Al

Al-Bassam International Co.

FVC PRODUCTS

Al-Bassam Int'l Co. is the regional partner of FVC.com in Saudi Arabia
FVC REMOTELY MANAGED CLIENT SERVER VIDEO KIOSK

V-Kiosk is an easy-to-manage, client-server video kiosk that delivers non-interactive streaming video, audio, and text anywhere over an ATM network.

Scalable, reliable video kiosk solution with powerful scheduling software
Four types of images: live video, stored video, still pictures, and scrolling text “ticker tape”
Easy to manage and schedule remotely from any PC running Windows 98/NT

RELIABLE, SCALABLE ARCHITECTURE

Video kiosks are widely used in business, educational institutions, and hospitals to convey information to employees, customers, and visitors. V-Kiosk is a remotely manageable, client-server kiosk solution that delivers several types of video to TV screens attached to V-Kiosk clients distributed over an ATM network. The distributed architecture of this solution maximizes scalability, reliability and ease of deployment. Live and stored content originating from any number of FVC.COMs V-Caster and V-Cache servers can be streamed to any number of V-Kiosk clients. And the entire system can be manged from anywhere on the network using a scheduling application that runs on Windows 98/NT desktops.

VIDEO, AUDIO, IMAGES, and TEXT

V-Kiosk plays live video streams broadcast by V-Casters from live feeds such as CNN or from a video camera; stored video clips that reside on V-Caches —all at MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 quality—along with bitmaps or stills such as company logos, cafeteria menus, graphic ads, etc. In addition, V-Kiosk’s optional ticker-tape function continuously scrolls any text you choose across the lower area of the kiosk monitor.

EASY, FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING

V-Kiosk scheduler software makes it easy to manage your kiosk network, including setting up kiosk schedules, uploading files, checking the status of all the kiosks in your network, finding content servers and more. The scheduler downloads each schedule to its respective V-Kiosk client. Each V-Kiosk TV output can play a completely different schedule, or they can be grouped into “channels” that play the same content using the same schedule--so it’s simple to schedule a large number of kiosks simultaneously.

KEY ATTRIBUTES

V-Kiosk Client. A V-Kiosk client comes with either one or three video and audio outputs that are connected to a standard TV monitor. V-Kiosk also has a 155 Mbps ATM interface for network connection. The video outputs are software configurable for NTSC or PAL, allowing any TV monitor to be used. Sound level is raised or lowered using the TV monitor’s built-in controls. Each TV output can run on a unique schedule or a “channel” in common with other V-Kiosk clients.
Scheduler Console. Using the V-Kiosk Scheduler on any LAN-attached Windows 98/NT desktop, you can manage the entire kiosk network and control the schedule playing on every TV monitor. The scheduler console allows you to add or discover all the kiosks in the network; check their status; see which outputs are running; start or stop the text scrolling feature and edit scrolling text; edit any schedule. An instant reboot feature enables you to change any number of files and schedules, then reboot all the affected kiosks to put your changes into effect in one operation.
Reliable, Autonomous Operation. V-Kiosk clients are designed around the Windows NT platform for reliability, performance, security and easy upgradability. V-Kiosk clients run independently of the scheduler console. The schedule they use is downloaded to them and stored locally, and each V-Kiosk client establishes its own communication with the source V-Caches and V-Casters as and when needed. When a V-Kiosk client is rebooted, any schedule that was in effect when it went down will automatically begin running again. No operator intervention is required.
Flexible “Channel” Editing. A “channel” is a V-Kiosk output, or set of outputs, that are all playing the same thing at the same time. The V-Kiosk Scheduler console enables you to view all available channels, add or delete V-Kiosks from any channel, add or remove channels, edit a channel’s schedule, and download a weekly schedule to all V-Kiosk clients playing that channel. The content can be scheduled to play at specific times, back-to-back, or combination of the two.
Browsing for Video Content. V-Kiosk clients play content originating from V-Caster and V-Cache servers. The V-Kiosk Scheduler also enables you to browse for video content located on these systems, then incorporate it into the schedule of any “channel”. With FVC.COM’s MOS loaded on the same PC as the Scheduler console, you can also preview the content before editing the schedule.
End-to-End QoS. V-Kiosk clients run both native ATM and IP allowing full Quality of Service for video streams with the flexibility of IP for communication with the Scheduler Console which may run from an ethernet attached desktop. V-Kiosk exploits ATM’s QoS by utilizing switched virtual circuits (SVCs) between each V-Kiosk client and the video sources. This ensures crystal-clear video playback, even in the presence of unpredictable, bursty traffic from other data applications.

SPECIFICATIONS

Size: 7” H x 17 1/2” W x 18” D (177.8mm x 431.8mm x 457.2mm)
Weight: V-Kiosk-1155: 37 lbs. (16.78kg) V-Kiosk-3155: 39 lbs. (17.69kg)
Mounting: Desktop or 19-inch rack (482.6mm)
Power Requirements: 100-240 VAC
Maximum Power Consumption: 200 watts
Operating Temperature: -10° to 40° C
Storage Temperature: -20° to 65° C
Relative Humidity: 20% to 80%, non-condensing
Altitude: Max operating: 4176 kilometers (6.7 miles). Maximum non-operating: 4876 kilometers (7.8 miles).
Network Interface: ATM 155 MMF