge market where good digital signage can truly shine. The focus has always been on menu boards, and fair enough too, as digital menu boards provide an easy answer to flipping from a brekky menu to a lunch menu, and with the ability to change pricing on a cyclical basis or a day part ‘happy hour’ basis, digital signage is a no-brainer.It’s exciting to anticipate what GYG has in store. I’ve no doubt the strategy will be a world-leader in this sector. But remember, none of this is ‘look at me’ vanity, it’s all rooted in sound commercial practice, namely, making money. Or as Robert Hazan put it: “Everything is about driving sales. It might be a great-looking creative campaign, but it’s still all about sales.”

GETTING CREATIVE Tony Ibbotson from The Creative Method is one of those “highly creative types” Robert Hazan refers to. Well versed in traditional methods of conveying a message I asked him about what digital signage brings to the table.Tony Ibbotson: The obvious stuff? Today’s screens bring great images to life with their resolution and luminosity. There have been times where we’ve been asked for extra Duratrans (static backlit display ads). But when we run out the same file, the colour consistency in the printer can be different. Which can be a total disaster. You don’t have that problem with good commercial panels. So I can’t speak highly enough of digital signage.

You have a small opportunity to grab attention. And with digital signage you have to communicate something quickly. The medium enables us to animate and flip the signs over much easier, to grab attention.This area is still in its infancy, and it’s wise to stick to the accepted basics of communication. So don’t go overboard with the animations — do enough to attract attention and communicate the message. If everything has bells and whistles on, then nothing stands out — so it’s a balancing act.We’re really excited about what’s possible with the GYG network. We’re talking about one-off area-based promos — single restaurant packages — which this network can do very easily.


Guzman y Gomez: www.gyg.com.au

Daraco IT Services: 1300 327 226 or www.daraco.com.au

The Creative Method: (02) 8231 9977 or www.thecreativemethod.com

Madison Technologies (Spinetix): 1800 007 780 or www.madisontech.com.au/spinetix

Samsung: www.samsunglfd.com


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pro.sony.com.au

sonyDSM_7.indd 1 29/11/12 11:05 AM

Teachers: Leave Those Kids AloneQueensland University of Technology squares off with a unique feat of audiovisual engineering.Story: Derek Powell

Job: QUT Cube

Purpose: To educate and attract student groups to the QUT Science and Engineering Centre

The Team: QUT www.thecube.qut.edu.au

ProAV Solutions Queensland (07) 3367 3300 or www.proavsolutions.com.au


As I walked up to the two-storey high screen, a life-sized whale appeared to eye me curiously. With a lazy flip of his enor-mous fluke, he disappeared

into the distance, leaving the sonorous notes of his mysterious song resonating throughout the atrium.The Cube hits you right in the face when you first walk into the brand new Science and Engineering Centre at Queensland University of Technology. It’s meant to, of course. But what exactly is it? I asked Gavin Winter, QUT’s Cube project manager.“The best explanation is that it is a multi-node interactive display wall…” he began enthusiasti-cally, sounding like a typical Windows error message — totally accurate but also completely incomprehensible. Sensing my confusion, he

switched down a gear or two: “…but perhaps the best way of thinking about it is as a giant, $3.5m multiplayer video game that’s capable of absorb-ing busloads of school students at a time and switching them on to science and engineering”.First, let’s get some facts and figures out of the way. The Cube is actually six separate display zones totalling 145 megapixels, the largest of which is a spectacular 14 metres long by nine metres high. Several of these zones are split between edge-blended projected images on top, and dozens of interactive multi-touch monitors lower down which allow visitors to interact with and control the single giant image that spreads seamlessly across the monitors and projectors. The images are real-time animations, created by a metric tonne of custom-built servers housed two floors above. Despite The Cube consuming a staggering 45kW of power when operating, the whole building is eco-friendly, powered by

rooftop solar cells and recovered heat using state of the art ‘trigeneration’ power systems.JEWEL IN THE CROWN

