Augmented Reality Experience Flows in HD at Jazz

Patrons of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival will enjoy a special treat this year thanks  to Flow, the Festival’s official telecommunications partner. On Friday and Saturday nights, the broadband service provider will deliver an innovative,  augmented reality customer experience.

Through this technology application, customers will explore features of Flow’s high definition (HD) broadcast channels. The Flow team will also demonstrate the newest innovation in the delivery of sports programming content – ESPN Play, a service which enables the ultimate sports fan to enjoy ESPN’s sports programming while on the go.

To enable patrons to add personal video recording capability to their home entertainment suites, Flow is also extending a special offer on HD-PVR set top boxes plus $1,000 bill credit for one month for sign-ups for any Flow Watch HD package. The perfect solution for the TV fan who has a busy lifestyle, the HD-PVR box enables TV viewers to record their favourite programs to watch at any time at their convenience, rather than being restricted to watching at the scheduled time for the programme. With a capacity to record up to 200 hours of programming, features of the HD-PVR box also include pre-setting the recording of weekly TV series, nightly news broadcasts and any other content available on any of Flow’s channels.

“Flow is committed to delivering innovative services and the best  value for consumers,” said Donovan White, new vice president of sales and marketing for Columbus Communications, operators of the Flow and Columbus Business Solutions brands in Jamaica. “As consumers are now acquiring state-of-the-art, HD capable television sets for their in-home entertainment, we are able to leverage our broadband technology to provide the services that enable them to enjoy all the features of these TVs.”

Flow continues to transform and enable consumers to enjoy the best entertainment, as demonstrated by the deployment of the company’s  broadband technology at the 2013 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. With Flow Unplugged, The Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium has been transformed into a large wi-fi hot spot  enabling patrons with smartphones, tablets and other wireless enabled devices to stay connected throughout the Festival.

Lucky Facebook fans 'Flow' to Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival

Shadae Beale (right) is delighted to win a gift basket from Flow, platinum sponsor of 2013 Jamaica Jazz and Blues. Beale won by participating in a Jazz Trivia quiz on the Facebook page for the event. Presenting her gift is Jeanette Lewis, public relations manager for Flow.

Siobhan Dewar (right) is all smiles about receiving her ticket to attend the 2013 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival on Friday night and her chance to see Mary J Blige. Dewar won her prize ticket by participating in a competition on Flow's Facebook page. Flow is a Platinum sponsor of the event. Dewar accepted her prize from Nardia Jarrett.

 Shani Mckenzie(right) is all smiles about being named Grand Prize winner and receiving 2 tickets to attend the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival on Saturday night. Mckenzie won the Flow To Jazz Refer-A-Friend Facebook Competition. She received her prize tickets from Flow's Novia Ramsay.

Relive the moments of Jamaica Jazz and Blues 2012 on Flow TV

The 2012 staging of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival was one of the biggest in the history of the event. A new original feature produced by Flow TV gives music fans the opportunity to relive the best moments of the event, along with never before seen footage of interviews with the artistes. The feature is now showing on Flow TV, Channel 100.

Music lovers can re-live their favourite performances by Grammy award winning Celine Dion, Soca superstar Destra, Shaggy and Damien Marley, as well as moments of the  Jamaica 50 celebration that featured impressive performances from Reggae veterans including Toots Hibbert, Marcia Griffiths, Yellowman, John Holt and Half Pint.

“Last year's Jazz and Blues Festival provided phenomenal entertainment. Through our partnership with Flow, key moments were captured to share with the fans,” said Walter Elmore, chairman of the Art of Music Productions, the organizers of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. “The Flow TV feature is a synopsis of some of the exceptional performances from the 2012 staging of  Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. It is also a great depiction of the euphoria in the audience. I hope fans will enjoy this opportunity to relive their most memorable moments, and that it will inspire them to join us again this year”

The feature also includes excerpts from Celine Dion’s post performance press conference where she expressed her absolute delight at performing for a Jamaican audience and the feelings she had when the audience enthusiastically sang along to all her songs as she performed. Interview segments with Marcia Griffiths, New Edition, Shaggy and other artistes are also  seen in the feature.

