Click above for more information Yes, We're Picky
By Gary Kayye, CTS
If you’ve been following rAVe DS, you know this is our fourth issue. As you also probably know, there are more than a few “other” DS publications out there. But, unlike those, we are picky on which stories we run and what we choose to send to you each month – in other words, just because we get DS news from some manufacturer, it doesn’t mean we will run it. Yes, we’re picky. But, the benefit is that you’re getting news that’s worth reading – not just a random applications story that was sent to everyone in the press.
If you don’t know what I am referring to, just go in your DELETED email and take a second look at the past few issues of ANY of those so-called digital signage newsletters. They are LITERALLY cutting and pasting press releases into emails and sending them to you. Seriously. Go take a look. What good does that do you? There’s no perspective on the product, there’s no logic in sending it and, to be perfectly honest, their newsletters suck.
Look, I am NOT saying we are perfect or that we are the ULTIMATE eNewsletter covering the DS market – but we don’t suck. We certainly don’t simply resend you press releases.
Case in point — and you can go in your deleted email and see this for yourself – one of those so-called “publishers” of a DS newsletter LITERALLY had the same stories in their Rental version of their newsletter as they did in their DS version – the exact same.
The point? We are filtering the news and looking at all the stories but only bringing you stuff you need to know. Do you really care that Ronin hired a new VP, that Scala is now on a ferry boat in Finland or that version 2.1 of someone’s software has been released? Come on – give me a break. Sure, we could go to weekly news – but why waste your time with crap you don’t even want to read?
With that in mind, we hope you enjoy issue number four. Not only did we select news for you that you can use (and included our opinions on the product or service offering), but we’ve also included two great EDUCATIONAL articles on the DS market that will help you, the AV Integrator, make decisions as you move forward into the DS market. One is from a longtime friend Jeff Faber (and his partner Angelo) of Sharps AV in Canada (they’ve done some awesome installs up there) and the other is from another friend I’ve known for about 15 years, Sean Matthews – he’s the president of DS manufacturer Visix, in fact. Both pieces are aimed at you – the AV integrator – and will help you enter the DS market.
Oh, and neither one of the articles are cut-and-pastes of some loser, unhelpful, self-prophesizing press release…
Back to Top Opinions and Observations From a Software Developer
By Sean Matthews
Visix, President Let’s start with the fact that I am not personally a software developer, but I am partner and manager of a software development business. I spent 10 years in the AV integration business as a marketer, salesperson and manager. As a kid, I stuffed racks, crimped cables and sawed Unistrut. The two businesses, software development and AV integration are very different, and I have a great appreciation for both. There is a lot of pontificating going on in this market about how you need to get on the bandwagon and if you don’t, IT VAR’s will. I am in no position to tell you what to do, but I can offer you my observations. Right now, the software development firms are leading the game. Combined, we are investing tens of millions of dollars in marketing directly to consumers for our technologies. Just four years ago, the display manufacturers were leading the way. They all wanted to move more units. Many developed simple software solutions so they could offer the complete package. It’s over: the commoditized displays are all the same. Display manufacturers are clamoring to align themselves with vertically focused software development firms so they are not left behind. It’s not just them; everybody wants to say they are in digital signage. According to our top AV integration partners, our software, hardware and services average 20 to 30 percent of the total digital signage deployment sale. Last year we sold $6 million through the AV channel, with an applicable margin we helped generate $8.5 million in channel sales. If my math is correct, and we are only 30 percent of the finished installation, then last year we contributed to $27 million in digital signage system sales through the channel, and Visix is just one of hundreds of software developers in this field.Many equity analysts I speak to suggest the number of software firms in this market will collapse by 50 percent within the next 24 months. Who is going to collect all the money when half of the firms are gone? I have my suspicions, but I will keep them to myself. You need to decide whether you are in or out of the digital signage movement.
Many stayed on the sidelines or made half-hearted efforts during the exploding non-linear editing days. That opportunity is gone. The same will be said of the waning years of the electronic white board. None of this stuff lasts forever. The digital signage movement will go the same way, but it is currently lucrative and should be exploited to your advantage while the opportunity lasts. So, are you in or out? If you are in, consider these suggestive observations.
Choose three software partners. You know how to conduct the appropriate due diligence, but I suggest you ask for an org chart, financials, software release history, documented escalation procedures, training and support materials. We have to provide it all in every major bid response, why not share it with our partners? But, before you go through this exercise, choose various communication approaches, not low-end, mid-tier and high-end products. Cost is not the differentiator; there are dramatically different approaches to content creation, management and delivery. You should consider a closed end solution (content is updated via USB), a democratized web solution and a centralized fat client solution. None of these approaches is an exact match for every application.
