A total of 115 BrightSign-powered interactive video screens have been installed at the Netherlands Literary and Documentation Museum in The Hague. The new equipment is used to convey the lives and work of Dutch and Flemish writers, and has been fitted as part of a major refurbishment initiative.
While 100 of the BrightSign units have been specified for LCD panels in the Pantheon gallery of writers, the remaining 15 are split between driving short-throw DLP projectors and featuring in individual kiosk-style installations.
In the Pantheon gallery, a wall of fame features 100 literary figures from 1,000 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.
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 synchronises playback from the BrightSign units as well as scheduling power-up and power-off of each device.
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 celebrated poems or prose readings. A further eight fully-featured HD1010 players are used to create a large video projector wall for the display of artistic impressions of writers’ daily work.
All the BrightSign units are managed by the network, with a single controller implementing daily and weekly routines throughout the museum.
Part of a three-year renovation project, the installation was carried out by Visual Hardware Services BV in co-operation with interior architects/designers Opera Ontwerpers Amsterdam and AV agency MuseumStudio’s Amsterdam.
Considering the overall museum market, BrightSign’s VP European sales, Pierre Gillet, told IE: “Forward-thinking museums are continually looking for more effective ways to make their exhibits more accessible, especially to younger audiences. Interactive digital signage is ideal for this purpose, giving the viewer control over the type and level of information offered. A lot of museums want to synchronise players, work with show controllers, and use interactive devices such as motion sensors. Brightsign supports all of this.”
