April 2008 - MRG iMERGEs as a long established player in the AV industry
MRG has redesigned a product to add new appeal and build on their expertise. iMERGE, their digital signage package has been developed to tap into the requirements of a wide range of organisations who wish to broadcast their own unique messages to the public at large.
They have now developed iMERGE, a digital signage application that employs the very latest technology. Designed for organisations that want to make an impact iMERGE is fully scalable. Rather than attempt to compete in the retail sector MRG are concentrating their efforts on what they do best. That is, to provide screen solutions that inform, advise and direct the viewer in live, dynamic environments. iMERGE welcomes visitors, broadcasts the organisation’s unique messages, plays presentations and manages room usage. Feature rich, the application has been developed using web browser technology, so avoiding additional software on the user’s PC.
MRG’s history in the AV market extends to almost 25 years and they count some of the most prestigious organisations as long standing clients. The company was founded in 1983, originally to provide high performance information display systems to the stockbroker market, using what was then unexploited teletext technology.
Explains MRG’s Technical Director Bryan Corbin: “We had contacts in the City of London at the time and installed an information system based on teletext. That went very well for a number of years. We then started to look at putting teletext into broadcast environments and started developing information display systems. When televisions were allowed in betting shops we invented a display system that was eventually sold to William Hill, which they used in all their shops.” MRG Systems are still one of Europe’s biggest providers of display systems for bookmakers. Their equipment is installed in nearly 2,000 betting shops in the UK and Ireland, with Coral and Paddy Power being their biggest clients.
On the broadcast side they count the BBC, C4, BSkyB, RTL and many others as clients. One of their current best sellers is an Audio Description Monitoring unit they developed for the BBC and this has now been sold to most major broadcasters in the home market. The rest of the world has yet to catch up and they look forward to buoyant sales over the next couple of years.
Typically, their original involvement with digital signage had the hallmark of quality. MRG was awarded the prestigious contract to supply a digital signage system to Portcullis House. The installation was started in 2000. The specification was clear; the modern new building required an equally modern new signage system. No static printed signage was to be used anywhere, it all had to be digital. Additionally it had to handle changing situations in real-time and it needed to serve a multitude of functions.
Their solution was to implement a server that accepted data feeds from various sources, including the bookings database and the Commons and Lords “Annunciators”. This information was then distributed to the screens. When bookings end they are automatically removed by the system from the list. Along the committee corridors and in the lift lobbies are 18” touchscreens. The information displayed is a carousel of pages from the two chambers, the Commons and the Lords. This ‘Annunciator’ information either has a carousel of general information or, during debates, contains details of who is on the floor speaking, the subject of the debate, timings and whether members are required to make their way back for a vote. The main committee rooms have a door card screen next to the entrances. These show the booking information for the meeting in the room with a timed countdown in minutes to the start of the next meeting. This system is still going strong and has subsequently been employed at the GLA and Corporation of London. Additionally in 2007, MRG installed a new visitor information system in the Houses of Parliament.
InAVate Magazine April 2008