MINNEAPOLIS —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
Some operators manage their multimedia systems using handfuls of conventional remote controls or specialized controllers requiring freestanding touchscreen terminals. —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
The Controllo device tested by The Local basically makes the pub’s point-of-sale system the master remote control for its seven TVs. —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
“It’s very useful,” said Josh Petzel, general manager of the pub, which belongs to three-unit, Minneapolis-based Cara Irish Pubs. “It’s a beta [test], so there have been some challenges. But long term, the flexibility it gives us to control our audio-video system, to change channels or adjust sound from anywhere in the place, will be tremendous.” —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
Lone Tree Technologies, a hospitality industry custom software and systems integration house based in Centennial, Colo., developed Controllo to compete with free-standing controller systems from the likes of Richardson, Texas-based AMX and Crestron Electronics Inc. of Rockleigh, N.J. The developer says the software also controls lighting components, a feature that The Local sources said they have not yet plumbed but anticipate may prove more convenient than the current practice of adjusting 25 dimmers in a closet without a view of the lights involved. —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
Controllo integrates with the audio-video and POS equipment already in place. The only additional requirements are the download of Lone Tree Audio Video Light Control software to the POS and the installation of Calypso Pro I/O controllers, which connect the POS with the TV and audio devices via infrared signals. —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
A Local manager can access Controllo from any of the pub’s 15 Micros 3700 POS workstations. After entering the password-protected manager’s page, a touch-screen pops up that permits control of any TV as well as the four DirecTV and two Setanta Sports satellite receivers. If customers request a particular game, the system can send the feed to any of the TVs. Controllo also controls TV audio and music in 12 audio zones of the 12,000-square-foot pub. —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
Besides integrating with the Micros 3700 POS system, Controllo currently works with Aloha version 5.3 and Maitre’D by Posera, Lone Tree sources said. They said that the controller technology also should integrate soon with the Digital Dining and Dinnerware POS brands. —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
David Swensen, The Local’s technology manager, citing issues in software-hardware communication, said the beta version of Controllo has required some bug fixes. However, he said that he nevertheless appreciates the new tool because it eliminates the need to “walk around with four remotes in your hand, changing channels.” —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
Swensen said he did not know what The Local spent on Controllo. But he said management told him it was about $11,000 less than the price of AMX or Crestron systems with similar functionality. The savings result primarily from the use of existing touchscreens, compared with buying standalone units for other systems, he indicated. —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
Swensen said installing the software took a couple of hours and programming the control devices took about 25 hours, slightly longer than expected because of the beta status. Learning to use the system took 15 minutes. —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
“I’m not 100-percent satisfied with how it flows and works at this point,” he said, “but I think it will get there.” —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
Other operators with a stake in TV sports or music videos use different means of control. For example, at ESPN Zone in Chicago, managing the venue’s 100-plus high-definition TV screens is the job of a dedicated staff person using a Crestron touch panel in a production booth. —In a bid to become as adept at presenting European satellite-TV soccer matches as it is at selling Irish whiskey, The Local, a pub here, reports encouraging initial results from open-architecture technology tied to the point-of-sale system in an effort to help restaurant and bar owners simplify and lower the cost of controlling audio and video equipment.