The Centre’s project director Anthony Perrau explained that the vice chancellor’s vision for the new structure was “to be a building that could reach out and showcase science and technology to the broader Brisbane and perhaps the world com-munity”. The question was how to create a feature exciting enough to draw in the students — and their teachers. Perrau knew the answer lay in some form of high impact audiovisual so he called in Professors Ian McKinnon (QUT Institute for Future Environments) and Jeff Jones (Interaction Design); together they sketched out a daring brief for an interactive attraction that would fit the bill. Time was of the essence as the building was already underway, so Jones set about organising a team to convert the dream to reality.

it is a giant, $3.5m multiplayer video game that’s capable of absorbing busloads of

school students at a time and switching them on to science

and engineering


TAKING SHAPE

The 55-inch touchscreens are made by Multitouch from Finland and they really are unlike anything seen before. “Their product is unique in that it is a ‘computer vision through screen’ touchscreen, which is essentially cameras seeing through the panel not only your hand, but yourself. So the touch panel knows you are there,” Winter explained.“The unique characteristic of this technology is that it can be strung together in lengths. Typically a touch panel will have very large edges and you can’t do that.”Each touchscreen, with its internal PC, becomes a “game controller” that several people can manipulate at once, all linked back to the servers. There are cur-rently five different programs, all developed in-house by a team of programmers and visual artists. Though the computer and display systems are all integrated, different programs can run at once using different faces of The Cube. ‘The Virtual Reef ’ is a majestic, life-size animation of a real part of the Great Barrier Reef that allows viewers to manipulate and interact with a scientifically accurate cross section of aqualife. As students explore, they learn about specific marine animal behaviours and relationships. WOW

So does it all work? Can a bunch of projectors and monitors actually get people in and inspire them? If the visitors I saw are anything to judge, then the an-swer is a resounding yes. The most common comment heard from visitors was simply, “Wow!”Winter is well pleased with the response from his visitors. “Kids know exactly what to do when they get here,” he noted. “It’s just that gravitational pull that the walls have, and straight away they go — ‘well I understand what this is; now how can I play with it?’”

TECHNICALLY SPEAKINGTo make it all work, QUT contracted integrator ProAV Solutions Queensland (formerly AVI) for the supply and installation of equip-ment and more than 8km of mostly Cat6a wiring. Five AMX Enova routers handling trunking and the interconnection between the graphics outputs from the servers, and the projectors and monitors. For the edge-blended projectors, the router outputs feed TV One CorioMaster videowall processors which provide ultimate flexibility to send any image to any combination of screens.Audio has certainly not been forgotten. A 96 x 80 Biamp Tesira DSP system provides mixing and processing with outputs transported and routed via the AMX DGX down to the main displays.

MultiTouch: www.multitaction.comPanasonic Projection: panasonic.net/avc/projector/productsBiAmp: www.biamp.comAMX: www.amxaustralia.com.au


NAVORI ANDROID PLAYERNavori has introduced their new Android-based digital signage media player, QL STiX 2400, a plug-and-play device with the pow-er of a PC at a fraction of the cost and size. The new media play-ers are a highly cost-effective digital signage solution. They are based on Rockchip ARM processors similar to those used in mo-bile devices. The Rockchip components provide roughly the same quality and power of a PC with no limitations when compared to the Windows-based platforms. The STiX 2400 can be used with either the self-hosted server or the Navori SAAS solution. When used with SAAS, the STiX is a true plug and play device.

Navori President and CEO Jérôme Moeri says, “The intent is to move digital signage towards the mass market and to enable people without a technical background to plug and play a solution that will work. And it’s going to get better. This product comes with a dual-core CPU, but within the next five months Navori will be rolling out a quad-core player, exactly the same as mobile technologies, so this new generation ... will be more powerful than a computer.” The player measures 90mm x 40mm x 10mm and is compliant with Windows-based networks. The new player can run beside the Windows players and supports 10 video formats up to 1080p, images, flash, html, streaming and IPTV. The Navori multi-layer and multi-zone templates are supported along with RSS XML feeds. The Android device maintains Navori’s real-time monitoring with alerts, events and notifications through either the manager dashboard or email and continues to provide detailed playback reporting. Available from June.

