BrightSign designed a 90 screen network at the Scientific Adventures Parc (also known as the Pass), a museum located on a former colliery near Mons (Wallonia, Belgium). Visitors can watch the various themes of the park on the screens when they enter the museum. Pass chose a solution consisting of BrightSign players, BrightSign Network and network interface software specifically designed by Axians, an IT integrator specialist in museum displays.
Thanks to the scalability of its products, BrightSign enables integrators to offer solutions adapted to the constraints of stage designs. This allows them to manage multiple video files in a synchronized system that is simple, efficient and scalable. Roland Roy, Business manager, Axians museum
The Pass is a museum of science, technology and society in Belgium "where you can touch, listen, look, read a little; where you can form opinions, dream; a place where, for once, curiosity is a positive advantage". This modern museum was designed by the architect Jean Nouvel after he saved the old colliery buildings from potential destruction. The museum actually has no permanent exhibitions, but offers visitors a wide variety of exhibitions and shows on nearly 12,000 hectares. Located near Mons, access to the museum is by a bridge where the visitors walk on a long automatic walkway. The museum wanted to find a technical and visual solution to introduce the visitors to the museum and also discover the current exhibitions along this space.
Created and installed by the agency Klapish/ Claisse, the sceneography is based on dynamic video content. As the visitors move along the walkway, they can see the nearly 90 LCD screens showing the 10 thematic exhibitions of the museum (I.E. "My Body" and "Genes and Ethics"). The screens are synchronized with the walkway: while the visitor is on the walkway, they watch a 5 to 6 minute video that follows them along their path.
The museum launched a tender call in early 2010. After two months spent on the feasibility study, the solution that the integrator Axians proposed was chosen. Operational since June 2010, it was chosen for its management interface with a simple and effective monitoring, based on a single PC which runs the 90 BrightSign controllers deployed in the network. Located in the central control room, the PC is in charge of the starting and stopping the network, videos and program transfer, and the management and synchronization of files. All the BrightSign units are connected via the Ethernet with one acting as a master and sending out signals to the 89 "slave" units to ensure playback is synchronized together accross all screens.
Compared to other solutions, the museum valued two advantages of using BrightSign products:
• The ability to play full HD content in network
mode;
• A user-friendly software interface, which the
museum staff can use to easily change the content files when needed.
On the integrator side, two key points made the difference:
The quality of the experience Axians had with the BrightSign players used in other museums (Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne, Vulcania, etc.).
• Axians' extensive background in this area as a leading integrator of audiovisual solutions for museums and theme parks.
The technical structure implemented by the integrator Axians with BrightSign products was to manage content triggered by the presence of visitors on the walkway. Thanks to Axians' close relationship and familiarity with BrightSign's Roku player, they were able to work together with BrightSign to add this extra technical function. This is a major advantage as the function can be used as plug and play, or be developed in the network. With this advantage, Axians was able to develop a GUI for the 90 management controllers for the science museum staff.
The budgetary aspect also made a difference. The solution developed by Axians with BrightSign products was immediately proven to have a competitive advantage. The one PC solution allowed Axians significant savings compared to other technical solutions.
Axians also installed the screens and controllers (one controller model: the HD1010 to BrightSign) at the visitors entrance of the museum, cable pulling and installation of PC command. The synchronized video files are shared between all controllers, providing each display content as 1080i scenic.
The integrator chose this award-winning flagship model of BrightSign, because it is a complete instrument that allows the implementation of all applications to run independently, on an internal network or via the Internet. BrightSign products also offers a wide range of A/V options, which allow the broadcast of the best quality of content.
The network controller of BrightSign HD1010 fully meets the changing needs of the Pass by its ability to simply and effectively remotely update content and also by its ability to synchronize the video stream on a Full HD screen network.
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