Case Study: Galaxy Macau Hotel and Casino
Aug 23, 2011 4:18 PM
Galaxy Macau hotel and casino has installed Haivision’s Makito HD H.264 encoders to simplify its signage deployment. With 4,000 set-top-box endpoints, 800 of which drive public-area displays, Galaxy chose to establish its digital signage head-end and distribute dynamic graphics content over its IPTV infrastructure. This approach takes advantage of a single media distribution architecture and low-cost set-top box endpoints rather than expensive digital signage players.
The high-definition signage content originates from more than 20 signage players that are rack-mounted within the vast network operations center beneath the complex. The players are connected directly via a digital visual interface (DVI) to the Makito HD H.264 encoders, which in turn send the HD content over IP to low-cost HD set-top boxes that are affixed to flatpanels and large-format LED displays throughout the casino complex.
“When distributing a few channels of signage to many displays within one facility, the economies of using IP video are dramatic,” says Peter Maag, Haivision’s executive vice president. “Set-top boxes are available for 1/10th the price of signage players, and with the Makito encoder, there is no loss of visual quality. In addition, the signage channels can easily be made available to all displays, both in the public areas and in the rooms and suites.”
The signage IPTV solution was designed and integrated by Haivision’s Hong Kong partner, DMN—a company with a history of delivering elegant network video solutions to demanding clients. The Galaxy property, which opened in May after $2 billion of investment, counts more than 2,200 rooms, suites, and villas across three world-class hotels. Facilities include more than 50 food and beverage outlets, distinctive retail shopping, and lush oasis gardens covering 52,000 square meters. The property also features the world’s largest Sky Wave Pool, which covers 4,000 square meters and has a 350-ton white-sand beach.
Product At Work: Makito Encoder
Haivision’s Makito HD H.264 encoder supports up to 1080p60 resolution, ideal for distributing the dynamic, high-resolution graphics and video output of digital signage players. Available with DVI, HD-SDI, WXGA, and component inputs, the Makito supports advanced features such as the ability to encode a single HD source to multiple bit rates (HiLo-Streaming) in order to deliver the best quality video to users regardless of their location.
Recently upgraded to revision 1.5, the Makito now supports constant bit rate (CBR) encoding to assure transport and system-wide compatibilities and, optionally, realtime metadata capabilities. The metadata option allows users to incorporate KLV metadata into the compressed video stream with the data obtained from the serial port, from auxiliary data fields within the digital video stream, or from UDP network sources.
