Over 1,000 LG Commercial Displays Intensify the Visitor Experience at Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium

Over 1,000 LG Commercial Displays Intensify the Visitor Experience at Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium

 

Maximizing visitor engagement is one of the most important goals of major sports venues and will become necessary as stadiums are held to limited capacity for the foreseeable future. Stadiums may be limited by the number of fans they can hold, but a quality visitor experience remains essential to strengthening patronage, encouraging recurring attendance and driving food and beverage sales – these are the objectives that led AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, to recently upgrade its entire digital display network with more than 1,000 LG commercial displays.

The stadium was looking to introduce powerful visual stimuli to engage fans with content from the moment they enter the building. The concession stands now feature multiple 55-inch narrow-bezel LG displays aligned side by side that can be operated individually or together to present imagery that flows cleanly from one display to the next.

For even greater impact, several areas now feature large-scale video walls comprising multiple LG displays, including a 5×5 wall in an upper concourse bar that uses 25 55-inch displays, and walkway areas with three 75-inch displays mounted vertically side by side to use as a video wall or as three separate displays.

The visual change from a previous 55-inch 1080p model with 2.5-inch bezels to a virtually borderless 55-inch 4K display is immediately impactful. The new LG displays range from 55- to 86-inches, with some 75-inch and 86-inch models mounted vertically to allow multiple pieces of content to be shown on a single screen using a windowed layout. With these displays, the stadium can place ads, live game feeds, team stats and more all on a single display to attract passersby. To simplify operations, all the current content is designed in the standard 16:9 aspect ratio, so that content can be played on the displays, wherever it is desired.

The stadium manages the content on the displays via an IPTV content distribution system that provides real-time and automated remote control of the entire display network, and every individual display. The IPTV system provides the ability to automate trigger-based display takeovers, such as a stadium-wide celebratory beer ad when a touchdown is scored. Real-time display takeovers like this can provide major sponsors incredibly valuable moments where every visitor is surrounded by their advertising. What’s more, during any event the stadium can choose specific displays to advertise upcoming events, so the cross-promotional opportunities are many.

In fact, the stadium created all new assets for the marketing department to sell based on the new displays and new IPTV capabilities.

The IPTV system can greatly simplify daily operations, too, as the entire network can be powered on and off with a single button. The instant control afforded by the IPTV system can also benefit emergency and crowd control messages, such as storm warning or game delays, because operators can push the message to every digital display at a moment’s notice.

Staff still walk through the stadium to ensure each display is showing the right content, but any required fixes can be completed easily and efficiently.

Read the full “Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium Undergoes Game Changing  Facelift” case study for all the details here.

Georgetown Introduces Its Faculty and Students to a Multi-Dimensional Classroom

Georgetown Introduces Its Faculty and Students to a Multi-Dimensional Classroom

 

Founded in 1789, Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C., is the oldest Jesuit Catholic institution of higher education in the United States. It is also among the most forward-thinking universities when it comes to applying new technology to learning. Twenty years ago, Georgetown launched its Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS), one of the nation’s first higher education programs aimed at bridging pedagogy and technological innovation.

In 2019, the CNDLS team wanted to reimagine learning spaces through collaborative technology. Working with LG Business Solutions and local technology integrator CTSI, Georgetown introduced a multi-dimensional classroom to faculty and students, to support small- and large-group exploration, interactivity, distance learning, and more.

According to CTSI, Georgetown wanted a dual-display setup that could support remote participants on one screen and presentation material on the other. They also wanted a single-display system like one might see in a standard classroom. And they wanted smaller groups of students to be able to gather around several different displays, connect and collaborate.

The final design, which first welcomed students and teachers in the fall of 2019, includes a pair of large (75-inch), 4K, interactive LG touch displays at one end of the room, a third 86-inch LG interactive 4K display at the other, and a fourth 86-inch LG 4K display on one side, opposite the classroom’s bank of windows. Video cameras are installed on each wall for connecting directly to Georgetown’s Zoom video conferencing system; ceiling speakers and microphone arrays for tracking speakers in the room and optimizing audio on other ends of a Zoom session; and four collaboration pods, which users can connect to wirelessly to share content on the room’s displays.

There is no actual “front” of the room, and all the displays can be used by instructors and students alike. This creates a collaborative space where students can work together on the same screen or multiple screens at one time. For lectures, a professor can use one or more displays for the presentation or set them up as a gallery walk.

For Georgetown, it’s a real-world application of new technology to an active-learning pedagogy. After the professor’s five- or 10-minute presentation the rest of the class is experiential, with discovery and inquiry-based learning.

