An AV network that works wonders for Miracle Mile Shops

SUMMARY

Digital displays are an integral part of modern malls, whether looking for a favorite brand, deciding where to eat, or watching streaming video on-site. At the Miracle Mile Shops in Las Vegas, giant LED displays and interactive AV kiosks serve as a visual feast for the eyes and provide for an enhanced shopping experience. And behind the scenes is intelligent, flexible network technology including SDVoE transport management from Aurora Multimedia, plus M4250 network switches from NETGEAR AV, all installed and maintained by renowned video experience specialist SNA Displays.

BACKGROUND

Miracle Mile Shops is more than a mile long of premium retail outlets, tempting restaurants, cafes, bars, and live entertainment venues. Adjacent to the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino and right at the heart of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, Miracle Mile Shops has something for everyone, creating a great day out for all tastes. Miracle Mile Shops is owned by an affiliate of Institutional Mall Investors LLC, a joint venture between Miller Capital Advisory and CalPERS.

THE CHALLENGE

High-quality digital displays have been integral to this impressive mixed-use location since it opened in 2000. Over 100 endpoints are spread across the site, including LED and LCD kiosks and screens, often including touch technology. As part of an extensive transformation and update project, the decision was made to enhance the digital display elements of the Miracle Mile Shops experience.

To fulfill this role, Sensory Interactive — contracted by owners Miller Capital — brought in SNA Displays, a New York-based specialist in digital displays. SNA has designed and built some of the world’s largest and most well-known digital spectaculars, including the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, NJ. For the Miracle Mile project, SNA was tasked with providing its own LED displays and designing and installing the supporting network, including the centralized content management system and network switches.

THE SOLUTION

Stew Ives, Vice President of Products & Solutions at SNA Displays, provides insight into the company’s approach. “As this was a ground-up greenfield installation, we could start from scratch and design the best network with the best equipment. We also wanted the same approach we took with American Dream: a network design to be ‘anything-anywhere’ with discrete networks. So, we have a discrete SDVoE network for all the LED equipment and a discrete network for all the LCD equipment.”

Stew continues, “The good thing about SDVoE is that when there are any issues, for instance, if a kiosk is out of action, we can just route around it, and that flexibility is essential in a busy mall. We chose Aurora Multimedia for all the SDVoE transport because we have worked with them before, they do a great job, and we know the products work flawlessly.”

“For this project, we have used Aurora’s IPX TC3 Pro. The products are phenomenal, and Aurora is our trusted partner for SDVoE for a long time. We wanted to continue that partnership with something we know works well.”

Aurora Multimedia’s IPX-TC3-Pro provides one of the most advanced IP Streaming solutions on the market. It utilizes Aurora’s IPBaseT™ technology, which synergizes various IP/AV standards to work together. It is the industry’s first 4K2K transceiver with zero compression and latency.

NETWORK CHOICE

To support the smooth and reliable transition of digital traffic between all the endpoints, the choice of network technology was critical. Stew and his team turned once again to NETGEAR AV, with which it has worked on numerous occasions, including the American Dream project. Says Stew, “We spoke to Alex Pendleton in the Pro AV Design team, who recommended NETGEAR AV’s eight-port M4250s.” These powerful, reliable switches are designed specifically for Pro AV’s needs, such as flexible mounting options, interfaces, AV standards compatibility, ease of use, and a sleek visual appearance.

In addition, SNA Displays used NETGEAR Engage™, a free AV network management tool that streamlines the configuration of NETGEAR AV switches, during the installation process. “NETGEAR Engage was a huge part of the project, and we started with it from day one. We could not have done this project so quickly and efficiently without Engage.”

“We also lean on Engage for on-going maintenance, giving us a holistic view of the network via the great interface. We can see how the network is performing, monitor all the switches in real time, do quick changes on the fly, and troubleshoot.”

RESULTS

The network was installed in the summer of 2023 and without any issues. However, while there was no need to contact the NETGEAR Pro AV team for any problem-solving, Stew did reach out to team member Alex Pendleton, manager Systems Engineering, for his opinion. “Alex made some recommendations, and as a result, we switched to a star topology rather than the looping design we had planned. While we design networks ourselves, it is good to have NETGEAR’s blessing. Alex and I have a relationship where we can share ideas and learn from each other.”

“That ability to have a one-to-one conversation with Alex or any of the Pro AV team sets NETGEAR apart from other manufacturers. I know that if I have any problems, I will get a fast response, and it’s good to have a partner who understands the needs of AV rather than just office networks.”

Stew also reports that the network—including the critical role of technologies from Aurora Multimedia and NETGEAR plus SNA Displays’ digital display know-how — has performed well since installation. So, as part of Miracle Mile Shops’ impressive transformation project, brands featured at the site and the thousands of visitors that stream through every day of the year can expect a superlative digital display experience, made possible by reliable, powerful network technology.