IMS Audio Visual is excited to announce Scala's InfoChannel 5 Release 3. This new release shows Scala’s continued commitment to being the world leader in digital signage software. InfoChannel 5 Release 3 adds new features and modules, performance improvements and fixes.
IMS Audio Visual recently installed a Nexus Digital Signage system at US Supply’s newest retail location in Spring City, PA.
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After some careful decision making during the discovery phase or the project, management at US Supply decided to deploy to the retail location by first using their newest location as a pilot. US Supply settled on Nexus after evaluated several other options.
The key reason was Nexus’ ability to provide a “hosted solution” reducing the initial capital expenditure and leveraging the knowledge and content development experience of the Nexus team.
The system includes a 37” LCD display located behind the cashier stations. Audio is also provided through directional ceiling speakers that are hung above the areas where contractors congregate during checkout. A single networked player allows content to be updated quickly and easily through the Nexus web portal. Content provides customers with information about the newest products, local news and weather and promotional video clips.
US Supply operates 15 retail locations in the mid-atlantic area with expansion plans to add more in the new future. Each store will eventually be equipped with at least a single screen and all stores will be able to brand and identify their corporate identity as well as display local news, weather and items of local interest. All of the content can be accessed and controlled through a web interface and managed through one central location.
Digital Signage Expo
February 26-28, 2008
It reminded me of attending NAB over the past four or five years when HD had started as “hype” but finally, in 2006 it became evident that HD was here and mainstream. The story is true now of Digital Signage, as it is here and looks like a very strong market for at least the next 7-10 years.
DDG had a small presence at the expo but they offer a unique upgrade to a Scala system. Their company is the largest Scala VAR in the country and they have developed a “template-based”, web-browser and easy to use interface for Scala. The core of the system depends on the Scala engine but with CastNET organizations can leverage many resources within that organization to provide, improve and update content, easily and from the convenience of the internet browser. The systems are enterprise wide but DDG recently introduced a new “Solo” turnkey solution for smaller applications. CastNET also offers unique modules specific to the casino and hospitality markets that interface with slot controllers to provide casino-wide “celebrations when someone hits a big jackpot.
For passive or interactive signage system Nexus partnered with LG in their booth at DES and highlighted a recent interactive display they did for the PGA tour. Their systems are built mostly in a “Software as a Service”, hosted model and they have had great success with universities who are looking to create way finding and security tie-ins for campus signage system. They have also done projects with CBRE and for other, live sporting events.
By far the busiest booth on Wednesday as AGNPro showcased their Media Player and Network products. Of special interest was their new MiniBox HD which includes a compact flash card slot and touts 1080p resolution all for a MSRP of $995.00. This digital signage media player is by far one of the hottest products at the event. They also were showing the networked 720p version of this media player.
Unique applications integrating control and AMX’s Inspired Signage offering. They were showcasing a vertical video wall made up of 5, 42” LCDs driven by the Inspired Signage players and displaying high resolution, processed images across all five displays. The 1920 x 1080 resolution and almost unlimited expandability was impressive.
Another highlight was the development of integrating the features of AMX’s RMS (Room Management System) with their signage product allowing for a completely integrated solution with touch screen or passive applications.
Their 108” LCD is due for release this summer. They have the best looking screens in 46”, 52” and 65”. They also have low end ($600.00) digital signage software they hooked into with a third party. Their black matrix technology delivers very high contrast and these screens, although higher priced than some of the other top contenders are by far producing the best looking HD images.
A company with outdoor LCD technology – had a display that was being completely drenched with water illustrating their outdoor, weatherproof designs.
RSS feed subscriptions for insertion into digital signage system. Offerings include news, weather, sports, stocks and other national and localized packages.
Most of the breakout sessions were conducted by vendors who were sharing their most recent wins, especially the larger, retail projects. Content and its development, how it’s billed, who will be creating it and how it is deployed still reigned as king. HD content was debated but it is what most everyone now wants to see. There seems to be a debate in the higher end advertising model for retail about charging for content vs free content but most of all the content itself is very critical. Content is getting more sophisticated.Businesses need to engage their customers.
Contact us at (610) 361-1870
www.ims-av.com
With our growing capabilities in the areas of video production and editing, we has launched our own Channel on YouTube, highlighting the various Divisions of our organization through short video reels showcasing our work and some of our people.
Currently, we are operating 5 business units: Show Services & Event Staging, System Integration, Service, Digital Signage and Video Content Production. Check out the piece on Digital Signage below and the rest at IMS Audio Visual's YouTube Channel.
Stay tuned for new updates and new video reels highlighting our projects and other successes throughout our company!
IMS Audio Visual, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded the 2008 DIGI Award for Excellence in Creativity, Healthcare, from The Digital Signage Group. This recognition is for the Digital Signage Design and Integration of a custom system at Plymouth Meeting, PA. based Health Advocate, Inc.
“It’s a terrific honor to be recognized by our peers for our design and installation at Health Advocate”, said Bob Lobascio, VP of Sales and Marketing for IMS. “It was a fun and interesting project. We have to thank Health Advocate and specifically Marty Rosen, their Chief Marketing Officer, for his vision which allowed our team to take on the challenge of creating their digital environment. Our clients give us the opportunity to work diligently, to stay on top of rapidly changing technologies, and to suggest the very best solutions for their projects. The digital signage industry has grown exponentially in the recent years and to know that our team produced an award winning project, during this growth period for digital signage, is very satisfying.”
