Panasonic Systems Integration, a division of Panasonic System Solutions Company, has installed a flagship display of its LED large screen systems and digital signage solutions at the new Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
It is easy to identify the theme at the new resort – just one look in any direction and one sees that this Planet Hollywood is dedicated to real Hollywood-style entertainment, with a multitude of Panasonic LED Large Screen Systems, plasmas and LCD displays, projection systems, and an outdoor LED ribbon board that runs the length of the building.
Keith Hanak, group director, Panasonic Systems Integration, says that the design and installation of the expansive indoor/outdoor digital signage system and network is the culmination of a combined team of Panasonic and Planet Hollywood staff, as well as local contractors and other specialists. “This was a massive deployment of digital signage technologies that was on the fast track to meet the scheduled opening,” he said. “An additional challenge to the installation process was the fact that we had to implement the design while Planet Hollywood remained open, all without impacting any of the casino’s security, shows or events.”
Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino is located in the center of the famous Las Vegas Strip. Formerly known as the Aladdin, the resort is under new management and was fully renovated with a Hollywood theme over a period of several months, hosting its grand opening in November 2007. Offering gaming, fine dining, shopping, premiere accommodations and exciting shows in a 100,000 square foot property, Planet Hollywood draws visitors from around the world who are awed by the exciting, video-centric venue.
The casino area of Planet Hollywood is outfitted with approximately 200 Panasonic plasma displays, complemented by a variety of other Panasonic display technologies. The displays are used to promote the casino, shows and events, clubs and restaurants. Several of the slot machines are also equipped with Panasonic LCD displays that provide information on specific slots, while vertically mounted Panasonic plasma displays are found at the end caps and in multiple arrays on surrounding walls and facades. Ceiling-mounted projectors from Panasonic also display dynamic graphics on the walls. The overall effect of the casino floor’s digital signage allows Planet Hollywood to create the exciting environment they envisioned at the project’s start, resulting in highly engaged customers and an enhanced experience. During the resort’s red carpet events, hundreds of additional people can also view the arriving celebrities on these screens.
Located in the center of the three-acre casino floor is the Heart Bar, which boasts 32 Panasonic 65” plasma displays. Arranged in two video walls, each with 16 plasmas, these massive multi-screen displays feature sporting events and hotel promotions. In the front lobby, 15 Panasonic plasma displays deliver promotional programming, including six interactive kiosks with touch screen technology to highlight hotel amenities and/or provide directions. Once guests find their way to hotel elevators, they are greeted with ceiling-mounted Panasonic plasmas that also feature promotional messaging.
The Planet Hollywood exterior, which sets the tone of the resort, is a digital signage showcase featuring some of the most exciting display technology on the Las Vegas Strip. Panasonic LED display systems include a spectacular curved LED large screen system over 57 feet high, and a 180-foot high pylon with back-to-back LED boards measuring 40 feet wide x 30 feet high. Two additional curved LEDs are also found on the face of the casino as well as a curved ribbon display that measures approximately 600 feet long.
Mr. Hanak mentioned that behind the scenes is the Panasonic system that drives the entire design. “Our NMstage (network media stage) content management software is an advanced system that lets Planet Hollywood’s management schedule and deliver targeted messages in real time,” he said. “Using this technology, we were able to create the kind of video-centric environment that owner of Planet Hollywood, Robert Earl, wanted using NMstage.”
NMstage content management software provides all of the HD (high-definition) video feeds and scheduling of all of the recorded and/or live video over a 1GigE fiber backbone networked system. The Planet Hollywood system, designed and installed by Panasonic Systems Integration, uses a central server and 90 media players that store and play the video content facilitywide. The central server also monitors all system components to ensure reliable performance and continuous operation.
Mr. Hanak said that while digital signage is becoming more popular at Las Vegas hotels, the application at Planet Hollywood is quite unique because the video signage is part of the theme of the establishment. “It was his [Mr. Earl] vision to use video to reinforce the Hollywood theme, and Panasonic’s digital signage technologies have allowed that vision to become a reality,” he said.