DigitalSignage Issue 19 by Alchemedia Publishing

Digital Place Solutions assists clients to unlock digital visualisation opportunities

“ These displays serve both to enhance the esthetic aspect of the shopping experience at Pacific Fair while serving as a powerful consumer engagement solution” — Stephen Rubie, Co-Founder Digital Place Solutions

Digital Place Solutions provides Consulting, Sourcing and Supply services with a commercial imperative in mind; • Digital Strategy & Tactics – Develop/Evaluate/Execute • Digital Display Concept Development including Hardware, Content and Software • Technology Sourcing and Project Management Digital Place Solutions also represents interior LED specialist NanoLumens Inc. NanoLumens creates innovative new generation LED displays in any desired size, shape, or curvature, backed by the industry’s only Six-Year, Zero Failure Parts Warranty.

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Samsung SMART Signage Displays

Samsung Smart Signage Platform (SSSP) takes Samsung dynamic signage to another level. Included in the new Samsung DME, DHE and UED series, SSSP offers quad core System on Chip (SoC) technology helping to boost power and provide more functionality for Samsung signage applications.

Images for illustration purposes only Specifications correct at time of print, but subject to change without prior notice 1 Samsung LED BLU Commercial Displays use LCD display panels with LED back or edge lighting. 2 DP Cables not included. (Sold separately)â&#x20AC;&#x201C;DP loop out not available on DM32E 3 MagicInfoÂŽ Premium S server client access software licence is required for networked applications, one licence required for each display (sold separately). Internet connection may be required. Data and subscription charges may apply. Usage may be subject to third party service provider agreements. Network infrastructure not included.

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

Samsung Smart Signage Platform (SSSP) Included with DME, DHE and UED ranges

• Complete Stand-Alone Signage Solution • Design Template options included • DME, DHE, UED series allows for PC free content scheduling and delivery to multiple compatible displays using DP Daisy chain² (excluding DM32E) • DME, DHE, UED series PC-less video wall with DP Daisy chain² (excluding DM32E) • PC-less touch using SoC player and optional Touch Module (sold separately). • Scalable for networked server based signage applications with MagicInfo® Premium S client access software licences (licences sold separately - one licence required per display³).

New Samsung Commercial Displays with Samsung Smart Signage Platform The new Samsung DME and DHE series LED BLU¹ displays introduce a sleek design. Helping to provide clients with a consistent look for their installations even when different model types are required for specific applications.

PC-less video wall from SD Card, USB (devices sold separately) or on-board memory in one display with DP Daisy chain²

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CONTENTS ISSUE 19 2016

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

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

Editorial Office: (03) 5331 4949 PO Box 295, Ballarat, VIC 3353

Editorial Director: Christopher Holder (chris@dsmag.com.au) Publisher: Philip Spencer (philip@dsmag.com.au)

Art Director: Dominic Carey (dominic@alchemedia.com.au) Graphic Design: Daniel Howard (daniel@alchemedia.com.au) Contributing Editor: Graeme Hague (news@dsmag.com.au) Accounts: Jaedd Asthana (jaedd@alchemedia.com.au) Circulation Manager: Mim Mulcahy (subscriptions@dsmag.com.au)

FEATURE STORY 8 Screen Test: Rebel’s Rigorous Retail Strategy TECHNOLOGY 20 Spinetix Diva COMMENT 14 Chris Gauci, Corporate Initiatives 34 Mug Punter REFERENCE 30 Who’s Who Company Profiles

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

IN ACTION 18 Chill Out With Us, Market Square Shopping Centre 22 Urban Yoga, Sydney 24 oOh!Media Fly, Melbourne Airport 26 Pacific Fair, Gold Coast

alchemedia publishing pty ltd (ABN: 34 074 431 628) PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 info@alchemedia.com.au All material in this magazine is copyright © 2016 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. 1/4/16

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Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

Screen Test

Rebel is carefully managing the rollout of an ambitious digital signage network. Story: Christopher Holder Rebel: rebelsport.com.au Entwined: 1300 874 357 or entwinedsolutions.com.au LG: (02) 8805 4000 or lg.com.au

or a pursuit that can evoke such passion, buying sports gear can be a remarkably sterile experience.

It’s hard to reconcile the soulless clicking of a website with the heartthumping awesomeness of Steph Curry hitting a deep three 0.6 seconds from the final buzzer, the hypnotic inevitability of a pinpoint Lionel Messi free kick, or the unbearable tension of a threeway Masters playoff.

Rebel gets it. The ‘backwards e’, Rebel rebrand has taken it away from the ‘big sports barn’ model to a focus on premium shopping centres and creating exciting, immersive retail experiences. But not in a über-trendy or intimidating one-brandconcept-store way. The focus is on participation and fun — the message is: get involved and improve your skills. Unsurprisingly, digital signage plays a pivotal role in the new store designs. Signage helps to create excitement, raise awareness of the choices on offer, to have fun, demarcate store layout and to assist in transactions. Early on in the design phase, Rebel engaged digital specialists, Entwined, to mastermind the integration of the hardware and software solutions, as well as centrally managing the signage content. FIT FOR PURPOSE

spoke to Rebel’s Executive General Manager Retail, Wayne Tozer, to learn more about the digital strategy. DigitalSignage

Wayne Tozer: We’ve currently earmarked four Rebel locations as ‘Accelerate’ stores — Bondi, Chatswood, Miranda and Chadstone. We’re using these as our new concept stores, creating an immersive experience for our customers, and leveraging digital to do so.

We’ll be using those locations to ‘test and learn’ from what we’re doing with our digital signage to strategically select the best options and apply them to another 10 or 20 Rebel stores around the country. It’s about what works and what the customer expects in those store locations. DigitalSignage: Is

it about more than marketing new product releases and shifting stock? 8

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

BIG GAME Rebel’s Bondi store is on the fifth floor of the Westfield Shopping Centre. Digital signage plays a big role in the 10m frontage. A 3 x 3 video wall can’t fail but attract attention. The video wall plays locally-focussed content such as lifesaving events and surfing. A series of layered loudspeakers up the escalator help to… well, escalate the excitement with a crescendo of crowd noise. Get to the top and you’re pumped.

Wayne Tozer: Our focus is on solutions rather than simply selling product. A practical example might be our in-house podiatrist. If you come to buy a pair of shoes, our aim isn’t to simply sell you the first shoe that catches your eye but to sell you the right shoe for your foot. A foot scanner determines your foot type and a podiatrist can assist in the process. It’s a more scientific, structured way to get the right shoe that’s right for your foot and your sport. Our digital initiatives help to reinforce those messages; our goal is to ensure you get the perfect shoe to allow you to achieve your best in the sports your participating in.. DigitalSignage: What

have you learnt from previous signage deployments?

Wayne Tozer: Our old Bondi store had some digital signage but it wasn’t managed or integrated properly — it didn’t allow us to be responsive enough and we couldn’t measure its performance. With our new deployment there’s a strong focus on governance — making sure we’re doing the right thing and having those decisions backed by metrics and feedback. It’s early days for our new digital signage and we’re still learning. We have a weekly governance meeting, where we bring together merchandising, marketing, IT, and store management to discuss what we learn is and isn’t working. Were trialling all forms of content. At one extreme, we might turn off all the screens for a day; then we’ll run just the Rebel brand on all the screens for a day; then 20 different images for a day… We’re testing to see what the customer behaviours are in response to the signage, from a sales perspective, a brand awareness perspective and a visual engagement perspective; determining what is and isn’t working.

Another example: we’re fine tuning our Endless Aisle screen. The touchscreen allows customers to search and select product they can’t find on the floor — larger items like treadmills or trampolines. We learnt very quickly we needed a ‘journey map’ behind the screen that allows us to understand how people are using it. The Entwined backend allows us to track the customer journey — touching the screen, calling up products, building up a cart, printing a ticket and taking that to the counter — and produce a report to help us underDigital Place-Based Media & Technology

stand what sort of conversion rate we’re getting from that journey. Until you have that, you can’t determine if it’s successful or not. Does it have the right products on there? Is the process right? DigitalSignage: Do

you think you have the right digital mix and has the deployment made you think about what’s next?

