Scala convened the annual Scala Connected Signage Conference on September 15 - 16, 2008 in Philadelphia.

Exton, PA (PRWEB) September 30, 2008 — Scala, the leading provider of end-to-end solutions for the connected signage market, today announced it convened the annual Scala Connected Signage Conference on September 15 - 16, 2008 in Philadelphia. The conference was held in the days leading up to Digital Signage Expo East.

The conference hosted 139 Scala Certified Partners, customers and industry partners from the 16 countries throughout the Americas and Oceania regions. The conference gave Scala Certified Partners and customers a chance to interact with the 35 Scala employees present, learn about how to optimize the use of Scala’s Ad Manager and InfoChannel products and learn where the industry is headed in 2009.

The integration of Ad Manager and InfoChannel is part of Scala’s 2009 goal to simplify the digital signage ad-buying process for media buyers
The conference provided an opportunity for vendor partners to network with partners and other attendees. An exhibition and networking area featured screen providers such as LG, Sharp and Samsung, as well as connectivity and content providers Magenta Research, Minicom, Avocent, Matrox and Accuweather.com, and “whitebox” manufacturers such as Equus Computer, DT Research and MediaVue.

Robert Koolen, Scala’s president, said in his opening remarks “the purpose of the conference was to usher in a new era for digital signage and advertising management. With the acquisition of MISC and its Ad Manager product in April, Scala has been working to expand its digital signage footprint to include managing content for both traditional and print signage. The result is what Scala calls ‘connected signage’, a term that encompasses all forms of signage and dynamic media in the out-of-home environment.”

“For Scala, the numbers tell the story for the past year,” says Gerard Bucas, Scala’s CEO. “Scala saw a 69% sales growth in U.S. sales in 2007. While the digital signage industry sales have been growing at a 20% CAGR over the past year, Scala’s global sales have grown at a 40% CAGR.”

“The integration of Ad Manager and InfoChannel is part of Scala’s 2009 goal to simplify the digital signage ad-buying process for media buyers,” says Jeff Porter, industry pioneer and Scala’s EVP. “The biggest challenge is financing rollouts. The goal is to connect all of the dots for media buyers - they’re screaming for solutions.”

Scala will host its Connected Signage Conference for EMEA and Nordic regions on October 8 - 9, 2008 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

About Scala:
Scala is a leading global provider of digital signage and advertising management solutions. By combining digital and traditional signage systems, Scala has become the world’s first connected signage company, offering the leading platform for content creation, management and distribution in digital signage networks, and the first unified platform for advertising management of both traditional and digital signage networks. The company’s solutions are used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries for diverse applications such as retail advertising networks, corporate communications (employee TV), traditional and digital billboards, digital menu boards, digital posters, cable TV, hotel lobby signage, gas pump toppers, outdoor advertising, interactive kiosks, etc. Scala pioneered the digital signage industry and today drives over 200,000 screens worldwide; more screens than all competitors combined. The company’s digital signage customers include Rabobank, IKEA, Burger King, T-Mobile, Virgin MegaStore, EuroDisney, McDonalds, Warner Brothers, The Life Channel, Rikstoto, FuelCast, Repsol, Shell, NorgesGruppen and thousands more. Advertising management customers include CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor, Magic Media, Reagan, Adams Outdoor Advertising, among others. Scala is headquartered near Philadelphia, USA and has subsidiaries in Canada, Netherlands, France, Norway, Japan and also over 450 partners in more than 60 countries. More information is available at www.scala.com.

©2008 Scala, Inc. 350 Eagleview Blvd. Exton, PA 19341. Scala, InfoChannel, and the Exclamation Point Logo are registered trademarks of Scala, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective organizations.

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Gilbarco Veeder-Root and Scala announced today a strategic partnership to integrate the Scala digital signage solution with Gilbarco’s new FlexPay™ CRIND™ payment module

Greensboro, NC/Exton, PA (PRWEB) September 15, 2008 — Gilbarco Veeder-Root and Scala announced today a strategic partnership to integrate the Scala digital signage solution with Gilbarco’s new FlexPay™ CRIND® payment module. The concept will be unveiled to retailers this week at the Automechanika show in Frankfurt, Germany.

With the new Scala-powered Gilbarco FlexPay, oil companies and retailers will benefit from an integrated offering that enables high quality advertising and multimedia messages at the forecourt. Previously, this integration was unavailable to the market due to security constraints and pump performance issues.

We are privileged that Gilbarco Veeder-Root has selected Scala to enable digital signage in its innovative FlexPay platform

“By working with Scala, Gilbarco Veeder-Root will offer our customers a seamless indoor to forecourt digital signage and advertising experience by coupling the breakthrough technology of our FlexPay payment engine with Scala’s leading digital signage platform. The combination is sure to drive greater in-store traffic and therefore increase profitability,” said Andrew Robinson, Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s director, global payment business unit.

“We are privileged that Gilbarco Veeder-Root has selected Scala to enable digital signage in its innovative FlexPay platform,” said Oscar Elizaga, vice president, EMEA for Scala. “We are now actively working with Gilbarco and Scala’s worldwide network of partners in several significant projects.”

About Gilbarco Veeder-Root
Gilbarco Veeder-Root and Gasboy are the leading suppliers of outdoor payment systems, integrated fuel control, site management, and support services for petroleum marketers and commercial fuelling enterprises worldwide. (www.gilbarco.com, www.veeder.com, www.gasboy.com). For more information visit www.gilbarco.com.

About Scala
Scala is a leading global provider of digital signage and advertising management solutions. By combining digital and traditional signage systems, Scala has become the world’s first connected signage company, offering the leading platform for content creation, management and distribution in digital signage networks, and the first unified platform for advertising management of both traditional and digital signage networks. The company’s solutions are used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries for diverse applications such as retail advertising networks, corporate communications (employee TV), traditional and digital billboards, digital menu boards, digital posters, cable TV, hotel lobby signage, gas pump toppers, outdoor advertising, interactive kiosks, etc. Scala pioneered the digital signage industry and today drives over 200,000 screens worldwide; more screens than all competitors combined. The company’s digital signage customers include Rabobank, IKEA, Burger King, T-Mobile, Virgin MegaStore, EuroDisney, McDonalds, Warner Brothers, The Life Channel, Rikstoto, FuelCast, Repsol, Shell, NorgesGruppen and thousands more. Advertising management customers include CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor, Magic Media, Reagan, Adams Outdoor Advertising, among others. Scala is headquartered near Philadelphia, USA and has subsidiaries in Canada, Netherlands, France, Norway, Japan and also over 450 partners in more than 60 countries. More information is available at www.scala.com.

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©2008 Scala, Inc. 350 Eagleview Blvd. Exton, PA19341. Scala, InfoChannel, and the Exclamation Point Logo are registered trademarks of Scala, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective organizations.

Minicom Advanced Systems, the world leader in Digital Signage player-to-screen connectivity, is proud to announce that 4 prominent Digital Signage companies have chosen Minicom’s products to showcase their own technology at DIGITAL SIGNAGE EXPO / EAST, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA.

September 15, 2008 ( PowerHomeBiz ) - Israel — Minicom Advanced Systems, the world leader in Digital Signage player-to-screen connectivity, is proud to announce that 4 prominent Digital Signage companies have chosen Minicom’s products to showcase their own technology at DIGITAL SIGNAGE EXPO / EAST, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA.

