Public Media Works and Signifi Solutions Inc., have completed the design, development and testing process to produce the "best-in-class, entertainment kiosk in the marketplace today," according to a press release. The first order for the kiosk has gone into production and will launch in select U.S. markets beginning in Q1 2011.
"We listened carefully to the concerns of kiosk retailers and customers, and learned a great deal from these conversations," Public Media Works president Greg Waring said in the release. "Despite the success and growth of the industry, several shortcomings with current solutions were consistently mentioned, so we focused our work on overcoming these issues"
Waring said he and his team wanted to address the areas where they heard the most complaints — speed of service and machine capacity. Their new design allows two customers to use a machine at once — allowing for simultaneous rental and return of discs. The new kiosks can hold 1,400 discs, which is more than twice the capacity of a redbox kiosk.
Waring said the new advances are in addition to Signifi's other industry-leading features, including high-speed, robotic components for faster and more reliable rental and return times, and rugged-weather protection, allowing for outdoor placement and 24/7 customer convenience.
All kiosks will also incorporate digital-marketing solutions, allowing machines to have a much smaller footprint with no need for large wings to communicate marketing messages. Messages are carried on a built-in 32-inch HDTV monitor.
"The combination of these innovative features is expected to result in much higher customer satisfaction as more discs will be available to rent, and people will be able to rent and return much faster than with any other provider in the marketplace," Waring said in the press relesae. "The built-in flexibility of the design also allows for the future introduction of high-speed downloading capabilities directly at the kiosks."