Wayne Tozer: If our customer journey can be described as: Awareness, Choose, Transact, Delivery and, finally, Service, then we’re quite heavily front loaded on the ‘awareness’ and ‘choice’ front. We’re now looking at how to bolster the ‘transaction’ end. We have more digital on our radar, namely integrating mobile into the digital signage strategy and, with that, NFC to personalise that experience — for example, if you’re a Dragons supporter then we can trigger specific content as you pass a screen. REMOTE CONTROL

Rebel is part of the publicly listed Super Retail Group, which collectively has more than 600 stores and an annualised turnover in excess of $2 billion. It’s a big operation and there’s potentially a lot more riding on the Rebel signage deployment for the group than the marketing strategy of a chain of sports stores. Entwined is embedded in the group ensuring the rollout is integrated, reproducable and undergirded by a powerful analytics and monitoring engine. To achieve this Entwined has itself partnered with electronics giant, LG, sending its engineers to Korea to work with LG on some bespoke software. Entwined Director, Cameron Hanns explains: “It’s crucial to be given instant feedback regarding individual displays within video walls. When you’re conducting remote support, anyone can easily log into a media player and see what it’s playing — for example, it might be outputting a Nike ad at 1920 x 1080 — but that doesn’t help you see what’s actually being shown on the screen, it’s just the output of the media player. Entwined has written some custom software, developed with LG, to see what’s on the screen. All the screens are connected to the network and from a remote support point of view, we can take that support to the next level. “Plus, our customised analytics back-end allows Rebel to remotely access valuable insights to be able to truly understand their customer. In today’s retail landscape, it’s vital to understand and meet the rising demands of customers; together with Rebel, we hope to not only meet these expectations, but exceed them.” REBEL SELL

In the context of a Westfield shopping centre, Rebel faces stiff competition. Not only from the Nike or Adidas store but from the big multinationals like Uniqlo and Top Shop. Wayne Tozer explains: “Space is at a premium due to the introduction of big international brands moving into the Australian market. These big brands have also raised the bar with their retail store designs. As a result we need to be very smart with our store layouts — making the most of limited space — and we need to create an exciting environment that meets the expectations of shoppers in these premium shopping precincts. Digital signage helps us do that.”

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

EASILY LED At the top of the Bondi store escalator is a large 5m by 2.5m interactive LED wall with four Kinect sensors. As you walk past the screen an artist’s impression of Sydney’s ANZ stadium lights up. A rugby player might then follow you to walk in a try. The theory is to make it as engaging and as entertaining as possible. At other times the wall will be used to play in-store TV commercials to coincide with special product launches.

We might turn off all the screens for a day… We’re testing to see what the customer behaviours are in response to the signage

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES Netballer, and Rebel ambassador, Laura Geitz has found her netball ring on the Endless Aisle 55-inch touchscreen. Customers can riffle through a hundred or so products that are too large for the shop floor (such as bikes, trampolines etc), add products to their cart, then print a docket to take to the counter where the products are ordered. A full analytics engine from Entwined sits behind the screen providing metrics as to how far people go, and the sales conversion rate. The Endless Aisle is also seen as a ‘sales assisted’ tool where staff can walk the patron through purchasing decisions using the interactive screen or as a visual aid for staff to close a sale.

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

WONDER WALL 3 x 3 video walls in portrait mode help to activate areas of the store. Rebel work with suppliers like Nike to secure 4K footage to make the most of the combined screen resolution. The LG commercial panels have a super-thin bezel to provide that nearlyseamless appearance.

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THE CATCH? Welcome to Catch, an interactive game designed by Entwined. Look carefully and you can spot a Kinect camera hidden behind the screens at the on-screen playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s butt level. The customer is the player on the screen, and you have to catch balls lobbed at you. It speeds up until you miss. You can share your score and a photo on the Rebel Facebook page. A daily or weekly leaderboard can be posted.

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

Connect. Engage. Deliver.

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Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

Technology:

LED Signboards: When, Why & What? Chris is Technical Director of Corporate Initiatives, a national audiovisual integration firm headquartered in Melbourne that specialises in delivering world class innovative projects. He is frequently widely regarded in the industry as an authority on LED..

Story: Chris Gauci

t’s a question I get asked more often than just about any other: when does LED make sense? In other words, how big does the screen have to be before it’s the ‘best’ option?

It’s a great question, and not one with a simple answer.

LED is at its most visible in big outdoor dynamic advertising displays. Get under the flightpath of a capital city’s airport and you’ll find these big LED billboards in numbers. Alternatively, you’ll find LED in any stadium worth its salt, both as the ‘big screen’ and often as dynamic advertising hoarding on the perimeter of the ground.

Increasingly, LED is making its way indoors. LED panels are being installed by landlords of the larger shopping malls around the country, allowing tenants to advertise and for the owners of the shopping centre to harness their eyeball-pulling power for special events and in-house messaging. LED has some compellingly attractive attributes: The image can be large; seamless; bright enough to be visible in daylight; scaleable; comparatively lightweight; and can often be curved to work around pillars etc. What’s more, the price has dropped considerably over the last five years to the point where many more people are considering LED where a multi-panel video wall or projector would normally be the only viable option. Still, LED remains somewhat of a specialist solution; it’s certainly not the answer to every application and there are a few considerations you need to bear in mind when exploring it as a solution. WHEN LED’S BEST

Up to a point, projection and LCD will be your best friend. Customary 46- and 55-inch LCD might be the most common panel sizes but the cost of larger displays (let’s say up to around 90-inch) are coming down and are no longer considered the ‘add a zero to the 40-inch’ outliers. So, up to around 90 inches and LCD will give you outstanding results for the right price. Your next decision will be whether the LCD will be required to run 16 hours a day or 24/7, and this will determine the cost of the commercial-grade panel you need. I doubt if it needs saying, but a domestic TV won’t cut it for digital signage – a JB Hi-Fi telly will flame out quickly when put under the pressure of daily long-term use let alone being positioned in the glare of shopfront

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

sun. The protective glass layer applied to the surface of the LCD often has a high degree of reflectivity and can create a mirror effects which renders the content very hard to read in certain lighting conditions.

If your signage responds to touch – such as a wayfinding screen – then, again, your best option will be LCD.

Above 100 inches and it’s worth considering projection. A commercial-grade projector can easily match the brightness of LCD and render that image without video wall seams. What more, modern projectors will often have sophisticated warping capabilities to project onto curved walls and, with ‘pixel mapping’, will block out areas you don’t want to project onto. Which also makes projection — albeit in the lofty/pricey end of projection — the only viable option for large-scale ‘painting’ of landmarks (think: White Night or the regular lighting up of the Sydney Opera House). VIDEO WALL

We’re now accustomed to seeing multi-panel video walls being used for larger applications. It’s a relatively thrifty means of attaining a large image: ~55-inch panels are cheap and, with their ubiquitous computer (Ethernet) port on the back, they can be relatively easy to array with the right processor. This habit has left manufacturers scrambling to build commercial LCD with narrower and narrower bezels – 10mm, 5mm, 3mm… LG is now leading the way with a wafer-thin 1.7mm image-to-image join. Double the width of the bezel (remembering you’re butting two screens up against each other) and you have the width of the seam between displays in your video wall. Manufacturers will soon have nowhere to go — constrained by the width of glass around the panel — and there will always be some kind of space between adjoining displays.

Start building a video wall and you need to think about steelwork and shrouds to accommodate the screens (some vendors specialise in this kind of thing) and specialist processing. Still, for 2x2 or 3x3 video walls they can look great and be the best option, provided you don’t need to stray beyond the customary screen ratios provided by combining these 16:9 panels. FAST PACED PITCH

Get any larger than a 3x3 video wall and you begin to enter LED territory. And if that’s the case it’s as simple as buying the screen with the finest

pixel pitch you can afford… right? Not exactly…

Pixel pitch (the distance between LED ‘pixels’ in the panel) is obviously one consideration. The finer the pitch the more the screen’s image can appear smooth and television like. Pixel pitch has been coming down very quickly over the last three years, and given LED screens are being viewed at ever closer distances (ie. they’re no longer routinely 50m+ away telling you the football score), the benefits of a finer pixel pitch are evident to all. But to make a purchase based purely on pixel pitch is akin to buying a camera purely on the basis of its resolution (we all know a 10MP camera phone will be inferior to a 10MP ‘name’ camera with proper optics and, indeed, not all 10MP sensors are built the same). There’s a little more to think about: QUALITY COMPONENTS

Not all component LEDs are the same quality. It’s true to assert that the vast majority of all the world’s display LEDs come out of the same three factories, but that’s not to say there’s only three types of LED quality. There’s many, many more, and quality assurance is a big deal in the world of LED panels. How good the LED is will determine qualities such as brightness, colour (and how consistent the LED batch is in colour and brightness), how long they last, how resistant they are to heat and moisture, and more.

