EXTON, Pa. — Scala, a provider of end-to-end solutions for the connected signage market, has announced a deployment of digital signage at the Sprint Store in Kansas City, Mo. The deployment was realized through the creative collaboration between Scala Certified Partners Level 5 Media Group, Hammond Communications Group and IBM. The Sprint Company recently launched the Sprint Studio in Kansas City. Totaling 5,500 square-feet, the new facility is a high-tech showcase for the latest in retail design and digital signage technology.
Photo Gallery: Sprint Studio Store digital signage
Sprint turned to Level 5 Media Group to help develop a retail digital signage solution. Level 5 Media Group took the reigns as the project manager and lead integrator for the Sprint Studio solution. Level 5 then collaborated with Hammond Communications Group, IBM and Scala to take the Studio concept from the drawing board to a working solution in less than three months.
Visitors to the store are greeted at the concierge station, where they are then directed to one of five zones, depending on interest. Each zone is equipped with three to five HD LCD monitors with content relevant to customer queuing and zone-specific messaging. There are a total of 17 HD displays spread throughout the store.
During triggered events, which are scheduled to occur randomly around the top of every hour, the digital signage system performs a “Grand Moment” by lowering the ambient light and audio in the entire store and playing synchronized video, audio and special effects lighting. During a Grand Moment, a single message comprised of 17 HD videos and five audio sources (one for each zone) is split and synchronized on 17 displays, with each of the five zones playing audio relative to its part.
Scala programmers triggered codes for multiple third-party devices and applications. This included custom triggers for BIAMP lighting servers, Muzak audio controllers, Sprint’s custom Queue application as well as the overall “Grand Moment” triggers that brought them all together. Scala engineers also played a key role in helping Level 5 determine the proper hardware devices needed to operate the network. Extensive testing was required to find the proper devices capable of firing 17 HD videos, within five playlists, each being between 4,080 and 6,800 pixels wide per zone, at precisely the same time.
Much of the magic behind the “Grand Moment” can be found in the custom HD transcoding, scripting and central Content Manager configuration performed by Hammond Communication Group, the custom programming created by Scala engineers and the third-party triggering device development by Level 5 Media Group. These items allow the Content Manager to control, not only the Media Players, but also external environmental control devices, which when used together allow for synchronized audio, video and lighting. The visitor experiences an entire store moment unlike any in the retail environment today.
“Projects like the Sprint Studio store would not be possible without the innovative industry skills found in the Scala Certified Partner program,” said Andrea Waldin, vice president of marketing for Scala. “The aggregate skills available throughout the community not only benefit our customers but are a resource to other members of the community.”
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