Command Digital Signage: 1300 780 204 or [email protected]

BOWRAL RETREAT Guest television services are an everyday part of life in any hotel, they are quite literally a part of the furniture, but when the tech-nology doesn’t work properly, the problems can begin to turn a passive part of hotel life into a burden for its staff and guests. Gibraltar Hotel Bowral, NSW, is a privately owned upscale hotel venue, with 21 acres of land, golf course, restaurants, bars and a luxury spa. For a time, however, the TV services far from matched the high standard set by the rest of the venue, owner and founder Liz Uliana knew something had to be done.

“We chose a reputable brand for our IPTV, digital signage and video on demand installation and had confidence that it would fit our venue perfectly, however, it soon became obvious that the solution wasn’t working the way it should and something needed to change.”

In fact, their existing system was cause for real concern, averag-ing between eight to 15 complaints per day. This resulted in staff being distracted from important customer care duties whilst they tried to resolve problems with technology that they did not fully understand.

“We decided that enough was enough and looked into the mar-ket for an alternative. Our AV supplier recommended we spoke with Tripleplay and we’re absolutely delighted that we did.”

Tripleplay and its partner Computers Now specified a system that would suit Gibraltar Hotel’s requirements, fully integrating IPTV, video on demand and digital signage through a single server, while also creating a stylish and customised Guest User Portal. It took just one day to swap out the existing solution and instantly reduced guest TV related complaints to zero overnight.

Computers Now: www.compnow.com.au

Tripleplay Services: www.tripleplay-services.com

SAMSUNG HAS YOU COVERED: Samsung has announced its new range of pro commercial displays: the MEC, UEC, UDC, PEC series of digital sig-nage products. The MEC series of slim, eco-friendly LED large format displays reduce costs for businesses and are ideal for commercial, public, corporate and information digital signage solu-tions that require crisp images with accurate colour representation. The UEC Series of large format displays for video wall solutions sport a narrow bezel that keeps the viewer’s focus on the image — not the monitor — mak-ing a business’s message stand out in an array of environments, including retail stores, corporate offices, hotels,

and restaurants. The premium UDC Series of video wall displays feature an ultra-slim bezel, 700nit high brightness, 8GB of memory, ACM (Advanced Color Management), and an easy installation kit for a cost-effective solution that can be used in airports, restaurants and 24-hour commercial locations. Finally, the PEC series features an ultra-slim, lightweight design that allows users to enjoy an expansive, enhanced visual experience in environments such as airports, restaurants and 24-hour retail shops, always on video walls.

Samsung: www.samsunglfd.com

MANTARAY GUN: Haivision has a powerful and low-cost approach to

digital signage — the Mantaray player for CoolSign. Mantaray is an integrated player appliance combining the power-ful CoolSign ad player technology with a cost-effective and reliable Android-based operating system. Designed for networks that scale, CoolSign and Mantaray offer stadiums, universities, and global corporations sophisticated content management, dynamic data, and scheduling. Mantaray incorporates CoolSign’s DataWatcher technology for real-time and automated informa-tion updates and supports player-level scheduling, multiple regions, smooth tickers, full-motion 1080p60 video playout, and wired or wireless network connections. Using Mantaray, CoolSign

NEWS:

Four out of five consumers use smartphones to shop.


I’LL TAKE TWO Matrox Mura MPX Series controller boards were selected to power a corporate jet showroom’s 32-monitor video wall to display available aircraft to clients. The Jet Business had the visually stunning video wall designed by system integrator Candeo Vision. Built in collaboration with PSCo Technical Dis-tribution, the 8x4 wall of NEC displays is driven by a Matrox-validated HP controller system and provides clients with an unparalleled shopping experience.

Key data such as fuel economy and speed are accessed on the wall in The Jet Business showroom via a custom Apple iPad app. Commands from the iPad make their way to a custom, local Mura MPX controller app, built by Candeo Vision with the easy-to-use Mura Network API. The app enables easy navigation between different models and can even overlay full-sized cross-sections on the video wall to compare walking room and overall size.

“The API interface was used to create layouts dynamically, manage the capture process, and control window visibility,” said Candeo Vision director Alan Betts.

