Click above for more information InfoComm09 = Surprisingly BIG DS Show
By Gary Kayye, CTS Although some of the biggies (most notably Ronin) were MIA at InfoComm09, most of the same names and faces that you’d normally see at DSE were at this year’s AV-fest otherwise known as the annual InfoComm Show. Held in Orlando last week, InfoComm set an east coast attendance record of over 29,000 people and the Digital Signage Pavilion was THE PLACE TO BE during the show. It was the most packed section of the show, by far.
It looks like AV has finally realized that DS is THE FASTEST GROWING segment of the ProAV market! Yeah!
And, you can measure the major DS players who truly want to help the AV integrators get into the DS market by who was there. VISIX, Scala, Omnivex, Rise Vision, .advancedMethod, Harris Roku – they were all there in addition to about 150 other DS manufacturers. I was thoroughly impressed by how far the DS market has gone to recognize the AV market as an amazing potential for growth.
So, if you’re an AV Integrator looking to get into the DS market, now’s the time as there is a clear recognition by the DS market that we are the best place to find qualified integrators to marry DS and traditional AV systems into an integrated solution. Oh, by the way, the DS market’s biggest distributor, SYNNEX, was also at InfoComm and I was excited to learn that they’re being headed by 20-year AV veteran TJ Trojan (remember him, former President of NEC?). I had a chance to sit down with him at InfoComm to get the scoop on their plans for AV. Synnex is an $8 Billion IT distributor that formed an AV arm some two years ago to focus on marrying AV integrators with IT products. Now, as they’ve become a leading supplier of DS products, they will fill a void left by the loss of Electrograph last month.
So, read on as here are the top DS products we saw at the show…
Back to Top Click above for more information Aerva Launches Social Networking-Based DS Software Aimed at K-12 and small company-oriented DS networks, Aerva unveiled Aerva Presto — what it’s calling its next-generation digital signage software for the smaller enterprise and education markets. Aerva Presto includes social networking widgets, a full drag-and-drop user interface, and a template-based approach allowing anyone to update (this is true!) or modify signage content in just a few minutes.
The various widgets provided by Aerva make Presto a unique solution as there are widgets for Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and Facebook that can immediately allow a network to tap into rich content that is already out there or be able to create new content using a full-featured editor in Presto. We were really impressed with the simplicity of this product and how well it did, in fact, integrate with Twitter and Facebook in our testing.
You can learn more about Aerva at: http://aerva.com/digital-signage-products-page/
Back to Top DT Research Shows Multi-Output DS Player DT Research showed their new MS1600, a new signage “appliance” (translation = media player) in the WebDT Signage System line, capable of powering content over up to 16 screens. This is NOT a DS distribution amplifier – each screen can have different content from one player. The MS1600, or WebDT Multi Screen Appliance, enables powerful content streaming on anywhere from two to 16 displays, and offers content blending, or tiling, across screens. The MS1600, along with WebDT Content Manager, provides the industry’s first fully integrated system (at least the first one we saw working) with 1080p over up to 16 screens and multi-zone management for up to 16 zones.
Although it’s Windows based, it is powered by the Intel Quad-Core i7 processor, and provides full HD (1080p) video quality to every screen – that was impressive. They told us at the show that it would be available next week!
If you want to see it or read all the specs, go to: http://signage.dtri.com/web/products/multi_screen_appliance/ms1600/features.html
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Click above for more information .advancedMethod Releases expressLite If you are already familiar with .advanceMethod’s express product, then this is a simple, lower-end version to master. Basically, .advancedMethod’s expressLite is a scaled down version of the company’s original express digital signage system and is built for those users who want a static slide-based digital signage solution. expressLite offers all of the professional graphic design applications, scheduling features, slideshow and player management abilities that the original system provides. The only difference between the original express and expressLite is that Lite does not allow for Flash or video content.
They launched the product in a person-less booth at InfoComm – completely driven by their express product line from with people from Seattle fed via their DS network into the booth. If you want to read more about it, go to: http://www.advancedmethod.com
However, on a sad and unfortunate note, last week .advancedMethod announced that they were partnering with the Commercial Sales Group of Best Buy Canada Ltd., Burnaby, B.C. In the announcement (only targeted to Canada) they said that small- and medium-sized businesses would have the opportunity to buy digital signage solutions directly by Best Buy Canada's Commercial Sales Group following Best Buy's new partnership with .advancedMethod.
This is unfortunate for the AV market. Allowing Best Buy to sell DS software is like allowing 7-Eleven to sell 40” plasmas. Here is the complete release (let’s hope this doesn’t spill into the US): http://www.pubzone.com/newsroom/2009/1x090616x071859.cfm Back to Top Celstream Technologies Pushes PointMediaPro Designed to eliminate the so-called “complexity and rigid, error-prone interfaces inherent in many of today’s digital signage systems” (their words), PointMediaPro is based on a flexible, modular, open-standards platform that integrates easily into the existing workflows and media sources. This is a fancy way of saying they have launched a new software interface that is simple to use, yet server-based, scalable and even includes a scheduling component for a DS network you would install and run yourself for local applications (i.e., local chain restaurants, local grocery stores, local hospital, etc.).