IMS completed the successful project that brought together a “Welcome Wall” featuring a 50” 1080P HD display and an ultra large display featuring a floating 130” diagonal HD Nippura Blue Ocean™ rear projection screen driven by a Sanyo PLV-WF10™ LCD projector, in the main Lobby Exhibit Area. Both displays in the Exhibit Area show automated content; each with a networked AGNPRO miniBox™ HMP HD media player. The Exhibit area then opens into the Boardroom which features a Digital Gallery comprised of ten 32” flat panel displays showing automated content through ten networked AGNPRO miniBox™ NMP network media players. In addition, a 106” diagonal HD rear projection system is driven by a Sanyo PVL-80 LCD projector and networked PCs. Health Advocate’s messaging is further communicated throughout the headquarters to their operations departments utilizing six strategically placed 50” 720P HD flat panel displays showing automated content with an AGNPRO oneBox HD™ Digital Signage Appliance. With the exception of the Digital Gallery, the entire display system is controlled via an AMX NI-3100 and Modero 8.5” wireless touch panel, programmed with customized matrix switching.
This Digital Signage system creates a striking multi-media experience that emphasizes the fundamental elements of Health Advocate’s services to visitors, affiliates and vendors; while communicating the company’s core communications and messaging to employees. As a result, interaction and communication has increased among the above mentioned groups due to the systems high impact and easy to use technology. The system is a tool to market more effectively and overall it provides an experience that enhances Health Advocate’s potential for growth.
The Digital Signage Group will be announcing the winners of the fourth annual DIGI Awards during the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas, Feb 27-28th. IMS will be participating in a special Digital Signage panel discussion held at the Expo.
About IMS Audio Visual, Inc.
IMS Audio Visual Inc. is a privately held company, based in Aston, Pa. As one of the fastest growing AV companies in the Philadelphia region, IMS operates five business units: Show Services/Event Staging, AV Design/Integration, Service, Pre & Post Video Production and Rental Services. IMS serves clients in the corporate, education and private sector markets, from small organizations to Fortune 100 companies and has been for 14 years strong.
About Health Advocate, Inc.
Health Advocate was founded to help employers and other organizations and their respective employees better navigate the clinical and administrative complexities of the nation’s healthcare and insurance systems. The company currently serves more than 10 million Americans nation-wide through its relationships with 3,000+ employers, unions, third-party administrators and insurers, including some of the nation’s largest companies as well as a wide range of local and regional organizations. Health Advocate offers its clients a broad spectrum of time and money saving solutions including its core advocacy service as well as other adjunct wellness and HR solutions.
About The Digital Signage Group
The Digital Signage Group is a specialty distributor 100% focused on Digital Signage. They co publish the Digital Signage Resource Directory and Digital Signage Magazine. More information is available at www.tdsg.net
IMS Audio Visual has reached an agreement with Scala and has gained status as a value-added reseller. IMS, utilizing Scala's™ high-powered and world recognized software, will offer complete, turnkey solutions, software and maintenance. Leveraging 14 years of experience and a 42+ employee team, IMS has the design, engineering, project management, integration and support services to help customers as they develop their short and long range plans for Digital Signage roll outs.
In addition to Scala's Info Channel 5™ software, IMS Audio Visual will enhance the power of Scala by also offering CastNET™. CastNET is a web-browser based compliment solution that works in harmony with Scala to create an even-easier to use digital signage solution. CastNET empowers many users to create and update content easily through any web-browser, from any PC, without the need for any additional installed software. CastNET provides over 700 template combinations that allow multiple users to update content fast, without having any graphics experience. IMS Audio Visual is positioning Scala and CastNET as high-end digital signage solutions for many applications but directed toward corporate, higher education and gaming customers.
• A new high-performance video-playback engine that plays back videos much faster than before, including 60fps video, and HD video on suitable hardware.
• Supported playback of H.264 (MPEG-4) video files. H.264 offers high visual quality at a smaller file size than MPEG-2 or WMV files.
• The new Broadcast Server module allows you to distribute content and plans to players using a multicast or package delivery network.
• A PC's display can now be in spanning / stretched mode, which performs better and looks cleaner than using two independent displays.
• Support for text-entry field elements from the Buttons panel. This allows you to create interactive applications that take keyboard input.
• You can now specify a proxy server's URL, username, and password.
• Publishing individual files that are bigger than 4GB is now supported.
• Sub-playlists can be easily created by multi-selecting media items and clicking Create Sub-Playlist.
• Text elements using variables, and text crawls now support inline and adjacent style changes for font, color, italics, size, etc.
• You can now "synchronize players" instead of "generating plans"
These improvements are only some of the enhancements which continue to be released as InfoChannel 5 passes its 1 year anniversary.
If you are currently using Scala IC3, now is the time to consider upgrading to InfoChannel 5.
Scala is the world leader in software for digital signage. With two decades of experience in the industry, Scala is committed to digital signage. Scala offers innovative, cutting-edge technology and Scala partners help customers integrate digital signage software, hardware, and technology resulting in the best possible digital signage network.
More information is available at www.scala.com.