A look at Prysm displays in American Eagle Soho (NYC)

November 12, 2010 by Dave Haynes

After CETW yesterday I went down to the American Eagle store to see the new Prysm laser phosphor displays that have been installed there and were the subject of a news release Thursday.

I had seen the tech at InfoComm but this was a first chance to see it in the wild.

Impressions:

Quality of image – Hard to say because either the agency was going for the washed-out look of Eagle’s clothing line or the displays were not all that vivid. The tiles have these weird arcs that show up particularly with lighter colors. Having been around the Christie MicroTiles a lot the color richness doesn’t even seem close, but the only fair way, really, to compare would be to run the same content from the same media player on both. The seams are really tight and just about disappear.

Set-up – There were units in the front window area – three stacks of four tiles each. Then there were more units set up by the escalators. Unfortunately, one of the four-high units by the main floor escalator had a dead tile, and a guy at the shop said it had been like that all day. Not good on PR launch day. I like the shapes and spreading things around, but this arrangement is more of an accent  thing than a feature. I would have gone for the big wow and ganged all of them together, but then I am not a design guy.

One of the interesting things is how these units all had a big Prysm logo on the bottom, something I would not thing typical if a retailer dropped $100,000 for these things. My gut tells me a sweetheart deal was made to get these in a high profile location, which is smart if you are a start-up. Media and brands will go shopping in lower Manhattan more readily than they’ll get on a plane to San Jose and Prysm’s offices.

This tech competes primarily with Christie Digital and its MicroTiles.

The release:

Prysm, Inc. today announced that American Eagle Outfitters has chosen the company’s free-form display solution for its flagship store in the heart of Manhattan’s SoHo district. This is the first retail installation of the Prysm Laser Phosphor Display (LPD) solution.

“We’re very excited to be part of American Eagle Outfitters retail merchandising plans”

Prysm’s high-definition stackable display building blocks enable American Eagle Outfitters to deliver high-impact brand imagery throughout the store. Multiple displays standing seven-feet tall have been arranged throughout the three-story, 24,000 square-foot retail space. There are three columns in the main entrance working as both window displays and in-store branding. Four columns are presented at the escalator gateways, guiding customers to each level of the store.

“Prysm displays create a more engaging and immersive brand experience for the retail environment,” said Amit Jain, CEO of Prysm. “Our solution is unique in that it offers a spectacular image at any viewing angle with the ability to create any size and shape display.”

Prysm’s display solution is made up of four key components which can be customized for any creative project.

At the core of the Prysm LPD display solution is a 25” diagonal building block. Solid-state lasers deliver brilliant image quality for even the fastest action video content, which is viewable from nearly a 180-degree angle, while using up to 75 percent less power than traditional backlit or projection technology-based products. Since Prysm’s display solution uses less power, generates less heat and has no consumables to monitor or replace, infrastructure costs related to space planning and air conditioning are lower. In addition to lowering total cost of ownership and operation for customers, Prysm’s display solution exceeds industry standards for energy use and environmental impact.

Promo video:

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