Apple hardware, software, and professional services add elegance and efficiency to multimedia program.
Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, MGM MIRAGE is an entertainment, hotel, and gaming company that owns and operates 24 casino properties on two continents, including Bellagio, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, The Mirage, Treasure Island, New York — New York Hotel and Casino, Mandalay Bay, and Whiskey Pete’s.
MGM MIRAGE’s collection of resorts offers a wide range of entertainment choices and options, from weekend getaways to lavish and uncommon resort experiences. Guest satisfaction is paramount, and 73,000 employees are dedicated to that charter.
MGM MIRAGE’s innovative multimedia group manages the technology behind the company’s reputation as a great place to visit and an excellent place to work. To keep employees informed and engaged, the multimedia group is responsible for creatively communicating details on policy changes, benefits, child-care services, holiday events, and even sports and weather.
Distributing that information had become redundant, cumbersome, and inefficient. The hodgepodge of different systems playing prefabricated movies on dull 19-inch screens was noisy and lacked the signature panache of Vegas. Content was inconsistent because each property designed and produced its own videos. To change movies, staff had to manually replace the tape or DVD in each machine at every location.
MGM MIRAGE needed a multiple-stream IT tool to allow staff to create movies and store them in batch files. It was also essential to be able to designate playlists for individual properties, queue them automatically, and update them easily. Additionally, photo quality had to scale pixel for pixel for a clean, flawless signal. MGM MIRAGE contacted Apple Professional Services to develop a software solution and recommend the appropriate hardware to run it.
Tooling around
Using PowerBook G4 laptops running Mac OS X, MGM MIRAGE partnered with Apple Professional Services to develop a software tool to solve its dilemma. “This was an important upgrade for us,” says Randy Dearborn, Executive Director of Multimedia for MGM MIRAGE. “The old monitors were in the hallways where no one paid any attention to them, and half the tapes didn’t work anyway. We wanted to provide employees with graphics and content that caught their attention in places where they would actually have a few minutes to watch, so they could get information they needed, as well as information they wanted.”
To operate the software tool, MGM MIRAGE installed Xserve and Power Mac G5 computers running Mac OS X at each location. Xserve combines 64-bit processors, high-bandwidth system architecture, and 1.5 terabytes of storage capacity with a user-friendly interface. This combination creates a powerful, robust platform that supports the heavy load of multiple video streams flowing with rich content. Discreetly hidden in a closet, each Power Mac G5 attaches to several high-resolution LCD monitors and plasma screens, which are installed in employees’ break rooms, dressing rooms, and near escalators.
Apple worked closely with MGM MIRAGE to ensure successful implementation. “It was a partnership effort,” says Dearborn. “I’d mock up screens of what I wanted it to look like or capabilities I needed, and Apple would improve upon them.”
Facilitating features
The idea for one feature came from Apple indirectly. “I was waiting at the Genius Bar at an Apple Store when I saw the ‘who’s next’ tab on the mounted screen, letting people in line know when their turn would be. This gave me the idea of placing three tabs at the top of our screens, telling viewers what information was coming next,” says Dearborn. “So now, thanks to Apple, when our staff sees the screen, they know what to expect.”
Apple Professional Services also developed a crawler at the bottom of the screen, scrolling short reminders and bits of information, much like a stock ticker. “Our nontechnical staff can update this from their iMac systems daily, to let employees know about health fairs, benefit changes, anything relevant and brief,” explains Dearborn. “It’s made communicating with our employees much more efficient.”
