Digital Signage Solutions from CCS Presentation Systems

Seeing flat panel HDTVs is so commonplace now, it’s hard to imagine a time when we were installing large, bulky back-end heavy television and monitoring systems.

Just take a look today at Talking Stick Casino, in Scottsdale, AZ. It’s an exemplary look at how flat-panel HDTVs can turn an ordinary poker room into a sparkling gem. Technical systems integration specialists CCS Presentation Systems helped develop an audio-visual system for Talking Stick Resort’s poker room, one of the largest professional poker rooms in the United States. CCS developed with Talking Stick management a video wall comprised of 15 separate 103-inch Panasonic plasma displays. CCS also installed more than 1,000 speakers in 38 different zones throughout the property.

Here’s a short video that shows the range of flat-panel monitors that CCS installed at Talking Stick Casino:

It’s a marvel of work that would not have been complete with new advancements in the way that processes are done and cabling systems get installed. As the cost of flat panel HDTVs has dropped, more and more companies are looking to interact with their customers, prospects and employees through the use of digital signage solutions.

CCS Audio Visual Solutions Partner Crestron Advances Microsoft’s Meeting Room Technology

At CCS Presentation Systems, we often work with great manufacturers of audio-visual equipment who themselves work with some of the world’s leading technology companies. Crestron Electronics is one of those companies.

Crestron is a leader in advanced home, campus & building control automation solutions. With offices all over the globe, Crestron is the go-to manufacturer and system provider for audio visual solutions for homes, offices, schools, hospitals, hotels and more. That’s the reason global giants like Microsoft Corporation sought out Crestron’s expertise.

Microsoft’s global facility managers faced an issue – they struggled with conference room availability issues. Even with 3,400 conference rooms in North America alone, Microsoft employees would take whatever rooms they could find. Attendees for scheduled meetings found themselves in dispute with others, and scheduled rooms would go empty when organizers cancelled meetings but didn’t update the calendar. Microsoft’s Real Estate and Facilities team knew they had to bring about a renewed efficiency and meaningful cost controls for standard and room management processes.

Enter Crestron. After evaluating all available vendor solutions, Microsoft standardized on Crestron hardware and software products across its enterprise, including iLux® for lighting and shade control, MPCs (wall mount media presentation controllers) for in-room device control, TPMC-8L touchpanels for Hallway Display and Crestron Roomview® to fulfill the RDM (Remote Device Management) requirement.

As the software bridge between the MPCs and Exchange, RoomView enables room scheduling from touchpanels, remote asset management, and provides the reporting tools and usage data RE&F employs to redefine conference space standards at Microsoft, including the technology installed in conference rooms and the number of room types built in a new Microsoft office building. Crestron DigitalMediaTM (DM) was implemented to manage and distribute HDMI with HDCP with legacy analog support, all in a cost effective, single-cable solution.

It’s part of our mission at CCS to work with great partners and we’re happy to count Crestron among them. CCS is authorized reseller for leading audio visual equipment manufacturers including Altinex, AMX, Crown, Crestron, Da-lite, Epson, Mitsubishi, NEC, Panasonic, Polycom, Shure, SMART Technologies, SONY, Tandberg and many others. The specialization and depth of audio visual services offered by CCS Presentation Systems, including design, installation and training, allows the complete fulfillment of a wide range of audio visual solutions and technical systems integration throughout the great Phoenix and Tucson areas of Arizona.

Reduce Audio Visual Installation Times with Cables to Go

The technology is readily available to allow a non-technical user to easily add and update content to keep it fresh and relevant, but one important consideration is the connectivity process. A large investment in technology can miss reaching its full potential with cables that are unreliable, cumbersome or time-consuming to install, particularly in buildings where retrofitting in areas with walls made from brick, cinder block or concrete.

CCS Presentations Systems’ often receives requests to install different types of digital signage solutions for applications such as conference rooms, cafeteria menus, scheduling and customer interaction. In these requests, CCS faces complex installations all the time. But no matter the ease or complexity of the audio visual installation, they use RapidRun from Cables To Go to significantly reduce installation times.

Cables To Go is a company that delivers connectivity products renowned for quality, value and innovation. Cables To Go uses premier components and the latest technologies to maximize cable performance and ensure compliance with industry specifications for each cable and its designated application.

RapidRun is a modular cabling system that can transmit multiple signals over a single runner cable. At the end of the RapidRun cable, users can connect different flying leads and wall plates with connections for HDMI, DVI, VGA, USB, 3.5mm audio, RCA and more. Instead of running multiple cables for installations, a single RapidRun cable works. It gives customers a high quality and reliable signal.

Even in normal AV installations, CCS reduces cable installation labor time by as much as 25 percent. As the difficulty level increases, such as through solid ceilings and walls, the time savings are compounded even more. Cables To Go and the RapidRun modular cabling system allow CCS  to minimize the time spent on A/V installations, which translates to lower labor costs.