Microsoft and Synect Win Digital Screenmedia Association Award for Immersive Retail Environment
Redmond, WASH. and New York, N.Y (PRWEB) November 10, 2014 -- Microsoft and Synect have won a prestigious digital signage industry award for an immersive digital retail experience at the Microsoft Stores. The Titanfall Video Wall Experience debuted at the stores in March to promote the launch of the award-winning video game title. One of 2014’s most anticipated releases, Titanfall was released at the Microsoft Stores with a series of midnight launches—and more than ten minutes of original digital content allowing customers to experience and the play the game on the store’s massive video walls.
Microsoft and Synect created the dynamic user experience that immersed fans into the world of Titanfall. Ultra high definition video of Titans falling, missiles soaring across futuristic skylines, and full action sequences mirrored Titanfall gameplay on their 150-foot video wall. A dynamic countdown displayed on the wall for weeks before the March release. During the launch, users could play the game on the massive screen—and buy it bundled with other Microsoft products and services. Florin Gale, Microsoft Store Creative Director, said, “Titans were falling from skies; people were playing games in interactive zones of the video wall. They were immersed in a Titanfall experience. The entire store, and the video wall specifically, was absolutely Titanfall.”
On Nov. 6, 2014 The Digital Screenmedia Association (DSA) announced the winners for the fourth annual DSA Crown Awards, which recognizes excellence in digital out-of-home content. The Titanfall Video Wall Experience at the Microsoft Stores won silver in the Point of Sale Category. The DSA Crown Awards ceremony was held in New York City at the Paramount Theater at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on November 5, following the first day of Customer Engagement World. “It’s great to have our work with Microsoft recognized in this way. We’re creating content ultra high definition video content and digital experiences that go beyond 4k or 8k—even up to 16k. We think the retail spaces of the future should be destinations that captivate audiences, and Microsoft is showing the world how they do that with their digital signage network,” Synect founder Yahav Ran said.
The resolution of the more than 60 Microsoft Stores’ video walls can be as large as 57,600 x 1080. The scale of the canvas requires the creation of custom assets, which Synect modeled and animated in 3D. After Effects, Cinema 4D, Photoshop and Maya were used to create the content. A custom integrated toolset was used to enable the content development lifecycle, and all the ultra high definition video production was handled by Synect. The store’s digital signage network is driven by YCD Multimedia’s C-nario solution. Custom content layers, such as dynamic data feeds, are programmed by Synect.
“Microsoft and Synect have developed a very complex environment, and a very complex set of capabilities, to enable our billion pixel canvas,” Microsoft Stores User Experience Designer Arturo Garza said. “All of this technology exists for one reason: to give our customers an amazing in-store experience. I am thrilled that the Titanfall project has been recognized by the Digital Screenmedia Association as a leading retail experience.”
Images can be accessed at http://1drv.ms/1x1dwSK and a video is at http://vimeo.com/107276821.
About Synect
Synect is where design and technology merge. Synect is a digital experience storytelling agency at the forefront of technology and creative. We create lasting emotional connections using video walls as our canvas. Our technological innovations and award winning creative make us the world’s premiere digital signage agency.
About Microsoft Stores
Microsoft Stores offer an assortment of best-in-class products, including Windows 8.1 PCs, tablets, Windows Phones, Xbox One, Microsoft Office 365 and more. Customers also receive end-to-end service with an Answer Desk and knowledgeable staff to answer questions, make recommendations, and help with PC setups and other services, so they can walk out the door with a product that’s ready to run.
In 2009, Microsoft Corp. opened its first Microsoft retail store in Scottsdale, Ariz. Since then, Microsoft has opened more than 100 retail locations and welcomed more than 400 million customers to our full line, specialty and online Microsoft retail store properties in 189 countries worldwide.
Alison Weber, Synect, +1 4256281791, [email protected]
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