WinVideo Team grew from a single person to a team of extremely motivated and highly caffeinated developers, researchers and staff members. Today, WinVideo is a leading provider of rental and kiosks software solutions to consumers and businesses alike. With a global research team working around the clock, hundreds of WinVideo's users can sleep soundly (we don't!) knowing their Business is safe.
WinVideo is produced by Ciakware (www.ckware.com) and marketed by Miditel, a company located at La Spezia (Italy North West) providing kiosk software,
web applications, hosting, housing and industrial software applications.Watch InVideo and WinVideo History
First release of a complete management software for video shop and video dispensers VideoBank for a customer in Genoa (Foto VideoMat) using 2 video vending machines.
We worked over a wonderful project created by software engineer Pietro Rotoloni and hardware engineer Livio Della Valle. They created the first video vending machine with magnetic cards and pincer in Italy in 1989.
First release of a modem connection (14400 baud speed) to connect video dispensers with the video shop. The connection included the transfer of products, users and the dispenser's transactions.
A text based Log File was added for the first time (a complete register of user operations on the dispenser) and multi-image graphic engine with fading slideshow.
Internal rent routines for video shops were upgraded. In September, 1993 the software for video shop was named RVM Rent Video Master. Tele Assistance remote control on demand was included to allow Ciakware Technicians to direct access to customer archives/operating system.
Started a joint venture with Mr. Stefano Tassello, CEO of "Gamma srl", Abano Terme (Padova, Italy) for software agreement deal to install RVM/InVideo on VideoBank video dispensers. All RVM modules were upgraded to handle customer requests.
The "returning box" option was conceived in February. Returning box is a back position in the dispenser warehouse that can be used to exchange products from internal shop. Returning Box was applied to allow users to return shop-rented products to the dispenser, to query the dispenser from shop for products, internal select products on demand to dispenser and automatic ejection of low rent products.
The first returning box installation was made on April, 12 1994 at "Video Tape", a video store in Bussolengo, Verona, Italy.
With the supervision of Telecom, it was started the first GSM reservation network. The user, when a product is not available on dispenser, can book it typing his cellular phone number. When the product will be available the dispenser will send a GSM message to him with the message:
Ciakware born on Jan, 24 1996. The Dynamic Product Allocation was added to the video dispenser module. It means that each product has no more a fixed location in the warehouse of the dispenser when returned.
The application of the Dynamic Warehouse expanded dispenser products availabily 20% more.
The first installation was made at Foto Scatena in Lucca, Italy on Jan, 12 1996.
In March 1996 the installed versions of RVM/InVideo software were 122.
On February, 22 1997 was installed the first Home Reservation module at the Video Ciak video shop in Macerata, Italy.
The module called "Remote Reserve" allows remote home users to connect the dispenser server using a client software module and reserve products after watching images, trailers, etc.
The first remote client module was written in DOS 16bit environment. The successive module was written for Windows.
Ciakware was contacted by "VDE" (Video Distributori Elettronici), a new video vending machines manufacturer in Schio, Italy directed by Mr. Scapin and engineer Ilario Della Valle.
Both VDE (for hardware) and Ciakware (for software) started to project a new automatic video dispenser.
Later it was called "DEA".
Ciakware developed a protocol between the software and the dispenser working on a PLC system.
Some DEA dispensers were purchased by customers with previous installed Ciakware software.
We wish to thank some good technicians helping us on DEA software installations: Mr. Roberto Bannoni and Mr. Luigi d'Oronzo in Rome (Italy).
Ciakware started a new supply contract with engineer Livio Della Valle of "Video Store", a manufacturer in Vicenza, Italy to install the Ciakware protocol in a new video dispenser.
RVM software was entirely rewritten with a new graphic engine and a new multilingual module.