So you’d be right in thinking about buying a quality LED brand, one that has runs on the board and not a no-namer with an Alibaba account. OUTDOOR CONSIDERATIONS

If you’re installing your screen outdoors, then there’s no need to play the pixel pitch game. Normally the viewing distance will be greater (and, yes, there are exceptions, such as bus shelters) and a standard pixel pitch will be perfectly acceptable, especially if the screen is receiving 1080-pixel ‘HD’ content (ie. there’s little point having more pixels on the screen than there are pixels in the content). BRIGHT IDEA

Sometimes pixel pitch isn’t as important as brightness, especially outdoors. Brightness in a screen is measured in nits. Most indoor LCD will come in under 400 nits, which will look more than sharp and clear enough in a dimly lit room. Outdoors, you’re looking for your LED screen to provide more than 3000 nits to provide the desired impact in daylight. Brightness control at night, however, is a must for viewer comfort and power consumption.

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COLOUR ME ACCURATE

Sometimes accurate colour rendering is more important than either brightness or pixel pitch. It’s worth noting that LED, although improving, may not always be able to match the precise Pantone of your trademarked logo. If this is of crucial importance to your screen’s utility then let that be high on your list of demands when you go shopping. PIXEL PRICE

As a side note (and by way of full disclosure here): my company represents a brand of LED screen which is playing the pixel-pitch game of oneupmanship and I must confess that the ultra-fine pixel pitch LED panels are frighteningly expensive. We do have clients happy to stump up the cash in order to impress their clients — and, of course, we’re happy to assist them in that — but those bragging rights are soon eroded with the march of technology’s incessant improvement. SHOPPING LIST

To summarise and give you the ‘take homes’: LED, with the improvements in the technology is increasingly the answer to indoor and outdoor display needs. LED is flexible (it can adhere to just about any screen ratio or size, and can flex around pillars or take unusual shapes), it’s bright, it can have a superior viewing angle performance and it’s seamless (compared to LCD panels). They’re the ‘pros’. In the ‘cons’ column: LED is not so suitable for smaller formats, the colour rendering isn’t as accurate as LCD and it can get scarily expensive if you’re chasing ultra-low pixel pitch. Write yourself a list of priorities as to what matters most to your business in a display and talk to your consultant or integrator about the options.  Chris Gauci is happy to hear about your signboard conundrums. Reach him via the Corporate Initiatives website www.ciasia.com.au or at chris.gauci@ciasia.com.au

Recent Corporate Iniatives LED installs into Eastland Shopping Centre, Melbourne. (Top) A Videro LED 4mm indoor display and (below) a Videro LED 10mm SMD outdoor display.

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

CHILL PILL Knight Frank property management put their marketing plan on ice. Story: Christopher Holder

hopping centre managers are always looking for something to pull a crowd. Popups have been around way longer than the term ‘popup’ itself and serve to keep things fresh. Popup stores, face-painting, personal appearances, fashion shows, talent quests… shopping mall public spaces are increasingly becoming entertainment venues that get shoppers out of the beanbag, off eBay and into the real world of brick ’n’ mortar retail.

Now you can add popup digital signage to the list of attractions.

Knight Frank, which manages independent retail property Market Square Shopping Centre, in Geelong, embarked on an ambitious digital initiative to drive more foot and digital traffic. ‘Chill Out With Us’, a free interactive Antarctic-themed experience, featured the area’s first ever use of augmented reality technology, allowing customers to interact with orca whales, everpopular penguins and a friendly seal — all while standing on an ice-shelf and surrounded by icebergs in the middle of the shopping Centre.

The technology, designed and implemented by augmented reality specialist, Interactivity, proved to be popular with old and young alike who could interact in the Antarctic environment and then choose to capture their memories on screen. Photos were automatically uploaded to the Market Square’s Facebook page to encourage visitation. AUGMENTED REALITY

After many years papping celebs and royals, you might have thought that Geelong’s rockstar mayor, Darryn Lyons, had seen it all. Apparently not. He and the city council were sufficiently impressed by Chill Out With Us that they used the install for the launch of the ‘After Dark’ 18

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

Pedestrian Traffic

Public Relations

Website Visits

Facebook Results

Twitter Results

Centre pedestrian traffic saw launch day record a 9% increase and an overall increase of 2% for the month. Even customers in their 80s enjoyed the technology, while hundreds of families brought their children and it was popular with youth who embraced the social media-ready selfies. Retailers saw benefits through the increased centre visitation.

City of Greater Geelong Council liked Chill Out so much they used it as the launch for its ‘After Dark’ arts and culture celebrations. The VIPs ensured excellent press coverage and mayor Darryn Lyons’ social media support of the campaign significantly contributed to the outstanding Twitter results. The Geelong Advertiser published a fourcolumn article with large photo (which would sell for $948), plus extensive online support was provided by Central Geelong Marketing and Greater Geelong and Bellarine Tourism.

The increase in web traffic came as a surprise. An 87% increase compared to previous month of May result. Google Analytics indicated a high percentage of those visits landing on the Augmented Reality page.

Facebook results were outstanding, with: • Over 10,000 photos uploaded in 28 days. • An average of 360 photos uploaded each day. • Saturdays proved the most popular day with an average of 538 photos uploaded each Saturday. • Likes increased by 8.46% on the previous month to 5232. • Weekly reach exceeded 21,000 which was up 150% on the previous month. • Shares saw a 75% increase. • Only two naughty photos needed to be deleted — less than 0.02% of all images uploaded!

Although Market Square’s Twitter channel was not the primary mechanism in this campaign, the monthly results were impressive, in large part to the community support of the campaign: • 3% increase in followers to 1307 followers. • A reach of 1.3 million. • 2.2 million impressions. • 40 retweets and 27 mentions.

arts and culture celebrations. Complete with a live ice sculptor (who carved a penguin), a piper and the centrepiece augmented reality, large crowds attended the council’s launch. It goes to show that the imaginative use of digital signage can indeed create a stir and raise profile.

“We had two goals for the execution,” Marketing Manager, Sarla Holmes, noted: “To increase centre pedestrian traffic; and to foster engagement by providing quality digital interactions. Chill Out With Us was an outstanding success in both regards. Not only did we see a 5%-plus increase in pedestrian traffic on the launch day, there was a 2% increase for the month compared to May 2014. From a digital perspective we were delighted by the increase in web traffic, while key Facebook and Twitter metrics also demonstrated how engaged people were with the initiative.” HOW IT WORKS

The Chill Out With Us activation had instant appeal — throughout the month-long residency there was always some kind of queue waiting to have a go. Much more than a 2x2 video wall, the integrator, Interactivity, also supplied supporting structures, such as icebergs (constructed from

super-high-density foam) and ‘ice shelf ’ flooring. After entering the Chill Out ‘zone’, visitors are immediately transported into an Antarctic scene, with (virtual) water lapping at their feet.

A selection of emperor and fairy penguins gambol around you. You can pat the penguins and they will follow you if you move to the right or left. The penguins not getting tickled under the chin will skate and slide into the ocean. Seals will also periodically jump in and out of the water. Orcas (killer whales) round out the Chill Out crew. As many as six people can interact with the scene at once (the constraints of the Kinect camera). Interactivity’s Projects Director Maddi Goricane enjoyed the project: “It’s been great fun. And augmented reality activations have to be: they’re intentionally a little bit tacky and light hearted – just a bit of fun really.”