Dave Haar, Vice President - Digital Signage Division, “We are proud to have our products displayed in 4 Digital Signage Expo / East booths. We see that the Digital Signage industry trusts in our products to demonstrate their own in a mission critical environment such as an exhibition.” Dave will be going to each booth to answer questions that you might have and can show you our new DS Vision HDMI extender and power-on-cable devices. He can be reached during the show on his cell phone at 914-572-6791.

DS Vision® 3000 will be displayed at Scala – Booth 301, Rhombus Services – Booth 326 and Exhibio - Booth 124 Video Display System and AV Extender will be displayed at BroadSign – Booth 335

About Minicom

Minicom Advanced Systems is a manufacturer of innovative digital signage distribution and extension solutions that provide the Last Mile™ of player-to-screen connectivity. It also manufactures KVM switch and computer management solutions that facilitate control of enterprise and corporate IT environments. Minicom is a member of Intel Capital’s portfolio of companies and was named in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA for 2006. Founded in 1988, Minicom operates in over 70 countries, with headquarters in Israel and regional offices in North America and Europe.

Gilbarco Veeder-Root and Scala have announced a strategic partnership to integrate the Scala digital signage solution with Gilbarco’s new FlexPay CRIND payment module. The concept will be unveiled to retailers this week at the Automechanika show in Frankfurt, Germany.

With the new Scala-powered Gilbarco FlexPay, oil companies and retailers will be able to benefit from an integrated offering that enables high quality advertising and multimedia messages at the forecourt. Previously, this integration was unavailable to the market due to security constraints and pump performance issues.

“By working with Scala, Gilbarco Veeder-Root will offer our customers a seamless indoor to forecourt digital signage and advertising experience by coupling the breakthrough technology of our FlexPay payment engine with Scala’s leading digital signage platform. The combination is sure to drive greater in-store traffic and therefore increased profitability,” said Andrew Robinson, Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s Director, Global Payment Business Unit.

“We are privileged in that Gilbarco Veeder-Root has selected Scala to enable digital signage in its innovative FlexPay platform,” said Oscar Elizaga, Vice President, EMEA for Scala. “We are now actively working with Gilbarco and Scala’s worldwide network of partners in several significant projects.

Gilbarco Veeder-Root and Gasboy are the leading suppliers of outdoor payment systems, integrated fuel control, site management, and support services for petroleum marketers and commercial fuelling enterprises worldwide.

Downtown East chose the Scala InfoChannel solution to accommodate their visual communications need, based on the winning features of Scala’s intuitive InfoChannel Designer. Using the Scala InfoChannel suite, Downtown East developed their own customized in-house channel network that was named Happenings Channel, with the initial design templates designed by Click Grafix Pte Ltd. Visually stimulating content that includes event and activities information, ads for entities and promotions as well as videos, is distributed to 12 plasma screens positioned strategically around high traffic areas.

Singapore (PRWEB) October 25, 2006 — Downtown East, a popular tourist destination offering a myriad of entertainment choices, harnessed the power of dynamic digital signage to disseminate vital information to its patrons and customers.

Occupying a vast area of 14.7 hectares, the amenities offered by Downtown East include theme parks (Wild Wild Wet and Escape), resorts (Costa Sands Downtown East and Pasir Ris), F&B outlets (foodcourt Rasa Singapura, fast food restaurants etc), retail shops (Watsons, Giordano etc), gaming centres (Zone X and X Square), children’s play centre (ExplorerKid) as well as MICE facilities (D’Marquee, function rooms).

Implemented in early April 2005, Downtown East chose the Scala InfoChannel (http://www.scala.com) solution to accommodate their visual communications need, based on the winning features of Scala’s intuitive InfoChannel Designer. Using the Scala InfoChannel suite, Downtown East developed their own customized in-house channel network that was named Happenings Channel, with the initial design templates designed by Click Grafix Pte Ltd.

Visually stimulating content that includes event and activities information, ads for entities and promotions as well as videos, is distributed to 12 plasma screens positioned strategically around high traffic areas. Visitors in the Lobby are fed information from two plasma screens while another screen at the Help Station offers useful assistance to the visitors. A screen at the Walkway provides media rich information as does another plasma outside the Jackpot Room. There are six plasma screens to cater to the crowd at

the Al-fresco Dining and one more screen is positioned ideally at the Resort Check-in Lobby to keep visitors informed.

Happenings Channel is operated and managed by Mr. David Cheong, the Manager of Infocomm Development in Downtown East. The channel operates from one central location and is deployed via an infrastructure consisting LAN transmission from the Network Manager to the three Players and subsequently through an AV Splitter to the 12 screens. As the cabling covers an extensive distance between the screens, VOPEX is used to maintain the quality of the final output. Happenings Channel operates 15 hours a day all year round. The content is updated regularly once a month and whenever required.

The deployment of the Happenings Channel network was implemented with the help of Click Grafix, the Scala Certified distributor and system integrator in the South East region.

The powerful and flexible features of the Scala InfoChannel platform have made it a tool-of-choice for Downtown East. Mr. David Cheong compliments in particular the benefits reaped from the features which enable layering, timing and the control of individual elements. Downtown East describes the experience of working with Click Grafix as a very good one and indicates plans to expand the number of Players in the time to come.

This innovative digital signage network has further enriched the vacation experience in Downtown East by providing visitors with the right message, at the right time and at the right locations.

About Click Grafix http://www.clickgrafix.com
Established in 1995, Click Grafix has firmly established itself in the South East Asia and Middle Eastern market and industry as a premiere provider and system integrator for digital video, animation and multimedia hardware, software, solutions and services. The company is the appointed regional distributor for NewTek Inc. and also holds the distributorship for Scala multimedia and visual communication products, as well as Realviz, Anark, e frontier, Bauhaus Software and Qarbon products in Malaysia. Currently, Click Grafix is represented in Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and India.

About Scala, Inc. http://www.scala.com
Scala, Inc. (www.scala.com) is the world’s leading provider of software for digital signage software used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries. The company’s cutting-edge multimedia software platform powers thousands of digital signs around the world including the digital signage networks of Tesco, Best Buy, T-Mobile, ShopRite, Virgin MegaStore, Bloomberg, Burger King, Kiwi, Azizia-Panda Supermarket, McKee Foods, Muvico, Santiago Airport, RaboBank and Warner Brothers Movie World. Since InfoChannel is proven, scalable, and easy to manage, it is the platform of choice for many digital display networks ranging in size from one screen to thousands of screens with uses including advertising displays, touch screens, retail TV, LED billboards, lobby signage, digital menu boards, interactive kiosks, and more. Scala, Inc. pioneered the industry of digital signage in 1987, and is today headquartered near Philadelphia, PA with operations in California, the UK, Norway, The Netherlands, France, China and Japan.

Nanyang Technological University Broadcasts Campus News with Channel NTU

Singapore (PRWEB) October 26, 2006 — The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) became one of the first educational institutions in Singapore to deploy its very own in-house network channel to serve as a dynamic visual communication platform for internal publicity and announcements within the campus.