Everything in the room is managed through a professional AV control system and touch panel. With four different large-screen touch displays and one classroom computer, the control system manages which touch display is controlling the computer during presentations.

When professors initiate a videoconference, they go to the touch panel, select Zoom, select where they want the remote participants displayed and where they want the presentation displayed, select the screen, then control it via the LG touchscreen display.

Faculty has been quick to adopt the classroom technology. When the CTSI and LG teams visited to familiarize users with the installed systems, the wireless collaboration pods, for example, were well received by faculty and students alike. Because users can connect to the pods from their smartphones and begin sharing content on the room’s LG displays, the learning curve was minor.

Read the full “Georgetown Embraces Integrated Technologies” case study for all the details here.

How Cloud Computing Is Shaping the Future of the Modern Workforce, Part 2

How Cloud Computing Is Shaping the Future of the Modern Workforce, Part 2

 

By Phillip Johnson
LG Business Solutions USA

Last time we addressed how organizations are looking for enhanced security, reduced maintenance costs and added operational flexibility that cloud computing provides.

Staying Nimble with Thin and Zero Clients – As any organization knows, the computer systems and networks they employ may only be as good as their ability to handle change, whether that be adding more workstations or updating software. IT directors usually try to think in terms of at least five years when making infrastructure decisions, and today that long-term planning can benefit from a cloud computing foundation. For instance, as remote working continues and in many cases is becoming semi-permanent, a cloud-based system may be an ideal solution for maintaining operational consistency and access to data.

In the higher education market, it’s common to need entire teams of IT professionals to handle individual updates and maintenance on vast networks of hundreds or thousands of computers, sometimes requiring updates multiple times a semester.

Manually updating hundreds of computers one by one is a complicated, time-consuming task that can be simplified with a cloud-based system because the cloud endpoint devices don’t have their own software and don’t have data storage, and the updates can be done remotely.

The ability for IT staff to remotely control each cloud workstation, such as LG’s popular thin client all-in-one unit, is a major benefit as well, providing flexibility and security enhancements simultaneously. When an employee leaves, both their logins and their physical thin client or zero client can be deactivated at any time, in a matter of seconds, removing the ability to harvest or access company data. The same applies for security breaches via compromised credentials, which IT staff can respond to by deactivating accounts.

Saving Time, Money and Frustration – Cloud computing’s inherent reduction in maintenance requirements yields the potential benefits of reduced labor hours and helps minimize issues that arise when managing large networks of fully independent traditional PC devices. Besides the software and security improvements, the thin and zero client devices themselves also consume less power and contain far fewer replaceable parts than traditional PC devices.

DaaS (Desktop as a Service) is a very powerful cloud technology due to its flexibility, versatility and instant scalability. For many organizations, a solution for transitioning to a cloud-based system is to subscribe to a major third-party provider. For larger deployments or higher-security environments such as government agencies and medical facilities, it may make sense to build a proprietary cloud server and data center. While the latter is a more complicated and expensive outlay, it can be a good strategy for protecting highly sensitive data from both internal and external breaches.

Planning for the Future – Entities that provide reliable, updateable and flexible computer networks have a greater ability to respond to changes in work life, office dynamics, localized health shutdowns and other business-impacting events. Advanced cloud endpoint devices from a trustworthy brand can bring a multitude of benefits to public and private institutions alike. It’s likely that cloud computing will continue to see accelerated growth among healthcare organizations, financial institutions, government agencies and schools across the U.S. and around the globe.

How Cloud Computing Is Shaping the Future of the Modern Workforce, Part 1

How Cloud Computing Is Shaping the Future of the Modern Workforce, Part 1

 

By Phillip Johnson
LG Business Solutions USA

After two decades of advances, cloud computing has now established itself as a core business tool for many of the world’s largest companies and organizations. A variety of platforms for remote processing, data storage and encryption offer any sized entity the ability to use simple, affordable Wi-Fi-enabled laptops and desktop workstations for their computing needs. In fact, leading research firm Gartner predicted in 2019 that global cloud computing revenue would rise 17 percent this year, and it’s possible the real figure will be even higher with the events of 2020 causing many more organizations to shift to remote and home-based operations.*

Healthcare providers, government agencies, schools and businesses of all kinds are looking for enhanced security, reduced maintenance costs and added operational flexibility cloud computing provides. By moving the actual data processing and storage to a professionally encrypted central location, access can be more tightly controlled and data can be better protected against many types of digital attacks, including phishing and ransomware.