Where it got serious was when Maddi showed management how Chill Out could be leveraged to drive social media traffic. After you interact with the Antarctic fauna you can lift your arms to activate the camera and have your photo uploaded to the shopping centre’s

Facebook page. It was a stroke of genius and really drove engagement. BREAK WITH TRADITION

The Knight Frank marketing team were savvy enough to realise the Chill Out With Us popup wasn’t going to be enough in and of itself to attain the results they required. They backed it up with more traditional marketing which included door and floor decals, printed posters throughout the centre and table talkers on food court tables. The campaign was also strongly supported by digital advertising through all social channels, EDMs, website advertising and SMS messaging. A 15-second promotional video was developed on the launch day and posted three days later on Market Square’s Facebook page and received more than 10,000 views within the week. In other words, the signage was the main act but only reached its full potential thanks to a full supporting cast of old-school and digital marketing initiatives. Market Square: www.marketsquaregeelong.com.au Interactivity: 1300 797 199 or www.interactivity.com.au

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

One-Screen Wonder Spinetix DiVA: Perfect Single-Screen Solution

Technology

VIDEO: DIVA EXPLAINED We asked Spinetix Sales Manager, George Preston, to give us a tour of DiVA while we were at the ISE show in Amsterdam. Check out our video on: youtu.be/Y0BuX59D-os

Madison Technologies (Spinetix): 1800 00 77 80 or madisontech.com.au/singlescreen-digital-signage/ Spinetix DiVA: www2.spinetix.com/singlescreen 20

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

Very often we focus on large digital signage deployments. Hundreds (or in the case of one story this issue, thousands) of screens sometimes across multiple campuses, require an effort not unlike a military campaign to deploy and adequately maintain. Impressive, but beyond the scope of most organisations. In fact, most enterprises only ever contemplate a single screen. You know the kind, in fact, you may well be eyeing off a vacant wall right now: something mounted behind the reception desk, a waiting room, a foyer, a staff cafeteria, or a retail display window; and it’s utterly sufficient for the scope of the content and intended message. The intended scope may be anything from retail specials/promotions, staff noticeboard-style messaging, through to ‘get your flu shot now’ monologues from a trustworthy man in labcoat and company metrics/sales targets. Spinetix is a Swiss signage specialist, building bulletproof solid-state media players for years and logical/powerful scheduling software. Spinetix DiVA is the company’s acknowledgement that there’s a world of single-screen signage customers who require a solution that’s easy-to-operate without sacrificing anything in the looks department. The brains of the operation is the DiVA media player that sits on your computer network and plugs into the back of your screen. Pushing content to your screen starts with logging onto the DiVA interface via a web browser. Being browser based means you can pull the levers from any computer or device in the office or even at home, which is great. The easy-to-use interface has three panes: Create, Schedule, along with a

window mirroring what the DiVA screen is currently showing. In the Create pane you can pull content into the DiVA player from your PC and then choose a Playout template to work with or create your own. There are a variety of Spinetix Playouts in landscape or portrait orientation and very often include plugins for an RSS feed, a clock or a info ticker. Choose the Playout that best suits, then drag ’n’ drop a background image, the principal media, and the RSS feed you’re pointing to etc. It’s super-easy to create something bespoke and something that looks sharp and professional. Once you’ve designed your Playout(s), return to the Scheduler tab and, again, drag ’n’ drop Playouts onto the weekly calendar — Wednesday 11:30am, for example. Drag one of the Playouts to the Default panel to set the message DiVA reverts to if nothing else has been scheduled. Sounds easy? It is literally as easy as all that. There is, of course, some deeper dive editing, but not at the expense of ease of use. With DiVA, Spinetix isn’t preaching to the choir, it’s reaching out to business owners wedded to the use of printed material. With DiVA, the shift to digital is as unintimidating as you can get — operationally and financially. And by making the move you enter a world of dynamic content; a world with apps such as calendars, tickers, weather, and other RSS feeds; that looks refined and can be managed from any device by a ‘fall off a log’ web browser interface even the work experience kid can operate. With DiVA, you’re running out of excuses. 

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www.techmedia.com.au Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

Better Yourself Yoga studio brings Tibet to you.

In Action

Urban Yoga’s motto is ‘Sounds Better, Looks Better, Feels Better’ and the team takes it very seriously — it’s a modern, funkily-designed studio as fastidious about detail as its hip, urban clientele. It all starts with the music: LA-based DJ Jackmoore works with Urban Yoga on the perfect playlist. It’s not all wind chimes and throat singing, Urban Yoga can be high energy at times and a gutsy PA (based on QSC K8 loudspeakers, Allen&Heath GR5 rackmount mixer and Audio-Technica System10 digital wireless microphone system) ensures the yogis feel the vibe.

Urban Yoga: urban-yoga.com.au Interactive Controls: (02) 9436 3022 or interactivecontrols.com.au Panasonic: (02) 9491 7400 or panasonic.com.au TAG (QSC, Allen&Heath, Audio-Technica): (02) 9519 0900 or tag.com.au

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

Once a session’s music is finalised its shared with Sydneybased filmmaker, Patrick De Teliga, who matches the music with sympathetic video content. It might be footage shot by himself or content he’s curated. Mostly it’s beautiful slow moving landscapes. One side of the studio is dominated by a projection screen that carries the visuals. Studio Manager, Jodi Cantafio, calls it ‘immersive’ and you can see why: “The thought was that if we were going to introduce a visual component it had to be of the highest quality and not tokenistic.” At 7.1m wide and 2.4m high the system is utterly enveloping. A Dataton WatchPax2 media player runs the show, taking the 2334 x 800-pixel footage, managing the edge-blending

of the two Panasonic PT-RW630 6000-lumen LED projectors, the scaling of the overall image, and the sync’ing and triggering of the music and content. Dataton Watchnet software takes care of control via a wall-mounted touchscreen, where instructors can easily cue-up sessions. The projectors use ultra-short-throw (0.3:1) lenses to bring them nice and close (1.2m) to the screens, ensuring there’s no shadowing from instructors getting in between the projector and the screen. The system was supplied, integrated and installed by Interactive Controls. And what about the doubters who thought the visuals would be a distraction? “The overwhelming feedback is it takes people the out of their heads and helps them to be fully present.” 

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

As the world leader and digital pioneer in

Experience the Daktronics difference:

out of home, Daktronics remains committed to

• State-of-the-art reliability lab

setting the standard in LED display technology.

• Dedicated project teams

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• Intelligent product design • Continued R&D investment

daktronics.com/en-au Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

Fly on the Wall oOh! wins online ad rights at Melbourne Airport

In Action

oOh!media: www.oohmedia.com.au

oOh!media has won the rights to new mobile and online opportunities as part of a new long-term contract with Melbourne Airport including the new domestic terminal – T4. In a first for oOh!, the company has won exclusive rights to sell advertising for the airport’s consumer facing digital assets, including the Melbourne Airport website, Mobile app and its wi-fi offering across the precinct. Also under the contract, oOh! not only extends its exclusive advertising rights for Melbourne’s T1, T2 and T3, but has won the rights to deliver state of the art digital external and internal signage for the new T4, giving it full coverage of the Melbourne Airport precinct that is expected to deliver 15 million passengers each year. One of the new signage innovations being delivered for the new T4 complex is a state of the art hanging cylindrical digital banner with directional audio, via a sound shower. oOh!’s Group Director – Fly, Robbie Dery, said the digital opportunity was consistent with the company’s wider digital strategy of building up its portfolio of integrated online and offline

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

products. “The airport has been experiencing record utilisation of their digital assets, with more than 600,000 online visitors each month and more than 150,000 downloads of its app,” Mr Dery said. “This coupled with our inventory gives advertisers a valuable way to reach the highly sought after fly audience. “By bundling the online digital assets with digital signage, we are able to deliver on the shared vision of providing the ultimate customer experience across all channels that can reach flyers, all while generating further revenue growth. “This new contract further strengthens oOh!’s market leadership in the airport out of home environment in Australia. We look forward to continuing to innovate to keep one of Australia’s busiest passenger airports as one of the most digitally advanced in the world.” The agreement will also see oOh! upgrade digital and static inventory for the international terminal in the coming month, with ongoing development opportunities across the airport precinct over the contract term. 

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tions. a ll a t s in e e fr s s e ick & str u q o t y a w w e n The Hey rack builders and service engineers! How much do you like power supplies and small devices? How much do you love it when you have one small device like a transmitter, scaler, DA, etc. fail and in order to get it out of the rack you have to cut 50 cable ties, wipe the blood off of 4 new scratches and pray that you haven’t unplugged anything by accident? tvONE has developed a universal rack mounting system for all manufacture’s small devices – different sizes and different voltages! Throw away the power supplies! And even cool them! Comes in three sizes, 4RU, 5RU, 6RU. It’s called the ONErack.

