VOLO DSP
Embedded System Ensures Low-Cost Deployment of Entertainment Devices on U.K. Trains
Business Situation
The organisation designed an entertainment system and needed a hardware and software environment thatdelivered a small footprint, provided cost-effective development tools, and required minimum cooling.Volo, based in the U.K., planned to implement a number of entertainment devices in train carriage seats. Thedevices needed a hardware and software environment that ensured cost-effective development and compliancewith regulations on carriage modifications. It was vital the infrastructure created minimal heat and avoidedfan-assisted cooling. After analysing the market, including a Linux solution, the company chose a processorrunning Microsoft� Windows� XP Embedded created by Microsoft Gold Windows Embedded Partner, DSP Designin the U.K. As a result, Volo built and deployed the device that met industry standards in only six months. Thecompany gained a stable software environment that ensures low-cost application development and developertools that are widely known. In addition, it has peace of mind knowing Microsoft will maintain the operatingsystem to meet the market’s changing needs.
Solution
Volo implemented Microsoft� Windows� XP Embedded running on a single processor that delivers superiorperformance and low-cost development, and avoids fan-assisted cooling.
In March 2005, Volo contacted Microsoft Gold Windows Embedded Partner DSP Design, also based in the U.K. Itscharter was to provide a single processor board complete with Windows XP Embedded and a Web browser withintwo months. DSP Design specialises in delivering off-the-shelf embedded systems that are ready to use.
Benefits
- Reduced time to market
- Superior operating system performance
- Low-cost application development environment
- Widely-known developer tool sets
- Peace of mind over software maintenance
By using Windows XP Embedded, Volo gained a software environment thatdelivered the ITES cost-effectively and met industry regulations. The off-theshelfprocessor board and operating system solution provided the hardwareand software infrastructure that ensured the design and implementation ofthe device in six months.
Cassidy says: �Microsoft Windows XP Embedded provided the right solution toensure that we developed our entertainment device cost-effectively and withina tight timeframe.�
For Volo, the widespread knowledge of Visual Studio .NET 2003 among thedeveloper community means increasing the development team in the futurewill be more cost-effective. Plus, the application emulation tools availablemean Volo can test applications at workstations and reduce expenditure onhardware.
�The only operating system that could be successfullydelivered to this timeframe was Windows XP Embedded.Increasingly, our customers want to build intelligentdevices rapidly and need powerful operating systems thatreduce development time. For us, Windows XP Embeddeddoes all this in the most cost-effective and reliable way.�
Matthew Caffrey, Sales Director, DSP