May 4, 2005

See just how easy it is to enlarge, enhance and enjoy your favorite pictures using KODAK Picture Maker touch-screen kiosk. The KODAK Picture Maker Kiosks can be found in grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retailers of Kodak products. KODAK Picture Maker Kiosk use is becoming more widespread than ever, driven by an expanding worldwide deployment. Relevant to its expanding worldwide deployment, Kodak looked to Corporate Communications, Inc. to re-architect part of the KODAK Picture Maker Attract Loop software. An Attract Loop is a series of multimedia screens that is displayed while no one is using the KODAK Picture Maker Kiosk. These Attract Loop screens play a simple slide show with narration, engaging imagery, and compelling audio to attract consumers and advertise the KODAK Picture Maker kiosk as fun, easy, and fast! Kodak's goal was a more efficient handling of the KODAK Picture Maker's many language translations, of which there are twenty-five, including single- and double-byte languages. There is also a purely graphical version of the attract loop, which is language-neutral that can be used if a particular language is not yet available. Corporate Communications proposed changes to the file structure for the attract loop files plus countless updates to the attract loop code itself. The new changes reduced the KODAK Picture Maker Attract Loop file size by over 30%! Consolidating the code eliminated numerous redundancies. Language specific assets are separated from the main attract loop which captures the language setting to determine what assets to display. Previously a different program for each language was required instead of one attract loop program that presents the appropriately localized audio, text and graphics. Corporate Communications also expanded the customizability of the KODAK Picture Maker's attract loop animation. At specific points during the KODAK Picture Maker's attract loop animation cycle custom material is displayed when available. For example, if there is a current promotion being advertised, or if the retail store hosting the particular kiosk wishes to display some of their marketing material, these elements can be easily added to the animation (the attract loop architecture now accepts a much wider range of custom content file formats). If no custom material is to be displayed, the attract loop continues play seamlessly. Corporate Communications continues to be involved in the future upgrades to the KODAK Picture Maker attract loop software. Check out the KODAK Picture Maker at your local Rite Aid, CVS, Walmart, Wegmans, Kinko's, KMart as well as many other retailers worldwide!