+61 (0)3 9005 9861 • www.corsairsolutions.com.au

Fair Advantage New Pacific Fair LED Signboards Turn Heads

Technology

Pacific Fair, since it started life in 1977, has undergone numerous expansions, the most recent of which was an A$670 million renovation begun in 2014. The mall now features approximately 420 shops, restaurants and entertainment destinations under a single roof that covers some 150,000sqm! Visitors to the newly refurbished property will experience the largest curved LED displays ever installed in Australia, in the form of multiple NanoLumens (www. nanolumens.com) LED video displays suspended over the mall’s two key areas.

NanoLumens: nanolumens.com

BEAUTIFUL FLOAT

Digital Place Solutions (DPS): 0412 339 489 or digitalplacesolutions.com

The NanoLumens NanoCurve LED video displays that appear to float over the Oculus and the Myer department store are massive — three single-sided 5mm NanoCurve displays each measuring 3m wide x 5.2m tall at the Oculus and a 6mm double-sided NanoCurve near the Myer store measuring 5.4m high x 3.2m wide which is built with a unique wave shape running through the display. As impressive as their sizes are, these NanoLumens displays also completely adhere to the Pacific Fair’s aesthetic: bright, dynamic, current content while classic in style. The installations represent a true melding of architectural grace and technological prowess. The NanoLumens solutions were recommended by Digital Place Solutions (DPS), a digital display and place-based media consultancy specialising in next generation high-

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

resolution LED solutions. The displays were installed by AV systems integrator Digi Corporate. “The Pacific Fair redevelopment project transformed one of Australia’s most iconic shopping malls into a 21st century experience with world-class retailers, and the NanoLumens displays are superb examples of digital display design and ingenuity, reflecting the themes of the mall’s resort style through their design,” observed Digital Place Solutions CoFounder Stephen Rubie. The displays, he explained, serve both to enhance the aesthetic of the shopping experience at Pacific Fair while serving as a powerful consumer engagement solution. “The displays are being used as a highly effective advertising vehicle that stops shoppers in their tracks,” he explained. “Advertisers are thrilled that their messages are being seen and retained by shoppers.”

ATRIUM CHALLENGE The mall’s environment presented some design challenges. “The format and shape of the displays were the biggest challenges,” said Rubie. “The atrium is large, with a combination of circular and triangular openings and a skylight above. To provide a relevant display in the space required a circular array of curved displays to meet the aesthetic objectives of the mall while aligning the advertising faces with the main pedestrian traffic corridors. This had to be achieved while maintaining standard portrait media format dimensions.”

The design criteria also required the displays to be very thin and light. The atrium space is open with a lightly supported glass roof structure, so the displays had to continue this design theme, able to deliver high impact visuals from a ‘barely there’ display structure. “NanoLumens offered the best solution — a perfectly curved solution at a resolution fine enough for close viewing from the upper levels of the atrium,” Rubie explained. “The NanoLumens 5mm NanoCurve was ideal for the application: fine pitch, perfect curve and super-wide viewing angles across multiple levels of the mall allowed DPS and the mall design team to develop a stunning solution in the Oculus atrium space. With a depth of just over four inches, the NanoLumens displays allowed the designers to complement the display with a lighting feature on the inside of the array creating a chandelier effect.” Rubie asserted that the NanoLumens displays at Pacific Fair mark the first time LED displays of this size have ever been deployed together in Australia, all operating together with common content, to create a single creative advertising palette for audience engagement. They enhance the space, he emphasised, in a way that no other piece of architecture or technology could. 

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

BEHOLD ADVERTOWER

COOL WATCHOUT DISPLAY

A new record in the advertising technology. The LED display engineers of S[quadrat] GmbH have broken a record in the display market. During the last weeks at the motorway A3 near Linkenbach between Cologne and Frankfurt Europe’s biggest LED advertising system was realised. The 35m-high LED advertising tower AdverTower now provides a premium advertising platform which has not existed before in Europe. It consists of two 18m wide x 9.6m high screens, a total of 345sqm display area. The lower edge of the displays is situated at 25m height at a giant steel construction on a 30 tons heavy steel pylon. Both LED video displays consist of specially developed S[quadrat] SO [25RGB] NT Light modules. With the pixel pitch of 25mm each side reaches an optimal resolution of 720 x 384 pixels. A total of 1.68 million Nichia LEDs provide reliable first class LED technology and a brilliant image result. The advertising content is presented in a 16:9 ratio with a brightness of 7,000cd/m² at 6,500K. The system-specific brightness sensor technology is in charge for the automatic regulation of the 7000 cd/m² and guarantees perfect image quality even in changing light conditions. The controlling is supplemented by the unique, customised SX[TempControl]. Temperature sensors monitor the display modules and react as soon as the temperature is beyond the normal range that can be defined individually. The control room will be informed immediately and the LED display can be disconnected fully automatically. Therefore these preventive measures extend the lifetime of the entire display system and a continuous reliable operation is ensured.

Polish production house, MOOV, designed an eye-catching show for Dataton at the ISE 2016 exhibition. The aim was to illustrate the creative potential of the company’s Watchout multi-display software, inspiring users to push the boundaries. “The whole stand is basically one big product demo. We’re putting Watchout through its paces and, at the same time, creating an experience that people will remember!” says show producer Piotr Majewski, MOOV. Version 6 of Watchout has added a strong feature-set for smoother workflow in complex projection mapping, multiple-source video playback, virtual displays for pixel mapping, previsualisation, as well as a new-look user interface. Dataton also used ISE to will give a sneak peek at the next version of its WatchNet a web-based control software for Dataton WatchOut multi-display systems. The new WatchNet version adds a range of features to the panel design interface; improves workflow for panel designers, and offers video playback as a component in the panel design.

Interactive Controls: (02) 9436 3022 or interactivecontrols.com.au

Media contact S[quadrat]: squadrat.de

Digital interactions influenced 40% of in-store retail visits in Australia in 2014

SPINETIX IS HYPER: Spinetix’s new additions to its Hyper Media Player range, the HMP300 and HMP350, are powered by an enhanced full HD, programmable and multilayer rendering engine. With the HMP300, customers will have a highly competitive and programmable product while the HMP350 model offers unique and specialised features such as video wall management and live video streaming. To get the best out of the two new models, SpinetiX has introduced a brand new version of its software, ‘Elementi 2015’. This professional content authoring and distribution software simplifies

NEWS:

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

the most complex tasks with an intuitive interface and dedicated wizards. Madison Technologies: 1800 007 780 or madisontech.com.au NAVORI QL ASSURANCE: Navori Labs has created an HTML5 version of its QL Manager. The HTML5 user interface delivers a template and media preview feature to improve insight into design quality, along with a more responsive user interface to simplify content creation and management. Additionally, the migration to HTML5 will support playlist and rules-based

scheduling based on meta tags, enabling more effective targeting of content delivery across out-ofhome networks. Australian Distributor: www.commandaustralia.com.au CHRISTIE APEX: Joining Christie’s Velvet family is the new series of narrow-pitch LED tiles featuring 1.2mm and 1.6mm pixel pitches. They’re designed for critical viewing applications along with high-impact visuals, such as corporate lobbies, museums, indoor advertising etc. Christie says its new LED tiles are easy to install, configure, manage and service.

TVONE’S SURGICAL SOLUTION

FIRST TIME FOR FIRST PEOPLES

tvONE has been chosen by Olympus Surgical Technologies Europe to develop a custom video routing system transmitting 2D, 3D and 4K images for its minimal invasive surgery system. Olympus is a leading provider in the field and one of the first to offer 3D and 4K endoscopic cameras. The Olympus solution had some very challenging requirements that would stretch the abilities of a matrix switcher to its limit. Olympus needed to be able to capture and deliver 3D and 4K signals, and route these to the screen for the surgeon to refer to. It also needed to be able to scale, format and route all of the SD and HD images to other systems in the operating theatre. The requirements also included support for 3G-SDI Level B signals to handle the 3D signals from the Olympus equipment; support for extended video range, with conversion to limited range; support of 4K resolution and colour gamut (BT 2020); and support for routing of four 3G-SDI signals for 4K. Olympus also requested that the Web UI used to control the CORIOmatrix be adapted to make for easier on-site configuration. The modularity and flexibility of the tvONE CORIOmatrix lends itself readily to such adaptation for specific, and challenging, requirements.