New Magic: (03) 9722 9700 or www.newmagic.com.au

READY TO ROCK i-Display and i-Touch products allow brands and retailers to transform the customer retail experience. The hardware and software have been designed for commercial use and include important features such as auto-play content, auto-copy, auto detect and password protection functions. A VESA mounting system on the back of the devices enable various mounting solutions to fit perfectly into any retail or hospital-ity environment. Embedded Wi-Fi and 3G options allow for easy integration to web-based remote content management systems. The Android OS provides users the ability to utilise a wide variety of retail applications to promote products, run campaigns, collect data, entertain customers and communi-cate with them in-store. Australia’s i-Touch Digital will show you how to build and create your own digital signage. Select the right hardware and software to develop the right strategy to map out and create your high impact, multi-touch, interac-tive and motion graphics content for your new digital signage platform easily, inexpensively and fast. Without trouble, maintain and update your digital content in real time using Flypaper software.

iTouch Digital: (02) 8060 2190 or www.i-touchdigital.com.au

network administrators get real-time playout feedback, playlogs, and can manage and upgrade players remotely.

IDT: 1300 666 099 or [email protected]

AAVARA SIMPLY CABLING: Aavara has a new digital signage product designed to simplify cabling of digi-tal signage and commercial instal-lation. The PD3000 HD Video Tree Chain Cat5e Broadcaster sends ultra-high quality HDMI video and CD quality audio broadcasts to multiple TVs/displays/projectors up to 100m by a single Cat5e connec-tion. When used in a tree topology, each repeater will send the HDMI

and audio signal to two different screens. The PD3000 also supports a 10 layer ‘daisy-chain’ for up to 1000m or even longer of signal distribution. This means that up to 100 TVs, displays or projectors can be supported. The Aavara PD3000, when combined with the Aavara PB5000 HDMI-Over-IP, is ideal for complex digital signage installa-tions at locations such as airports, shopping malls, department stores, transit/bus/metro stations, hotel, healthcare and education institu-tions.

Madison Audio Visual: 1800 007 780 or www.madisontech.com.au

SHARP’S GRAND STATEMENT: Sharp has taken ‘eye grabbing’ to a whole new level with the release of the new PN-R903 90-inch Pro-fessional LCD monitor, the ‘largest commercial LCD Monitor available in Australia’. With multiple image enhancing technologies and the option to mount the screen in por-trait or landscape, the new monitor provides the perfect platform for highly engaging installations. Ideal for 24-hour use, the PN-R903 boasts a monitor large enough to exhibit realistic life-size images — making this colossus screen a great addition to a range of indoor and semi-indoor environments

such as retail stores, airports, hospitality venues, educational institutes, and conference rooms. RRP: $36,995.

Sharp: 1300 135 530 or www.sharp.net.au

22% of smartphone owners have used a shopping application in the past three months (US).


3M AUSTRALIA136 136 www.3M.com/touch

AERIS SOLUTIONS (03) 9544 6902 www.aerissolutions.com.au

ADVANTECH AUSTRALIA(03) 9797 0100 www.advantech.com

AMBER TECHNOLOGY(02) 9452 8600 www.ambertech.com.au

AMX Australia(07) 5531 3103 5 Commercial DriveSouthport, Qld [email protected] is synonymous with networking and control systems. Not surprisingly AMX has entered the dig-ital signage industry in its own right (after all, AMX supplyahugeamountofgearforeveryoneelse’sDOOH) and have on offer two products. Inspired Xpress is for smaller or simpler installations with a ‘tiny’mediaplayercalledtheIs-Xpress-1000.Theintegrated software is comprehensive, yet straight-forward 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 manage-ment services from AMX.

AVICO(02) 9624 7977 www.avico.com.au

CISCO SYSTEMS(02) 8446 5000 www.cisco.com/go/dms

COMMAND DIGITAL SIGNAGE Unit 2, 30 Park RoadMulgrave, NSW, 2756Level 2, 22 Township DriveBurleigh Heads, QLD, 42131300 780 [email protected]

Command is a specialist digital signage and way-finding supplier, installer and technology partner.Command is the distributor of the successful Na-vori 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 corpo-rate, government, hospital, education, small busi-ness, retail, stadium and specialist requirements. Command’s product range includes Wayfinding,GlassVuprojectionfilms,RoomManagersoftware,kiosks, video extenders, LED displays, media play-ers and a range of mini computers. With 11 years specialising indigitalsignage,Command’sexperi-ence is guaranteed to leave their customers satis-fiedandproductive.Insummary,Commandisyourone stop shop for digital signage solutions and in-teractive displays.

