Ripley’s Museums choose BrightSign media players to deliver interactive HD content

Now in its 60th year of operation, Ripley is the number one small tourist attractions company in the world.  
 
The museums include the recently reopened San Francisco Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium, where 25 new BrightSign digital media controllers were added as part of a $5 million renovation.  BrightSign HD210 and HD410 players deliver looping HD video displays while HD810s provide playback for interactive displays.

BrightSign’s built-in General Purpose Input Output (GPIO) port allows Ripley’s to incorporate button controls, levers and motion sensors to engage their visitors with the interactive exhibits, while the USB port allows for support of more traditional interactivity such as touch screens and mice.  For a Magic Genie exhibit, Ripley’s employs a capacitive touch technology connected to BrightSign’s GPIO port.  With this capability, visitors can rub one of three genie lamps to trigger different video playback.  In another exhibit, a model of the Space Shuttle Challenger made from 600,000 matchsticks uses BrightSign HD810 units with GPIO button touch points to trigger video playback to describe different aspects of the exhibit.
 
In addition to the BrightSign-driven synchronised videowalls in the San Francisco Ripley’s Believe It or Not!’s entrance, there are new video and image-zoned displays explaining the exhibits throughout the museum.  Other exhibits include a moving sightseeing train exhibit that uses BrightSign’s synchronisation capabilities to make visitors feel as though they’re riding the train and looking through the windows to see the passing landscape.
 
One of the more unique visual art displays at the San Francisco museum is a larger than life kaleidoscope.  Using a ceiling mounted projector and huge mirrors, BrightSign drives the mosaic video playback of colorful, video patterns projected on the walls and mirrors.  The effect is like walking through a kaleidoscope maze as it creates an optical illusion of an enclosed room and conceals the pathway for visitors who must find their way to the next area.  
 
Other Ripley locations where BrightSign players have been installed to deliver multi-screened videowalls  include the Gatlinburg, Tennesse, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, where a total of 29 BrightSign solid-state displays have been deployed.  Ripley museums in El Paso, Texas; Ocean City, Maryland; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Surfers Paradise, Australia have also been enhanced with BrightSign controllers, and another 25 BrightSign players are scheduled for the Hollywood Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum later this year.