1 Utama Shopping Centre installs digital signage network
Published: ASIA
MALAYSIA: Continuing its adoption of new technologies, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, the fourth largest mall in the world, has installed a large scale digital signage network. With over 60 displays controlled from one central location, the setup implements A/V technology and a Gefen Video over IP solution. It was designed and implemented by JD Molecule.
The goal of the project was to deploy an information network that would allow the client to sell airtime to tenants and external advertisers, as well as to relay updates and events happening within the centre. Additionally, the project had to be able to seamlessly send content from one location without exhaustive oversight.
JD Molecule installed 60 50-inch Panasonic TH-50LFE7 displays, one Gefen Video-over-IP sender (EXT-HD2IRS-LAN-TX), one Gefen Video-over-IP receiver (EXT-HD2IRS-LAN-RX), one Avaya Gigabit network switch and one industrial grade PC, accessible only to the centre’s maintenance team. The newly implemented Video-over-IP solution enables the distribution of content to new and formally unreachable areas of the facility.
The previous system required the use of a wide range of devices including various displays, extenders and splitters. With the upgrade, the Gefen Video-over-IP sender and receiver allow for seamless transmission of HDMI, RS-232 and IR content over a Gigabit local area network, reportedly requiring less manpower and offering more options for the type of content that can be distributed.
‘Unlike other A/V vendors that submitted plans with individual signage players per display or extender, and sharing content via splitters, we proposed that we install a seamless Gefen over IP solution,’ explained Jeffrey Yip Sau Chuen of JD Molecule. ‘Our clients at the shopping centre were delighted to learn about this new technology. We were asked to provide a proof of concept for a minimum of one month, and the rest is history.
‘They also wanted to sell ad space without the headache of constantly monitoring the displays,’ he continued. ‘They wanted a system with a simple infrastructure, one that did not require extensive cabling. The system that my team put in place checked all of these boxes.’
JD Molecule also has plans to install a large scale video wall in the near future. ‘Through the existing system, we can easily configure it to add new devices to receive content distribution,’ Mr Chuen outlined. ‘The new video will be connected to the same system that is currently in place.’