COMMUNITECH(07) 3205 6188 www.communitech.com.au

DAT MEDIA (07) 5575 7798 Ground Floor, 183 Varsity Parade Varsity Lakes Qld 4227 [email protected]

DAT Media was established in 2003 to manage BIG W’s national in-store radio network.With over 15years experience within the in-store media indus-try, Managing Director Andrew Becker was quick to notice the emergence of digital signage advertising within the retail sector. He began focusing on creat-ing 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 net-work for BIG W that now includes in-store radio, digital signage, register Point Of Sale (POS) and a customer queuing solution that reduces the frus-tration 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 Shops. DAT Media of-fer 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 sig-nage network from the ground up. They also have a Creative Services department that can take the hassle out of putting everything together.

DYNAMIC VISUAL SOLUTIONS(02) 9431 6070 www.dynamicvisualsystems.com.au

ESCENTIA1300 729 866 www.escientia.com.au

FUJITSU DIGITAL MEDIA SOLUTIONS(03) 9924 3468 www.fujitsu.com.au

GENCOM (AUSTRALIA)(02) 9888 8208 www.gencom.com

HARRIS CORPORATION(02) 9975 9700 www.harris.com

HERMA TECHNOLOGIES(03) 9480 6233 www.herma.com.au

HEWLETT-PACKARD1300 305 017 www.hp.com.au

YOUR GO-TO GUIDE FOR DIGITAL SIGNAGEWHO’S WHO:


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FINAL_v2w_dsm ad SECOND EDITION.pdf 1 29/11/12 10:49 AM

IMAGE DESIGN TECHNOLOGY (IDT)1300 666 099Unit 2, 33-35 Alleyne Street, Chatswood Nsw [email protected]

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 prod-ucts IDT is the distributor of Brightsign solid state digital signage devices and Magenta signal distri-bution solutions. Displays include NEC and Sam-sungscreens.IDTdoesn’thaveanyoneparticulardigital signage service or software application to whichtheyalignthemselvesto–itdoesn’thaveits‘own’ completedigital signagesolutionaside fromtheBrightsignproducts–instead,IDT’sspecialtyisin providing from its catalogue of preferred manu-facturers 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 un-dertaken in Australia during the last few years and you’ll probably find IDT has been involved some-where along the line.

INNOVATEQ (03) 9465 5055 www.innovateq.com.au

INSTOREVISION 0412 960182 www.instorevision.com.au/digital-signage/

interactive controlspty ltd

INTERACTIVE CONTROLS(02) 9436 3022 or 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 andhardwarecontrol systems for specificevents,installations, film and commercial shoots, exhibi-tions, museums... okay, you get the picture. Medi-alon 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 control-lers along with Dataton Watchout and Medialon MIP HD Interactive Media Player. There is also the Medi-alon Scheduler application, which allows control of multiple venues and screens from a central server. Given Interactive Controls’ wide experience in in-stalling innovative display systems it can help you choose the best way to deliver your vision and with

Medialon’sstronghistoryinshowcontrolsystems,IC will no doubt have a neat trick or two to suggest

for impressing your audience.

INTERACTIVITY1300 797 199 Level 1, 1268 - 1270 High Street Armadale, VIC, [email protected]

In 2004 Interactivity was set up as a result of a part-nership between F1 Software to develop the Inter-activity foil which enables any window to become fullyinteractive‘throughtheglass’byallowingany-one,usingtheirfinger,tointeractwitharearproject-ed 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.

