PW July 09 P24.qxd 6/24/09 11:39 am Page 24
Ride DVDs
www.parkworld-online.com
Ride DVDs
HIT OR MISS?
This time last year it looked like on-ride video was about to take
off as the next big thing in secondary spend. New companies
limbered up to make their mark on the amusement industry with
technology that captured not only riders’ faces, but their screams
and full facial movements too. A year on, has the technology
become the hit we were promised? Owen Ralph investigates
W
alk around any amusement park and you’ll see that photos are
still the image format of choice for those wanting a souvenir of
their ride. Even those venues that have installed DVD systems
Guests watch the video monitors at a park in the US
have only tried them on a handful of their rides and attractions. Tellingly,
most of the established suppliers of ride photo systems chose not to offer Simon Nicholson. “We watched to see what others did and then try to do
video until recently, leaving it to a handful of newcomers, most of which something a bit different.”
have since failed. After trials on Oblivion at Alton Towers, Picsolve finally went public with
Based in Minneapolis and with a development team from Israel, a system this spring on the new SAW coaster at Thorpe Park, one of Alton
CDRide was arguably the most prolific supplier, equipping over 20 Towers’ sister venues near London. Nicolson says small improvements to
attractions in the USA and Europe. The company installed its first systems the system will be made but the company now feels confident enough to
at a handful of parks in New Jersey back in 2005 and expanded into make more installations for next season.
many more venues including Carowinds, Knott’s Berry Farm Last month the Dutch technology company Lagotronics replaced a
and Mall of America. Ridercam system at Port Aventura in Spain with its own Camride
From 2007 onwards Alton Towers provided the technology. Now in use on the wooden coaster Stampida, the system
test site for a product called YourDay at the Park. has been installed initially on two trains, with a further two due to
Launched by the consortium YourDay go into use for peak season.
Technologies after considerable development and “We spent over a year developing the technology
installation costs, the system tracked guests and wanted to get it right because some of the
throughout the park using RFID (radio frequency earlier systems were very poor quality,” says
identification) and presented highlights on a 20- Lagotronics CEO Carlo Görtjes. “It is
minute DVD available as they left. important to minimise the vibrations you
Research had shown that “50% of Alton Towers park associate with a rollercoaster to ensure a
guests would definitely or likely buy a DVD,” but this smooth picture. We also had to get the
proved to be optimistic. YourDay Inc has since gone into wireless system just right so that the pictures are
liquidation and the system at Alton Towers was suspended transmitted back to the shop in time for the
at the start of this season.
A sample DVD
riders to see as soon as they leave the ride.”
It is also believed that CDRide has ceased trading,
from Lagotronics’
A number of other companies are believed
although Park World could not get hold of anybody from the company to
installation at Port Aventura
to be perfecting their own products, including
confirm this, and other suppliers are having difficulties too. a system for waterparks being developed by KPN and Van Egdom. But
“Some of the systems have proved not to be as robust as everyone one questions remains: Will ride videos ever outsell ride photos?
expected,” notes one ride supplier who helped broker a deal for a DVD “My retail guys tell me they won’t,” says Michael Mack at Europa-Park.
system last season in Europe. “We will have to wait and see. I do not think it will happen in the next
It’s not just technical issues that have left some suppliers exposed, but couple of years.”
also the fact they are single product companies. “Fortunately for us it’s “DVDs will add to the customers’ experience of the ride, but stills
not our only business,” highlights Michael Mack of Mack Rides, which photos capture that moment of intensity best,” notes Paul Bennett at
recently developed its own DVD system combining a pulse-rate monitor. Picsolve. “We must also bear in mind that not all rides would be fit for
The prototype is now in use on the new Blue Fire Megacoaster at Europa- DVDs, so the simple answer would be no.”
Park in Germany (Mack’s own park). Although DVDs sell for higher
Europa-Park had already tested systems from CDRide and the German retail prices and offer greater profit
company Ridercam, on its Euro-Mir and Matterhorn Blitz rollercoasters margins than photos, several
respectively, but found that they struggled either to equip a complete train observers expect the real value of
or film the whole ride. Mack’s system does both those things, and the ride video to be in small clips
manufacturer now hopes to make it available to other operators. available as downloads and mobile
“As park owners, we have the in-house operations knowledge and are phone applications that guests can
honest enough to tell people how many DVDs they can expect to sell and buy and then, with a bit of luck,
how reliable the technology is to use,” says Mack. “Above all else, the circulate as viral marketing to their
system has to be stable.” friends. Get ready for Video 2.0!
One of those companies that held back at first was photo specialist
One of Mack’s cameras on Blue Fire
Picsolve. “We wanted to get it right,” says UK regional business manager at Europa-Park
24
JULY 2009
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48