case study
Self-service ticket kiosks have wide
acceptance in movie theatres, but
TouchMate saw the potential in
combining the widespread use of
video walls in cinema foyers with
kiosk-style features. TouchMate
Director, David Ellsworth, explained:
“Our system is an evolution of the
current technology. Traditionally,
the cinema might spend more than
US$50,000 on a video wall then install
eight self-service kiosks that might
cost an extra US$50,000 or more. If
you merge the two technologies, you
halve the capital costs and costs of
maintenance. Ultimately, you save
space and money.”
Seamless integration and use
Customer acceptance is
instantaneous. Patrons immediately
understand the proposition – as soon
as they see the attendant EFTPOS
facilities they know they will be able
to purchase cinema tickets. As they
approach the machine, proximity
sensors switch the video wall’s
content, so that the customer can find
their desired screening and complete
the transaction. Once complete, the
content automatically switches back to
the in-house CMS programming.
Crucial to the success of the
TouchMate digital solution is the
Zytronic ZXY500 touch controller.
The new technology allows the
touch sensors
to be designed
with sub 10mm
borders. David
continued: “We’ve
been working with
Zytronic since 2002
on a whole variety
of products in a
whole range of
different industries.
The new ZXY500
controller is a
real step forward.
The success of
our cinema product is dependent
on an edge-to-edge full-screen
glass touchscreen and Zytronic has
achieved that. In this case, the bezel
width of the touchscreen is right down
to 1.8mm either side — 3.6mm from
screen to screen in total. It’s an almost
seamless design.”
Zytronic and its local partner,
JEA Technologies, worked closely
with TouchMate to design a custom,
printed 53in Zybrid touch sensor with
ultra-narrow borders, made from
6mm-thick toughened anti-glare
etched glass. David Ellsworth has used
the same glass on previous mission
critical mining applications and loved
the fact it’s practically indestructible.
The Zytronic ZXY500 has another
technological advantage that proved
critical for this cinema application
where multiple
touch displays are
arranged side by
side.
“Competing
projected
capacitive touch
sensors have
issues with
electromagnetic
interference,” said
David. “This occurs
when you attempt
to place two touch
panels close by or in contact with each
other. Effectively, this interference
prevents the touchscreens from
working properly, which would be a
deal-breaker in this application. The
Zybrid touch sensors working with the
new ZXY500 multitouch controllers
don’t suffer from this issue.”
A one-stop solution
This cinema foyer self-service solution
is a bespoke TouchMate product that
boasts two technology patents. The
package has taken TouchMate years
to perfect and is now becoming widely
accepted among new-build cinemas
as the preferred one-stop customer-
facing foyer solution. TouchMate
backs the product with industry-
leading service and support. Little
wonder then, that David chooses his
technology carefully: “Zytronic and their
local partners, JEA have been around
a long time and if there’s any support
required, they’re very responsive.
The Zytronic projected capacitive
touch sensors are reliable and
consistent, and I’m able to approach
them with special design ideas, and
they can easily produce one or two
prototype screens if I need. I wouldn’t
consider using another manufacturer.
TouchMate has installed four of these
new touch walls into new cinemas and
we’ve had zero issues.” n
KIOSK solutions 19