ISIGNPAK(02) 9457 6945 or www.isignpak.com

KVM AUSTRALIA(08) 9411 6333www.kvm.com.au

LED-SIGNS1300 553 555 or www.led-signs.com.su

LG ELECTRONICS(02) 8805 4409 or www.lg.com.au

MADISON TECHNOLOGIESSPECIALIST AV DIVISION1800 00 77 80 Australia wide [email protected] www.madisonthech.com.au

Madison Technologies specialises in the supply

of communications infrastructure products for the Professional Broadcast, Audio Visual, Building Services and Telecommunications Industries. With more than 16 years of market experience, an ex-tensive product range and a national team of over 100 staff, Madison Technologies is a company providing complete communications solutions. Madison’smainexpertiseliesinitsmassivecata-logue of electronic goods, from enormous rolls of cabling to the smallest bits and pieces. Madison is the Australian agent for a wide range of products that are used in the digital signage business; names such as SpinetiX and 3M to mention just a few. Australian owned and operated, recently Madison Technologies was awarded a $1 million contract to provide custom manufactured low volt-agecoppercableandfibreopticcableforAirportLink in Queensland, the second largest infra-structure project the city of Brisbane has seen. Itdoesn’tmeantheywon’thelpyououtfindinga0.99 cent fuse though.

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC(02) 9684 7777 348 Victoria RdRydalmere, NSW, [email protected] www.mitsubishielectric.com.au

Similar to some of the other, large electronics com-panies listed here, Mitsubishi Electric can put its hand up as a digital signage provider courtesy of a range of public LCD display models. Sizes range from 32- to 46-inch models in designs that can standalone,ortherearethe‘Slim-line’modelsfrom42-to65-inch–‘slim’beingthesizeofthebezes,notthedepthoftheunit–andfinallytherearetwospecialty displays of 46-inch and 56-inch that can beemployedinavideowallconfiguration.However,taking things a little further than just having fancy LCD tellies, the Mitsubishi Electric LCDs have in-built Cat5 receivers and an accompanying transmit-ter box which makes them ready-to-go for hooking uptoanydigitalsignagecontentsource.Uptofiveof the displays can be daisy-chained together via the Cat5.

MOOD MEDIA AUSTRALIA1800 808 368 www.moodmedia.com.au

NEC AUSTRALIA131 632 Level 14, 141 Walker StreetNorth Sydney, NSW [email protected]

FINAL_v2w_dsm ad SECOND EDITION.pdf 1 29/11/12 10:49 AMFINAL_v2w_dsm ad SECOND EDITION.pdf 1 29/11/12 10:49 AM

NECLiveisNEC’sleadingdigitalsignagesolutionthat lets you distribute dynamic video, images, text and more to display screens anywhere, anytime. With NEC Live you are empowered to dynamically display digital content across your network on NEC Commercial LCD panels based upon the individual schedules for each panel. The NEC Live user inter-faceiseasytouse,yetwiththepowerandflexibilitythat is only limited by your imagination to achieve your communication objectives with your target audience. The NEC Live solution includes a range of commercial grade LCD panels offering full high definitionperformanceandmanysupporting tech-nologies to address the most demanding digital sig-nage applications. Whether it be reliability over an operating cycle of 24 hours x 7 days, or an ultra nar-row bezel for a video wall or ensuring that content is visible when an LCD panel is in an location heavy with sunlight, NEC has the LCD commercial panel to ensure you maximise your communications to your target audience.

PANASONIC AUSTRALIA02 9491 74001 Innovation RoadMacquarie Park, NSW [email protected]

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Panasonic,which already has a huge manufacturing base for televisions and monitors, should jump on the digital signage bandwagon. It’s fronted by the Commer-cial Plasma Display series of products that come in two configurations.One is a selection ofOptionalTerminal Boards that will convert your Panasonic plasma screen of choice to accept data signals to suit your needs ranging from digital PC inputs to the humbleRCAvideocomponent.Alternatively thereis an Embedded Solution with a small PC installed into the plasma that can operate as a stand-alone display without a network. Panasonic can provide DOOH authoring and network control software in the form of its digital signage application, NDS 3.1, which can apparently feed both analogue and digi-tal screens in a variety of formats suggesting that your digital signage network doesn’t necessarilyneedtobeconfinedtoPanasonic’splasmarange.As longas it’saPanasonicdisplayof somekind,I’msurethey’llfigureoutawaytohookituptoyourDOOH display.

PLAYCOM(02) 8815 6600 22/89 Jones Street, [email protected]

Today Playcom operates throughout Australia and beyond with hundreds of commercial sites con-nected to its services. Playcom has moved beyond just music but the vision is unchanged: to provide top quality digital media entertainment solutions to businesses. In achieving this vision, Playcom has developed enormous content libraries, unique cus-tomisation techniques, unrivalled delivery technol-ogy and super-reliable hardware.

