Company Information

System Planning Corporation (SPC)’s success supporting U.S. defense initiatives is rooted in its commitment to innovative solutions through advanced technology development. The defense, homeland security and domestic preparedness challenges facing the nation have never been more complex, and SPC continues to lead the way in this rapidly changing frontier.

Project Summary

Right before a big open house was to occur at SPC, the digital display system they had invested in failed them. SPC’s Rich Griffin, network administrator, tells the story:

“System Planning Corporation provides research and development, systems engineering and technology support services to a wide variety of government and commercial clients. We had been using static signage to provide our conference customers with information on where to find the conference room locations for their meetings, but the building owner had become unhappy with our signs being placed all over the elevator lobbies.

So we were looking for a very modest digital sign alternative: dual elevator lobby monitors on three separate floors here at our corporate headquarters, as well as larger monitors in reception areas on the same three floors. As for content, our elevator lobby monitors would be used for corporate PR, new and existing employee spotlights, conferencing schedules for our internal users, as well as conference services we provide for external users, the occasional in-house produced video and cable TV.

When we first discovered Rise Display, we were essentially trying to find an acceptable digital display solution for a failed implementation provided by a previous vendor. We had contracted with a local digital signage provider, but after all the paperwork had been signed, it was determined that their solution would be wholly inadequate for our purposes.

There was a great deal of urgency, because the fact that the previous vendor’s signage product was completely unacceptable forced us to scramble to find another vendor who could meet our now compressed deadline. Basically, we needed to have our digital signage up and running in time for our Open House — which included a walk-through by our CEO to show off our newly remodeled corporate headquarters — that was scheduled quite soon.

I did some quick research and determined that Rise’s internet-based solution would meet our needs and that Rise could implement it within a very tight deadline that we were working under. After trying the Rise Display Network demo before we decided to purchase it, I felt confident that it would be an easily manageable solution.

We liked that it’s internet-based. We felt the combination of the Rise-created templates with our own in-house content, as well as the web-based management approach, was the easiest solution for us.
So we had Rise do the full installation of all monitors and monitor mounts, including three 42” monitors we had purchased from another vendor. They got it all done in time for our Open House. Rise was able to provide us with an attractive web-based solution with low overhead under a very tight deadline.

SPC’s managers and employees alike have been very pleased with the look of our Rise digital signage. The ability to integrate the subscription features, such as the weather, sports, news or stocks, has been a hit. And the overall look of our current templates is exactly what was envisioned when a digital signage solution was first proposed here at SPC.”

Digital Signage Software, LCD Displays Digital Signage Installation

Customer Overview

Business schools aren’t the only educational institutions that are turning to digital signage to help them get their messages out. For example, New York City’s famous Juilliard School, the country’s pre-eminent performing arts academy, recently updated their campus communication strategy by installing large LCD screens in the central lobby of their main campus at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

A private performing liberal arts college, The Juilliard School has roughly 1,900 students in its college, pre- college, music advancement and evening divisions.

Project Summary

According to Tunde Giwa, the school’s chief technology officer, the decision to add digital signage to Juilliard’s main lobby came about as part of their Juilliard/Lincoln Center Redevelopment Project, an ambitious undertaking begun in 2007 that involves major renovations to more than 50,000 square feet of existing campus space, and adds an additional 39,200 square feet of new theatres, studios, classrooms, practice rooms and specialty spaces to the arts school’s expanding downtown premises.

“We wanted to add digital signage to our lobby as part of our redevelopment project,” Mr. Giwa explained. “We needed this to communicate to our internal and on-campus audiences about events, along with news and weather.”

After first trying a consultant’s recommendation, which called for a digital signage setup that Mr. Giwa characterized as “a very complex system,” the school sought out and contracted the services of Rise, mostly because they found Rise’s recommendations and software to be much easier to understand and use.

The Solution

“This was our first foray into digital signage,” explained Mr. Giwa. “The system that a first consultant designed for us would have required a lot of people to have learnt a very complex software product, to allow us to design and schedule our digital signs. We did try to learn how to use it, but it was much too complicated.”

