In June, Canadian advertising firm Astral Out-of-Home, a division of Bell Media, announced the debut of a gigantic digital screen near Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square (already a hub for signage of all kinds, having been designated by the municipal government as one of the city’s special sign districts).
今年6月，加拿大广告公司贝尔传媒的一家分公司Astral Out-of-Home宣布，他们所制作的一个巨大的数字户外大屏幕将首次亮相于多伦多Yonge-Dundas广场附近（Yonge-Dundas广场作为当地市政府指定的城市特色标识区，已经成为了一个展示各式各样标牌的中心）。
At more than 7.9x57.3m (26x188ft), the light-emitting diode (LED) billboard tops 454 m2(4,888 sf). It may not quite be Canada’s largest outdoor digital screen—that record apparently belongs to the 557.4-m2 (6,000-ft) screen mounted right across the street, above the Eaton Centre’s Forever 21 store—but it does seem to be the longest horizontal one and, for that matter, the largest contoured one, as it ‘wraps’ around the corner of the former Hard Rock Café with a three-sided curved shape. This configuration increases out-of-home (OOH) advertisers’ exposure by facing southbound and eastbound pedestrians and traffic.
这个户外大屏幕的尺寸超过7.9 x 57.3 米（26 x 188 英尺），即这个屏幕的面积至少有454平方米（4,888英尺）。这也许不是加拿大最大的户外数字大屏幕，因为这一纪录已经由街道对面的伊顿中心Forever 21店面上方的户外大屏幕所持有，它的面积达到了557.4平方米（6,000英尺）。但是这个大屏幕所辐射的范围应该是最广阔的，即它应该是拥有最大波型外观的户外大屏，这个大屏幕以硬石咖啡厅的三个角落为连接点，形成一个屏障包围着咖啡厅，呈现一个三面弯曲的形状。整个大屏幕通过面向在这个十字路口向南行和向东行的行人和交通来增加户外广告（OOH）的曝光度。
“This digital wrap represents a major addition to our portfolio,” says Karine Moses, Astral’s president. “The sheer scale of the screen, which synchronizes full-motion video with a dedicated static face, provides flexibility for advertisers to deliver a powerful story and bring their brands to life.”
Astral总裁卡琳·摩西说：“对这个屏幕的包装是我们投资的最主要的部分。屏幕的整体展示形式由全屏动态视频与专用静态图片相结合，能够灵活地为广告客户传递一个内容丰富的故事，以及将他们的品牌带进人们的生活。”
OOH advertisers are certainly drawn to the area. Located at one of Canada’s busiest intersections, Yonge-Dundas Square sees daily traffic of more than 93,000 pedestrians and 30,000 vehicles and co-hosts annual arts festivals like North By Northeast (NXNE), Luminato and Nuit Blanche. The Eaton Centre also contributes to a total of more than 52 million visitors per year.
喜欢投放户外广告的广告商肯定会被吸引到这个地区。Yonge-Dundas广场位于加拿大最繁华的十字路口之一，每天可以看到超过93,000名行人和3万辆车从这个路口通过，每年这里都会举办NXNE音乐节、Luminato和Nuit Blanche艺术节等活动。伊顿中心每年还有超过5200万的游客从这里经过。
Answering the call
早期的安排
Plans for the giant screen predate Astral’s involvement, as it was seen as a way to upgrade the rooftop space previously occupied by a combination of printed and digital faces that were operated by Cieslok Media.By the time Astral finalized its acquisition of Cieslok earlier this year, a request for proposals (RFP) had already been issued in 2016 for the all-digital structure.
早在Astral公司参与之前，巨型屏幕的安装计划就已经启动了，因为之前的屋顶广告一直由Cieslok传媒经营的数码喷印的静态图片所占据，所以该项计划也被视为升级屋顶空间的一种方式。当Astral在今年早些时候完成对Cieslok的收购时，一份关于2016年全球数字结构的请求建议书（RFP）也在同时发布。
One of the companies that answered the RFP was Media Resources International (MRI), an integrated sign manufacturing and maintenance company in Oakville, Ont. Its portfolio already featured extensive related experience, such as the construction and installation of a 418-m2 (4,500-sf) three-sided full-motion LED display for the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ont.
对RFP有所回应的公司之一是Media Resources International (MRI)，这是一家位于安大略省奥克维尔的综合标识制造和维护公司。该公司拥有丰富的从业经验，比如说，为安大略省尼亚加拉瀑布的Fallsview赌场建造和安装一个418平方米（4,500 英尺）的三面全屏动态LED显示屏。
“We got the job and started to work with Cieslok in advance of the acquisition by Astral,” explains Keith Edwards, chief operating officer (COO) for MRI. “Then we continued to work on the design with Astral before fabricating and installing the screen.”