Practice what you preach. You need digital signage in your office so you can understand the nuances of its maintenance. Specifically, you need to comprehend what it takes for your clients to produce new, relevant and fresh content. Furthermore, you need to gain real-world experience in understanding the relationship between the digital signage application and databases (Exchange for events), external information on the web, video streams and image retention on displays. You will find that real-world experience related to database management, OS updates and software upgrades is invaluable. You may also learn that you need some people on staff with new or unique skills. Pre-configure (pre-fabricate) before you go on site. It is a huge mistake not to pre-configure any software and or hardware solution prior to your onsite deployment. Pre-fabrication has been a staple procedure of integrators for years and I cannot comprehend why some continue to show up on site, slap a bunch of software applications and hardware on a clients’ network, and then try to resolve video resolution problems on top of network infrastructure hurdles. Build bundles. Distributors around the world are successful with this model. An integrated endpoint (display, mount, player and accessories) helps to standardize costs and selling prices while improving efficiency and reducing the pre-configuration time noted above. Integrators have productively used this approach in traditional classroom environments (projector, mount, wall plate and control). Effectively position maintenance or service level agreements. Most development firms lack the ability to service physical components post-sale. An effective maintenance agreement overlaps the development firms’ software maintenance agreement by providing the client with onsite support. This support might include the onsite replacement of displays and other hardware components. Additionally, the integrator may choose to offer to go on site and provide quarterly software updates released by the developer. Other services may include media device lifecycle management and disk image libraries to reduce time to restoration in the event of catastrophe. There is an annuity opportunity here. Create value-add. Most software firms are not in the business of specifying displays, locations, signal distribution infrastructure, display device control and viewing angles. You do this for a living and you should get paid for your expertise. You can bring additional value to your client in the form of comparing and contrasting the different approaches to organizational communications. What are the value differences between democratized and centralized communications; fat client versus SAAS and total cost of ownership? If you head down this path, you need to become an expert. Host your own solution. I’m not a fan of this approach, but there are a few seeing success in hosting or private labeling the digital signage solution and then selling monthly access. Clearly, this requires a philosophical shift in thinking and may not be for everyone. There is, however, an annuity opportunity.
Provide creative services. Again, this offering will require a philosophical shift in business strategy and may require an investment in software and personnel, but integrators, software firms and specialty groups are seeing positive bottom line success. I have watched several groups add value in the form of monthly content updates, seasonal theme packs and interactive customization in way finding applications. In the end, you may choose to do none of these things and still be successful with digital signage while relying on others to fill in the gaps. These technologies, like all others, will become commoditized and the real future value will be found in those that can effectively understand needs and recommend solutions, efficiently deploy the solution, customize the offering to the client’s environment and provide sustained services. A 14-year veteran of the visual communications industry, Sean has served as president of Visix since June 2004. He has guided a comprehensive corporate reorganization including a company relocation and name change, establishing field offices, outsourcing non-essential activities, introducing a suite of new products, growing revenues by more than 130 percent, sustaining 35 percent CAGR four years running and tripling the number of employees to provide better products and services. He previously worked for Technical Industries and MCSi, where he served as Vice President of Marketing and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. Back to Top Being Successful in Digital Signage as an AV Integrator
By Jeff Faber and Angelo Kosmidis
Sharp's Audio Visual Digital signage is not your typical AV integration play. It involves several varied disciplines:
• Audio Visual Integration – displays, signal distribution, mounting etc.
• Information Technology (PCs, network connectivity, software)
• Content (multimedia production)
• Communication Strategy (what message, where, when, to whom and how often)
It is rare to find companies that address all of these disciplines under one roof. As such, lots and lots of players have emerged, claiming to be a “one stop shop” only to fall short and leave the customer with a partial solution because they failed to address all of the requirements. Others who get it try bringing partners into the equation or hope that the customer can fill in the gaps.
Most times the “partners” have differing priorities and perspectives that don’t always mesh and this dynamic leaves the customer with a less-than-ideal experience. You can’t assume that the customer’s IT and communications resources will be available and willing to participate.
How can you properly service this business? The first step is to understand the importance of each of these disciplines and that you can make the case for each one of these being the most important cog in the wheel.
- “Without the displays and the physical installation – you have no digital signage.”
- “Without the IT infrastructure – you might as well have a DVD player driving the displays.”
- “Without the content, why go to all the trouble of buying and installing the equipment?”
- “Without a proper communication strategy what good are the content, hardware and IT infrastructure? You will be displaying irrelevant messages to uninterested viewers.”
Long-term success in digital signage will come only if you embrace and address each of the four disciplines. First off though, you must identify a “Digital Signage Champion” within your organization.
