Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, has announced that its InfoCaster digital signage systems are driving broadcast-quality graphics and live video/audio content to more than 150 screens throughout World Market Center Las Vegas. World Market Center Las Vegas is a dynamic new showcase for the home and hospitality contract furnishings industry in the heart of Las Vegas, one of the fastest-growing home furnishings markets in the country. World Market Center went live with Harris digital signage in July to coincide with the Summer 2008 Las Vegas Market, held July 28 – August 1, 2008.
The InfoCaster digital signage systems are being used to provide dynamic, up-to-the-minute information to attendees of the semi-annual Las Vegas Market event and to customers of the state-of-the-art Las Vegas Design Center, a year-round resource for home and design located within World Market Center.
World Market Center installed InfoCaster digital signage systems for each of its buildings, comprising InfoCaster Creator content creation stations, InfoCaster Manager network management products and InfoCaster Player content playout devices. There are plans for additional InfoCaster products to be installed as the World Market Center continues its expansion. Upon completion, World Market Center will be the largest and most comprehensive home and hospitality furnishings complex in the world, encompassing 12 million square feet.
“The strong history and industry expertise of Harris was a key factor in our decision,” said Tom Wackrow, vice president of construction, World Market Center Las Vegas. “The World Market Center project is expected to run through 2013, so it was key for us to work with a vendor that we could depend upon to provide us with service and support for the long term.
“The InfoCaster also provided a fantastic feature set,” Wackrow continued. “The InfoCaster system’s ability to broadcast live video/audio was critical, as World Market Center hosts a number of special events throughout the year that are broadcast over the digital signage network. We were also impressed with the wide range of functionality InfoCaster gives us — including its ability to quickly change content, particularly adding/dropping any piece of content without affecting the other pieces; ability to create crawls and change them on the fly; and advanced network management, scheduling, and reporting capabilities.”
CoSign, a Las Vegas interactive systems developer, manages the digital signage system for World Market Center Las Vegas. CoSign creates templates, produces video and banner ads, converts client content for use in the InfoCaster, schedules content and maintains hardware and software. Typical content includes exhibitor and outside advertising, public relations, conference and event information, time of day, and animated logos for branding.
“World Market Center didn’t want a hosted solution, per se, but one that could be managed by CoSign off-property during most of the year, and then managed on-site during their semi-annual trade show,” said Robert Garity, vice president of sales and marketing, CoSign. “As InfoCaster is one of the most flexible systems on the market, it was a good fit. Furthermore, World Market Center has plans to expand its facility significantly, including the addition of five more buildings, so flexibility and scalability were absolutely critical.
“InfoCaster was also chosen for its ability to give World Market Center Las Vegas a high-quality broadcast look and feel, including animated logos and crawls, and for its ability to drive multiple content regions. The system not only provides dynamic visuals for World Market Center, but also provides a good proof-point for furniture retailers of how InfoCaster can perform in their individual stores,” Garity continued.
A key component of Harris Digital Signage solutions, InfoCasteroffers a complete suite of products for creating, scheduling, distributing, playing and reporting live video and graphics. Users can acquire or create digital content and manage it throughout the entire delivery chain - from a central site or multiple remote locations - on a TCP/IP network. InfoCaster creation stations enable easy acquisition and content creation of graphics, live video and dynamic data content, while InfoCaster players synchronize and deliver content from multiple sources to thousands of remote displays spread over a nationwide network, addressing individual messaging display requirements. Advanced management, scheduling and monitoring tools give users unprecedented control and flexibility over the enterprise network.
Harris Broadcast Communications offers products, systems and services that provide interoperable workflow solutions that span the entire media delivery chain. The Harris ONE solution brings together highly integrated and cost-effective products that are ideal for emerging media business models and for customers upgrading media operations to digital and high-definition services.
For more information on Cosign products/services, visit www.cosignllc.com
For more information on Harris Corporation products/services, visit www.harris.com.