AIATIS (Australian Institute of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies) exists to promote knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, traditions, languages and stories, past and present. It has an office in Canberra not so far from the National Museum. In 2015 it explored the idea of repurposing a pokey bookshop and the office foyer as an exhibition space. After engaging an architect, exhibition designer and industrial designer the idea began to take shape. And AV consultant, Parity AV, was appointed to advise on what technologies could be employed to deliver the results. No one’s making a huge song and dance; you won’t see this space being press released, but AIATSIS is gently feeling out what it might mean for it to do more of this type of thing in the future. The exhibition combines a LG video wall, a Samsung interactive display and a ‘immersion cell’ in the old bookshop using Epson projection. Being the custodians of a wealth of artwork and content, AIATSIS has no shortage or material to display. For the video wall it choose a remarkable documentary called First that charts the history of Australia’s first people up until the point of Captain Cook’s arrival. The doco was edited into bite size chunks for people to easily select and digest.

Corsair Solutions: www.corsairsolutions.com.au

Parity AV: www.parity.com.au

— Navigating The New Digital Divide, Digital Influence In Australian Retail, Deloitte

The Apex Intelligent Module adds features that make modules ‘plug and play’ reducing downtime and reconfiguration requirements. Christie Digital: www.christiedigital.com 3M 80-POINT MULTI-TOUCH: 3M has new projected capacitive (PCAP) Multi-Touch Systems using 3M proprietary ultrafine Metal Mesh conductor design. At just three microns wide, the ultrafine mesh conductor allows a more vibrant, high quality optical viewing experience when integrated into a multi-touch display. Other features include the ability to project

through glass up to 5mm thick, a bezel-free design and support for up to 80 simultaneous touch points for a more natural multi-user interactive experience. 3M: 136 136 or www.3M.com/touch TRIPLEPLAY WIFI STREAMING: Aimed at the live sports industry in particular, the Tripleplay HD Encoder is a super low latency encoder delivering 250ms video, glass to glass. The new Mobile Media App allows video streaming, content upload, live TV recording, chat and secure encrypted download of video files for off-network playback.

Tripleplay has developed the High Density Wi-fi Video Streaming solution using a mix of forward error correction and live reporting to deliver a smooth video experience for the user even among densely packed audiences and many mobile devices trying to access rich media from communal wi-fi. Tripleplay: www.tripleplay-services.com.au CASIO’S LASER EIGHT: Casio is set to expand its affordablypriced Core Series lineup of laser and LED light source projectors by adding three new models featuring a 1.5x optical zoom lens. Five new

Advanced Series projectors are also set to land. The new projectors reach a maximum brightness in as little as five seconds from power on and have a stated lifespan of up to 20,000 hours. No cool down period is necessary after power off. The Advanced Series’ Instant Light Control feature senses ambient brightness and automatically adjusts the projection brightness accordingly. Shriro: www.casioprojector.shriro.com.au

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

WHO’S WHO:

YOUR GO-TO GUIDE FOR DIGITAL SIGNAGE

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

AERIS SOLUTIONS - JUST DIGITAL SIGNAGE (03) 9544 6902 www.justdigitalsignage.com.au

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

AMX Australia (07) 5531 3103 5 Commercial Drive Southport, Qld 4215 sales@amxaustralia.com.au www.amxaustralia.com.au AMX is synonymous with networking and control systems. Not surprisingly AMX has entered the digital signage industry in its own right (after all, AMX supply a huge amount of gear for everyone else’s DOOH) and have on offer two products. Inspired Xpress is for smaller or simpler installations with a ‘tiny’ media player called the Is-Xpress-1000. The integrated software is comprehensive, yet straightforward and intuitive enough to cater to clients to get their screens up and running quickly with a minimum of servicing the message afterwards. Inspired Xpert is — as you might guess — a more serious DOOH product with better options like HD broadcasting that, among many other extras, takes advantage of those system command and control devices that AMX has in other corners of the warehouse to provide fully-blown large networks. Plus with Inspired XPert customers have access to custom content development and content management services from AMX.

installation for the deployment of digital signage systems for corporate, government, hospital, education, small business, retail, stadium and specialist requirements. Command’s product range includes Wayfinding, GlassVu projection films, RoomManager software, kiosks, video extenders, LED displays, media players and a range of mini computers. With 11 years specialising in digital signage, Command’s experience is guaranteed to leave their customers satisfied and productive. In summary, Command is your one stop shop for digital signage solutions and interactive displays.

CORPORATE INITIATIVES (03) 8878 9000 ciasia.com.au

CORSAIR SOLUTIONS www.corsairsolutions.com.au

Command is a specialist digital signage and wayfinding supplier, installer and technology partner. Command is the distributor of the successful Navori digital signage software, a multi-user, multi-site management and screen display software, now including the low cost Android hardware player. Navori is a technically advanced solution suitable for all types of installations from Small Business to Enterprise as either a self-hosted or SAAS system. As a technical partner, Command can provide full supply, project management and

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

• Digital Strategy & Tactics - Develop/Evaluate/Execute; • Digital Concept Development including Hardware, Content and Software considerations; and • Technology Sourcing as well as Project Management through to Installation

Drawing from deep experience our four service pools offer diverse capability - Place Based Environments; Technology Insight; Advisory and Implementation; Education and Training. Daktronics Australia Pty Ltd LED display manufacturer Suite 108, Ground Floor, 18 Rodborough Rd Frenchs Forest, NSW 2087 (02) 9453 4600 Blair.robertson@daktronics.com www.daktronics.com Since 1968, Daktronics has been reinventing the way you display. We are the world’s industry leader in designing and manufacturing electronic scoreboards, programmable display systems and large screen video displays. It’s our passion to continuously provide the highest quality standard display products as well as custom-designed and integrated systems.

DAT MEDIA (07) 5575 7798 1/30 Dover Drive, Burleigh Heads, QLD 4220 hello@datmedia.com.au www.datmedia.com.au

COMMAND DIGITAL SIGNAGE Unit 2, 30 Park Road Mulgrave, NSW, 2756 Level 2, 22 Township Drive Burleigh Heads, QLD, 4213 1300 780 204 sales@commandaustralia.com.au www.commandaustralia.com.au

Digital Place Solutions offers - Consulting, Sourcing and Supply services, all with a commercial imperative in mind;

Digital Place Solutions assists proactive clients gain a commercial edge through achieving their digital display and consumer engagement ambitions, always with a clear point of difference and a business outlook in mind.

BENQ AUSTRALIA (02) 8988 6503 www.benq.com.au

BLUFI (02) 9792 4188 www.blufi.com.au

Digital Place Solutions International Pty Limited Elanora Heights, NSW 2101 hello@digitalplacesolutions.com www.digitalplacesolutions.com

DAT Media was established in 2003 to manage BIG W’s national in-store radio network. With over 15 years experience within the in-store media industry, Managing Director Andrew Becker was quick to notice the emergence of digital signage advertising within the retail sector. He began focusing on creating a visual media solution for current and future clients to harness the power of what was still back then a developing media. The strategy resulted in DAT Media creating a complete digital media network for BIG W that now includes in-store radio, digital signage, register Point Of Sale (POS) and a customer queuing solution that reduces the frustration of being caught in a long — or even wrong — queue. DAT Media expanded rapidly as they claimed some serious scalps for clients — among them Coles, Target and ABC Shops. DAT Media offer a comprehensive Content Management System and can assist new clients in broadcasting material across existing networks such as those mentioned above or will help you create a complete digital signage network from the ground up. They also have a Creative Services department that can take the hassle out of putting everything together.

Digital Place Solutions represents NanoLumens Inc. in Australia and New Zealand. NanoLumens creates innovative new generation LED displays in any desired size, shape, or curvature, backed by the industry’s only Six-Year, Zero Failure Tolerance Parts Warranty. Digital Place Solutions also represents Panasonic LED display products in collaboration with the Panasonic Australia Business Systems group. Panasonic have supplied LED displays to the Australian market for over 20 years including some of Australia’s most Iconic sports score boards. Founders Stephen Rubie +61 412 333 710 Gerry Thorley +61 412 339 489

ENGAGIS Level 12, 213 Miller Street North Sydney NSW 2060 1300 203 810 www.engagis.com Engagis creates connections for over 30 blue chip clients across ten industries, including retail, hospitality, telco, finance, auto and real estate. Specialising in digital touch points along the pathway to purchase, including digital signage, self-order kiosks, mobile apps, mobile loyalty and enterprise solutions, Engagis manages over 19,000 connected devices in more than 4,000 locations. Engagis is the in-store digital media provider for the likes of Telstra, Bupa, Target, Flight Centre, Noodle Box and Country Road, to name a few.

