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Clear Channel Norway now streaming digital signage in Oslo Metro

Matrox Graphics Inc. today announced that Clear Channel Norway has installed Matrox Maevex H.264 encoders and decoders within three stations of the Oslo Metro system to deliver advertising content on 176 digital signage screens.

November 2, 2015

Matrox Graphics Inc. today announced that Clear Channel Norway has installed Matrox Maevex H.264 encoders and decoders within three stations of the Oslo Metro system to deliver advertising content on 176 digital signage screens.

Maevex encoders and decoders deliver full-HD (1080p60) video and audio over standard IP networks, the company said.

With 176 65-inch screens across three metro stations, Clear Channel Norway was tasked with providing advertising to 80 million annual commuters in Oslo, according to the announcement. After initially installing local media players in neighboring machine rooms with HDMI extenders, Clear Channel discovered regular power shutdowns would leave the screens blank even after connections had been re-established, leading to losses in ad revenue, Matrox said.

In an effort to increase the network's stability and reliability, according to the announcement, Clear Channel deployed Matrox Maevex Encoders and Decoders because of their ability to offer remote video and audio extension at user-defined bitrates between 100 Kbps and 25 Mbps, enabling multiple streams on both 100 MB and 1,000 MB standard networks.

Using Matrox PowerStream software, Clear Channel can oversee and manage each encoder and decoder. Content is created with Mermaid digital signage software and placed onto a PC player in the remote operations center. Maevex AV-over-IP platform captures, encodes and streams the signal for decode and display on remote digital signage screens within each metro location.

According to Matrox, Clear Channel already has plans in the works to expand this setup to an additional seven stations. Also, Clear Channel has integrated Maevex hardware and PowerStream software in a similar setup on three Oslo Ferries passenger ships and is in the process of doing likewise in six airports across the country.

"The airport IT staff have already reported back saying, 'This is what we have been waiting for,'" said Jonas Michael, head of digital development and operations at Clear Channel Norway, in the announcement. "In every digital signage setup it is a standard to have the PC just behind the screen. Maevex is really a revolution, enabling us to remove it and place it elsewhere in our operations center, away from the public. So, it's a fantastic solution that we foresee using again in the future."