How To Get Started In Digital Signage: Part 1
By Lee Distad
rAVe Columnist For ProAV integrators, digital signage may not be the Last Frontier, but it is certainly the next one. At the same time it can be seen as a battleground between rival companies and channels (such as IT) that have already gone after the market, and other dealers who are just awakening to the business potential of digital signage.
For AV integrators who want to break into the digital signage category but feel like they’re missing important pieces of the puzzle, the good news is that there are resources available to help. Over the coming weeks we’ll hear from vendors and other experts who want to assist AV dealers in coming to grips on digital signage.
Sean Matthews is President of VISIX, Inc, a vendor of browser-based digital signage software that allows for the creation, management and delivery of messages, media and alerts across networked devices. They specialize in digital signage applications, interactive room signs, and targeted messaging publishers to send messages to desktops and portable devices. As Matthews explains, “Each product works independently or can be integrated into a scalable system, from single a display to a large network.”
Matthews is quick to point out that Visix is very focused on working with partner integrators to support their efforts to execute larger and more sophisticated systems. According to him, 90 percent of Visix’s partners are AV integrators, and 70 percent of their business comes from them. “We aim to provide everything you need for successful deployment with software-only or bundled solutions,” says “ as well as multi-tier service and support options to help you manage and maintain your visual communications system.”
Matthews reassures AV integrators that digital signage is neither rocket science nor a foreign language. He thinks that that typical AV pro already possess the mastery of AV infrastructure necessary to get the media in place. “Most DS hardware is networked and able to output to multiple displays.” He explains, “All AV dealers know how to deal with that piece of the puzzle.”
When dealing with networked devices, the real challenge in Matthews’s opinion is getting through the conversation with your client’s IT department. In his experience the IT department is going to want to ride herd on and exercise veto power over every single component that the integrator intends to put into place. If it’s going to be on their network, they’re going to want input and securing agreement from them may be even more important than winning over the client’s executives. Not only do they need to know how to speak to the IT guys, they need to know the right things to say, and either need to build IT expertise in-house, or partner with someone, whether a vendor or a subcontractor who can do it for them.
Matthews emphasizes that getting through that conversation is actually the biggest challenge. “What we’ve seen in the past 24 months is that back then, IT ruled everything. [It] was the major stakeholder that dictated what the buyer could get.” It didn’t matter that the buyer wanted something, because it wouldn’t get through the IT hurdle. However, now some of that balance has shifted. Says Matthews, “The cycle has come full circle. What they dictated wasn’t satisfying the end users. What I’m seeing more recently is that more stakeholders are involved and appealing to [them] is more important.” Enumerating those stakeholders, Matthews points out that on a college campus the provost wants information disseminated around the campus, IT wants certain technology, while campus security wants public safety protocols. “More stakeholders are involved and more are voicing their opinions, “ he says.
Beyond that, more important than just getting the project installed and serviced, dealers have to know how to manage the content. That, Matthews says, is becoming much more important. As a vendor, that’s an area of expertise that companies like Visix can assist with. “We can handle that part unless you want to tackle it as an integrator,” he explains. “You want that revenue stream as opposed to that one sale that comes from putting in the gear.”
Matthews’s advice is that dealers are going to have to partner with two or three vendors who are going to be able to help them. “Not all solutions work in all applications,” he says. “No one vendor can do it all. Not all solutions work in all applications.” And knowing which solution to bring to bear for a specific project is the value-add that makes the integrator worth the client’s money.
Every company has to decide who their customers are, and Matthews advises that most AV integrators his company works with have been reaching out the large corporate and institutional markets. “The retail channel is a low margin animal, “ he says, pointing out that single-store installations, while simpler than entire buildings and campuses also pay far, far less. To that end, it makes sense to focus on campuses, institutions and houses of worship. “AV integrators are already calling on these clients, they have the opportunity to get involved in talking to them digital signage.” Central to going after that client is the issue of scope. Dealers need to talk to institutional clients about saturation, and what the client’s objectives for messaging are. “Look at a really big school,” Matthews says, “If you put 10 to 15 displays scattered around a campus, what’s the point?” Big clients mean big needs, which mean big projects. Lee Distad is a rAVe columnist and freelance writer covering topics from CE to global business and finance in both print and online. Reach him at lee@ravepubs.com
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Digital Signage Coming of Age
By Chris Chinnock
Sr. Editor and Analyst, Insight Media It seems that January is consumer display month (CES), but February is professional display month (Integrated Systems Europe and Digital Signage Expo). I am just back from Digital Signage Expo (DSE) where we taught a full-day course on glass-free 3D digital signage and we roamed the show floor. As a result, I would like to make some high-level comments on these two shows.
