Case Studies

Panoramic Installation Rejuvenates Nightclub

Club Vanilli Uses 15 Matrox TripleHead2Go External Multi-Monitor Upgrades to Power a Sensational 42-Display Configuration

Club Vanilli uses Matrox TripleHead2Go to reinvent their nightclub layout.
Club Vanilli uses Matrox TripleHead2Go to reinvent their nightclub layout.

The Company

Club Vanilli has long been considered one of Austria's leading nightclub establishments. Located in Linz, the club boasts a distinctive style that has top national and international DJs catering to an upscale clientele, ranging from the over 20 generation up to the 'children of the 80s'.
 
 

The Challenge

Not interested in simply sustaining a competitive position as Linz's nightclub leader, Wolf Dieter Holzhey, owner of Club Vanilli, wanted to distance himself from the opposition by reinventing the establishment's interior layout. Working with what can be described as "a typical nightclub setting with several bars and designated lounging areas," Holzhey looked to vitalize the club with an arrangement of LCDs that were to be positioned strategically in high traffic areas. Holzhey outsourced the digital signage project to KRAFTWERK Living Technologies GmbH, who entrusted the VJ duo 4youreye to manage the panorama playout installation.
With 15 years worth of video jockeying experience, 4youreye partners Eva Bischof-Herlbauer and Gerald Herlbauer have managed a wide variety of digital signage installations for a number of different applications, including nightclub locales. After carefully examining the existing infrastructure and taking into account Club Vanilli's chic clientele, they proposed a bold new layout: over 40 side-by-side displays encircling the entire club.
 
 

The Solution

KRAFTWERK Living Technologies GmbH, Austria's leading provider of complete technical solutions for the entertainment industry, installed all displays including cabling. 4youreye took care of the computer hardware part of this ambitious installation and considered a number of multi-monitor technologies before ultimately selecting the Matrox TripleHead2Go Graphics eXpansion Module (GXM), an external multi-display upgrade that connects directly to the computer's monitor output to drive three displays.
4youreye's Final Blueprint for the Digital Signage Installation
4youreye's Final Blueprint for the Digital Signage Installation
 
Despite the Matrox recommendation of using one TripleHead2Go under Mac® OS X, 4youreye was intrigued by the GXM's multi-display potential and decided to do some experimenting on their own. After several trial runs in a variety of multi-display set ups, they eventually engineered the right GXM/system combination: 15 Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital Edition units connected to three MIDI-synched Apple® Mac Pro workstations powering an astonishing 42 displays! Each Mac Pro was equipped with three dual dual-link DVI-enabled graphics cards, allowing for five TripleHead2Go units per computer to successfully run 14 displays from a single system.
 
To vitalize the expansive desktop, 4youreye worked on the creative content using GarageCUBE Modul8's real-time video mixing application. Incorporating works from the locally-based Lichttapete video artist group, 4youreye delivered an array of eye-catching video sequences, imagery, and loops that run at 800 x 480 per display for a total panoramic resolution of 33,600 x 480.
The new visual platform helps modify the mood for any occasion.
The new visual platform helps modify the mood for any occasion.

The Result

The installation has been running flawlessly for close to two years while being conveniently operated by non-IT-specialists. More importantly, the unique visual concept has given Club Vanilli the market differentiator they were looking for, providing customers with a much more enjoyable clubbing experience, while simultaneously cementing their position as Austria's premier nightclub. Club Vanilli—and their patrons—could not be happier.
 
"The new club atmosphere is simply outstanding," comments Holzhey. "Cool sounds and an exchanging play of colors deliver the perfect feel-good vibes. Best of all, we can instantly modify the mood for our customers, quickly adapting from a romantic light setting to a hard and flashy techno beat."
Related Products: 
TripleHead2Go DP EditionTripleHead2Go Digital SETripleHead2Go Digital Edition