DENON Upgrade Service micro-site

In just four weeks we created a micro-site in TYPO3 with code-based download possibilities for DENON Europe, a subsidiary of the Japanese D&M Holdings Inc. to manage the licensed upgrade options of their exclusive high-end range of A/V pre-amplifiers and receivers. Owners of these components: AVR-3808, AVR-4308, AVC-A1HD and AVP-A1HD, – can now extend the functional capabilities of their equipment via a software upgrade directly accessible from the Internet.

Once upgraded, the components offer additional support for the new Audyssey Dynamic EQ, designed to deliver clearer voices and richer bass with a room-filling enhanced surround effect at any volume level, as well as the Audyssey Dynamic Volume for the optimal, instant volume adaptation of different sound sources and the Denon Link 4th for jitter-free audio reproduction. Support for the HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control - an HDMI multi-component controller through a single remote) is also included in the package. The customer can download the required software from the Internet and then transfer the data via an Ethernet (CAT5 or LAN) cable to the component concerned, whether high-end pre-amp or receiver, for example in combination with a network enabled modem to carry out the upgrade. For a price, the customer receives an upgrade access card from his nearest DENON dealer to download the required software.

So that the user can start his download from his domestic network, a TYPO3 custom extension was written. This consists of four different parts: the DENON Code Manager, the Code Generator, the Order Management and the Order Log. By using the Code Generator, DENON staffers can generate a new Upgrade Access code in the TYPO3 backend and save it to the system. Simultaneously, the extension is connected with the company’s own DENON Product Management Server (DPMS) via two interfaces (APIs), so that upgrades carried out in Germany, or any other European country, can be instantly recognized and displayed on the server in Japan.

Once the user has entered the serial number of the component and the Upgrade Card’s Access Key-Code in the appropriate field of a specially adapted AOE media custom form extension and sent it off to DENON, his coordinates are referred for comparison both to TYPO3’s own MySQL databank and the DPMS. Assuming the details are consistent in both cases, the customer receives a download link and can begin to upgrade his components through his own home network.

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By using the Code Manager and the Order Managements, DENON staffers can easily manage, check or alter all previous upgrades or customer data through the TYPO3 backend. An important element for staffers is the “Unregister” function in the Order Management: since every code is only issued once and cannot be reused in the event of an aborted download, the Order Management contains a button, to de-register the user, so that a new code can be generated and applied. Thus DENON’s telephone hotline staffers can use the Order Managements to directly and immediately help customers in difficulty.

Together with a PDF downloadable, step-by-step guide for the necessary, prior installation of the home network and, of course, the Software-Upgrade download itself, the site also includes the owners’ manuals of the various components, in case the customer has mislaid his printed version.

The TYPO3-based Upgrade Service is a real success for D&M: by July 2009 roughly 10,000 Codes had already been generated or sold for these four DENON components, and the number increases every day!

Link:
http://www.denon-upgrade.eu