Simplicity then became one of the main requirements in their search for a better digital signage control system: “It had to be easy to use, and attractive.” Rise’s combination of high-end display hardware and web-based sign content management software — called Rise Display Network— fit the bill. In contrast to their confusion with the first consultant’s system, Mr. Giwa said, their experience with the Rise solution was much more rewarding. “Rise’s software was much easier to implement, and much easier to use. It’s a quality product.”

The Final Result

The performing arts school’s new digital signs opened to rave reviews on campus. “In general everyone likes the Rise system,” continued Mr. Giwa. “Users comment on how easy it is to use and members of the community seem to really like it. We’re very happy with it. Very satisfied.”

LCD Displays Case Study, Digital Signage Installation, Rise Network Operator News

LCD Displays, Software-as-a-Service

Customer Overview

Founded in 1842, Villanova University is a coeducational Roman Catholic institution that welcomes students of all faiths. Villanova University is the oldest and largest Catholic university in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with more than 6,300 undergraduates enrolled in a wide variety of degree programs. For more than a decade, Villanova University has been ranked #1 by US News and World Report in the Best Universities-Master’s category in the northern region.

With a reputation for high-tech leadership that earned it PC Magazine and Princeton Review’s recognition one of the top 20 “Most Wired Colleges in the Nation,” Villanova University was an early adopter of digital signage, having installed its first LCD display in the business school’s applied finance lab several years ago.

Project Summary

Now, as more and more schools are equipping their own trading labs with digital signage, Villanova is busy creating a networked, campus-wide information system. With 17 large screens already installed on campus, and approximately another 35 planned, Villanova’s digital signage network is expanding rapidly, a testament to its popularity on campus.

“We wanted to introduce a better method for disseminating information throughout the University,” explained Michael Hoffberg, Villanova’s associate director of media technologies. “We were looking for an elegant and affordable way to convey up-to-date information — events, special activities, schedules, emergency notifications and so on — to students, staff and faculty in an attractive, timely, and eye-catching manner.”

The Final Result

Rise’s Display Wire gives University administrators complete control over the composition and timing of all content. Distributing information via digital signage enables the University to limit paper postings and is intended to cut down on the volume of emails sent to the Villanova community. In addition to displaying information about campus events, schedules, and emergency notifications, Villanova also sells advertising to local merchants that accept the school’s Wildcard debit card.

All members of the Villanova community use the Wildcard identification card to enter and check out books from the library and use campus resources such as vending machines, dorm laundry facilities and the bookstore. The Wildcard can also be used as a debit card that is accepted at a growing number of off-campus vendors including retail stores, restaurants, and fast-food chains. The Wildcard office is now selling advertising to local merchants that accept the Wildcard.’

“In each of the buildings that we’ve equipped with Rise engines and software, our clients now have a method for displaying important, current information critical to the students, faculty and/or staff,” said Mr. Hoffberg. “Based upon their feedback, this method of distributing information via digital signage far exceeds previous use of paper postings. It has also cut down on the barrage of emails that’s sent each day to the Villanova community.

“The big ‘payoff’,” he continued, “is the effective dissemination of information. It’s an effective, low- maintenance system that did not impact heavily on our limited staffing resources. Many of the current signage users have expressed interest in adding more monitors to their systems.”

Digital Signage Software, LCD Displays, Media Players

Customer Overview

The College William & Mary might be the second oldest in the nation, but it is still a cutting-edge research university. The college is highly selective, but also public, offering a world-class education without the sticker shock.

The college is known as a “Public Ivy” — one of only eight in the nation. That means the college offers a superior education that’s accessible to everyone. Situated in Williamsburg and the amazing Commonwealth of Virginia, the college is proud to be one of the reasons for the economic success of their hometown.

Project Summary

John Merrick, an associate professor of business at The College of William & Mary’s Mason School of Business, has had a diverse career in both academics and Wall Street. That was why, when he first came to the college in 2005, he was asked to provide a vision for how the school’s then- new Acuff Financial Markets Center could be developed.

“I had had some experience teaching in a trading room,” says Professor Merrick, “and wanted a room that would serve as a financial market lab and, at the same time, and really foremost, as a superior, technology-enhanced lecture space. I think that’s the difference in our room versus other layouts that I’ve seen: It is first and foremost a lecture space.”

