The strength of Compar's customized Omni Kiosk combined with the flexible connectivity of Advantech's PCM-5825, and its continued commitment to next generation products through ongoing R&D, offered the ideal embedded computing solution for one of Canada's leading Entertainment Self-Ticketing System Developers.

Advantech product used in this application: PCM-5825 SBC with NS Geode CPU, 4COMs, VGA/LCD, Ethernet & Audio Interface

Location: Canada

Customer: Compar Corporation

Background: One of Canada's leading developers of self-ticketing systems for the entertainment industry approached Compar Corporation with a requirement for a flexible and reliable solution to develop their next generation kiosks. This customer, with a 24-year history in the industry, found Compar's Omni Kiosk, utilizing Advantech's embedded computing engine, highly attractive.

Application Details: Due to the nature of theatre self-ticketing kiosk applications, the customer's key criteria for the project were reliability, serviceability, flexible I/O capability and increased processing speed. Reliability and serviceability are always important, but extremely so in this case because of the high traffic, public use and revenue generating aspects of the system. From the end-customer's perspective, down time equals poor service and ultimately lost revenue. The project also required the flexible I/O connectivity capability necessary to handle a number of input devices including a printer, debit pad, card reader, and touchscreen. The increased processing speed was a must, as the older generation product used a Pentium 133MHz processor, far too slow to effectively handle the more demanding software application features such as video clips, concession sales, reserved seating, advanced booking, loyalty program incorporation, and theatre management systems.

System Integration: Early discussions regarding the SBC project incorporated Compar's custom CPU enclosure with peripherals, and focused on Advantech's PCM-5820. However, as the project evolved towards the final stages, the focus quickly shifted with the introduction of Advantech's PCM-5825 in February of this year. It was because of the Advantech commitment to next generation products through ongoing R&D that the PCM-5825 became the ideal answer to the needs of this particular application, and the timing couldn't have been better. With 4 COM ports, the PCM-5825 addressed the added I/O requirement, not to mention that in the world of industrial PCs, COM ports are the channel of choice for text displays, touchscreens and bar code readers. This board is a feature-packed, 586-level, hassle-free solution for space critical applications. The result for Compar and Advantech was a satisfied customer, who got a product more advanced than they had envisioned when the project began. This will allow them to leapfrog their competition, and gain market share. Kiosk deployment began in April at AMC Theatres throughout Canada. 

Thank you, Advantech! 

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