Behind the Scenes at Uniqlo

A classy gala party marked the opening of Uniqlo's European flagship store in the trendy Opera District of Paris, on Rue Scribe only steps away from the famed Paris Opera House, Palais Garnier. Uniqlo is Japan‘s leading clothing retail chain with more than 800 stores currently open. The multi-level 2,100 m² flagship store features innovative digital signage as an integral element of its merchandising strategy. Panasonic iPro box and dome cameras and wrap-around LED panels as well as 53 of Panasonic Visual Display Europe's plasma displays are integrated into the interior design. Panasonic NM Stage digital signage software is installed on SureVue3A fanless player PC's from MediaVue Systems.

Challenges
The store was built inside an existing 19th Century Paris landmark building. The cabinetry that houses the displays, players and other electronic components was designed with aesthetics as the first consideration. Functional considerations such as adequate space, good ventilation and easy access to components were secondary. Accessing displays and players generally requires extensive disassembly of cabinetry and frequently removal of equipment.

Failed displays or players could be costly and disruptive to store operations. Additionally the confined spaces and limited ventilation created a difficult operating environment for PCs.

The different display enclosures meant that the players also needed to be installed in different ways in various locations. Some needed to be mounted directly to the backs of displays. Others needed to be mounted on walls or in nearby equipment cabinets. The high-performance video output produced by NM Stage also required a PC player with significant performance. Players with low-power, low-performance CPU's could not meet the requirements.

"For us SureVue completed a very strong digital signage offering for Uniqlo, especially with the need for a focus on design and given the tough, continuous operating conditions within Uniqlo's flagship store. Added to that we need a player that could deliver strong video performance and high reliability while operating continuously in harsh environments, MediaVue gave us all of this within a compact sized unit," said Toru Tsubosaki, Business Development Manager.

Solution
Panasonic System Networks Europe (PSNE) turned to MediaVue to provide a PC player solution. The SureVue3A is designed to perform reliably in difficult environments, particularly dusty, dirty and hot environments like those inside the Uniqlo display cabinets. There are no fans that can clog and fail. The special Seagate drive used in SureVues is the only 2.5 drive designed for continuous duty operation in rugged conditions. The passive cooling system on the SureVue3A can maintain proper operating temperatures even under heavy loads in with limited ventilation.
The small size of the SureVue3A together with the built-in mounting tabs enabled installation of the units is a range of situations. With its integrated ATI graphics and powerful 2.1GHz dual core CPU, the SureVue3A delivered the performance required to drive NM Stage and wide range of content that would be presented. MediaVue also provided assistance to Panasonic to develop the project software image that included NM stage and an initial content load. This image was then factory installed on all units. The SureVues were then shipped directly to the installation contractor ready for installation and network activation.

Tsubosaki commented about the system: "We identified MediaVue purpose built digital signage PCs and specifically their SureVue3A as the best possible solution because of their design which is intended to meet the wide range of performance and installation requirements essential for the successful implementation of the Uniqlo project. Now, after almost a full year of daily operation, we have not experienced a single failure with the SureVues." With Panasonic expertise in providing complete digital solutions and SureVue's ultra high reliability for digital signage, the UniQlo Paris store looks set to continue using the system for many years to come.