RT- NEC to Offer Broadband 'Digital Signage' Display Solution
Under Alliance With Scala
TOKYO and NEW YORK, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NEC Corporation
(Nasdaq: NIPNY) announced today that it has launched a new Broadband Display
Solution, which distributes integrated video, voice, images and text
information through a broadband network to large scale Plasma or LCD displays
and/or TV monitors located at multiple remote sites.
This new visual messaging solution offers centrally controlled Digital
Signage Networks that deliver visually appealing brand or advertising messages
to multiple remote locations. Industries such as supermarkets, hotels, train
stations and airports, amusement parks, convention centers, government
offices, museums, educational institutions, hospitals and doctor's offices
will benefit from this new "total integrated solution" from NEC that allows a
focused and targeted visual message to be communicated to both customers and
employees. Other application areas include "corporate TV" channels, employee
communications and training systems and visual information systems for call
centers and factory floors.
To ensure a proven "best of breed" total solution offering to customers,
NEC has entered into a mutually beneficial strategic alliance with Scala
Inc., a leading Pennsylvania based developer of end-to-end software solutions
for centrally controlled and managed electronic display networks . The core
technology driving this solution is Scala's mature and field-proven
"InfoChannel 3" software platform. Under this new alliance, NEC has the
exclusive right to sell and distribute the CJK (Chinese, Japanese and Korean)
version of Scala's world-leading "InfoChannel 3" software, which offers a
total end-to-end Digital Signage solution including content design/authoring,
centrally controlled network management and delivery using any IP-based
network (terrestrial or Satellite based) and unattended 24/7 delivery of
content to remote playback locations.
Features include sophisticated content scheduling, "proof of playback" and
network "health" monitoring. For example, the central office of a fast food
chain can setup the system to automatically change the content from morning
menu to lunch menu or special promotional campaign menu according to the time
of day and current promotion campaigns. Moreover, branch offices, stores and
other sites within the company can optionally add or edit their own content.
The InfoChannel 3 content design/authoring tool allows users to develop
attractive and appealing, DVD-quality, visual content very easily and
quickly at a much lower cost than typical video production, allowing more
frequent and timely updating of content, resulting in faster reaction to arket
or promotional requirements. Content is rendered "on-the-fly" at each
point-of-playback, allowing dynamically generated local content (e.g: news
headlines, local weather, etc) to be automatically inserted at each remote
playback location. Content can even be dynamically changed based on real-time
interaction with local POS systems or other databases.
A unique feature of the InfoChannel 3 software platform is that it
supports both passive and interactive content and displays allowing it to be
ideally suited for both interactive multi-media kiosks as well as passive
Digital Signage applications. The store-and-forward architecture of
InfoChannel 3 allows bandwidth to be optimized and playback to continue
uninterrupted at remote locations even when communications fail.
The overall cost of a content/information delivery system is expected to
be significantly reduced when compared to existing door-to-door or mail
delivery of DVD or VTR tape media, often seen today.
"NEC will promote this new Broadband Display Solution by leveraging NEC's
extensive communications networking and IT system integration capability and
experience in corporate networks and vertical industries combined with Scala's
leading software technology and system integration know-how in Europe and
North America," said Saburo Takizawa, Associate Senior Vice President and
Executive General Manager of NEC's Broadband Solution Business Unit. NEC has
also developed a new display controller specifically for this solution to
further optimize the unattended, 24/7 delivery of timely high quality content
generated by the InfoChannel 3 player software at each remote location in the
network.
"With Scala already being the leading Digital Signage software platform in
Europe and the Americas, we are confident that with this exciting new
strategic alliance with NEC, the joint NEC and Scala Digital Signage solution
ill soon become the leading Digital Signage platform in Asia as well," said
Gerard Bucas, Chairman & CEO of Scala Inc.
NEC will globally promote the new broadband display solution through its
subsidiaries such as NEC America, Inc. for North America, NEC China and others
for the Asia Pacific area.
NEC is promoting its "IT Network Integrated Solution" by offering new
possibilities and applications utilizing broadband networks allowing new
working methods and efficient communications within corporate IT network
environments to be created. NEC aims to expand its broadband business by
offering a wide array of integrated broadband applications and this new
broadband display solution is one of the advanced solutions offered by NEC.
About NEC Corporation
NEC is one of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network
and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs
of its diverse and global base of customers. Ranked as one of the world's top
patent-producing companies, NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key fields
of computer, networking and electron devices, by integrating its technical
strengths in IT and Networks, and by providing advanced semiconductor
solutions through NEC Electronics Corporation. The NEC Group employs more than
140,000 people worldwide and had net sales of approximately $40 billion in the
fiscal year ended March 2003. For additional information, please visit the NEC
home page at: nec.com.
About Scala Inc
Since 1987 Scala has been developing and delivering end-to-end software
solutions for visual communications messaging systems and networks. Today the
third generation of Scala's InfoChannel software platform is the world's
leading digital signage platform. The InfoChannel software platform offers
field-proven 24/7 stability and scalability and is used in many thousands of
locations around the world. Scala has multiple operations in both the USA
and Europe and although based in Exton, Pennsylvania, 45% of its sales are
generated outside of the USA. For more information please visit our website
at: www.scala.com. |
