Visited the Microsoft store for the Grand Opening in Scottsdale, AZ. This was Microsoft’s first store ever! The event was covered by every press station imaginable. I got out my Flip and my digital camera and got to work. Met some people that were involved in the video wall installation. Here’s what I found out after asking some quick questions.

Microsoft grand opening in Scottsdale, AZ

Q – How long the process did the process take?
A – Actual installation took 2 weeks, but the entire process from demo to store opening was 3 months.

Q – How long is the video wall?
A – It consists of 120 screens that are 47 inch LCDs. Setup in 2 strips on each side of the store (60 on each side) with 130 inch plasma in the middle.

Q – What does it take to create content for the video?
A – Playlist is 13 hours of content consisting of videos and images. About 5 minutes of video is equivalent to a 2 hour feature film because it is creating 30 times 1920 x 1080 resolution video.

Q – What is the total resolution of the wall?
A – It is equivalent to about 4 IMAX theaters tied together. It adds up to about 57000 x 1080 pixels.

Software developed by C-nario, a software company which are based out of NY.

Standing in line for over an hour got me a goodie bag with these items in it.

  • 2 tickets to see Ashley Tidsdale
  • $25 gift card to Microsoft store
  • Water bottle
  • Mints
  • Lipbalm – Yea, I said lipbalm
  • Sticker

There were rumors of 4 Golden Tickets that were placed in the 4 of the first 1000 bags. Supposedly these golden tickets got you a free license of Windows 7. Never heard of anyone winning, so I’m guessing it was just a rumor. It was worth it, standing in line for an hour or two. People who spent the night seemed a little upset about the gifts, but I guess next time they will only sleep outside for 1st row U2 tickets. :)