Jerry Shanar of Houston-based Sixth Sense Solutions got his start in the industry by helping friends and family in the area navigate security and AV technology required for their businesses. He has been working with retailers, restaurants and bars across southeast Texas for over a decade. So when the owners of BarKada came to him with dreams of large-scale display, Shanar was prepared.
Crafting the Vision
The owners had a vision for a sports bar with great food and dynamic game-day atmosphere. They wanted it to be a hub for football games and host UFC watch parties. So, they thought projector system would fit the bill. As Shanar and Sixth Sense came onto the project, they surveyed the entire area of BarKada. The team looked at the ambient lighting, the sightlines and the 35 other direct view displays in the bar. They then realized that a projected image wouldn’t have the impact the owners desired. Instead, they convinced the owners that a full videowall with commercial video panels would be a better choice to optimize viewing and blend with the other TVs in the bar.
Knowing that the bar needed to be able to distribute multiple sources, Shanar turned to Vanco’s EVO-IP video matrix. “I’ve used Vanco for years,” he says. “The interface for the EVO-IP line is very user-friendly, and it’s simple to train clients how to work it.”
Shanar chose EVOIP because of the benefits to the integrator as well as the customer. “EVO-IP’s remote access has saved our company a ton of time and money,” he adds. “It’s easy to hop in remotely to troubleshoot any issues, and it saves us from having to roll in a truck. Vanco’s tech support is also fantastic. Anytime I have hit a roadblock, they’re responsive and work with our team to get it resolved quickly.”
Further Expansion of BarKada
Six months after finishing the initial project, Sixth Sense was called back by BarKada. The owners’ dream of a lively local hotspot had come true. They found that their clientele enjoyed more nightlife at the bar. Thus, they wanted to expand to accommodate DJs and a karaoke room. For this, the owners needed the videowall moved into a new location as part of the expansion.
Also Read: Digital Signage and Videowalls: Trends and Market Developments
While assembling the videowall again was tedious, but adding new sources to the EVO-IP matrix was not. EVOIP’s built-in functionality made it seamless for Sixth Sense to accommodate the new source needs. Here, the GUI automatically detects new devices in the system. Adding further functionality for both dealers and users, EVOIP also allows for customized labels and names of sources and displays, making the matrix straightforward to navigate.
Praise for Sixth Sense
The owners of BarKada love the video matrix so much, they asked Sixth Sense to install a system in one of their other restaurants. The system until that point was operating with a mess of HDMI cables and somewhere between seven and eight different HDMI splitters.
“The owners love the systems we’ve done,” says Shanar. “They appreciate that we were able to work with some of their unique sources, like Orange Door, which is a digital DJ that eliminated the need for an in-person DJ on off nights. Having a quality product that also can fall comfortably within a client’s budget is always a win-win.”
Click on “View Slideshow” on upper-right corner for images of BarKada.