Implemented in June 2005 and named Channel NTU, this flexible and efficient communications system is based on the Scala InfoChannel (http://www.scala.com) platform. The network is managed and maintained by a small team comprising 3-4 staff in the Center for Educational Development (CED). One staffer oversees the technical deployments, another staffer handles the design and content authoring while another manages the scheduling. A fourth member is expected to join the team to manage the content coordination.

The multimedia content for the channel is developed and managed using Scala InfoChannel Designer, with InfoChannel Network Manager scheduling the transmission that is currently broadcast to seven plasma screens around the campus. The CED team creates multimedia rich content that is channelled to the strategically positioned plasma screens located in high traffic areas in seven locations with three screens in the cafeterias, two in the administrative building and the rest are placed in the film school and café.

Channel NTU provides students, staff and visitors with informative and entertainment rich content that include prime time news and headlines extracted with the RSS feed technology (currently in the experimental stage). The integration with the NewTek Tricaster Pro provides additional feature for the solution for the broadcasts of live events such as graduation ceremonies and freshmen orientations.

Intranet streaming is made possible with the addition of the Windows media encoder that also provides live web casts of distinguished speakers or visitors, and internet video casts. Student publicity announcements and trailers like Singapore Idol are also played on Channel NTU. The channel also flourishes as a platform for NTU and students’ productions to be aired and viewed.

The remarkable infrastructure for this solution includes an audio compressor for audio normalization, an FM transmitter to manage noisy locations as well as remote software monitoring client to assess playback.

Channel NTU is controlled and centrally hosted from the Center for Educational Development using fiber networks that connect the plasma screens throughout the vast campus that spans about 200 hectares with more than 50 buildings. The channel operates for approximately 11 1/2 hours daily from Monday to Friday, all year round.

The deployment of the Channel NTU network was implemented with the help of Click Grafix, Scala Certified distributor and system integrator for the South East region.

The Scala InfoChannel solution became the tool-of-choice for NTU’s digital signage network in view of its powerful authoring capabilities and advantages. Mr. Goh Wee Sen, Instructional Design Manager of CED, compliments the solution particularly for its features that provide them the ability to accept many varied formats and the smoothness of playback.

“Click Grafix has been a good partner who is willing to help extend the solution to meet our needs,” says Mr. Goh. The NTU team is looking forward indeed more advantages with the new Scala InfoChannel 5.

About Click Grafix Sdn Bhd l http://www.clickgrafix.com
Established in 1995, Click Grafix has firmly established itself in the South East Asia and Middle Eastern market and industry as a premiere provider and system integrator for digital video, animation and multimedia hardware, software, solutions and services. The company is the appointed regional distributor for NewTek Inc. and also holds the distributorship for Scala multimedia and visual communication products, as well as Realviz, Anark, e frontier, Bauhaus Software and Qarbon products in Malaysia. Currently, Click Grafix is represented in Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and India.

About Scala, Inc. l http://www.scala.com
Scala, Inc. (www.scala.com) is the world’s leading provider of software for digital signage software used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries. The company’s cutting-edge multimedia software platform powers thousands of digital signs around the world including the digital signage networks of Tesco, Best Buy, T-Mobile, ShopRite, Virgin MegaStore, Bloomberg, Burger King, Kiwi, Azizia-Panda Supermarket, McKee Foods, Muvico, Santiago Airport, RaboBank and Warner Brothers Movie World. Since InfoChannel is proven, scalable, and easy to manage, it is the platform of choice for many digital display networks ranging in size from one screen to thousands of screens with uses including advertising displays, touch screens, retail TV, LED billboards, lobby signage, digital menu boards, interactive kiosks, and more. Scala, Inc. pioneered the industry of digital signage in 1987, and is today headquartered near Philadelphia, PA with operations in California, the UK, Norway, The Netherlands, France, China and Japan.

October 28, 2006 — BAE is a major producer of aircraft engine controls and avionics equipment. Winner of the 2005 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing, the Fort Wayne location recently faced a critical internal challenge. As manufacturing director Royce Binion put it, “We realized we needed to do a better job of getting real-time manufacturing and quality performance data out to our manufacturing floor, while at the same time disseminating corporate information to our production associates. These were two similar challenges that begged for a single solution.”

A technical inquiry to Scala, Inc. in Exton, PA gave Binion the starting point needed to launch their new digital signage program. Digital AV, the regional Scala Certified Partner was called to evaluate the industrial signage application and advise BAE Systems on an efficient solution. With the help of Tom Johnson, DAV’s President, and other key personnel, Royce and his team undertook the major project of developing a significant digital signage network throughout the 700-employee Fort Wayne plant.

The scope of the project ultimately involved the installation of fourteen, 42 inch wide-screen, LG monitors positioned in various key departments including engineering, manufacturing, quality assurance, operations, human resources, corporate communications, and information technology. It has become a corporate success and is now a model for other BAE Systems locations across the United States.

BAE Systems’ corporate content is created in Scala’s InfoChannel Designer Software and housed on standard Dell computers. The Scala InfoChannel Network Manager drives the content messaging over the internal company network to Scala’s InfoChannel Player software locations configured as remote IP addresses throughout the factory.

The new mini-Dell computers are mounted directly on the LG displays creating a very efficient package profile suspended by rafter-mounted plasma ceiling mounts and plasma brackets. Some departments have wireless keyboards and mice at the PC to call up MPEG video files and script sets for on the plant floor training.

While most key departments have DS monitors, others are located in strategic locations throughout the plant including the lobby, employee break areas, major plant thoroughfares and other high-traffic venues.

Other addresses include critical shop floor locations displaying monthly scorecard and electronic ANDON signals and other key customer performance metrics. A “video of the week” is now tying BAE Systems’ avionics products to end-user applications. Real-time weather, weather emergency updates, Doppler Radar and traffic situations are now all displayed for employees via the new DataCall Newsfeed System recently provided through Digital AV.

“BAE Systems calls its new digital signage network, ‘The inSight Channel,’ to signify its internal plant-wide communications application,” said Binion.

In addition to standard digital signage content that scrolls throughout the day, InfoChannel scripts may be overridden on the shop floor so the digital displays serve as a communication and training medium for impromptu aisle meetings with employees. This allows the product team leaders to conduct employee training sessions via streaming MPEG videos — right on the manufacturing floor without reservation.

“Applying these displays in this manner is more practical and efficient than using a conference room,” said Binion.

In new product development areas, the displays are used in conjunction with a Web camera for “virtual design reviews” with other BAE Systems sites for live product design reviews and to provide feedback regarding real-time producibility.

Certified Scala training at Digital AV’s Fort Wayne offices helped train the BAE Systems IT team with new programming concepts, including Web scraping, RSS feeds, VB Scripting and Web media capture for the new signage system.

“We were able to bring in all sorts of streaming and static media of the end application of our products, allowing us to ‘put a face’ on the products we build,” Binion said. “Scala’s InfoChannel coupled with Digital AV’s support has provided us with a truly world-class communication system for our employees.” DAV’s president Tom Johnson discussed the projects resonant effects; “The success of the Scala network in Fort Wayne was noticed by other BAE Systems operations. The facility’s sister plant in Johnson City, New York integrated their plant with a similar Scala network and 10 plasma displays shortly after the initial integration.”

