LACMA Visitors Experience Art at Their Fingertips

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - January 27, 2009) - LACMA is one of the first museums in the country to launch an interactive and personalized multimedia tour of its permanent collection. Working with R. B. Zack & Associates (RBZ&A), a custom software application development and database design company; Virtual Gallerie (VG), a 3D software and production company that caters to museums; and Antenna Audio (AAI), the world leader in audio and audio-visual interpretation, LACMA now offers visitors a free multimedia tour on a Nokia PDA or as a download from their website that can display still images and play both audio and video commentary. The Nokia PDA features a "Favorites" button that allows visitors to bookmark objects that they can later view from home in a personalized 3D virtual gallery on the museum's website.

Made possible by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation, LACMA hired RBZ&A, VG and AAI to work with its staff to develop, produce and launch this project. RBZ&A developed the PDA application, content database and middleware. AAI provided the audio and video content and production on over 175 artworks, and VG created the 3D virtual gallery that is populated by each visitor's Favorites.

LACMA's Chief Information Officer, Peter Bodell, noted: "We are always looking for ways to make LACMA as accessible as possible to its patrons. The PDA tours make art viewing a more personal experience, and we hope the virtual experience will heighten the enjoyment and education of our visitors."

"Irvine is proud to support this innovative effort to extend the museum experience to new and more diverse audiences," said John E. McGuirk, director of the Arts program at The James Irvine Foundation. "This new technology will teach valuable lessons to the greater arts field about how to better incorporate technology to enhance the visitor's experience."

LACMA's multimedia tour system expands the visitor's experience beyond the museum by not only providing additional information to the user within the museum, but also by extending the visit with the 3D Virtual Gallery which is located on www.lacma.org via a MyLACMA account. The 3D Virtual Gallery enables visitors to interact with their favorite artworks by examining them up close and moving them around the room. They can also access the multimedia content and do more thorough research via links to LACMA's Collections Online system.

Breaking new ground and setting new trends, LACMA is extending the museum experience beyond the walls of an institution and enabling visitors to continue their visits online where they can explore much more content through a personalized 3D virtual tour.

About R.B. Zack & Associates, Inc.

R.B. Zack & Associates, Inc. develops custom software and provides database design and integration services to many diverse industries, including entertainment, financial services, manufacturing and more. Any organization looking to increase productivity or uniquely position itself through the effective use of technology is a viable candidate for RBZ&A's services. Since 1981, RBZ&A has been providing innovative solutions to some of the most demanding problems from theatrical budgeting to royalty accounting, and from payroll data mining to precious metals trading. For more information, please visit www.rbza.com.

Following is a list of some of RBZ&A's customers: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LA Opera, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, The First American Company, Cast & Crew Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Sony Music, Alliance Resource Consulting, A-Mark Precious Metals, Henkel, peermusic, Rhino Records and Universal Motion Pictures.

About Virtual Gallerie, LLC

Virtual Gallerie, LLC provides museums, galleries, universities and other cultural institutions with leading-edge 3D visualization software that enables them to plan, design, visualize and share their art exhibitions with their peers and the public online. VG sells a variety of 3D software that is easy to use and may be utilized for many applications by exhibition planners, curators, web designers, educators, visitor services, operations and fundraisers. For additional information, please visit www.virtualgallerie.com.

About Antenna Audio

Antenna Audio is the world leader in audio, multimedia, and mobile cultural interpretation. Each year, more than 20 million visitors purchase Antenna Audio tours in 12 languages across 20 countries at approximately 450 of the world's most famous, fascinating and frequented locations. Founded in 1984 and a subsidiary of Discovery Communications, Inc. since 2006, Antenna Audio is a global company with offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Visit our site www.antennaaudio.com and our iTunes store at www.itunes.com/discoveryaudio.

Contact Information: Contact: Keri Gilbert R. B. Zack & Associates, Inc. 310-303-3320