It’s true; it was an easy-to-use engine and you can learn more about it here: http://www.celstream.com/
Back to Top DSE Releases Positive DS Forecast for 2009-2010 Digital Signage Expo (DSE) last week announced that the results of its first Quarterly Business Barometer Survey reveal very positive indicators for the DOOH Industry.
According to DSE, 97 percent of all survey participants in North America remain positive about the future of the Digital Out-Of-Home Industry (63 percent Very Positive; 34 percent Somewhat Positive). Those who were most positive about the DOOH Industry included End Users/OOH Network Operators (70 percent), Advertising/Marketing (64 percent) and Technology/Content Providers (63 percent).
DOOH business is picking up: Technology provider participants in the survey reported that DOOH business is picking up as fully half of respondents were very bullish about business and projected a dollar sales volume rise for DOOH Networks in Q2 of 2009, with 30 percent reporting higher dollar sales volumes in Q1 over Q4 2008.
And, 68 percent of End User respondents indicated a commitment to replace or upgrade current DS systems and another 11 percent confirmed plans to install for the first time.
To read the entire report, go to: http://www.digitalsignageexpo.net/
Back to Top rAVe Does Video (and Tweets!) at InfoComm09 With the introduction of our all-new rAVe NOW service at InfoComm last week, rAVe Publications took a major leadership position in digital publishing. In an effort to continue to make our coverage of the AV market better and even more valuable to our readers, we launched rAVe NOW as a virtually real-time way to report the news to you – filled with out observations of what’s out there.
rAVe NOW is a trifecta of services:
• rAVe Video: In rAVe VIDEO, we posted more than 160 videos made live on the InfoComm show floor all introducing new products or technologies: https://www.ravepubs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=115&Itemid=199
• rAVe Twitter: In rAVe Twitter, we Tweeted over 200 times about new gear on the show floor: https://www.ravepubs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1263&Itemid=207
• rAVe Blog: You’ve been asking to have our founder, Gary Kayye, blog more often about the market, and now you’ll get more of him than you’ll probably want. In fact, his latest blog is about the seedy side of a trade industry magazine – one right here in the ProAV market: https://www.ravepubs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=117&Itemid=204
So, experience InfoComm09 as if you were actually there through rAVe NOW: https://www.ravepubs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1262&Itemid=206
Back to Top NEC Launches What They Call "Eco-Friendly" LCD NEC Display last week announced a so-called Eco-Friendly 22-inch MultiSync E222W, with numerous features designed to lower total cost of ownership. Although this is truly a desktop monitor, you will likely see these features folded into their ProAV line, so we thought you should know this is coming.
Specifically, the 1680×1050 resolution, 250 cd/m2 MultiSync E222W offers what NEC is calling an ErgoDesign adjustable stand with 4-way ergonomic design, including 110-mm height-adjust, tilt, swivel and pivot, adding flexibility and comfort. But, the display’s ECO Mode is what’s interesting because it reduces power consumption and heat generation, while NEC’s Intelligent Power Management (IPM) and off-timer (actually soon to be required by all monitors) help conserve energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by switching to a low-power state or automatically powering down when the monitor is on, but not in use. If you’re an Al Gore fan, you have the ability to track carbon footprint savings with the display’s carbon footprint meter, a unique tool that calculates the reduction of green gas emissions. The combination of these green technologies extends the life of the MultiSync E222W and theoretically raises the standard for green LCD displays.
Again, we here at rAVe believe that this will be what you see from NEC with all future displays, so that’s why we included this story. So, to learn more, go to: http://www.necdisplay.com/
Back to Top POPAI – The Global Association for Retail Marketing – Sets DS Standard POPAI introduced a set of guidelines designed to help facilitate system interoperability for digital signage systems as the digital signage industry continues to grow with a multitude of retail and other out-of-home applications.
"This standard is the first of a group of comprehensive POPAI standards to address the need for interoperability between different providers of Digital Signage systems. The core objective is to establish a foundation or baseline of performance and behavior that all standard signage systems will follow," says Dick Blatt, POPAI President and CEO. "The business case is clear — fewer projects with wasted efforts and lower barriers to adoption of standardized systems. All suppliers are encouraged to exceed the standard, each with their own blend of performance and innovation.”
The standards were developed by POPAI’s Digital Standards Sub-Committee, which includes more than 30 member firms representing the world’s leading digital signage companies.