Additional locations have followed suit installing InfoChannel-based DS systems. The company’s facilities in Irving Texas and Cheshire Connecticut are now involved and trained with Scala InfoChannel software and LG displays. Others plants are in project development. Digital AV has helped integrate each of these locations by providing the entire digital signage package including Scala InfoChannel software, LG Plasma displays and Premier mounting systems. Standard Equus or Dell pre-configured PC systems are integrated as well as Scala certified sales, training and support for the entire software package.

“Our customers find it easier to procure from one certified source for all of their digital signage network requirements, knowing we can pull together all the pieces of the network puzzle and bundle it under one purchase order. Digital signage is all we do at DAV and OEM applications such as BAE Systems’ are our dominant market. Our customers generally have IT staffs who know how to push data up and out on their own network. This is really helpful for large project deployment,” said Johnson.

Recent IT requests from new DAV corporate clients call for importation and integration of key manufacturing databases such as Oracle, Access and other software sets to be read and interpreted by the Scala InfoChannel and displayed in logical fashion within the Scala templates.

Critical factory line data can be automatically read and interpreted by the Scala InfoChannel through simple VB Scripting and displayed as color coded, crawl lines or flashing signals to alert key corporate personnel to critical shop floor situations miles away from the location of the corporate viewer. Johnson said, “It’s a simple way to know what critical factory line situations are in play with a quick glance to a plant monitor and it’s all automatic, through the software.”

DAV’s Johnson sums it up: “The electronic signage growth in the OEM and corporate world is now driven by initiatives calling for closer integration of different systems and observation of those systems by more people in different locations. Big investments in manufacturing and quality control make digital signage networks the icing on the corporate muffin.”

About Scala, Inc.
Scala, Inc. (http://www.scala.com) is the world’s leading provider of software for digital signage software used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries. The company’s cutting-edge multimedia software platform powers thousands of digital signs around the world including the digital signage networks of Tesco, Best Buy, T-Mobile, ShopRite, Virgin MegaStore, Bloomberg, Burger King, Kiwi, Azizia-Panda Supermarket, McKee Foods, Muvico, Santiago Airport, RaboBank and Warner Brothers Movie World. Since InfoChannel is proven, scalable, and easy to manage, it is the platform of choice for many digital display networks ranging in size from one screen to thousands of screens with uses including advertising displays, touch screens, retail TV, LED billboards, lobby signage, digital menu boards, interactive kiosks, and more. Scala, Inc. pioneered the industry of digital signage in 1987, and is today headquartered near Philadelphia, PA with operations in California, the UK, Norway, The Netherlands, France, China and Japan.

About Digital AV
Founded in 2004, Digital AV is the Midwest’s largest dynamic digital signage company. Located in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Indiana, DAV is a leader in digital signage development and service.

NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Palm Coast, FL, United States, 08/07/2008 - Digital Signage Expo East, DSE’s first regional show scheduled at the Philadelphia Convention Center will present the newest, most cutting edge technology in the digital signage, interactive technologies and out-of-home network industry on 9/16-18/08.

In addition to the full day “Content Showcase”, three “Super Sessions”, 16 Conference workshops and a new “Lunch & Learn” Program, attendees at Digital Signage Expo East will have the opportunity to be the first to see:
- Data Display System’s 1080 Player, which optimizes HD video.
- EnQii’s new OnSight Messaging, which enables staff at every network site to post messages, daily promotions, schedule changes and announcements.
- Gener8 Digital Media’s new Genr8 Channels Content Selection System, which offers 10 themed channels on lifestyle, fashion, business, and other content.
- Fairfield Display and Lighting’s Low Voltage Wire-Free Compact Flash Players, for space and energy saving displays.
- Kramer Electronics’ new Cobra Twisted Pair Products, which are high quality transmitters, receivers, matrix switchers and a distributor for sending high res signals over long distances.
- Navori’s new Tycoon 3.04 Version, which has optimized the product and integrated the most requested features.
- Netkey’s new Digital Signage 4.9, which makes deploying and operating a DS network easier and more efficient, including expanded multi-zone content.
- Roku’s new BrightSign HD2000, a fully integrated, high definition digital sign controller that offers plug-n-play networking to streamline content management.
- Scala’s new Ad Manager Product, which provides a complete advertising management solution for the out-of-home industry.
- Trident’s new MicroTouch DST, which makes interacting with surfaces fast and accurate.
- Wireless Ronin’s RoninCast Wayfinding, which provides creative and interactive directional mapping; Interactive Product Selection functionality to showcase products with an internet-like selection tool; RoninCast Meeting Room Presentation, which links software to third-party calendaring software .asp pages or databases; and RoninCast 3D Capability, which includes the added capability of managing 3D files.

Chris Gibbs, Executive Vice President of ExpoNation, LLC the producer of Digital Signage Expo and DSE East said, “DSE East is going to have a lot of ‘wow’ — the amazing developments in technology continue to expand applications possibilities and create new marketing and merchandising opportunities at retail and beyond.”

Digital Signage Expo/East and Interactive Technology Expo/East will be co-located at the Philadelphia Convention Center to run September 16-18, 2008.
To exhibit or attend Digital Signage Expo/East and/or Interactive Technologies Expo/East 2008, contact Chris Gibbs at (770) 649-0300 x17.

The next generation of Scala InfoChannel®, the most widely deployed digital signage software platform in the world, has been launched to the European marketplace during the annual Scala EMEA Partner Conference in Amsterdam.

Kerkrade, the Netherlands (PRWEB) October 13, 2006 — The next generation of Scala InfoChannel®, the most widely deployed digital signage software platform in the world, has been launched to the European marketplace during the annual Scala EMEA Partner Conference in Amsterdam.

Between September 27th and 28th, over 160 attendees from 29 countries were represented at the Scala EMEA Partner Conference, confirming the rapid growth of worldwide Digital Signage projects. With 30% more attendees this year compared to 2005, the 2006 EMEA Partner Conference has again provided the venue where the leading Scala Partners meet to discuss the trends in the market and share successful business models and project implementation strategies.

Oscar Elizaga, Scala VP EMEA and Truls Baklid, Scala VP Nordic hosted the conference. The first day of the event was highlighted by presentations from Scala Partners and Customers sharing their InfoChannel success stories.

The following Scala Partners presented stories of innovative digital signage installations throughout the hemisphere:
Kåre Mosgren - Agder University, Norway; André Robles Lucas and Pablo Valencia - Dot One New Media, Spain; Gabriel Faflei - Monopoly Media, Romania; Wolfgang Vogt – Audi, Germany; Badarudheen Mohammed - Digifour Technologies, India; Andy Marshall - PushButton Creative Ltd, United Kingdom; Ahmed El Ridi - Specialized Software Services, United Arabic Emirates; David Treadway - Firebrand Media – United Kingdom; Jørn Scholz - Virtual Garden, Norway.

To support the event a number of Scala technology partners exhibited their related technologies for the Digital Signage industry including: NEC Display Solutions, Lavitsky Computer Laboratories Inc., Matrox Graphics, Media Green, Excom AG, Artistic Images, Philips 3D Solutions, Panphonics OY, Hulskamp Audiovisueel and Opalio.

