In Broadcast - December 2015 - 68


68

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 5 - Issue 12 | December 2015

InMedia

Clear Channel Uses Matrox
Maevex For Olso City Metro
C

lear Channel Norway installed
Matrox Maevex H.264 encoders
and decoders to deliver advertising
content on 176 digital screens in three
stations within the Oslo metro system.
The distributed digital signage is no
longer impacted by metro-run system
tests that abruptly shut off the power.
Consequently, screens, along with
Matrox AV-over-IP devices, are now
controlled remotely via Matrox Maevex
PowerStream software.
Composed of six lines and 100
stations, the Oslo metro system
annually
handless
80
million
passengers. While considered prime
advertising real estate, the metro
system presented several challenges
for integrator Clear Channel Norway to
deliver digital signage in three metro
stations.
Revenue Stream
Clear Channel Norway was tasked
with setting up a network to provide
the content to 176 65-inch screens
already installed in the digital stations
across the Oslo metro system. The
original set-up had the screens
connected to PC players housed in
machine rooms. Signals would be
transmitted via HDMI extenders, but
emergency power shutdowns for
system tests would leave the screens
blank even after the connections had
been re-established, leading to lost
advertising revenue.
"The environment and the operations
were quite difficult for us to handle.
We needed to find a different solution
to transmit the signal from the player
to the screens," said Jonas Michael,
Head of Digital Development and
Operations at Clear Channel Norway.

A temporary fix involved having
to regularly access the screens to
reconfigure the HDMI extenders - a
nearly impossible undertaking given
the screens were located in between
tracks.
As a result, Clear Channel Norway
sought a stable, cost-effective
solution that would not be impacted
by abrupt disconnections, require onsite maintenance, or interfere with
passengers and metro workers.
Stable System
Maevex was the first choice for
Clear Channel Norway, as the product
specifications fit their AV-over-IP
requirements to distribute highquality, up-to-1080p60 video and
audio over IP at low, user-defined
bitrates. However, also at the heart of
the new installation is the operations
centre located at Clear Channel's Oslo
office, which oversees all operations
across the entire network.
Connecting via a VPN, Clear Channel
Norway uses Maevex PowerStream
software to oversee and manage every
Maevex encoder and decoder. The firm
has also integrated two encoders at
each station as a redundancy, and can
remotely switch to the second should
any problems arise.
Content is created using Mermaid
digital signage software and placed
onto a PC media player in the Clear
Channel operations centre. The
Maevex AV-over-IP platform captures,
encodes, and streams the signal for
decode and display onto remote digital
signage screens within each metro
location.
The Maevex decoder's built-in switch
also meant a separate switch-to find

Maevex AV-over-IP H.264
Encoders/Decoders

Matrox Maevex decoder (top) and encoder rear

Clear Channel Norway uses Matrox Maevex encoders
and decoders for the Olso City Metro system

the PC players at each station and
communicate with and control the
monitors-was no longer required. As
such, Maevex has dramatically reduced
the number of players needed and,
more importantly, the cost, both of
which were huge benefits.
Now, when the power comes back
on following a system test, the
screens work right away without any
issues, which is key for an outdoor
advertising company where display
problems result in lost revenue. At
the moment, the setup is located in
three stations, but they are currently
working on expanding the network to
an additional seven stations. According
to Michael, the success of Maevex here
is a huge accomplishment, but not a
big surprise.
"We feel very strongly that the
solutions Matrox produces cannot be
compared to home office or consumer
products and meet a high grade of
Matrox Maevex delivers excellent
streaming quality at a fraction of
the price of traditional encode/
decode systems.
Maevex AV-over-IP solutions
enable the extension of Full HD
quality 1080p60 video & audio
over standard IP networks with
unicast and multicast support for
digital signage, collaborative video
walls, and many other applications.
Bit rates are user-definable
between 100Kbps and 25Mbps,
enabling multiple streams on both

industrial standard. Matrox products
are built to last," he said. "It was a nobrainer for us to select Matrox."
Trains & Ferries
Clear Channel Norway was so
pleased with the results that Maevex,
in a similar set-up, has already been
integrated by the company on three
Oslo Ferries ferry boats, and is in
the process of being installed in six
airports across the country.
"The airport IT staff have already
reported back saying, 'Yes, this is what
we have been waiting for,' relayed Michael. "In every digital signage setup
it is a standard to have the PC just
behind the screen. That is the normal
way to do it. And Maevex is really a
revolution, enabling us to remove it
and place it elsewhere in our operations centre, away from the public. So,
it's a fantastic solution that we foresee
using again in the future."
100Mb and 1000Mb standard
networks. Maevex H.264 encoders
even allow for software-based
decoding on non-Maevex devices.
Maevex encoders can also
function in record mode, allowing
Full 1080p60 MP4 files to record to
NAS or network-shared drives for
storage of sensitive and important
AV data. Maevex units come
bundled with Matrox PowerStream
software,
for
easy
remote
management of Maevex devices
and functionality.
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://clearchannel.no/ https://youtu.be/SMRS6nwvQ_o
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - December 2015