At the same time, thin clients and zero clients like those from LG can help reduce both initial layout costs and maintenance costs, simplify company-wide software updates and enhance worker flexibility.

Keeping Data Secure In the Cloud – Of all the factors leading to greater adoption of cloud computing, enhanced data security may be the most prevalent. Digital attackers have developed tools and techniques to gain access to sensitive data, and whether the intent is to steal information, interrupt business, demand ransom or achieve some other goal, these modern threats require modern protections.

Cloud computing with thin clients and zero clients centralizes security and presents potentially fewer points of attack for a network when compared to a network of traditional PCs. Cloud computers with thin or zero clients essentially act as log-in devices and relay commands to the powerful remote server, which performs the processing and stores the data. This virtually eliminates the possibility of a physical theft compromising sensitive data and severely limits what employees can do with the computer itself so as to help reduce the number of attack vectors from non-work related use. These factors have led many U.S. government agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Defense, to invest in cloud computing.

Stay tuned. Next week we’ll get into staying nimble with thin and zero clients, saving time, money and frustration, and planning for the future.

* https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-07-23-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-public-cloud-revenue-to-grow-6point3-percent-in-2020

New Line of LG Outdoor LED Signage Offers Models for Rental and Staging

New Line of LG Outdoor LED Signage Offers Models for Rental and Staging

 

LG Business Solutions USA has introduced a new line of high-brightness outdoor  LED Signage displays designed for use at arenas, stadiums, retail stores, restaurants, hospitals, schools, transit centers, hotels, and more. With standard pixel pitches ranging from 3.9mm to 16mm, the six models in the GSCA Versatile Series, GSCC Essential Series and GSCD Ultra Light Series are built for vibrant outdoor viewing with webOS control, remote diagnostics and failover protection. All three series have an optional 90-degree corner design feature that makes it possible to display virtually seamless content even when installed around corners.

The front and back of each series cabinet is IP rated for outdoor use, enabling stable operation resistant to weather and harmful outdoor environments. For ease of maintenance and serviceability, each series offers either front or rear access, so customers can choose installation options based on the application environment. They’re also protected by failover technology that automatically rolls over to a 16GB internal memory, in the event of a media player failure. The failover alternative itself could be made up of individual files, a URL or even a separate media player being pulled from another port.

The GSCA Versatile Series is an ideal solution for rental and staging applications, where the display needs to be constructed for a temporary deployment and later dismantled and removed. The GSCA Versatile Series allows users to combine 1:1 (500mm square) and 2:1 (500mm x 1000mm rectangle) cabinet options to create custom displays. Because the cabinets come equipped with open frame construction, modularized data and power, comfortable carrying handles, and hand actuated locks, installing and dismantling this 5,000-nit LED signage display is simple and requires no additional tools. The two GSCA models each feature an IP65 front/rear rating and are available in 3.91mm and 4.63mm pixel pitches.

Another solid option for rental and staging professionals, the GSCC Essential Series is engineered for ease of assembly, quick maintenance and customizable screen ratios, and comes in a choice of 6.66mm, 8mm and 16mm pixel pitches. The GSCC Essential Series features the same simplified installation and dismantling mechanisms as the GSCA models. A separate power and control unit design allows for easy maintenance. The GSCC models feature IP65 front and IP54 rear ratings.

Rounding out these new outdoor models is the lightweight, 10.41mm pixel pitch, IP65 front and rear rated GSCD Ultra Light Series, giving installers and end users additional options when weight is a concern. The lightweight cabinet helps reduce the weight load when a large LED signage display is installed. The display’s power and control units can also be removed, making maintenance easy.

Supporting the new LG high-brightness outdoor LED signage displays are the optional LG ConnectedCare program, which offers additional remote monitoring and diagnostic capabilities, LG’s ExtendedCare Plan for added peace of mind and LG’s Quick Swap program that can help reduce downtime.

Architects and Designers Must Include Technology in Early Planning Stages to Maximize Modern Capabilities, Part 2

Architects and Designers Must Include Technology in Early Planning Stages to Maximize Modern Capabilities, Part 2

 

By Victoria Sanville
LG Business Solutions USA

While architecture clients increasingly want to create experiences for guests using digital signage such as indoor LED video walls, outdoor LED Signage, or touchscreen information displays, many architecture and design firms still view integrated building technologies as add-ons to consider later, rather than a core foundational system like HVAC, electrical and plumbing.

