Displays for the Modern Gym

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It has been a long time since pure bodybuilding was the only thing on offer in modern fitness studios. Today’s fitness enthusiasts meet to work out, socialise and enjoy a wealth of different concepts for improved vitality and well-being. And, as a reward during and after the workout, there is now tailor-made infotainment to be enjoyed.
 
Gyms today, therefore, require a more sophisticated IT infrastructure. V-itness in Poing, Germany, realised the importance of having a low-maintenance, energy-saving IT solution. The fitness centre was established in the second half of 2009 in the new town centre to the east of Munich. Spacious rooms are located on the second and third floors of the so-called ‘Vauhaus’ (V-house). The V-shaped footprint combined with a modern glass facade and bright red paintwork are the reason for the name.
 
Inside the centre, LCD monitors and public displays from NEC Display Solutions grab visitors’ attention. Three different areas of application determine the criteria for the choice of screen: in the foreground are information displays for relaying up-to-date information on courses, events and services provided by the studio. Secondly, there are screens which broadcast films or the latest TV programmes for entertainment and, thirdly, there are monitors for staff workstations.
 
As the monitors are the most clearly visible part of the IT infrastructure, they had to be of high quality but also be visually impressive. In a stylish environment such as V-itness in the Vauhaus, the focus was on an elegant design of information displays, video monitors and workstation screens which blends into the training landscape.
 
Julian Merkl, Managing Director of the system house Merkl IT, who was primarily responsible for planning the IT concept for V-itness, explained why LCD public displays were preferred to television sets for this project: “The crux of the matter is TCO, Total Cost of Ownership. It is true that a television may be cheaper to buy than an LCD public display. But in the long term, the costs are higher due to power consumption, maintenance costs and ultimately shorter life.”
 
The search was therefore on for a manufacturer whose products satisfied technical requirements and were attractively designed. NEC MultiSync LCD4215 public displays were used for the two 42” info-screens. Five 32”MultiSync LCD3215 were provided for showing videos and TV programmes. All models work with S-IPS panels and therefore benefit from a large viewing angle (178 degrees horizontally and vertically) with good picture quality from almost any direction. In combination with the 800:1 contrast ratio, they are suited for use under difficult lighting conditions. such as those encountered in the Vauhaus as a result of the glazed facade. They are also equipped with intelligent fans which only switch on when additional cooling is needed.
 
The free Digital Signage Software provided for the monitors by NEC Display Solutions was a bonus as it can supply up to three displays with audiovisual content and self-created ticker messages over the network. It can also help inexperienced personnel to create new content quickly and easily and transfer it to the LCD public displays. The V-itness staff are therefore not dependent on external support when they want to upload the latest information for their customers.
 
MultiSync LCD195VXM+ units are used at the staff workstations. With their elegant appearance, they harmonise well with the LCD public displays. Their low energy consumption makes them ideally suited for use with so-called ‘thin clients’ (pun intended? – Ed). These are workstations which obtain their data and applications via a network from a computer centre. The main advantages of this technology are independence from fixed workstations and low operating and energy costs. A thin client needs a power of only 5 watts. The monitors connected to them should therefore also be energy-efficient.
 
“Health and the environment are inseparable”, said Sabine Janussek, V-itness Studio Manager, describing the company’s philosophy. “We want our customers to be able to have fun here when doing something for their health, but with a clear conscience. We have therefore also taken environmental aspects into account when choosing our technology.”