The Acuff Financial Markets Center now holds MBA classes in corporate finance and financial markets. In addition, it is where the school’s Career Acceleration Modules are held. To simulate a live markets environment, the room has nine Bloomberg terminals for students to share, as well as eleven state-of-the-art Samsung LCDs.

“I knew that Rise Display was the premium provider of these displays because I saw how things had worked out at Baruch College, [where I formerly taught],” Professor Merrick explains. “I had also caught up with [Rise] at an academic conference … so I introduced them to our building team … to see if they agreed with the decision.”

They did, and the results of the installation, says Professor Merrick, have been phenomenal.

The Final Result

“In terms of teaching in that [room], what you end up with is a very exciting environment,” he says. “You’re getting [students] to work in an environment of routine visual distraction … where they have to learn how to absorb what’s coming in and only b

e attracted by the important stuff, rather than distracted by the changing displays. The second part of [the benefits],” Professor Merrick adds, “is being able to put data into our playlist that’s relevant for the topics we’re teaching that day.”

Among the information presented on the two video walls on the side wall, and the two LCDs flanking the front of the room, are live TV, stock and bond market graphs, foreign currency exchange rates, and historical stock and bond market graphs.

“Everybody loves [the digital displays],” says Professor Merrick. “Not only our students, but our alumni who come back, especially those who are connected to Wall Street, are incredibly impressed. Some of our alumni are a little bit jealous,” he adds with a laugh. “They wish they had had these facilities when they were here.”

LCD Displays

Customer Overview

The Blake School is a private, college preparatory, coeducational school serving approximately 1,370 students in grades pre-K–12. It is often described as one of the most prestigious prep schools in the Midwest with alumni providing leadership in a number of fields including service, business, medicine, education, entertainment, politics.

Project Summary

Desiring to further improve internal communications, The school first began looking into digital signage in 2006.

“We had been looking at methods to provide more information to both students and parents on campus,” says Cathy McLane, director of marketing and communications. “It started with a desire to promote our programs but quickly built with every conversation.”

At the time, Ms. McLane says that she envisioned a television or computer monitor. But when she came in contact with Rise Display at a local trade show, she realized how much more digital signage could offer.

“When I saw the size, quality and programmability of digital signage, I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh — this is something we would like to look at with an eye to the future,’” Ms. McLane recalls.

The Solution

Several factors contributed to The Blake School opting to move forward with Rise Display. Most importantly was the vision for the school to eventually have multiple LCDs across all three campuses including at least three displays in the main lobbies and, ideally, several in areas such as the cafeteria and performing arts center. Without a large staff, the ability to manage multiple LCDs from one location would be important.

“We looked at several vendors in the Twin Cities,” Ms. McLane says. “Rise was the one and only subscription-based option. We also appreciated the automatic upgrades. Knowing that we could one-stop-shop with Rise was a big plus.”

The school worked closely with Rise Display’s creative team to customize the digital signage. The final display boasts four content areas: an automatic weather feed, a ticker that scrolls news for and about all grade levels, a calendar displaying campus-specific events, and a campus-specific news stream.

The Final Result

In the fall of 2009, a 46-inch Samsung LCD was installed in the newly renovated lobby of The Blake School’s Hopkins campus.

“The digital display is very welcoming because it’s dynamic,” says Ms. McLane. “Also, we are a school that really embraces technology, and the digital display better reflects this than a traditional monitor would have.”

Ms. McLane is currently the system’s primary programmer. “The content management system is very user-friendly, very easy to manage,” she says. “We had a very positive experience with the Rise creative team, and the training was excellent.”

Though The Blake School has no timeline as yet regarding additional displays, Ms. McLane says, “We’re set up. We know exactly what we need and how to do it. I really think this is a great product for schools,” she adds. “It may not make sense for everybody, but we’re just delighted with it.”

Digital Signage Software, LCD Displays Case Study, Digital Signage Installation, Rise Network Operator News

Customer Overview

With five branches throughout the state, Alabama Teachers Credit Union (ATCU) is a not-for-profit financial institution existing to provide safe, affordable and personal financial services to its members. As an innovative, service-driven financial  institution, ATCU is committed to building member relationships by focusing on exceptional member service supported by reasonably priced quality products.

