New Projection Screen Technology Makes an Attractive Alternative for Digital Signage Images

A contemporary office building in Grants Pass, OR, is using a combination of new and existing technology as an affordable alternative to more costly LED-based solutions for its outdoor advertising needs.

A new era in outdoor advertising may have begun in the town of Grants Pass, OR, this year when Consolidated Financial, owner of the Guild Building, a new contemporary office building on the Williams Highway, installed a double-sided projection-based signage system using a unique high-gain screen and the Keywest Technology MediaXtreme media server.

Traditionally, outdoor digital displays have relied on costly LED-based technology. However, Consolidated Financial didn't have the budget for LED signs, but still wanted to attract the attention of passing traffic to promote the businesses of the building's occupants, attract new business tenants and offer advertisers a new forum for their commercial messages.

Dubbed "The Paragon" by the building's owners, the sign also displays information about upcoming seminars, meetings and events, community messages, such as weather conditions, forecasts and local events and market information for stocks and commodities.

To overcome daylight conditions that typically would wash out a projected image making it unusable, The Paragon relies on two custom two 10ft 6in high by 15ft wide AccelerOptics XL-A-Vision high gain (40x +) digital display screens positioned back to back and a triple projector stack per screen.

Driving the projectors 24 hours per day, seven days per week is the Keywest Technology MediaXtreme media server , which building management uses to schedule ads and create playlists. The MediaXtreme also controls the light output of the projectors by taking input from special photosensors positioned outside and relaying digital commands to the projectors instructing them to ramp their light output up or down depending on the amount of ambient light. As a result, images remain clearly visible throughout the day and night.

Another central component to the installation is Keywest Technology's X-WARP software option. X-WARP s corrects geometric distortions in the projected images that result from misalignment of projector and screen. For The Paragon, X-WARP allowed building architects to position the projector stacks in unobtrusive spaces far beyond the native keystone correction capability of the projectors.

Both the double-sided screens and the projectors driving the display required aesthetically pleasing stone enclosures to be built that complement the architectural design of the Guild Building and the wilderness feel of Grant's Pass. The stone enclosures used to house the projection stacks are 35ft from each screen and positioned far off-axis.

Perhaps the most significant thing about The Paragon is it represents the first time an AccelerOptics XL-A-Vision has been used for an outdoor advertising application, proving that projection technology driven by the Keywest Technology MediaXtreme can stand up to bright daylight conditions as well as inclement weather conditions.

If this unique combination of technology had not been available, outdoor digital signage would not have been an option for Consolidated Financial. Fortunately, it was, and now there's a proven alternative to expensive LED-based solutions to meet the advertising and promotional needs of businesses on a tighter budget.