MRI的首席运营官（COO）Keith Edwards解释说：“在Astral得到这个项目之前，我们就与Cieslok合作开始进行这个项目了。在制作和安装屏幕之前，我们决定继续使用Astral的设计理念进行设计。”
“MRI was selected because they were the best company to take this project from concept to completion,” says Kevin Martens, Astral’s director of construction. “We worked with them hand-in-hand from design to final installation to meet our deadline.”
Astral建筑总监Kevin Martens说：“选择MRI是因为他们是从概念成型到最终完工，都是这个项目最佳的公司选择。从设计到最终安装，我们与他们的携手合作将保证我们能够在规定的时间内完成这个项目。”
“Although our customer changed midway, the specs stayed the same,” says Jeff Rushton, co-owner, president and CEO of MRI.
MRI的总裁兼首席执行官杰夫·拉奇顿说：“尽管我们的客户中途改变了一些想法，但总体的规格尺寸还是保持不变的。”
A structural issue
制定结构框架
One of the challenges of replacing Cieslok’s multiple boards with a unified digital face was addressing the increased weight load on the heritage building, which is slated to become a flagship Shoppers Drug Mart store later this year. Compared to the previous rooftop signs, which were 6.4 to 6.7 m (21 to 22 ft) in height, the screen would be not only heavier, but also taller and, thus, would need to endure a higher wind load.
用统一的数字化屏幕取代Cieslok原来安装的多块静态广告板是安装这个大屏幕的挑战之一，重要的是解决重量的增加对原本建筑物的影响，并且该栋建筑物也将于今年晚些时候改建成一个药品旗舰连锁店。与以前高度为6.4至6.7米（21至22英尺）的屋顶大屏幕相比，即将安装的大屏幕不仅更重，而且更高，因此屋顶将需要承受更高的风力载荷。
Cieslok worked in advance with the municipal government and its heritage preservation department to acquire the necessary permits to alter the building.
Cieslok公司必须提前与市政府以及遗产保护部门取得必要的许可证，以保证合法地对建筑物进行修整和改造。
“The process involved two years of backroom discussions before they got the go-ahead,” says Edwards. “Once they had developed early drawings of the sign, an architect developed a plan to put in a more pragmatic sign structure and an outside engineering firm determined what specifically needed to be done.”
爱德华兹说：“在他们取得进展之前，关于这个项目进程的讨论就必须考虑到两年之后的规划。一旦他们制定了大屏幕制作的早期图纸，建筑师们就能按照这个图纸制定一个可以实际投入建造的屏幕结构制作计划，接着外包的工程公司就可以确定需要做的具体工作了。”
Cieslok hired Enseicom, a sign, billboard and street furniture manufacturer based in Lachine, Que., to fabricate a steel structure for the purpose.
Cieslok公司雇佣了Enseicom公司来帮忙制造整个工程的钢架结构。Enseicom公司是一家位于魁北克的拉钦的主营标识牌、广告牌和街道家具的制造公司。
“Then we put the new steel structure atop the building to support the screen,” says Rushton. “The building’s existing substructure was also enhanced so it could support an additional 35,380 kg (78,000 lb). We built the sign around that base structure.”
拉奇顿说：“我们把新的钢架结构固定在建筑物的顶部，用以支撑大屏幕的重量。该建筑现有的结构也能够得到加强，因此，它就可以支撑35,380公斤（78,000磅）的重量，我们也因此可以围绕这个钢架结构来安装大屏幕。”
The older signs were removed from the roof in March and the new steel structure was installed in April.
旧的大屏幕将于三月从屋顶拆除，四月份将开始安装新的钢架结构。
Pixel by pixel
紧密相接的LED模块
As for the LEDs, MRI sourced surface mount diode (SMD) products with a 10-mm (0.39-in.) pixel pitch from a manufacturing operation in which it is a joint venture partner.
现在我们来谈谈LED的制作，与合作伙伴MRI公司共同生产的表面贴装二极管（SMD）具有10毫米（0.39英寸）的模块间距。
“We had someone overseeing every single LED,” says Rushton. “You need integrated binning of LEDs to achieve uniformity of colours. And for that, you have to ensure control of the whole supply chain. This is especially important with a tight timeline. Once we got our own go-ahead earlier, we had to build everything as quickly as possible.”
拉奇顿说：“我们已经安排了员工监督LED生产制作的每一个流程。我们需要将生产出来的LED模块进行分类以实现颜色排列的一致。为此，我们必须在有限的时间里，确保对整个供应链的控制和监督。一旦我们提前完成了我们现在的任务，那么下一步，我们就必须尽快投入建造这个户外大屏幕了。”
The scale of the fabrication process was massive. The screen comprises an array of nearly 4.7 million pixels, each of which combines a trio of red, green and blue (RGB) LEDs with a white lens for optimal light diffusion.