Among the overwhelmingly positive reaction by the conference attendees, the following stand out:
David Meeke - DAC Systems, Scala certified Partner in Ireland – “Just a quick note to congratulate the entire Scala team on what was a memorable event. Everything was positive for product development into the future. The new features place us in our rightful position and I believe make it easier to convince clients that Scala InfoChannel is the software of choice.”

Pablo Valencia - Dot One, Scala certified Partner in Spain – “Thank you for your Amsterdam event and congratulations for its organization. Everything was fantastic as expected”

Leonardo Comelli - M-Cube, Scala Certified Partner in Italy – “This event was fantastic. InfoChannel 5 is finally out and we all can see that our expectations have been met. Congratulations to the entire Scala team!”

Wolfgang Vogt - Audi Germany, Scala Customer – “It was an honor to be part of the Scala Partner event. Everything I have come to expect from Scala was evident in this conference”.

On September 27th Scala hosted a gala dinner during which three Scala Partners were recognized with the coveted annual Scala Partner Award for outstanding performance. The Award for Best Performing New Partner went to the Saudi Arabic company United Yousef Naghi. The Award for the Most Deployed Players went to Monopoly Media from Romania and the award for Most Deployed Projects went to Hulskamp AV from The Netherlands.

After the gala dinner Gerard Bucas, CEO of Scala, officially launched the next generation InfoChannel 5. With over 30,000 InfoChannel licenses driving hundreds of thousands of screens worldwide, the InfoChannel 5 launch theme was “The best just got better”.

With InfoChannel 5, Scala introduces the new InfoChannel Content Manager that, together with significant authoring, network management and playback enhancements, ensures unequaled new functionality benefiting both commercial and corporate communications Digital Signage projects alike.

InfoChannel 5 features streamlined interface & workflow, rapid template-based content authoring, sophisticated content management including new channel planning & scheduling modules, new 3D-based rendering engine for improved visual quality and performance. The new unique capability of driving multiple independent content channels per each InfoChannel Player dramatically reduces total ownership and project implementation costs.

With the release of Scala InfoChannel 5 – Scala continues to exceed customer expectations around the world and is now poised to gain an even wider industry lead. InfoChannel 5 further extends the benefits and enhances ROI of commercial and corporate communications digital signage networks around the world.

About Scala, Inc.
Scala, Inc. (http://www.scala.com) is the world’s leading provider of software for digital signage software used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries. The company’s cutting-edge multimedia software platform powers thousands of digital signs around the world including the digital signage networks of Tesco, Best Buy, T-Mobile, ShopRite, Virgin MegaStore, Bloomberg, Burger King, Kiwi, Azizia-Panda Supermarket, McKee Foods, Muvico, Santiago Airport, RaboBank and Warner Brothers Movie World. Since InfoChannel is proven, scalable, and easy to manage, it is the platform of choice for many digital display networks ranging in size from one screen to thousands of screens with uses including advertising displays, touch screens, retail TV, LED billboards, lobby signage, digital menu boards, interactive kiosks, and more. Scala, Inc. pioneered the industry of digital signage in 1987, and is today headquartered near Philadelphia, PA with operations in California, the UK, Norway, The Netherlands, France, China and Japan.

Scala, InfoChannel, and the Exclamation Point Logo are registered trademarks of Scala, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective organizations.

Scala has been awarded “Best Presenter” and “Best New Digital Signage Product” in the annual rAVe Best of InfoComm Awards 2008

Exton, PA (PRWEB) August 7, 2008 — Scala, the leading provider of end-to-end solutions for the digital signage market, today announced Scala has been awarded “Best Presenter” and “Best New Digital Signage Product” in the annual rAVe Best of InfoComm Awards 2008. The rAVe awards, sponsored by rAVe Publications identify the best and the worst of the industry at the annual InfoComm show.

This year Jeff Porter, Executive Vice President for Scala, was named Best Presenter for his last minute presentation at the InfoComm Manufacturer’s Forum. According to Gary Kayye, founder of rAVe Publications, “Jeff did a phenomenal job fielding questions from both myself as well as from the audience. Jeff’s vision for the role of networking in the AV industry was right on target and didn’t include a lot of Scala marketing blah. He gets it!”

Scala was also awarded Best New Digital Signage Product. According to rAVe, “on the software side of the industry, Scala is THE industry leader in Digital Signage and their InfoChannel 5 Release 3 is incredibly powerful. Scala continues to maintain their leadership position in the industry.”

“We are very proud of our commitment to the digital signage industry and continue to strive to deliver the best products and services to the industry,” says Jeff Porter. “While our products and services are recognized as leading the industry we still maintain an ongoing commitment to growing the industry through education and industry association participation.”

About Scala
Scala is the leading global provider of software solutions for the connected signage industry including digital signage software and advertising management software for both digital and traditional signage networks. The company’s connected signage software is used for dynamic signage networks in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries for diverse applications such as Retail Advertising networks (Retail TV), Corporate Communications (Employee TV), Digital Billboards, Digital Menu Boards, Digital Posters, Community Access channels (Cable TV), Hotel lobby signage and information channels, Gas Pump “toppers”, Billboards, Outdoor Advertising, Interactive touch-screens and Kiosks, etc. Scala pioneered the Connected Signage industry and today remains the world’s largest provider of software for creating digital signage networks, driving more screens than all competitors combined. The Company provides enterprise class advertising management software for both digital and traditional signage networks to the world’s largest outdoor advertising companies including CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor, Magic Media, Reagan, Adams Outdoor Advertising, and many more. The Company’s cutting-edge digital signage software powers thousands of digital signs around the world including the digital signage networks of Rabobank, IKEA, Burger King, T-Mobile, Virgin MegaStore, EuroDisney, McDonalds, Warner Brothers, Ericsson, The Life Channel, Rikstoto, FuelCast, Repsol, Shell, NorgesGruppen and many more. Scala is today headquartered near Philadelphia, PA and has wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, The Netherlands, France, Norway, and Japan with a direct presence in a number of other locations and countries. More information is available at www.scala.com.

©2008 Scala, Inc. 350 Eagleview Blvd. Exton, PA 19341. Scala, InfoChannel, and the Exclamation Point Logo are registered trademarks of Scala, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective organizations.

Los Angeles, CA (FV Newswire) - Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd, a world leading IT services provider, has implemented a Digital Signage platform throughout India, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. TCS is part of Asia’s largest conglomerate — the TATA Group.

With a presence in 34 countries across six continents and a comprehensive range of services across diverse industries, TCS is one of the world’s leading Information Technology companies.

DigiFour Technologies, a Scala (http://www.scala.com) Certified Partner in India, has implemented Scala’s InfoChannel® Platform in 70 TCS locations throughout India, as well in their overseas offices in the United Kingdom and Netherlands.

The Digital Communication Channel informs and educates TCS employees on major corporate activities including corporate announcements, staff programs, company performance and achievements etc.

“The need for an effective internal communication system was a priority for TCS’ top management,” says Badarudheen Mohamed, CEO of DigiFour Technologies.

“We have created a special task force consisting of engineers, designers and project managers to study the system including networking, install the components, test features and oversee implementation.”

“The strategy is to develop an effective centrally controlled internal communication system that had the flexibility to support relevant dynamic content and instantaneous changes. The channel would act as the most preferred form of information for employees,” pointed out Rafeeq Mohammed, Director Strategic Planning of Digifour Technologies.