This champion must be prepared to learn all things digital signage and must be able to weed through the myriad “industry-leading digital signage solutions” that will promise “easy to use, complete, digital signage-in-a-box solutions.” Buyer Beware.
It will be up to your “Champion” to develop your digital signage offerings and to then instill this knowledge into the rest of the organization.
Jeff Faber
President & CEO
Sharp’s Audio Visual
Jeff is an industry veteran with 25 years experience in the audio visual industry. Jeff started his career as a rental technician; he grew through many positions in rentals, sales and engineering and eventually bought Apex AVSI as part of a management buyout. He recently led his team in to a merger with Sharps Audio Visual to become one of Canada’s largest full service audio visual companies.
Angelo Kosmidis
Director of Digital Signage
Sharp’s Audio Visual
Angelo has more than 28 years of experience in television, audio visual and multimedia fields and has been involved in more than 120 digital signage deployments of various sizes over the last 8 years. In his current role at Sharp’s Audio Visual, he has national responsibility for the company’s digital signage initiatives, including business development, operations and on-going customer support.
Back to Top
Click above for more information VISIX Adds Windows XPe Media Players to Lineup It’s no secret that Windows XP is far more reliable than Vista – in fact, Microsoft has all but dumped Vista by going ahead and announcing it’s new OS: Windows 7. So, adding Vista compatibility for many DS manufacturers in Media Players has been nothing but trouble — in fact, most of them suck.
That’s likely what led VISIX to use XP embedded in its latest round of Media Players for the AxisTV platform. The embedded OS offers a number of security and reliability benefits unmatched by any other Windows operating systems. The most notable security advantages reduce network vulnerability and prevent installation of rogue applications or domain policies that can interrupt the delivery of visual communications content.
The new XPe Media Players are available now and you can read all about them at: http://www.visix.com/products/channelplayers/index.htm
Back to Top Lighthouse Launches LED display for DS Market Known for their huge LED displays in places like football stadiums and Wall Street, LED manufacturer Lighthouse has entered the DS market with the launch of their new (and very unique) HELIOS line. The first model, the SF6-SVP, is a dual-sided display (yes, you read that right) with a high-resolution digital face on one side and a backlit “poster” on the other. The 6mm pixel pitch, 3000 nit LED panel is capable of displaying dynamic content in a rotating retail environment. The backlit poster on the opposite side makes it unique for places where traffic may pass by either side of the display.
The HELIOS line is embedded with CDMA, WiFi and 3G technology – making them capable of connection to virtually any DS content delivery system you currently use and reliable as they have multiple connections to “the network.”
You can see all the details at: http://helios.lighthouse-tech.com/
Back to Top Tred Displays Partners with SA International for New Reflective Display Technology Tred Displays, known for their hybrid static and dynamic digital combo display technology, has announced that they will partner with SA International (SAi) to co-develop a new “class” of digital signage products. The concept is interesting because Tred will get lots of “green” play with clients into that right now, as their displays use less than 2 percent of the power a standard large-format LED display uses (i.e., a billboard sign) and are only 5mm thick. Partnering with SAi will give them access to SAi’s content network for sending dynamic content to these large format billboard-like signs at a price that Tred claims will about 25 percent of the cost of an LED display.
To learn more about Tred, go to: http://www.treddisplays.com/about.html
Back to Top Chief Manufacturing Creates Mount Specifically for DS Menu-boarding Chief has added menu-board mounts to their FUSION Series line focusing on usability and speed of installation by allowing easy alignment of multiple TVs for a seamless install and easy creation of digital menu-boards from any flat-screen technology.
Digital menu-boards are growing in popularity as they have proven to be effective impulse purchase drivers and can help to better promote new products in fast food restaurants and other eateries. The new low-profile design is available in fixed or tilt models for 26"-75" TVs.
To see the new mounts, go to: http://www.chiefmfg.com/productdetail.aspx?MountID=233
Back to Top NEC Display Solutions to Award "Best of InfoComm" $25,000 Prize If you’re exhibiting at InfoComm, you NEED to consider entering a product for this award – but do it fast because all entries need to be made by April 30th!. And, every single InfoComm exhibitor is eligible for the award – including NEC’s competition. Yeah, you read that right – a manufacturer is awarding another manufacturer a “Best of InfoComm” award. Pretty cool marketing idea, huh? Best of all, the winning company will get $25,000 to give to the charity of its choice.
Nominations from InfoComm exhibitors will be accepted at http://www.necdisplay.com/best/ through April 30, 2009. Eligible products and services must be on display at InfoComm 09 and have first-customer-ship dates between January 1, 2009, and September 30, 2009. Only one entry per exhibitor will be accepted.