This traditional design process is familiar and comfortable, but in order to help maximize the capabilities, cost-effectiveness, visual appeal and overall value of modern internet-connected buildings, it’s important to consider a project’s technology backbone early in the design process.

Consult with an Expert – Part of the need for knowledgeable teams stems from the vast selection of products available, each with unique requirements and benefits. A client who wants a large video display in its lobby might not know the specific costs, capabilities, space requirements, or maintenance procedures for paneled video walls or direct view LED screens, so it’s vital that someone sitting in early meetings can answer questions and provide realistic recommendations to achieve all of the desired goals.

Firms can tap into the technology zeitgeist by tasking internal teams to learn more about the current products available or by including a third-party contractor in planning sessions. Some major global technology manufacturers like LG provide building industry professionals with training and literature to help explain products’ functions and installation requirements. They enable cost-benefit analyses and even preview upcoming product timelines that help ensure clients have access to the latest and greatest technologies for multi-year building projects.

Choose the Right Technology Partner – Another simple way for firms to integrate technology knowledge into their process is to work with a manufacturer like LG that provides Building Information Modeling (BIM) compatible product data to fit in an existing workflow alongside other core building infrastructure. Partners can browse and integrate a wide range of technologies, from smart TVs to video walls and commercial air conditioners to solar panels, without ever leaving their design program. This allows virtually instant comparisons of costs and space requirements to help reduce research time and simplify product selection.

In most technology installations, major advantages can be gained through connectivity and automation, which both require significant forethought. Integrators can now organize digital signage systems to offer consolidated control of content management and powering displays on and off, but only if the right displays and wiring are used. For oversized displays that are heavy or power-hungry, proper physical and electrical infrastructure is crucial.

Create Digital Experiences – As the drive for energy efficiency certifications such as LEED coincides with businesses’ desire to deliver a “wow factor” through digital experiences, it’s up to architects and designers to stay on top of the latest options from leading technology and equipment manufacturers. There is an ideal technology solution for every room and every need, and we work directly with building industry professionals to help them integrate the best possible designs and capabilities for each unique project.

The popularity of digital displays, interactive experiences and internet-connected devices of all kinds is poised to continue growing exponentially as more manufacturers find ways to improve the functionality of their products. Whether large or small, architecture and design firms planning for long-term success and growth can provide better service to clients through greater understanding of current high-tech products and the benefits they offer.

Architects and Designers Must Include Technology in Early Planning Stages to Maximize Modern Capabilities, Part 1

Architects and Designers Must Include Technology in Early Planning Stages to Maximize Modern Capabilities, Part 1

 

By Victoria Sanville
LG Business Solutions USA

In just the last two decades, the use of internet connected devices, smart appliances and digital displays has become ubiquitous in nearly all indoor environments, including skyscrapers, transit hubs, stores, hotels, restaurants, hospitals and stadiums. While architecture clients increasingly want to create experiences for guests using digital signage such as indoor LED video walls, outdoor LED Signage, or touchscreen information displays, many architecture and design firms still view integrated building technologies as add-ons to consider later, rather than a core foundational system like HVAC, electrical and plumbing.

This traditional design process is familiar and comfortable, but in order to maximize the capabilities, cost-effectiveness, visual appeal and overall value of modern internet-connected buildings, it’s important to consider a project’s technology backbone early in the design process.

A client who wants to incorporate experiential design and energy-consciousness into their building or space will be best served by architects and designers who are knowledgeable about current and upcoming technologies, and the power, data and physical infrastructure required for optimal performance and impact.

If they want a large interactive touchscreen, for instance, the space needs to be designed to strategically incorporate the display with the proper electrical and data infrastructure, in addition to accommodating the expected audience, whether socially distanced or not. If these factors aren’t considered early, a firm could end up being forced to use a less-than-ideal technology or cause costly late-stage design revisions to “correct” a problem that could have been avoided at the outset.

Architects are increasingly realizing the importance of early collaboration. According to Will Wright of the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Chapter, it’s important to integrate architecture and technology at the very beginning of the design process for multiple reasons. “The technology itself,” he says, “may lend greater flexibility to what’s achievable with design performance and impact. It will help inform what is feasible and effective and will elevate a human-centered approach to the program.”

Stay tuned. In Part 2 we’ll conclude with the importance of consulting with an expert, choosing the right technology partner and creating digital experiences to ensure your clients get the best results.

To help architects and designers integrate advanced commercial display technologies into their building projects, LG has an expansive library of Building Information Modeling (BIM) online resources here.