QUINTO COMMUNICATIONS(02) 9894 4244 or www.quinto.com.au

SALIENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS(02) 93135111 or www.salient.com.au

SAMSUNG1300 362603 8 Parkview DriveHomebush, NSW [email protected]

Samsung’sdigital signage is centredon its LargeFormat Display (LFD) range, a screen with chame-leon characteristics in its role as the basis for all Samsung’sDOOHproducts.Thereisastraightfor-ward 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 out-door type with features to withstand the elements and a specialised uVending model for installing in the front of vending machines. MagicInfo is Sam-sung’sproprietarysoftwareforcontentcontrolandcreations.Samsung’sPROMsystemisalreadytakingDOOHsolutions along the fast-developing path of provid-ing audience statistics to tailor the signage content. Awide dynamic range (WDR) camera embeddeddiscreetly somewhere in the installation captures and recognises faces to determine who is actu-allywatchingthescreen.PROMcaneitherjustcol-late the information for market analysis or actively change the display according to who is viewing it. It’sbothcleverandalmostscary‘bigbrother’stuff.We’reassuredthesesystemsarecompletelyanon-ymous. Still, maybe keep one hand on your wallet.

THE SCREENMEDIA GROUP(02) 8090 6565www.thescreenmediagroup.com

SHARP AUSTRALIA1300 13 55 30 www.sharp.net.au

RVISION(02) 8188 0882www.rvision.net.au

SONY AUSTRALIA1800 017669 www.sony.com.au

STREAMING MEDIA(02) 9460 0877 www.streamingmedia.net.au

STREAMVISION PTY LTD1300 300 407www.streamvision.com.au

SUMO VISUAL SOLUTIONS(03) 9429 4552 [email protected]

TECHMEDIA DIGITAL SYSTEMS (SCALA)(02) 9526 7880 Unit 7 / 65 Captain Cook DriveTaren Point NSW 2229 [email protected] www.connectedsignage.com.au

TechMediaisoneofAustralia’spremierdigitalvisualcommunicationscompanies.TechMedia’sexpertiseis centered around the digital platforms, content and services driving the growth in Connected Signage and DOOH. With over 17 years of experience with Scala-based network deployment and management as well as customised hardware and data integra-tion 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’sexperienceshows in itsproduct; thecom-prehensive content creation and distribution soft-ware goes one step further with Scala Ad Manager, an accounting add-on that handles the financialside of your DOOH business such as generating invoices. In the hardware department, Scala has its own Scala Player for linking with the Content Man-ager software. From there Techmedia will source display screens and networks best suited to the job.

TECHTEL(02) 9906 1488 www.techtel.tv

TELSTRA1300 835 782 www.telstraenterprise.com

VISION2WATCH(02) 9502 4800 www.vision2watch.com.au [email protected]

As part of Vision2Watch global, Vision2Watch Aus-tralia is locally owned and operated. We deliver a range of out-of-home (OOH) Interactive and Digital Solutions to transform ordinary spaces and surfac-esintotouchandmotion-activateddisplays.We’realsoexcitedtobeinvolvedwithAugmentedReality(AR)technology—specialisinginthedevelopmentof customisedAR applications to help our clientsachieve a cutting-edge promotional campaign.

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 [email protected]

YOUR GO-TO GUIDE FOR DIGITAL SIGNAGEWHO’S WHO:


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Get Your OwnDo 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.

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Story: Mug Punter

Comment: When signage is in a class of its own

DigitalSignage magazine wants to know what you’re up to. Share your plans and opinions with Chris Holder on [email protected]