To support this strategy, InfoChannel Designer and InfoChannel Network Manager were installed at TCS Corporate office in Mumbai. InfoChannel Players were located at 70 specific TCS locations across India.

Throughout the 70 locations, 49-inch screens have been installed in the main areas including: reception, lobbies, waiting areas, canteens and conference halls.

Deploying InfoChannel players also linked overseas offices in London and Amsterdam. The channel is to be used as the preferred form of communication in the TCS locations. The content exists of Text, Graphics, Video, Audio, External Feeds and more.

“One of the instances of periodic change is the usage of real-time TCS share value updating from BSE & NSE (stock markets). Part of the content is delivered directly from the TCS website. Updates in the website are reflected live on the screens,” says Sherin Nazer, Technical Director of Digifour Technologies.

“The expected ROI of this project is to have more effective communication that leads to improved employee satisfaction. This will be measured and bench-marked through internal staff surveys,” says Badarudheen Mohamed, CEO of DigiFour Technologies. Currently the Digital Channel is being considered for further expansion to about 150 TCS locations.

The corporate strategy of TCS is to expand the InfoChannel network to over 300 TCS locations across the country in 2007. This second phase of the project will be further enhanced through integration with client databases, live camera and other external feeds. Interactive applications aimed at employees are also considered.

About Scala, Inc.
Scala, Inc. (http://www.scala.com) is the world’s leading provider of software for digital signage software used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries. The company’s cutting-edge multimedia software platform powers thousands of digital signs around the world including the digital signage networks of Tesco, Best Buy, T-Mobile, ShopRite, Virgin MegaStore, Bloomberg, Burger King, Kiwi, Azizia-Panda Supermarket, McKee Foods, Muvico, Santiago Airport, RaboBank and Warner Brothers Movie World. Since InfoChannel is proven, scalable and easy to manage, it is the platform of choice for many digital display networks ranging in size from one screen to thousands of screens with uses including advertising displays, touch screens, retail TV, LED billboards, lobby signage, digital menu boards, interactive kiosks and more. Scala, Inc. pioneered the industry of digital signage in 1987, and is today headquartered near Philadelphia, PA with operations in California, the UK, France, Norway, The Netherlands, China and Japan.

About Digifour Technologies
Digifour Technologies (www.digi4tech.com) is an IT development and consultancy company established in India. Digifour offers its expertise in four business verticals — Digital Dynamic signage, Web Application Development, Animation and Digital Multimedia and Business Process Outsourcing. Digifour is the leading provider of Digital Dynamic Signage solutions in India (in association with Scala) and a pioneer of this new growing technology in the market. Services provided by Digifour include Content management, software and hardware support, networking and new technology value added services.

With their Head Office in India, Digifour service their overseas clients through their Middle East Office in Dubai (U.A.E) and liaison offices in London, USA and Saudi Arabia.

Scala Inc. announced today the creation of Scala Broadcast Multimédia France SAS a wholly owned subsidiary located in the La Défense business district of Paris, France.

Exton, PA, USA & Paris, France (PRWEB) September 27, 2006 — Scala Inc., (www.scala.com) the industry leader in end-to-end digital signage software, announced today the creation of Scala Broadcast Multimédia France SAS a wholly owned subsidiary located in the La Défense business district of Paris, France. Scala France reinforces Scala’s already dominant position in the European Digital Signage industry.

The Scala InfoChannel® software platform is already the world’s most widely deployed software for creating and managing mission-critical Digital Signage and Corporate Communications networks. Scala France’s mission is to extend Scala’s already impressive worldwide footprint into the French market, where Scala’s installed base is already over 5,000, a number greater than the installed base of all of its competitors combined. Users in France will now be able to benefit from InfoChannel’s full repertoire of cost-effective digital signage lifecycle tools including quick content creation, content management and distribution, as well as dynamic visualization with, local or centralized data base integration and interactive content. Scala’s InfoChannel® also offers unsurpassed scalability, expandability and field-proven stability out of the box.

Having a dedicated local presence in France allows us to expand on the work of LCS, our longtime distributor in this country, through recently established partnerships with leading companies in the digital signage such as TMM Communications, MyPlasma, SCC, Artistic Images, IBM and RVB (an Altavia company)

Heading up this new business unit is Oscar Elizaga, Scala’s Vice President, EMEA and President of Scala France. For day-to-day operations, Mr. Elizaga relies upon Philippe Lemaire, Director of France Channel Sales, who heads up all sales operations and manages the relationship with Scala partners in France. Scala France can be contacted by telephone at +33 (1) 47 96 00 28 or on +33 (6) 73 73 71 28.

“InfoChannel has been available in French for quite some time and is well known in France with significant presence in key implementations in both commercial and corporate communication applications.” says Gerard Bucas, President and CEO, Scala Inc. “Now with our dedicated Scala France team based in Paris we will be able to provide local support and other services to our customers in their own language, and to build on InfoChannel’s strategic positioning and solid reputation for performance in France. This will no doubt further strengthen our already dominant market position worldwide”.

“Having a dedicated local presence in France allows us to expand on the work of LCS, our longtime distributor in this country, through recently established partnerships with leading companies in the digital signage such as TMM Communications, MyPlasma, SCC, Artistic Images, IBM and RVB (an Altavia company)” says Mr. Elizaga. “France’s public expects sophisticated brand promotion and visionary corporate positioning, and is characterized by advanced visual thinking. Given the changing dynamics in the French business climate, companies and institutions across the country are keen to rapidly expand their business potential through better communications with both customers and employees using Scala’s proven InfoChannel digital signage software platform. Scala is very visible in the French market, InfoChannel enjoys unparalleled reputation for performance and versatility, and Scala France is ready to fulfill and exceed our clients’ expectations.”, complements Mr. Elizaga.

For more information on this exciting development visit Scala at www.scala.com.

About Scala, Inc.
Scala, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of software for digital signage software used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries. The company’s cutting-edge multimedia software platform powers thousands of digital signs around the world including the digital signage networks of Tesco, the Paris Palais de Congrès, Best Buy, T-Mobile, La Grande Récré, ShopRite, Hertz, Virgin MegaStore, EuroDisney, Bloomberg, Burger King, Kiwi, Futuramedia, Azizia-Panda Supermarket, Carrefour, McKee Foods, Muvico, Santiago Airport, RaboBank and Warner Brothers Movie World. Since InfoChannel is proven, scalable, and easy to manage, it is the platform of choice for many digital display networks ranging in size from one screen to thousands of screens with uses including advertising displays, touch screens, retail TV, LED billboards, lobby signage, digital menu boards, interactive kiosks, and more. Scala, Inc. pioneered the industry of digital signage in 1987, and is today headquartered near Philadelphia, PA with offices in California, the UK, France, Norway, The Netherlands, China and Japan.

Scala, InfoChannel, and the Exclamation Point Logo are registered trademarks of Scala, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective organizations.

Scala Inc., the industry leader in end-to-end digital signage software, announced today the creation of Scala KK a wholly owned subsidiary located in Tokyo, Japan. The expansion of Scala into the Asian marketplace solidifies its dominant position in the worldwide Digital Signage industry.

