Scripps Networks Interactive is a leading creator of engaging lifestyle television and digital programming. The company owns highly recognizable subsidiary networks like the Food Network and the Travel Channel, stations that inspire creativity and open-mindedness as much as their actual subject matter. Like their subsidiaries, Scripps understands the utility of using impressive visuals to advance their brand and their company ideals. As a company with an obvious interest in showcasing cutting-edge visual capability, Scripps decided to go all out with the lobby in their Knoxville, Tennessee headquarters. They wanted their lobby space to blow people away, and they concluded the best way to do so would be to lean into their status as a dynamic media provider.
CHALLENGES:
A lobby space is the first area of a headquarters building that any entrant will see, so it is quite important for the company to make sure their employees, clients, and guests are met with an experience that leaves a positive, relevant, and lasting impression. This is especially true for a media company like Scripps, which relies immensely on its image to drive interest in its programming. Scripps was determined to revamp their space with state-of-the-art visual tech that would introduce a “wow” factor long since eroded from the multi-panel video wall that adorned the lobby for the past decade. The first complication in this endeavor was the nature of the lobby itself; as a ground floor space with towering two story windows, natural light was sure to pose serious competition to any display. Another challenge was that Scripps wanted their new display feature to remain cutting-edge for the next ten years, a tall task for technology that typically evolves rapidly.
SOLUTION:
Dead set on introducing a vibrant display feature into their lobby, Scripps began their project by onboarding a team of audiovisual integration experts from Whitlock, a leading video collaboration company. Whitlock Account Executive Erica Fox quickly allayed fears of the display technology growing obsolete by partnering with NanoLumens, creators of uniquely compelling LED visualization solutions known to long outlive expectations. Fox expressed Whitlock’s confidence in partnering with NanoLumens, saying that, “we strive to give every client a robust solution that can do everything they want, and more that they may not even have considered. NanoLumens helped us do that for Scripps Networks Interactive.” Bolstering the case for NanoLumens was the brightness capabilities of their display technology, which held particular relevance in a lobby space that often found itself bathed in sunlight. Furthermore, while Scripps began the project quite budget-conscious, they came to appreciate the long-term value of investing in top-end solutions once Greg Moore, their Director of Facilities Project Management, visited the NanoLumens headquarters.
THE RESULTS:
The team of experts analyzed the lobby space and decided the most appropriate solution would be a NanoLumens Nixel Series™ display measuring 15.5 feet wide by 8 feet tall with a narrow pixel pitch of just 1.2 millimeters. The display was built to be front-serviceable for ease of maintenance and Whitlock networked the display with a control system from Crestron that allows Scripps to straightforwardly operate the display for a wide range of purposes. Using the Crestron interface, Scripps can deliver live video presentations synced with in-wall audio systems, stream up to 10 live television channels onto the display simultaneously, and program diverse styles of content to engage and delight audiences. The display installation is safeguarded for Scripps by NanoLumens industry-leading six-year warranty and their US-based team of support experts located not far from Knoxville in Atlanta, Georgia.
THE TECHNOLOGY:
The NanoLumens Nixel Series™ display is 15.5 feet wide by 8 feet tall with a 1.2 mm pixel pitch. Equipped with a Crestron display management system as well as programmed presets, Scripps can control the display’s operation from a wide variety of devices and platforms, including a virtual “X panel” designed and installed by Whitlock.
