More than a hundred BrightSign-powered interactive video screens have been installed at the Netherlands Literary and Documentation Museum in The Hague, showing and telling the stories of Dutch and Flemish authors and poets
Cambridge, UK, 5 May 2010 – BrightSign media players have been chosen for a major refurbishment of the Letterkundig Museum, the Netherlands Literary and Documentation Museum in The Hague. A total of 115 BrightSign units have been installed: 100 of them for LCD panels in the “Pantheon” gallery of writers, eight driving short-throw DLP projectors and seven for individual kiosk-style installations.
The installation, part of a three-year renovation project in the Museum, was carried out by Visual Hardware Services BV in cooperation with interior architects and designers Opera Ontwerpers Amsterdam and the audio visual agency, MuseumStudio’s Amsterdam.
In the Pantheon gallery, a wall of fame features 100 literary figures from 1000 years of history. Each of the small 1280 x 800 LCD displays is powered by a BrightSign interactive sign controller and, synchronised to all the others, forming part of a continuous video and soundscape designed by the architects, spanning all 100 displays.
Synchronisation is achieved by connecting BrightSign HD810 units through their built-in General Purpose Input Output (GPIO), and HD410 units via their serial interfaces. Four network interface controllers each provide 24 GPIO ports and four RS-232 interfaces, and these controllers are networked via a proprietary controller area network. The network not only synchronises playback from the BrightSign units, but also schedules power-up and power-off of each device.
Visitors can interrupt the video wall at any point by touching a button or picking up an audio handset on any specific writer’s screen. The author’s individual story is then played back and the display reverts to the videoscape on completion.
Near to the Pantheon, seven HD410 interactive media players are built into specially designed booths, which allow visitors to watch related movies and plays, and listen to famous poems or prose readings. BrightAuthor makes it straightforward to add interactivity using simple-to-write playlists that easily assign playback of media to buttons and other general-purpose devices. Moreover, internal memory can be used to track and capture usage statistics, to better understand how users are interacting with the display.
A further eight fully-featured HD1010 players are used to create a large video projector wall. Bright, ultra-short throw projectors are located in a tight-knit group to display artistic video impressions of the writers’ daily work onto Museum walls, with synchronisation realised by using a network hub to split out data signals from the HD1010’s RJ45 ports. These are normally used for a standard Ethernet 10/100Mbit/s connection.
All the BrightSign units are managed by the network, with a single controller implementing daily and weekly routines, such as opening and closing hours, throughout the Museum.
The selected BrightSign units offer stellar full HD video at 1080p resolutions. They ensure high reliability due to BrightSign’s solid-state media player platform and a slim, robust operating system designed specifically for digital signs.
About BrightSign
BrightSign is a division of Roku, Inc. and based in Saratoga, California, BrightSign develops products and software for digital signage. BrightSign solid-state digital sign controllers set new standards for both standalone and networked digital signage applications with their superior video quality, reliability, affordability, ease of use and interactivity. More information is on the BrightSign web site: http://www.brightsign.biz. For European sales inquiries, please email Pierre Gillet: pgillet@brightsign.biz.
About VHS
Visual Hardware Services BV, (VHS), has served the audio visual and event projection market throughout the Netherlands over many years. VHS is an independent supplier of fully integrated control and data display systems, performing the design and engineering of complete mixed media systems. Systems may be installed on a temporary basis, e.g. exhibitions and congresses, but the focus is on permanent, fixed installations for national and international customers. For system design and integration, VHS works with closely with leading suppliers in the AV field, including companies such as Roku. VHS also provides sales and distribution of the BrightSign range of Media Players throughout BENELUX countries. VHS is financially a completely independent company, with a very strong belief in engineering and supplying fully integrated systems, distributing only the best products available on the market, and full supporting them throughout their lifetime. For further information, please visit www.vhs-bv.nl.