Public voting (that mean you – readers of rAVe) for the best entry will occur May 1, 2009, through June 5, 2009. The five entries with the most public votes will be announced at NEC Booth No. 5001 the first day of InfoComm 09 and judged at the conference by a panel of impartial industry experts. The sole winner will be selected on the last day of the show and be presented with “The Best of InfoComm Award” by NEC Display Solutions President and C.O.O. Pierre Richer.
For more information on the award, go to: http://www.necdisplay.com/best/
Back to Top Samsung Shows Narrow Bezel LCDs Too On the heels of NEC’s DSE announcement, Samsung has entered the narrow-bezel LCD market with the 460UT line of 46” monitors. Specified at 700 nits or brightness and a contrast ratio of 3000:1, the WXGA (1366 x 768) LCDs are aimed at video-wall applications, and DS apps too. But, Samsung is way behind because, although NEC and Samsung displays have nearly identical specs, their support and service of LCDs is perceptually behind that of NEC. They will have to play catch-up, as simply supplying them is not the same as supporting them and knowing and understanding the applications.
Full specs on the new Samsung line can be found at: http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/detail.do?group=professionaldisplays&type=professionaldisplays&subtype=lcd&model_cd=LH46MVTLBB/ZA
Back to Top Extron's New DVI Twisted Pair Extender Ships Extron Electronics has shipped their new DVI 201xi Tx Twisted Pair Extender. The DVI 201xi Tx enables DVI or HDMI signals to be carried over distances significantly greater than with standard DVI cables. It works together with an Extron DVI 201 or DVI 201 A D Twisted Pair Receiver and two CAT 5-type cables to send single link DVI or HDMI signals over 200 feet (60 meters) for HDTV and XGA (1024×768). The DVI 201xi Tx offers several features to optimize system integration for DVI signal transmission, including EDID Minder which automatically manages EDID communication between the input source and the display, automatic input equalization which allows for the use of long DVI input cables by compensating for signal loss, and a rack-mountable 1U, half rack width metal enclosure.
The DVI 201xi Tx includes several additional features to facilitate convenient, streamlined system integration. A DVI loop-through supports monitoring on a local display. RS-232 or IR signals from a third-party control system can also be transmitted over the same cabling as the DVI signals, providing remote control of a projector or flat-panel display. Furthermore, a DVI 201 or DVI 201 A D receiver attached to the DVI 201xi Tx can be remotely powered over this cabling, so that external power is necessary only at the transmitter location.
You can see complete product specs here: http://www.extron.com/product/product.aspx?id=dvi201xi
Back to Top Purdue University Calumet's DS Network Purdue University Calumet, part of the Purdue University system, with over 100 fields of study and an enrollment of over 9,600 students, faced a major challenge when attempting to gain the attention of a generation of students that is conditioned to respond to digital images – thanks to MTV and the Nintendo DS.
The Goal
The dissemination of various communication messages is vital to the success of a thriving campus – especially emergency messages. How could Purdue integrate a digital signage system that is fun, dynamic and effective when nearly every student has at least one eye on a digital screen already in their hand on their backpack — either a smart phone, iPod, gaming system or laptop computer?
How’d They Do It?
Although not an elegant install, it was simple and over in a day – one day.
David McLees, Technology Administrator at Purdue University Calumet, said, “We needed an effective solution that would command the attention of the students and staff. Westinghouse’s neonSource software provided the flexibility to display video messages and broadcast content while inserting custom communication ads on slim LCD screens. We needed to ensure that students were kept up-to-date on new university programs, courses and advisors names. neonSource, along with a large, eye-catching 42” LCD monitor, proved to be the ideal solution. Additionally, neonSource’s ease-of-use allow us to quickly and effortlessly create weekly updates to keep the information current, guaranteeing that students will constantly check back to see what new information has been displayed.”
Back to Top For those of you NEW to rAVe, you just read a 100% opinionated ePublication that's designed to help AV integrators. We not only report the news and new product stories of the digital signage industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that's why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad).
Don't like us, then go away — unsubscribe! Just use the link below.
To send me feedback, don't reply to this newsletter — instead, write directly to me at gary@ravepubs.com or for editorial ideas: Editor-in-Chief Sara Abrons at sara@ravepubs.com
rAVe [Publications] has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter rAVe ProAV Edition. rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA, launched in February, 2004. rAVe Rental [and Staging] launched in November 2007. rAVe ED [Education] launched in May 2008. rAVe DS [Digital Signage] was launched in January 2009.
To read more about my background, our team, and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com
Back to Top Copyright 2009 – rAVe [Publications] – All rights reserved – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact rAVe [Publications], 510 Meadowmont Village Circle, Suite 376 – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – (919) 969-7501. Email:sara@ravepubs.com
rAVe Rental [and Staging] contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors.
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