First, I think it is fair to say that the needs of the professional display market are becoming increasingly important to the major CE display brands. Sharp, NEC, Samsung, Sony, Mitsubishi, LG, Philips and others are all playing here. Sales are growing strongly and margins are good – a differentiator from the consumer TV space.
Digital signage applications vary, but they can be segmented into three basic business models: - Advertising-based business models that serve up information, entertainment and ads
- Information-based applications like flight schedules or meeting notices
- Branding-based implementations which feature information, entertainment and messaging to build brand awareness, customer loyalty, or employee retention
Retail, casinos, shopping malls, banks, transportation centers, corporate lobbies and campuses, sports venues, theaters, hospitality, etc. are some of the venues. When you think about it, there is already a lot of digital signage out there and it is going to become even more prevalent.
Screen sizes can range from 8" point-of-purchase displays to stadium-sized jumbo-trons. Technologies in competition include LED, OLEDs, LCDs, projection and PDP. There are even some novel technologies, like the NanoLumens technology, that provides a flexible emissive signage solution for wrapping around columns, for example.
LED and projection-based video walls have been the mainstay of this segment for years, and advancements continue. One novel development in LEDs is the debut by Toshiba of an LED tile offers red, green, blue and yellow LEDs that can allow 2D and 3D viewing of content simultaneously (3D needs special glasses). Mitsubishi has been pushing development of large area OLEDs for signage and recently unveiled a 36" round format display along with new 128×128 module tiles that can be used to build bigger walls.
Christie’s MicroTiles projection solution has garnered much interest since their launch and just recently, Prysm has started shipping their low-power cube solution. This very cool technology has been advancing month by month over the last few years and is now quite compelling. Full-sized displays are built using a series of small rear-projection modules powered by a scanning laser that illuminates a phosphor screen. The modules are bright and colorful, have a wide viewing angle and are very energy efficient. This last point is key to their adoption, I suspect.
As one might expect, LCDs are coming on strong. Here, one major trend has been to create thin bezel displays that can compete with tradition LED or projection cube solutions. The bezels are now getting much smaller, and for many applications, are now small enough to be very acceptable.
Samsung invigorated this segment when they launched a 46" model with a 7.3mm wide bezel (active area to active area). At ISE and DSE, they launched a 55" model with a 5.7mm bezel. Sharp has introduced 60" panels with 6.5mm bezel width, but they also add a clever little angled mirror element over the bezel, which helps to make it disappear. LGD display just launched a 37" panel with an amazing 4mm bezel width, and it will even launch a 60" PDP version. The bezel width for the PDP has not been specified. These displays are being offered to OEM customers too, and will, therefore, have a big impact on the market.
Finally, let me make a comment about autostereoscopic displays. Today, products are offered by smaller companies as the majors are not currently offering products. However, the technology is advancing rapidly on many fronts. Philips will be back in the market offering AS-3D displays and new companies with experience in the 2D digital signage market are getting ready to push 3D (Kazaam 3D). It is only a matter of time before the majors turn their attention to this technology and push to commercialize it. I think that is only one to two years off, especially if they can simultaneously see a path to consumer AS-3DTVs. That’s all for now, folks! Chris Chinnock is a senior analyst and editor for Insight Media. Reach him at chris@insightmedia.info Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Digital Signage Expo Sets Record The 2011 version of the Digital Signage Expo was another record setting year with over 5000 attendees and 195 exhibitors. But, the most impressive thing we noticed at the show was the number of content producers versus hardware manufacturers. Where other shows have had digital signage add-ons as special events or side attractions at shows, the DSE show is still the only one that seems to be attracting creative content producers. Thus, there were a lot of ad agency and retail clients there perusing the show floor.
Digital Signage Expo 2012, co-located with the Interactive Technology Expo, Out-of-Home Network Show, and Digital Content Show, is scheduled for March 6-9, 2012, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.
