Scala Partner, Beaver Solutions, Wins 'Digital Signage Project of the Year' for Cinema De Lux Deployment

Beaver Solutions, has recently won the prestigious AV Award 2008 for 'Digital Signage Project of the Year'

London, United Kingdom (PRWEB) November 4, 2008 -- Scala (www.scala.com), the leading provider of end-to-end solutions for the digital signage (www.scala.com) and advertising management markets, today announced its UK-based partner, Beaver Solutions, has recently won the prestigious AV Award 2008 for 'Digital Signage Project of the Year'.

The AV Award was given for the innovative deployment of digital signage throughout three multi-million dollar Showcase 'Cinema De Lux' venues. Showcase Cinemas is a brand of US-based National Amusements and specializes is luxury, state-of-the-art cinemas, creating exciting lifestyle destinations for the cinema patrons.

Traditionally, printed signage would be used for the concessions stand menu boards and posters throughout the cinema, with LED boards used to show movie times at the box office. The menu boards were not updated regularly and any new prices would be stuck over the top of old ones with labels. Movie posters would need to be unpacked, put up and disposed of each week, by hand, by the cinema staff. On the box office, due to the limitations of the LED boards, movie names would be cut short - so "Quantum of Solace" would become "Quantum".

In late 2007, Showcase Cinemas approached Scala and Beaver Solutions to provide digital signage throughout their concept cinemas in Derby, Bristol and Leicester, with the aim to create a paperless cinema experience. The idea was to create a high quality, immersive cinema experience, with functional and efficient methods of running their signage. The luxury, high quality venues are called Showcase 'Cinema De Lux'.

Digital signage is integral to the cinema buildings, with spaces for the screens being prebuilt into the structure. 124 Sanyo 42" LCD panels were installed by Beaver Solutions, displaying content for the box office, concessions stands and spillways throughout the cinema. The screens are mounted using Vogel brackets, in a variety of landscape and portrait positions, with the high definition RGB signal delivered to the screens using structured cabling through Scion Pro9000 transmitters and receivers.

All the content for the screens and ten projectors is managed using Scala's latest edition of the most widely deployed digital signage software platform in the world. A team of content editors, video producers and technicians at Beaver Solutions continually create custom content and remotely manage the screens in all three sites.

With the 'Cinema De Lux' concept, Showcase creates enhanced recreational environments with luxury as a key feature. The digital signage fits in with the high quality surroundings and enhances the premier customer experience. With a digital signage solution, movie posters, trailers, box office screens and menu boards are elegantly displayed and are easily updated.

Movie posters now have more space for promotion, without overwhelming the customer as they walk through the cinema. Details about a movie no longer have to fit on one sheet with the main image. The leading slide can catch the audience eye, with the additional slides providing details of the movie.

Menu boards are able to instantly react to any changes. Should a menu item go out-of-stock, then it can be removed from the menu. Similarly, should stock be going out-of-date, then active promotion of that item can help move it quickly. The flexibility of digital signage allows Showcase to react, when the need arises and for any unforeseeable events.

The box office screens are much more functional than the previous LED boards. Movie times are shown next to the full titles of movies, disappearing 20 minutes after a movie has started. This information is pulled directly from an existing Showcase file, so no additional work was needed from Showcase to have the up-to-date information on the screens. Scala also links with an existing file to keep track of ticket sales, displaying "FEW" or "SOLD" as tickets run out.

The box office screens are also used to promote the movies, concessions and other cinema related services to the customer, whether they are at the front of the stand or waiting to be served. Digital signage at the main point-of-purchase has given Showcase an excellent method of communicating their messages to the customer.

Scala and Beaver Solutions are continuing to work with Showcase Cinemas to provide a luxury cinema experience throughout the three 'Cinema De Lux' venues at Derby, Bristol and Leicester.

"We wanted a cinema that wasn't ordinary and now we have one unlike any other," said Robert Steel, Vice President of Strategy and Development, National Amusements.

Showcase is creating cinema experiences that surpass what has been done before and Beaver Solutions is proud to be the provider of the award winning digital signage, helping to create a flexible, functional and premier customer experience.

About Beaver Group

Beaver Solutions, formed in 1998, are part of the Beaver Group and specialize in the delivery of digital signage to companies and public institutions. Using the very latest in display and networking technology, Beaver Solutions specify, supply, install, train and support each solution. Through Beaver Design, also part of Beaver Group, content and network management services are provided; offering a full one stop service to customers. Beaver Solutions clients include E.ON, Ericsson, GlaxoSmithKline, IKEA, ITV, P&O Cruises, Walkers Snack Foods and the UK Home Office.

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 (www.scala.com) 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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