Quote from our Scala Certified Partner:
Our mission is to help organizations find more efficient ways to communicate with visitors and employees within any facility. The University of Toronto Mississauga campus needs were similar to most organizations, seamless communications tools. We successfully accomplished this by integrating existing systems/software with Scala’s digital signage application as tool that could broadcast information throughout the facility.
The Challenge:
The University of Toronto Recreational and Wellness Center (RAWC) is a brand new state‐of‐the‐art facility. The Center is quite diverse with community outreach programs to other schools and the local hospital where it provides rehabilitation and fitness instructor services. With the various programs taking place, communication within the building was a full‐time job and the limited tools they had were proving ineffective. The Fitness Coordinator, Andrew Bellerby, was looking to improve the process with a solution that would grow with their needs and achieve their communications goals.
The Solution:
MyMedia took on the challenge of delivering a system that fulfilled all of U of T’s requirements in an easy-to-use, easy-to-implement system. As a Scala value‐added reseller, MyMedia recommended Scala 5 working in conjunction with MyMedia’s content manager server to hold all of U of T’s content and playlists. The content was developed using a series of templates and scripts giving the coordinator and his team the ability to change content on the fly and in real-time. The second part of the project was to overlay digital signage with television programming from a satellite feed. Since Scala software is able to accommodate and display two distinct content feeds using a dual head video card, along with the TV input card, MyMedia was able to deliver two independent channels of content. The first channel is digital signage with four zones playing announcements, news, weather, time and date. The second channel plays the overlay of digital signage and satellite TV simultaneously. The last requirement was to display the facility’s daily schedule on their LCD screens. In order to do this, data needed to be extrapolated from their scheduling software and a VBScript was developed to display a seven‐day schedule tailored to the University’s needs. This gave the coordinator a time‐saving and green solution for not having to post print ads every day throughout the facility.
The Benefit:
This powerful communications tool has enabled the Centre to cross market information at the same time while people are being entertained. The system is so easy to use the administrators are able to make updates and random announcements now as they are needed. And with the launch of displaying the facility’s schedule electronically the department has saved a tremendous amount of money, time and resources not having to print and post daily programs. With the success that the University of Toronto Mississauga campus has experienced they are considering expanding their digital signage network in the near future.