Integrator Installs 37 Flat Panels at Newseum in D.C.

A lot of museums are considered just plain boring. But the Newseum in Washington, D.C., a facility devoted to the history of producing the news, hopes to change that by being highly interactive and with lots of video.

That's were Noventri, a systems integration company in Smithsburg, Md., came in. The company recently installed 37 flat-panel displays at the Newseum. The system offers digital scheduling, informational and directional displays throughout 10 of the museum's floors.

Newseum officials felt it was essential to appeal to the Web 2.0 generation by presenting the history of news through an interactive environment using video screens, touchscreens and digital signs.

"Newseum looked for the best company with the most to offer for integrating electronic signage within the Newseum. Noventri worked well with us, and met our customized needs," says Bud O'Connor, Newseum director of engineering.

"Noventri provided the needed expertise, technology and support to provide Newseum with an electronic signage system that is high-end and dependable."

Located adjacent to the Smithsonian and the National Mall, the Newseum offers:

• 643,000 square feet of interactivity
• 15 theaters
• 14 major galleries
• Two state-of-the-art broadcast studios
• A 4-D experience and 130 interactive stations

All this makes the $450 million Newseum the most technologically advanced museum in the world.

Noventri's installation included 24-inch displays (6) and 42-inch displays (31) that provide schedules of events inside the Newseum and complement exhibits. Noventri also integrated its technology into the Newseum's master control room so engineers can control and monitor content to the displays from a single location.

The master control room at Newseum allows visitors to view engineers and the digital signage control station through glass windows, providing a feel for what is involved in pushing and maintaining content to screens throughout the facility.

"Noventri is proud to be a part of this tremendous project," says Wil Conklin, sales director at the company. "And this is the culmination of over four years of working closely with Newseum’s engineers to create a platform and final results that meet the demands of a high-technology institution. We're happy and they’re happy."