Exton, PA (PRWEB) September 21, 2006 — Scala Inc., (www.scala.com) the industry leader in end-to-end digital signage software, announced today the creation of Scala KK a wholly owned subsidiary located in Tokyo, Japan. The expansion of Scala into the Asian marketplace solidifies its dominant position in the worldwide Digital Signage industry.

Scala KK, located in Tokyo, Japan will be the center of operations for Scala’s Asian market including: Japan, Korea, China, Hong-Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The Scala InfoChannel® software platform is already the world’s largest deployed software for creating and managing Digital Signage and Corporate Communications networks that need to run 24/7. Scala KK’s mission will be to extend Scala’s already impressive worldwide footprint into the Japanese, Chinese and Korean markets. Users in the region will now be able to reap the benefits from InfoChannel’s rapid content creation, management and distribution tools coupled with its unsurpassed scalability, extensibility and network management/control features. A number of key partners have already been appointed in the region, so Scala KK is off to a flying start.

Having a local presence in the Asian marketplace with localized products will allow us to forge new partnerships with companies across the region that are interested in expanding their business potential into the Digital Signage and Corporate Communications marketplace

Heading up the business unit is Guillaume Proux as General Manager. Also included the business efforts are Takahiro Furuichi, Technical Services Manager and Yoko Takao Sales & Marketing Assistant. Finally, Scala’s sales office in Greater China headed by Elaine Chew will move under Scala KK’s umbrella.

“Our InfoChannel product line has been available for some time now in Japanese, Chinese (simplified & traditional) and Korean language versions.” says Gerard Bucas, President and CEO, Scala Inc. “Now with Scala KK based in Tokyo we will be able to provide local support and other services to our customers in their own language. It will further strengthen our already dominant market position worldwide”.

“Having a local presence in the Asian marketplace with localized products will allow us to forge new partnerships with companies across the region that are interested in expanding their business potential into the Digital Signage and Corporate Communications marketplace,” says Guillaume Proux, General Manager, Scala KK.

For more information on this exciting development visit Scala at www.scala.com.

About Scala, Inc.
Scala, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of software for digital signage software used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries. The company’s cutting-edge multimedia software platform powers thousands of digital signs around the world including the digital signage networks of Tesco, Best Buy, T-Mobile, ShopRite, Virgin MegaStore, Bloomberg, Burger King, Kiwi, Azizia-Panda Supermarket, McKee Foods, Muvico, Santiago Airport, RaboBank and Warner Brothers Movie World. Since InfoChannel is proven, scalable, and easy to manage, it is the platform of choice for many digital display networks ranging in size from one screen to thousands of screens with uses including advertising displays, touch screens, retail TV, LED billboards, lobby signage, digital menu boards, interactive kiosks, and more. Scala, Inc. pioneered the industry of digital signage in 1987, and is today headquartered near Philadelphia, PA with operations in California, the UK, France, Norway, The Netherlands, China and Japan.

Scala, InfoChannel, and the Exclamation Point Logo are registered trademarks of Scala, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective organizations.

Contact:
Richard F. Trask
Marketing Director
Scala Inc.
+1 610-363-3344

Scala unveils new name for its media management software solution.

Exton, PA (PRWEB) July 21, 2008 — Scala, the leading provider of end-to-end connected signage software, today announced that the company’s media management solution, Charting Pro, has been renamed Ad Manager.

The decision to change the name to Ad Manager comes after the acquisition of MISA and Charting Pro to reflect Scala’s leading position in the outdoor advertising industry. The new name leverages on Scala’s objective and commitment to deliver the most advanced media management solution for all out-of-home media advertising, not just digital.

“Ad Manager has a nice ring to it,” explains Robert Koolen, President of Scala. “Charting Pro was a great name, but it was geared more towards traditional signage only. As the traditional outdoor advertising world adds digital signage to their inventory, we chose a name to better reflect the scope of the product, and to appeal to a broader audience.”

The name Ad Manager not only presents a more descriptive, positive image but it also describes the major benefits of a complete advertising management solution for the out-of-home industry. Ad Manager has been designed to simplify your out-of-home advertising campaigns. In a nut shell, you can place your contracts, leases, invoicing, proof of performance, maintenance etc. in one system using one contract. Scala customers around the world will be able to integrate their digital and traditional signage ad campaigns and manage them from one central application.

“It was the right time to change the name,” says Andrea Waldin, Director of Marketing, Scala. “Ad Manager has six separate modules today: Inventory Management which is the core component of Ad Manager, Financial, Maintenance, Multimedia, Advance Mapping and Digital Media. We needed a product name that reflected what we have to offer. We’re already in the process of making major enhancements to our product line and reworking our corporate look to reflect both the digital and traditional signage networks.”

About Scala
Scala is a leading global provider of digital signage and advertising management solutions. By combining digital and traditional signage systems, Scala has become the world’s first connected signage company, allowing customers to create, manage and distribute both traditional and digital signage via one software platform. The company’s solutions are used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries for diverse applications such as retail advertising networks, corporate communications (employee TV), traditional and digital billboards, digital menu boards, digital posters, cable TV, hotel lobby signage, gas pump toppers, outdoor advertising, interactive touch-screens and kiosks, etc. Scala pioneered the digital signage industry and today drives over 70,000 screens worldwide; more screens than all competitors combined. The company’s digital signage platform customers include Rabobank, IKEA, Burger King, T-Mobile, Virgin MegaStore, EuroDisney, McDonalds, Warner Brothers, Ericsson, The Life Channel, Rikstoto, FuelCast, Repsol, Shell, NorgesGruppen and thousands more. The company’s advertising management customers include CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor, Magic Media, Reagan, Adams Outdoor Advertising, and many more. Scala is headquartered near Philadelphia, USA and has subsidiaries in Canada, The Netherlands, France, Norway, Japan and also over 450 partners in more than 60 countries. More information is available at www.scala.com“>www.scala.com.

©2008 Scala, Inc. 350 Eagleview Blvd. Exton, PA 19341. Scala, InfoChannel, and the Exclamation Point Logo are registered trademarks of Scala, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective organizations.

Ballantyne Village & Theatre Leads the Way for High-End Shopping Centers in Charlotte, NC.

Exton, PA (PRWEB) August 5, 2008 — Scala®, the leading provider of end-to-end solutions for the digital signage market, today announced Ballantyne Village and Theatre has converted their lack-luster digital signage network to Scala InfoChannel®.

Ballantyne Village & Theatre is Charlotte’s premier venue for one of the most technologically advanced, multi-purpose real estate developments in the United States; the ten acre site houses an impressive list of Charlotte’s most high-end Shops and Restaurants. Currently, Ballantyne Village & Theatre is located in Charlotte’s fastest growing multi-million dollar real estate area and is expanding quickly to encompass business centers and corporate offices and will include more than 400 luxury condominiums, restaurants, retail shops, and a hotel at its completion.

Far and away more satisfied with Scala and DaVinci Bridge. The service is superior, the product is more user-friendly and the price is more amenable to our budget.
Originally, Ballantyne Village & Theatre utilized a Nexus Media solution that fell short of high expectations and ultimately left the property management looking for a better solution. Their management team consulted with DaVinci Bridge, a Scala Certified Partner, to find a solution that met the following requirements: scalable software solution, impressive dynamic content, split screen and multi-region technology, HD video compatibilities, and remote access for deployment and management. However, the main objective was to provide an effective solution that was impressive to both Ballantyne Village & Theatre and their customers.