FINGERMARK DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES 15 Halsey Street, Freemans Bay Auckland, New Zealand +64 (09) 358 4047 sales@fingermark.co.nz www.fingermark.co.nz A specialist provider of indoor and outdoor digital signage and kiosk solutions, Fingermark proudly

offers its customers a complete turnkey solution, providing specialist advice, all hardware and software, content creation and distribution and nationwide service and support across Australasia. Adding to this, we have full software capability in-house which delivers a seamless approach. We design and develop our own customised solutions and have built a reputation for being leading edge thinkers, understanding the complexities around implementing digital technologies within challenging environments, especially in the outdoor market. Our service orientated model allows us to tailor our solutions to more accurately meet the specific needs of our customers. Enquire today. Innovate tomorrow.

HEWSHOTT INTERNATIONAL (08) 6230 2780 www.hewshott.com

Dataton Watchout and Medialon MIP HD Interactive Media Player. There is also the Medialon Scheduler application, which allows control of multiple venues and screens from a central server. Given Interactive Controls’ wide experience in installing innovative display systems it can help you choose the best way to deliver your vision and with Medialon’s strong history in show control systems, IC will no doubt have a neat trick or two to suggestfor impressing your audience.

INTERACTIVITY 1300 797 199 Level 1, 1268 - 1270 High Street Armadale, VIC, 3143 sales@interactivity.com.au www.interactivity.com.au

MIDWICH AUSTRALIA PTY LTD 1300 666 099 Lot 4, Parklands Estate, 23 South Street, Rydalmere, NSW 2116 Sales@midwich.com.au www.midwich.com.au

In 2004 Interactivity was set up as a result of a partnership between F1 Software to develop the Interactivity foil which enables any window to become fully interactive ‘through the glass’ by allowing anyone, using their finger, to interact with a rear projected image or screen behind the glass. Interactivity is now embedded in this emerging popular industry of Interactive and Digital Signage and associated products. Its products and services are known for reliability, functionality and most importantly our ability to future proof the technology we deliver.

Midwich Australia PTY Ltd and Midwich Limited is a leading trade-only distributor of technology solutions with more than thirty five years of experience in the AV channel. Distributing audio-visual solutions, Midwich is adept at developing sound commercial propositions and prides itself on being first to market with value added opportunities for its reseller partners. Midwich is renowned throughout the industry for its professional distribution of complete solutions from many of the world’s leading electronics manufacturers. Our core product categories include display, projection, brackets & screens, connectivity solutions, videowall processing, digital signage players and IP TV solutions.

INNOVATEQ (03) 9465 5055 www.innovateq.com.au INSTOREVISION 0412 960182 www.instorevision.com.au/digital-signage/

interactive controls

pty ltd

INTERACTIVE CONTROLS (02) 9436 3022 www.interactivecontrols.com.au Interactive Controls (IC) offers a variety of services to customers from consultation to sales, hire and installation of display and control system equipment and software. They also design and develop media and hardware control systems for specific events, installations, film and commercial shoots, exhibitions, museums... okay, you get the picture. Medialon and Dataton hardware and software products get the nod from Interactive Controls and for digital signage in particular IC offers the Medialon show and media control software and embedded controllers along with

JEA Technologies Pty Ltd (03) 9757 5060 44-48 Rocco Drive Scoresby, VIC 3179 sales@jeatech.com.au www.jeatech.com.au JEA Technologies has partnered with leading manufacturers of electronic peripherals and display products from around the globe and supplies these products to customers in Australia and New Zealand. Our customers can rely on JEA to work with them to carefully select and supply the most appropriate products for their needs, ensuring that these products meet our customer’s technical and commercial requirements, and to support these products over their life span. JEA’s Display products include Very High Brightness LCD’s, in sizes up to 72in and 5000cd/m² ( nits), Stretched LCD’s, MultiTouch Tables and Multi-Touch application software, Touch screen sensors and touch screen monitors, with particular emphasis on Projected Capacitive Touch technologies, Panel PC’s, Digital Signage PC’s and Industrial Grade Wireless modems. JEA customers are mainly systems integrators and resellers. JEA supplies these customers with high levels of technical support, pre-and post-sales, as well as warranty and non-warranty support and service from our Melbourne offices and workshop. JEA also stocks in depth allowing customers to source products at short notice.

LG AUSTRALIA (02) 8805 4000 2 Wonderland Drive, Eastern Creek, NSW 2766 DigitalSignage@LG.com.au www.LG.com.au The LG Digital Signage division is committed to offering comprehensive and indispensable technology solutions with the latest digital products and features tailored to the particular requirements of commercial environments. LG provides access to some of the most advanced and flexible digital products and accessories in the market. Each commercial product functions as an integral component within our business solution offerings and is fully supported by our dedicated team of sales managers, application engineers and customer support staff giving us the capacity to support your business in Hospitality, Healthcare, SMB or Vertical Markets.

MADISON TECHNOLOGIES SPECIALIST AV DIVISION 1800 00 77 80 Australia wide avexperts@madisontech.com.au www.madisonthech.com.au Madison is a manufacturer and distributor of technology infrastructure and hardware across cabling, networking, wireless, audio visual, and test and measurement disciplines. Australian owned and operated for over 20 years, Madison has been keeping Australian homes and business well connected. Which is appropriate, because our brand promise is Well Connected™. The principle behind our brand promise is that by working with Madison, either as a valued supplier or customer, you are well connected. It’s how we connect to our market, and it’s how we help you connect to your world. Madison Technologies’ Broadcast and Audio Visual solutions include AV Cable and Cabling Assemblies, Connectors and Adaptors, Digital Signage, Microphone Systems, Switching and Conversion, USB Extension, Video and Audio Distribution. Did you know? Madison is the largest Australian Distributor of Belden Audio Visual products, with stock held in four warehouses across the country, and dedicated specialist staff in each state.

MDS PACIFIC (02) 9888 7715 www.mdspacific.com

OAMM (02) 9939 3264 www.oamm.com.au

ONELAN (02) 8015 6735 oc.sales@onelan.com

OOH@MEDIA www.oohmedia.com.au

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

WHO’S WHO:

YOUR GO-TO GUIDE FOR DIGITAL SIGNAGE

PANASONIC AUSTRALIA (02) 9491 7400 www.panasonic.com.au

PRO AV SOLUTIONS 1300 287 253 www.proavsolutions.com.au Pro AV Solutions is Australia’s leading Audio Visual Solutions Specialist. Housing some of the best minds in the systems integration industry, we design and deliver award-winning digital signage and audio visual technology solutions Australia wide. As technical leaders in the AV industry for over 25 years and offices in every major capital city we employ the largest and most creative team of AV professionals in Australia. Our national team provide an unparalleled set of unified skills, that when matched with the worlds most advanced technology, deliver some of the largest and most prestigious national and global awardwinning projects. Pro AV Solutions delivers exceptional experiences at every point in our client relationship, from project inception through to design, delivery, ongoing service and support. We deliver projects on time and on budget, and are always aiming to exceed our customer’s expectations through our dedication to excellence, we call this Experience Excellence.

model for installing in the front of vending machines. MagicInfo is Samsung’s proprietary software for content control and creations. Samsung’s PROM system is already taking DOOH solutions along the fast-developing path of providing audience statistics to tailor the signage content. A wide dynamic range (WDR) camera embedded discreetly somewhere in the installation captures and recognises faces to determine who is actually watching the screen. PROM can either just collate the information for market analysis or actively change the display according to who is viewing it. It’s both clever and almost scary ‘big brother’ stuff. We’re assured these systems are completely anonymous. Still, maybe keep one hand on your wallet.