建造的工程规模非常庞大。需要安装的大屏幕由将近470万个LED模块点阵组成，其中每一个像素都由三个红、绿和蓝（RGB）LED模块与白色透镜组合而成，以获得最优化的视觉效果。
“The very tight pixel pitch represented the further evolution of what we had done in the past,” says Rushton. “We had to put the modules together one-by-one to make sure they fit perfectly. We couldn’t be ‘off’ in any direction by even 1 mm (0.04 in.). Fortunately, the fabrication process went well, because we had already done a lot of planning.”
拉奇顿说：“我们过去所做的一切工作就是为了减少模块之间的间距，使它们非常紧密地贴合在一起，我们将模组一个一个地放在一起，以确保它们的完美配合，我们甚至不能向任何方向多移动哪怕1毫米（0.04英寸），幸运的是，因为我们前期已经做了大量的计划，因此制作过程相当顺利。”
The pixels were assembled into tiles, each measuring a little over 0.09 m2 (1 sf), with 1,024 pixels per tile. Then those tiles were further collected into subsections of cabinets.
多个模块可以拼接成一个小屏幕，每个屏幕经测量几乎都超过0.09平方米（1平方英尺），每个屏幕由1024个像素组成。最终的大屏幕就是由这一个个小屏幕组装而成的。
“The screen is so big,” says Edwards, “even with its rounded corner, it took up most of our floor.”
爱德华兹说：“这个屏幕太大了，即使是转角的部分也会占据很大一部分的地板。”
The system for controlling the LEDs, also proprietary to MRI, is almost fully redundant.
MRI公司的专有系统也可以用于控制LED系统，所以单独设立一个专门用于控制LED的系统是完全多余的。
“I come from a software background and we applied networking principles to this board to optimize uptime,” says Rushton. “We have set up a pretty sophisticated control room with high-end computing equipment to ensure it always continues to run. If anything goes wrong in terms of fan speed, the temperature of each module, etc., we get an alert on our smartphones, so we know right away. And we have mobile technicians who can fix it in an hour or two.”
拉奇顿说：“因为我有一些软件学习的背景，所以我们将网络原理应用于对这个大屏幕安装的控制，以优化正常运行时间。我们已经建立了一个设施相当完备的控制室，配备了高端的计算设备，以确保它能够始终保持运行。如果风扇速度、模组温度等方面出现问题，我们会立即在智能手机上收到警报，并了解相关的情况，而我们的技术人员可以在一两个小时内解决这些问题。”
Raising the rooftop
户外屏完全呈现
Finally, the on-site installation of the screen began in late May, shortly after the Hard Rock Café shut down permanently at the end of its lease.
大屏幕将于5月下旬开始进行现场安装，不久之后，硬石咖啡店也会在租约到期之后永久关闭。
“The screen was divided into sections and we shipped out three at a time,” says Edwards. “These were then connected together on-site at night. There are three sections facing west to Yonge, one corner section facing northwest and nine facing north to Dundas Square.”
爱德华说：“我们把屏幕分为多个部分分批次运出，一次运出三个。然后我们会在晚上将运过去的部分现场拼接在一起。大屏幕有三个区域面向西面的Yonge广场，一个区域面向西北的角落，九个区域面向北边的Dundas广场。
The work took eight nights straight, with all hands on deck.
我们足足花了八个晚上来进行安装工作，几乎所有人都在为安装这个大屏幕而忙碌着。
“Trying to meet a fixed installation date for something this complicated is crazy,” says Rushton. “I’m very proud of the employees from all of our divisions who came together to engineer and install this landmark digital display.”
拉奇顿说：“确定好一个安装日期并试图按时完成安装工作，这件事情是复杂且疯狂的。我为我们部门所有的员工而感到骄傲，因为这个具有里程碑意义的户外LED大屏幕是我们所有员工聚集在一起设计和安装的。”
Specifically, the sign went live on June 5, just in time for Warner Bros. Canada to promote the June 9 release of its hit movie, Wonder Woman. Another initial advertiser was Energy Brands, which promoted its Vitamin Water product line. Both used the unique shape of the board creatively, with content developed and laid out for each of its sections.
这个大屏幕将于6月5日开始正式投入运行，正好可以为加拿大华纳兄弟在6月9日发行的电影《神奇女郎》进行宣传。另一个早早就投放广告的客户，他要宣传的产品是关于能源品牌的，该公司推出了维他命水的生产流水线。这两者都创造性地使用了大屏幕的独特形状，并为每个部分都安排了展示内容。
“I was very happy with the ad agencies’ work,” says Rushton. “The Vitamin Water content looked fantastic!”
拉奇顿说：“我对广告公司的工作非常满意，关于维他命水的这个广告内容看起来太棒了！”
“Overall, our clients are very satisfied with the impact and overall appearance of the display,” agrees Astral’s Martens.
Astral公司的Martens也总结到：“总体而言，我们的客户对这个户外LED大屏幕的影响和整体外观都非常满意。”
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