Initially, DaVinci Bridge assisted in the deployment of the Scala InfoChannel® solution and installed a complete digital signage network — the Ballantyne Village network was born! The network was composed of five player channels that controlled multiple screens within the Ballantyne Theatre. DaVinci Bridge was on-site for the complete end-to-end deployment, covering network design and setup as well as a software and content configuration.

The locations for the screens were chosen to maximize the customer experience. In the cinema, screens are positioned around the doors and throughout the lobby area displaying movie trailers, menuboards and brand advertising. Other interactive “Touch Me for Info” screens are positioned around the property to assist customers with wayfinding and shopping information.

Following a successful deployment of the Ballantyne Village network, Ballantyne Village & Theatre sought to further expand their conversion project to all passive and interactive screens throughout their property. Overall, their network was expanded to 12 player channels that now control all 28 screens on site.

Ballantyne Village & Theatre as well as their management company, RBB Investments, is more than pleased with the outcome. After using the Ballantyne Village network for a few months, facility management rated the solution a 10 on a 1-to-10 scale, the highest possible rating. Furthermore, the management team awarded DaVinci Bridge a 15 on the same scale, for far exceeding expectations and thus, overextending the known scale on a basis of excellence.

Ballantyne Village Theatre General Manager, Leon Putman, states that they are “Far and away more satisfied with Scala and DaVinci Bridge. The service is superior, the product is more user-friendly and the price is more amenable to our budget.”

Mr. Putman goes on to further state that “with Scala all of the bells and whistles are innate to the software and you are not relying on anyone else to create dynamic solutions for continuous and hidden costs.”

About DaVinci Bridge LLC:
DaVinci Bridge is an industry expert in providing dynamic digital signage solutions, creative content and advanced technical solutions for marketing and advertising in today’s fast-paced environments. It is the DaVinci mission to provide our clients with the strategic planning, creative direction and effective implementation required to achieve their professional goals. More than just an advertising agency DaVinci Bridge delivers the right mix of creative direction, technical expertise and business experience to successfully position your company’s products and services. Here at DaVinci Bridge, we listen to our clients needs and provide innovative solutions for their marketing objectives. More information is available at www.davincibridge.com.

About Scala:
Scala is the leading global provider of dynamic solutions for the connected signage industry including digital signage software and advertising management software for both digital and traditional signage networks. The company’s connected signage solutions are used for dynamic signage networks in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries for diverse applications such as retail advertising networks (retail TV), corporate communications (employee TV), digital menu boards, digital posters, community access channels (cable TV), hotel lobby signage and information channels, gas pump “toppers”, billboards, outdoor advertising, interactive touch-screens and kiosks, etc. Scala pioneered the connected signage industry and today remains the world’s leading provider of solutions for creating digital signage networks, driving more screens than all competitors combined. The Company provides enterprise class advertising management solutions for both digital and traditional signage networks to the world’s largest outdoor advertising companies including CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor, Magic Media, Reagan, Adams Outdoor Advertising, and many more. The Company’s cutting-edge digital signage platform powers thousands of digital signs around the world including the digital signage networks of Rabobank, IKEA, Burger King, T-Mobile, Virgin MegaStore, EuroDisney, McDonalds, Warner Brothers, Ericsson, The Life Channel, Rikstoto, FuelCast, Repsol, Shell, NorgesGruppen and many more. Scala is today headquartered near Philadelphia, PA and has wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, The Netherlands, France, Norway, and Japan with a direct presence in a number of other locations and countries. More information is available at www.scala.com.

©2008 Scala, Inc. 350 Eagleview Blvd. Exton, PA 19341. Scala, InfoChannel, and the Exclamation Point Logo are registered trademarks of Scala, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective organizations.

Scala, the leading provider of end-to-end connected signage software, today announced the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV has deployed a Scala InfoChannel® digital signage network as part of their extensive renovation project.

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas, (not to be confused with the Hard Rock café chain) is a boutique - resort casino geared to the tastes of music lovers — mostly rockers — of all ages. Currently, the Hard Rock is a mid-size complex on a 16.7 acre site with some 700 hotel rooms, a moderately sized casino floor, dining venues and a famous pool with its Sunday “Rehab” for the over-zealous Saturday night partiers. The Tahitian-style beach and swimming pool was selected by the Travel Channel as one of “The Top 10 Pools” in the world.

The hotel and casino wanted to replace an old system that transmitted video over RF…same as TV, with one that had more versatile software features, transporting video over Cat5 for better resolution and the capability to develop dynamic content. The hotel and casino is also in a renovation mode ($750 million project) and so the system needed to be completely scalable and adaptable to any of the following: split screens, crawl messages, insertion of video cameras from its world renowned pool area, insertion of META data and flexible scheduling. The requirements also stipulated the system was to be accessible via an Internet browser both from the office and remotely. However, the major objective was a strong desire to add to the entertainment experience of the customer and create an overall face-lift of product branding with the use of more exciting, easily updateable dynamic messaging.

To define the exact deployment requirements, a number of planning meetings between Core Technology Inc., a Scala Certified Partner in Las Vegas, All Systems Go, the hotel’s AV vendor, and the hotel’s marketing and IT teams ensued. During each of these meetings demonstrations and discussions about how Scala InfoChannel® product options, capabilities and pricing would meet the hotel’s requirements, both now and into the future. Like any well thought out digital signage network, the proposed deployment was completely customized to the current and future requirements of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Once the decision was made, several planning meetings with the Hotel’s IT and Facilities department managers ensued to discuss location of media players, data drops, server and player locations, Hall Research Technologies’ Cat5 video cable runs, and rack space. Together, timelines and milestone dates were developed for making the transition from the current system to the Scala InfoChannel network; the installation process was complicated since the property could not endure lengthy periods without video to its screens.

The initial deployment of 9 player channels and the InfoChannel Content Manager and Designer was phased in over a four-day period. After a few months of operation, two additional channels were installed.

The network was composed of Dell Optiplex 745 Media Players and Samsung 40″ LCD screens running over a standard IP network. The media players and the content management server were preinstalled by Core Technology Inc. prior to installation making the on-site deployment of the entire network a plug and play operation, saving potential delays and confusion. To facilitate maintenance and monitoring, the system was setup with remote access using an Internet browser.

Overall, 11 media channels were deployed including: the two large outdoor Marquee LED boards, Rockstar Club (Loyalty card), The Joint (music venue), Front Desk, Sports Book, Retail, Body English (night club), the Cage, Box Office (show tickets), Elevator area and the In-room TV channel.

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and their parent company, Morgans Hotel Group were quite pleased with the smoothness of the transition to Scala digital signage network and the performance of the Scala InfoChannel software. The visual image and imagery of the property has been materially enhanced. At this stage, the hotel has not taken full advantage of the network’s capability; however, as the casino progresses through its $750 million renovation plan, the network’s goals will be fulfilled.

“Working closely with our client to define the goals and requirements of the network, prior to any installation work, helped make the project go smoothly with very little down time,” says Jerry Werner, of Core Technology Inc.

“W