Montreal, 27 September 2004 –  Today marked the launch of the North American premiere of the new urban television service in the Montreal Métro. Métrovision, in collaboration with the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM), is inaugurating this highly innovative medium, which meets a concrete need for information for public transit riders.

“We conducted many market studies in the past few years and observed what was being done in the world’s great metropolises to create a product tailor made for the Montreal Métro,” says Pierre Béland, Chairman of the Board of Métrovision.

For its first installation phase, Métrovision is strategically positioning 22 giant screens along the Berri-UQAM station platforms to offer its clients a more enjoyable experience while informing them about the transit system. According to a survey of regular Métro clients conducted by Descarie & Complice, 90% intend to consult the screens.

«According to a survey we conducted with 1400 customers, close to 80% of them ranked real-time information as their primary need. Because it offers the possibility to communicate quickly and efficiently with clients, urban television directly answers this need,” explained Mr. Claude Dauphin, STM Chairman of the Board.

Useful and relevant information
Métrovision will enable 7.6 million passengers a month, at the Berri-UQAM station alone, to receive useful and relevant information in real time, including the time, the waiting time until the next train and information on status of the transit system.

In addition to information directly related to the Métro system, Métrovision will broadcast news from Réseau de l’Information (local, national and international), – with subtitles -, as well as weather forecasts, sports news, and information on arts and shows from various producers. This informative content will be interspersed with special features and commercials, all broadcast in 12-minute loops.

Almost a movie theatre!
Métrovision proposes a brand-new technology, a hybrid medium combining television and cinema. The video content will be broadcast by front projection on giant screens in three formats: 7’ x 4’, 12’ x 7’ and 16’ x 9’. These different formats are necessary to respect the architecture of the Métro stations used and maximize the space available.

To design matchless programming, the Métrovision team relied on the services of a consultant with an impressive track record in the media field, especially in the programming sector, Mr. René Bourdages. While he was Senior Vice-President, Broadcasting and Operations of Groupe TVA, Mr. Bourdages, among his other achievements, was deeply involved in the launch of several successful programs, including Occupation double, Demandes spéciales and Star Académie. The participation of the man chosen in 2000 as one of the Top 40 Managers Under 40^® by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business and in 2002 as a finalist in the Marketing Personality of the Year competition assures Montreal urban television of first-rate expertise.

Sanyo technology
After lengthy research into all kinds of different broadcasting products, Métrovision came to the conclusion that front projection was the best way to install its television in the Montreal Métro. Métrovision could not exist without the technological support provided by Sanyo Canada with the LCD projectors they developed.

Very high image resolution was a necessity in choosing the technology to be used in the implementation of this project now beginning in Montreal. Sanyo’s LCD projectors meet this criterion.

Métrovision uses SANYO XF-35 and XP-55 projectors which project the image with 6500 and 4500 lumens of brightness. Métrovision is the first television network to use front projection technology on almost cinematographic screens, and Sanyo Canada’s equipment is required to produce this result. This is why Métrovision is proud of the partnership agreement with Sanyo Canada for the preparation and development of the Montreal Métro project.

Métrovision is a private company founded by Pierre Béland, Pierre Arcand and André Décarie and by Transgesco, a wholly-owned subsidiary of STM. These partners have created Société en commandite Montréal Super TV, a limited partnership operating under the Métrovision trade-mark.