I got bitten by a crocodile once. Well — okay, I thought I’d been bitten by a crocodile, which is just as bad. Upon closer inspection it seemed more likely I’d stepped on a broken bottle in the middle of the river. There was a lot of blood — a lot of blood — of

the kind that attracts crocodiles I might add.We were on a school excursion, the annual getaway for the kids and teachers alike and my school decided the ideal exercise was to take the entire class for a swim in a crocodile-infested river. To be fair, no one knew it was teeming with nasty critters at the time. The current thinking was maybe one croc per mile of river, so safe odds, and besides, the classroom was getting a little crowded. A survey a few years later revealed something like 300 crocodiles per mile. That’s a lot of handbags. It might explain why Timmy never came back that day, too.I was rescued by our physical education teacher, who was also the region’s Miss Australia contestant. In an old Holden ute she drove me one-handed 50km to a hospital, chain-smoking with the other hand. I guessed she was actually quite glad to be escaping the maddened horde back at the riverside, although the kid bleeding to death beside her must have spoiled the mood somewhat. Ah, fond memories. The education system just ain’t what it used to be…SWIMMING AGAINST THE STREAM

Most of my school excursions involved water. Several grades earlier and about 2000km to the south, our annual school picnic was at a local weir. The kind where your feet sink into an stygian sludge at the water’s edge and there’s bound to be a dead cow stuck under a log somewhere upstream. Swimming was compulsory to ensure you enjoyed yourself. Teacher supervision involved a headcount when we got off the bus, then another headcount when we were getting back on to leave. The hours in-between these, it was fend for yourselves. The sludge took its toll.The point is that in our present-day, enlightened education system the students enjoy their annual excursion in… oh, Paris or London; maybe Japan — certainly nowhere near crocodile-infested unless they go to New York and even then you have to nip down into the sewers. Everything has changed enormously in just a few decades. Has it done any good?BOARD SENSELESS

The modern classroom is a wonderland of technology — of network communications, digital signage and high-definition projection. It’s amazing to think that some kids today don’t even know what a whiteboard is, let alone a blackboard. Recently, there was a minor bun-fight over trying to standardise exactly what kind of personal computer students should (not could, mind you) bring to school. Laptop or tablet — or just a phone? Mac or Android? Back in the 1970s there was outrage that students were finally allowed

to bring ‘scientific’ calculators to school for dealing with all those cosine/tangent mindbenders vital to a good education — putting slide-rule manufacturers out of a job.At least we had some AV at school — actually, it was TV. There was a television room and everybody filed inside in time to watch a program on the ABC — ‘Frogs of the Upper Derwent’ or some-thing (ABC funding wasn’t huge… nothing’s changed there). Our school’s TV broke down on July 20th 1969. I was home with a bad cold. My mother invited my whole class over to watch the moon landing and I got caught in my pyjamas. Scarred for life, it’s incred-ible I can work in the AV business at all.$1000 A THROW?

Back to the present, it’s not surprising many teachers are leaving the education sector. Some are disillusioned with becoming little more than custodians of the classroom’s remote control. Some hate the idea they’re not allowed to deliver the swift kick up the arse so many students richly deserve. My personal theory is that teach-ers are disappointed they can no longer chuck stuff — at students obviously. It isn’t so much they’re not allowed to (although pinging students may be verboten in certain nanny-state jurisdictions), the problem is that the modern IT-rich classroom is utterly devoid of chuckable items. Yes, you have the aforementioned remote control, but after that? There’s no chalk, no blackboard duster, no pens or pencils… how on earth are teachers expected to snap back the attention of a day-dreaming student nowadays? Send them a text? Post an acerbic comment on the kid’s Facebook page?When you look at the outstanding work QUT has done with The Cube space [see page 24] you have to ask yourself, what are bad stu-dents made to do these days? Stay behind after class and microfibre the LCDs? Clean the filter on the spare projector? It’s plainly an impossible situation.The answer is to give back teachers something to chuck. Mete out the discipline on the spot with a well-aimed missile. Potential am-munition could be spare AAA batteries. Surely they wouldn’t inflict any lasting injury? Any thumb-drives under 2GB capacity are cost effective, don’t have sharp edges and are aerodynamic, too. Under extreme provocation a teacher could hurl an iPad. I regularly throw mine across the room and it still works.Students couldn’t possibly complain. Their biggest problem is jet lag, mostly. Copping a AAA in the eye’s no big deal. Hell, back in my day we were often bitten by crocodiles, if we didn’t keep paying attention — not sure if I mentioned that.


digitalsignage issue 8

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visual display solution

nec display solution

nec visual display products

visual experience

display solutions

dodgy powerpoint display

digital cinema projectors

largescreen lcd