Companies that agree to the standards may identify themselves through the use of a POPAI compliance logo. The digital standards are available for download by visiting http://popai.com
Back to Top Linux PC Maker Launches DS Player Dubbed Linutop 2.4 Linutop, specializing in small Linux PCs, announced a new Linux-based DS player, the Linutop 2.4. It’s small, has no fan or moving parts, includes all the features a media player needs (hardware-wise), but it’s NOT Windows-based. Linutop 2.4 uses an internal flash memory card to store content and the operating system and it plays via a VGA output that’s capable of 1920×1440 resolution graphics.
Check it out yourself at: http://www.linutop.com/linutop2/linutop2.en.html
Back to Top NEC's High-Bright X461HB Display for Digital Signage NEC Display Solutions announced the 46” MultiSync X461HB high-bright professional display. This new model is enhanced by more than 30 advanced features of the Digital Signage Technology Suite that allow the display to stand out in heavily-lit environments.
With a brightness measurement at 1500 cd/m² and contrast ratio of 3500:1, the MultiSync X461HB offers 110 percent higher brightness than NEC’s previous-generation displays. The MultiSync X Series display is ideal for environments heavy with ambient light, such as corporate lobbies, atriums and restaurants.
Its advanced features detect nearby light and automatically adjust the display according to its surroundings. The MultiSync X461HB includes ambient light sensor technology, which automatically adjusts the backlight depending on the ambient lighting brightness and maximizes the power management feature.
Its advanced thermal protection begins with an extra thermal layer on the display panel to diffuse heat and follows with a fan-based technology specifically designed to work in both landscape and portrait modes. Internal temperature sensors control self-protective circuits, while special self- diagnostics communicate the status of thermal characteristics. The thermal protection can be monitored and controlled both locally and remotely.
Check out all the specs at: http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/DigitalMediaLibrary/Downloads/?product=163d988a-9da4-4334-aa68-90e7eea83261
Back to Top Belkin Announces Digital Signage Solutions At InfoComm, Belkin announced the availability of their new AV360 modular AV system and CAT5e Extenders which the company says enables fast digital signage solutions at longer distances and higher resolutions. Meant for conference rooms, higher education, and hotels, AV360 uses color-coded plug-and-play connections, and the pull cap is designed to be able to rotate 360 degrees for easy routing from any angle. It can also withstand up to 90 pounds of pull force. The CAT5e Extenders provide point-to-point audiovisual connections between the content management device and public displays. It runs HDMI over a single CAT5e cable, and Belkin says it supports video resolutions of up to 1080p at 100 meters and UXGA at 300 meters. For more information on the AV360, click here: http://www.belkin.com/av360/av360.aspx For more information on the CAT5e Extenders, click here: http://www.belkin.com/av360/cat5e.aspx Back to Top Case Study of the Month: Polk County Sheriff's Department Florida's Polk County has a population of 550,000 situated within 210,000 square miles, an area roughly the size of Rhode Island. That can make it challenging for the Polk County Sheriff's Office, which houses inmates in the county’s jail facilities, in addition to its crime prevention duties, to communicate effectively with its 1,700 employees and the general public.
The Goal
In order to improve internal and external communications between the PCSO, its offices and employees, the court system, schools, and the community at large, the PCSO secured grant monies to establish an electronic information display network (EIDN) within seven PCSO law enforcement and detention facilities.
How’d They Do It?
Named the Sheriff News Network, PCSO chose Visix's AxisTV digital signage application to sit at the center of the system. The Web-based software technology permits access through a single Web hosting content server, which delivers updates to remote channel players that output audio and video to the EIDN.
One of the major reasons the PCSO turned to digital signage, according to Scott H. Wilder, MPA, CPM, director of communications, PCSO, is that people like their information now via video and audio. "It's difficult to get people to sit down and read memorandums," he offered. "That's what brokered this decision. We have external channels through the SNN — and in the areas where the public has access or is in our buildings, we do customer service type of communication bulletins. In this way we are able to reinforce the agency message and culture to employees while providing information to the Polk County general population."
The seven PCSO facilities were outfitted with 42-inch flat panels and have been operational since February. One display was placed in each lobby for external messages, and as many as eight different displays were set up in each location for internal communication with PCSO employees.
To read about the entire installation, go to: http://www.visix.com/case_study_polkcountysheriff.html
Back to Top So, that's rAVe DS [Digital Signage] for this month! Remember, we are here to HELP the AV market penetrate the DS market. Less than 5 percent of the DS market is integrated by AV companies. The other 95 percent is IT-based. Now, there are AV publications and even an association that would like to draw those IT people in to AV (it would increase readers, right? – and more readers means they can charge more for ads). That is NOT what we are doing. rAVe DS is specifically designed to pull AV into the DS market and teach AV companies how to take business away from the currently dominated by IT market.
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).
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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.
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