 “Our team has produced a high energy feature which opens with the spirit of Jamaica 50 on Thursday night, running into the anticipation and excitement of Celine Dion’s performance on Friday, and culminating with Damian Marley on Saturday night. The feature also includes special behind the scene footage, press conference clips and interviews with all the performers, fans and celebrities in attendance,” said Denise Williams, director of government and corporate affairs for Columbus Communications, the operators of the Flow and Business Solution Brands in Jamaica.

Last year Flow TV also worked with HBO to produce the documentary ‘Where the Music is Always Alive: Jamaica Jazz and Blues 2012’, which was shown on HBO channels reaching millions of homes across the Caribbean and Latin America.

Highlights of the 2012 staging of the Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival can be seen on Flow TV Channel 100 on Tuesdays at 7:30pm, Thursday at 9pm, and Fridaysat 10:30 pm until January 27.

Flow twins Jazz, technology

Broadband technology will play a major role in this year’s staging of the Jamaica Jamaica Jazz and Blues, one of the country’s premiere music festivals. As the Official Telecommunications partner for the Festival, Flow’s broadband technology will be employed throughout the preparations and execution of the event. These include supporting pre-production and administration, marketing and media relations, social media and a live stream of the festival. The technology will also enhance the audience experience with Flow Unplugged, the Company’s WiFi solution.

"Flow has renewed its partnership with the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival this year as our telecommunications provider and will be behind the technology that will run the festival. Its broadband technology will be key to many elements over the three nights. We are happy with Flow’s contribution over the years and we are expecting great things for this year’s staging," said Walter Elmore, chairman of Art of Music Production - the organisers of Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival.

Flow’s triple play of services, internet, cable and landline telephone, is an essential and integral element that has enabled the successful staging of the Festival for 3 years.

“We are proud that once again our technology provides a platform to add an exciting dimension one of the Caribbean’s best music festivals, and to enable patrons to fully enjoy the Jazz and Blues experience before, during and even after each night of the event,” said Denise Williams, director of corporate communications at Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operators of the Flow and Columbus Business Solutions brands. “In previous years of our association with the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, our technology has taken the experience of the festival to the world via programmes produced in partnership with our international partners. This year, our efforts are focused on maximizing the audience’s experience right here at the event.”

Flow’s WiFi service will be deployed throughout the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium creating a large, open access HotSpot so that patrons can use their smart phones, tablets and other web-enabled devices as part of the entertainment experience.

“Social media is now a normal part of every individual’s daily experiences. It is important for us to ensure that the technology is in place at the venue to enable the audience to enjoy and share the performances of the artistes,” said Williams. She also explained that patrons will be able to engage in making live posts and status updates and sharing photos and videos to various social media platforms with the most reliable high speed internet.

In addition to virtual interactions via social media, Flow will engage patrons attending the jazz festival with a series of activities and special offers at the Flow Zone on the grounds of the Trelawny Multipurpose Stadium. Flow will also deploy special social media offer for fans and encourages facebook users to like the Flow Facebook page for Jazz special offers.

Since introducing its broadband service to Jamaica in 2006, Columbus Communications has been a strong and consistent supporter of the arts and entertainment. Over the years the company has used its technology to make significant contributions to events such as Kingston Pon Di River, Anime Caribe, Shaggy and Friends and Reggae Film Festival. Flow has also dedicated its Channel 100 to broadcasting locally produced programming, and has also made local productions available on Flow OnDemand.

Last year, the company teamed up with HBO to produce the documentary ‘Where the Music is Always Alive: Jamaica Jazz and Blues 2012’, which was shown on HBO channels reaching millions of homes across the Caribbean and Latin America.

This 17th staging of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival takes place at the Trelawny Multipurpose Stadium and features local and international acts including Third World Band, Mary J. Blige, Monica, John Legend, Michael Bolton, Cocoa Tea, Etana, Cocoa Tea, Shaka Demus, Pliers and Rootz Underground.