TOSHIBA (02) 9887 6000 www.mytoshiba.com.au

TRIPLE PLAY (02) 9929 3849 www.tripleplay-services.com

URBAN INTELLIGENCE (03) 9514 6000 www.urbanintel.com.au

SCREENCORP 1300 65 90 93 www.screencorp.com.au

SONY AUSTRALIA 1800 017 669 www.sony.com.au STREAMING MEDIA (02) 9460 0877 www.streamingmedia.net.au STREAMVISION PTY LTD 1300 300 407 www.streamvision.com.au SUMO VISUAL GROUP (03) 8290 0500 sales@sumovisualgroup.com.au www.sumovisualgroup.com.au

INTRODUCING VIDEROLED www.videroLED.com VideroLED brings together the world’s most efficient LED manufacturers, Europe’s most advanced control and content management engineers and Australia’s most innovative AV integration company. It’s a combination that delivers you a properly specified and finished project every time, inclusive of design and specification, procurement, installation and maintenance support. Overall it’s a value proposition so compelling that prior to its official launch VideroLED won major contracts at Emporium, the MCG and Etihad as well as for QIC shopping centres throughout Australia. Such customers readily understand an LED screen is on display for its lifetime, not just the day of install. They are also delighted to substantially save on costs. Because thanks to its manufacturing strength, VideroLED is able to offer exceptional quality across a range of price points up to and including Nichia componentry, and is able to do so at a remarkably competitive price.

PRODUCTION AUDIO VIDEO TECHNOLOGY (03) 9264 8000 www.pavt.com.au

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

RUTLEDGE AV www.rutledge.com.au (03) 9488 1534

SAMSUNG 1300 362603 8 Parkview Drive Homebush, NSW 2127 sales@samsung.com www.samsung.com Samsung’s digital signage is centred on its Large Format Display (LFD) range, a screen with chameleon characteristics in its role as the basis for all Samsung’s DOOH products. There is a straightforward model that can be used either stand-alone in portrait or landscape mode or as a part of a limited multi-screen display. A slightly different UD model can be linked with up to 250 units for a wall of vision. There is a Touchscreen version including an outdoor type with features to withstand the elements and a specialised uVending

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TECHMEDIA DIGITAL SYSTEMS (SCALA) (02) 9526 7880 Unit 7 / 65 Captain Cook Drive Taren Point NSW 2229 info@techmedia.com.au www.techmedia.com.au TechMedia is one of Australia’s premier digital visual communications companies. TechMedia’s expertise is centered around the digital platforms, content and services driving the growth in Connected Signage and DOOH. With over 17 years of experience with Scalabased network deployment and management as well as customised hardware and data integration development, there is an abundance of local knowledge to tap into. Scala boasts an impressive list of clientele and is responsible for over 200,000 screens worldwide. Scala’s experience shows in its product; the comprehensive content creation and distribution software goes one step further with Scala Ad Manager, an accounting add-on that handles the financial side of your DOOH business such as generating invoices. In the hardware department, Scala has its own Scala Player for linking with the Content Manager software. From there Techmedia will source display screens and networks best suited to the job.

TELSTRA 1300 835 782 www.telstraenterprise.com

VISION2WATCH 1300 369 294 www.vision2watch.com.au As part of Vision2Watch global, Vision2Watch Australia is locally owned and operated. We deliver a range of out-of-home (OOH) Interactive and Digital Solutions to transform ordinary spaces and surfaces into touch and motion-activated displays. We’re also excited to be involved with Augmented Reality (AR) technology - specialising in the development of customised AR applications to help our clients achieve a cutting-edge promotional campaign.

VISUAL TECHNOLOGIES (03) 8692 6644 www.visualtechnologies.com.au

WILSON & GILKES (02) 9914 0900 www.gilkon.com.au

Should your business be included in our Who’s Who section? Listing is free. Contact Chris Holder at: chris@dsmag.com.au

One of 56 enclosures developed for railway stations to house the narrow LCD screens. Designed & Manufactured by Wilson & Gilkes.

ConcepttoReality CALL OUR DESIGN TEAM ON

(02) 9914 0900

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sales@gilkon.com.au wilsongilkes.com.au

Comment:

Forensic Signage

Story: Mug Punter

LEAVE LOATHING

’m going to admit to being an unabashed NCIS fan — the original, though the spin-offs have their moments, too. Sure, the show’s full of guns and shooting and dead bodies getting cut up on tables — all the usual good clean fun — but nobody takes it seriously. You’ve got the US presidential race for proper violence.

So Tuesday night I kicked back with a cup of tea and switched channels at 8.30pm. Not surprisingly the program prior to NCIS was still running. Okay, we all expect a bit of overlap. I endured almost 40 minutes of the most risible television imaginable. A bunch of so-called ‘celebrities’, better described as washed-out hasbeens who obviously share Darren Lamb as a Media Agent (Ricky Gervais’ agent in Extras played by Stephen Merchant), have been dropped into a South African nature resort — sorry, I mean jungle — and take turns to sit in a diary room where they bleat bitterly about each other to the camera. Shane Warne looks like one of the puppet cast from Team America but without the strings, and Brendan Fevola clearly swallowed a lot of high calorie footballs in the latter stages of his career. Anthony, who won a talent content back in 1972 (roughly) and must have been plucked from behind a Burger King counter for this show, is just kind of confused all the time. While the women incarcerated in this hell-hole of deepest, darkest African tourism seem to have access to an extraordinary amount of cosmetics. The only reason I didn’t hurl the TV remote at the screen in utter disgust at this puerile rubbish is that my wife did exactly that during last year’s footy season and we’ve installed a safety chain.

Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

After five minutes I hated the show. Ten minutes later I really, really hated it. By the time it finally stopped I not only loathed everything about the program, but out of principle I’ll never buy anything advertised during the broadcast — which was the same thing over and over again. Seriously, I’m practically taking notes on what commercials are run within the show to ensure I never purchase any of those products. The fact the show overran its scheduled time by nearly three quarters of an hour cheeses me off even further — that delay is forcing me to watch it. I’m told it ‘works’, subjecting two disparate audiences to those commercials (I fantasise running an AV presentation PA for TV executives and making the bastards wait an extra 30 minutes, before turning the microphones on — see how they like it). Rubbing salt into the wound, while I’m watching my beloved NCIS the screen is constantly overlaid with promos for the same jungle camp crap, rekindling my rage for the program and everything associated with it.

Now we rewind back a few days to watching the more recent version of Total Recall. It’s almost sacrilegious to remake any film that had Arnie in it while he’s still alive and quoting, “I’ll be back”, but I’m happy to make an exception when you’ve got Kate Beckinsale and Jennifer Biel running around in wet singlets for the entire movie. Thanks to Blade Runner we’re all convinced that Earth in a couple of decades will suffer constant rain — and wall-to-wall digital signage. The whole world is absolutely chockers with gigantic screens advertising everything to everybody. Assuming that Cat5 has gone the same way as curly telephone cords, it’s gotta be wireless. You reckon the wireless bandwidth is cluttered now? Next century you’ll be able to cut it with a knife as a zillion digital signage screens deliver a zillion messages.

BETTER LATTE THAN NEVER

Okay, we’re talking about two entirely different mediums and one of them is completely fictional (no, not the mental holidays on Mars thing), but you might agree they both are a digital sign of what things have come to (don’t excuse the pun, it’s clever). The belief that blanket, unrelenting exposure to the same product is still a good idea and doesn’t risk an adverse impact — TV remote control chucking or the world’s population developing a ‘10m stare’ that doesn’t see a single screen anywhere — even when we’re confronted with an entire cityscape of advertising.

How can we fix the problem? I’ve got this idea for a new telly show. We dump a dozen advertising and television executives into a secret camp in the middle of Fitzroy or Surry Hills so they can smell the caffé lattes and short blacks, but never get one. No access to pubs, restaurants or sushi bars either. They’re surrounded by an impenetrable barrier of television monitors that endlessly repeat the same few commercials and there’s an enormous pile of remote controls stacked in the centre of the camp. It’ll be called, I’m an advertising dude, get me out of here!. Everyone has to survive 10 days without hurling anything at the monitors. I’ll give ‘em 24 hours before everybody gets evicted.

Mug Punter is a proper writer and novelist; get him outta here. 

Mug Punter’s curmudgeonly carping does not necessarily reflect the views of DigitalSignage. If you have a differing view contact the editor Chris Holder on chris@dsmag.com.au

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Touch the future 35 Digital Place-Based Media & Technology

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