JasonParis
Moderator
GO Trains Feature Onboard Digital Signage
MEDIACASTER MAGAZINE
August 12, 2008.
Rail commuters in one of the fastest growing regions in North America can be entertained and informed by media content delivered on a new digital signage and mobile broadcast network.
Toronto-based Omnivex Corporation announced that United Mobile Broadcasting Corporation (UMBC) is using its software on GO Trains throughout the Greater Toronto Area, to power a unique network of wireless digital signage.
UMBC secured a 15-year contract (10-year initial term plus 5-year extension) to install and operate mobile video broadcasting on LCD screens within GTA's GO Transit commuter rail system.
Mobile broadcasting is an extension of the wireless revolution and is being developed to provide audio, video and multimedia contents to mobile communication devices and in moving environments. This is one of the first mobile broadcast installations on commuter trains and subways in North America.
GO Transit operates over 400 bi-level passenger railcars in the GTA, serving over 170,000 passengers daily, and over a million impressions per week. The majority of passengers are affluent professionals, who use the trains to commute to and from work. The average passenger rides the train for 35 minutes, twice per day.
Each car is being fitted with eight 15 inch LCD monitors (four per level) to display an informative and entertaining digital signage network featuring news, weather, sports and business content, movie previews, videos, and advertising. Audio is available via FM radio stations.
An in-house software solution was considered to run the On-Train TV (OTTV) network, but ultimately, Omnivex was selected for its flexibility when working with new communications technologies (such as wireless EDGE), cost-saving ability while maintaining a network, and the ease of collecting proof of play data.
"We face unique networking challenges when deploying on moving trains. Omnivex was able to address these challenges by interfacing with the EVDO cellular network that the digital signage is managed through," said Jonathan Rhee, VP Operations, UMBC. "In addition to this, Omnivex software is fully scalable, allowing it to expand with UMBC's network as it grows."
UMBC was established in 2002 to provide fully integrated mobile broadcasting services on mass public transit systems, such as trains, subways and buses.
The UMBC Mobile Broadcasting System is designed to deliver multimedia content including news, weather, business and sports content to commuters via LCD monitors. Specifically designed for 'moving environments' using wireless technology, UMBC's mobile broadcasting system is a proven and reliable extension of an existing mobile broadcasting model already operational in Canada.
GO Transit is Canada's first, and Ontario's only, interregional public transit system, linking Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). GO carries more than 50 million passengers a year in an extensive network of train and bus services that is one of North America's premier transportation systems. Since GO Transit began operation in May 1967, over one billion people have taken the GO Train or the GO Bus and ridership continues to grow.
Founded in 1991 in Toronto, Ontario, Omnivex Corporation is the world leader in software development for digital signage networks and electronic displays. Many Fortune 500 companies and public institutions rely on Omnivex to deliver their messages to their audiences. Omnivex software is used to manage all aspects of digital signage networks, including content management, real-time data acquisition and distribution, and remote device monitoring and management.
MEDIACASTER MAGAZINE
August 12, 2008.
Rail commuters in one of the fastest growing regions in North America can be entertained and informed by media content delivered on a new digital signage and mobile broadcast network.
Toronto-based Omnivex Corporation announced that United Mobile Broadcasting Corporation (UMBC) is using its software on GO Trains throughout the Greater Toronto Area, to power a unique network of wireless digital signage.
UMBC secured a 15-year contract (10-year initial term plus 5-year extension) to install and operate mobile video broadcasting on LCD screens within GTA's GO Transit commuter rail system.
Mobile broadcasting is an extension of the wireless revolution and is being developed to provide audio, video and multimedia contents to mobile communication devices and in moving environments. This is one of the first mobile broadcast installations on commuter trains and subways in North America.
GO Transit operates over 400 bi-level passenger railcars in the GTA, serving over 170,000 passengers daily, and over a million impressions per week. The majority of passengers are affluent professionals, who use the trains to commute to and from work. The average passenger rides the train for 35 minutes, twice per day.
Each car is being fitted with eight 15 inch LCD monitors (four per level) to display an informative and entertaining digital signage network featuring news, weather, sports and business content, movie previews, videos, and advertising. Audio is available via FM radio stations.
An in-house software solution was considered to run the On-Train TV (OTTV) network, but ultimately, Omnivex was selected for its flexibility when working with new communications technologies (such as wireless EDGE), cost-saving ability while maintaining a network, and the ease of collecting proof of play data.
"We face unique networking challenges when deploying on moving trains. Omnivex was able to address these challenges by interfacing with the EVDO cellular network that the digital signage is managed through," said Jonathan Rhee, VP Operations, UMBC. "In addition to this, Omnivex software is fully scalable, allowing it to expand with UMBC's network as it grows."
UMBC was established in 2002 to provide fully integrated mobile broadcasting services on mass public transit systems, such as trains, subways and buses.
The UMBC Mobile Broadcasting System is designed to deliver multimedia content including news, weather, business and sports content to commuters via LCD monitors. Specifically designed for 'moving environments' using wireless technology, UMBC's mobile broadcasting system is a proven and reliable extension of an existing mobile broadcasting model already operational in Canada.
GO Transit is Canada's first, and Ontario's only, interregional public transit system, linking Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). GO carries more than 50 million passengers a year in an extensive network of train and bus services that is one of North America's premier transportation systems. Since GO Transit began operation in May 1967, over one billion people have taken the GO Train or the GO Bus and ridership continues to grow.
Founded in 1991 in Toronto, Ontario, Omnivex Corporation is the world leader in software development for digital signage networks and electronic displays. Many Fortune 500 companies and public institutions rely on Omnivex to deliver their messages to their audiences. Omnivex software is used to manage all aspects of digital signage networks, including content management, real-time data acquisition and distribution, and remote device monitoring and management.