In addition to offering financial services like debit/ credit cards, loans and online banking, ATCU has many additional services geared towards the community. Current promotions include the Savasaurus Club, which helps teach children under 7 the fundamentals of saving while offering prizes as incentives; and The Bridal Registry, which allows people to make deposits directly into a couple’s account.

Project Summary

In March 2009, ATCU began looking into digital signage. “We wanted another avenue in which to display our print promotion ads,” says Emily Bogle, who works in ATCU’s marketing department. “We thought they were crowding up our lobby. We wanted another way to get our message across to members.”

Mrs. Bogle, along with ATCU’s marketing director and research and development coordinator, spent significant time researching different vendors and digital signage options. “We looked at other financial institutions that had digital signage,” says Ms. Bogle. “One in particular used the Rise Display program. We liked what we saw — a complete package with web-based software allowing us to update content from anywhere.”

The Final Result

Today, each branch has an LCD screen located either behind the teller line or directly beside it. Each screen relates information ranging from marketing promotions, to products and services, to regulations. According to Ms. Bogle, ATCU is also using the digital signage to “reach out to our community and offer assistance by getting word out about . . . non-profit organizations that are having community events, different things like that. We’ve gotten a great response.”

Another benefit of the digital signage is that members are more comfortable as they wait to process transactions. “We have found that people are drawn to television,” says Ms. Bogle. “So, members are standing in line and making their transactions and they don’t notice the wait time because they’re drawn to the look of the LCD.”

ATCU related that the digital signage has “cleaned up” ATCU’s various lobbies by removing the need for as many paper ads. “We’ve had several comments that the LCDs look professional and add a lot to the lobby,” says Ms. Bogle. “I absolutely love it. Any credit union looking for something like this, we would recommend Rise.”

This case study was provided by one of our Reseller Program members- Rise Display.

LCD Displays Case Study, Digital Signage Installation

We had an incident today with one of our servers, where we discovered an issue with a database that required our attention ASAP. The corrective action resulted in the website and several players becoming frozen and unresponsive and upon discovering this, we quickly cancelled the corrective action. The outage occurred for 30 minutes from roughly 11:10 am EST until 11:40 am EST.

Everything is now up and running smoothly, however if you have any questions, please feel free to contact our support team via email at support@risevision.com.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused.

Digital Menu Boards, Digital Signage Software, LCD Displays, Live Data, Software-as-a-Service, Support

Last month, Pei Wei Asian Diner finished deploying almost 500 displays in their 160+ locations.  Pei Wei went through a three month pilot test in Arizona before deploying nationally.   The deployment started in June and was completed in October.   One of their key objectives was a smooth transition from static signage to digital menu boards – the combination of NEC displays and Rise Vision’s Software as a Service solution made that possible.  Check out this case study for details on the project.

Digital Menu Boards, Digital Signage Software, LCD Displays, Software-as-a-Service Digital Signage Installation

Cinemark Theaters - Sioux Falls, SD

As I travel I am always looking for innovative uses of digital signage.  Sometimes what attracts my attention isn’t the content or display but how someone positioned their screens.  In many cases I have seen great screen placement that is inviting and noticeable, but on other occasions I shake my head when I see displays that are installed so high in the air people don’t even know they exist.  I am all for putting things out of reach in public spaces so vandals don’t terrorize them but on a recent trip to Sioux Falls, SD I encountered 2 installations that most people probably don’t know exist.

With the Cinemark install they had audio running and the loop was only about 5 minutes long.  When I was purchasing my popcorn I asked the girl taking my money what she thought of the digital sign and she motioned that she wanted to throw her stapler through it.  She said she had been there for about 5 hours and the audio was driving her insane hearing the same message over, and over, and over.

Empire Mall - Sioux Falls, SD

So free advice, if you are installing digital signage think about your screen placement and if you need audio to complete you system think about using directional speakers so your employees don’t go nuts.

If you want some online resources for recommendations on screen placement check out the following:

http://www.peerlessmounts.com/Resources/MountBuyingGuides.aspx

http://www.chiefmfg.com/

http://ergotron.com/

LCD Displays Digital Signage Tech Tips