To see all the new products from DSE, go here: https://www.ravepubs.com/rave2011/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=170&Itemid=236 Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top rAVe Shoots Over 230 Videos at Digital Signage Expo 2011 Last month, we visited the digital signage industry’s premier trade show and not only did we Tweet out about everything we saw at the show, but we shot over 230 videos on new digital signage products and technology. Thanks to our sponsors NEC Display, ALMO Pro A/V and CQ Media, rAVe NOW covered every corner of the DSE 201 expo in Las Vegas last week. To simplify your ability to track all the new gear, as well as to guide you in an experience that’s the next-best thing to being at the show yourself, we’ve put everything online in a custom DSE show portal website that includes all the Tweets, blogs and videos we shot in one place.
To see the DSE rAVe NOW portal, go here: http://www.ravenowdse.com/ Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Peerless Shows Digital Signage Stand at DSE Later this year, Peerless will ship a movable cart/stand product for digital signage displays that’s designed to display up to four digital screens simultaneously. Constructed of welded steel, it’s made with gusseted uprights in its tubular frame to avoid tipping and a horizontal rail system allows users to adjust side-by-side displays. Peerless even says that at full capacity, the cart can be easily moved by one individual.
The product can accommodate screen sizes from 40 to 60 inches through staggered hole patterns on the vertical supports. Conversion to a stand is quickly accomplished by replacing the wheels with the available Peerless leg accessory leveler.
Click here to see a video we shot of it at DSE. Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Middle Atlantic Debuts UPS with Individual Outlet Control Middle Atlantic Products is introducing a new line of UPS systems that provide true individual outlet control, both remotely via RS-232 and IP, and locally using Middle Atlantic Power Manager – a web-based interface for local monitoring and control.
Calling it the first UPS with 100 percent individual outlet control in the ProAV and HomeAV markets, Middle Atlantic says this system allows users to control each of the eight outlets independently, unlike other systems that only support control of outlet groups. This capability allows users to restrict unauthorized use of outlets for additional security, and when integrated with a control system via RS-232, can support up to eight-stage sequencing in any combination, with any delay; no separate sequencer is necessary.
Complete specs are here: http://www.middleatlantic.com/ Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Chief Debuts Kontour At DSE, Chief announced the launch of a unique line of desk and wall monitor arms called the Kontour Series. Kontour mounts are elegantly designed with a forged aluminum body and can hold monitors weighing up to 40 pounds (18.14 kg). Variable mounting options allow installers to choose between desk and wall mounts with varying extension up to 24” (61 cm). Advanced models also include Extreme Centris with -10° to +75° of fingertip tilt that lends itself well to sit-to-stand workstation applications. A hassle-free cable management system easily conceals cables beneath hinged channel covers in the K1 Series. Easy Access loops keep cables tidy in the K2 Series. To see the entire line, go here: http://www.chiefmfg.com/search_results.aspx?view=initial&quick=k1d100
Also, click here to see a video we shot of it at DSE. Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Extron Ships HDMI Audio De-Embedder Extron launched a unique HDMI tool recently in the form of the HAE 100, an audio de-embedder that extracts the audio from the HDMI signal and provides outputs for analog stereo and digital S/PDIF audio. The HAE 100 supports data rates up to 6.75 Gbps for compatibility with HDMI 1.3 Deep Color. It is HDCP compliant and compatible with HDTV 1080p/60 or computer-video resolutions up to 1920×1200. The HAE 100 is equipped with several integrator-friendly features, including a buffered HDMI video output with EDID Minder for simplified EDID management between the input source and the display, plus input cable equalization and comprehensive LED status display.
For more details, go here: http://www.extron.com/company/article.aspx?id=hae100ad Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top A Sneak Peak of NEC's Commercial LED Displays Although they’re not officially launched in the USA yet, we got a peak at them at the recent ISE show in Amsterdam. There, NEC introduced its brand new 46” and 55” LED-backlit 24/7 commercial displays, one of the first truly commercial displays with LED-backlighting (as opposed to consumer-grade displays). NEC told us that the displays are shipping in about a month here in the US.
Nothing on their website, yet, but (to the right) is the picture we took at ISE and here’s a video we shot of it at DSE: https://www.ravepubs.com/rave2011/index.php?option=com_ravevideo&view=ravevideo&ravevideo_id=3931&Itemid=237 Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Peerless Debuts Menu-Board Kit At DSE last month, Peerless showed a neat product in the form of a Digital Menu Board Kit. Allowing what Peerless says is an infinite number of display configurations, the Digital Menu Board Kit enables customers to fit an individual digital menu’s length to their exact needs – including full flat or tilted viewing to -5 to 15 degrees. Anti-tampering features prevent incidence of theft, and are included as part of the product’s security hardware. Clutter from hanging cords can be reduced using the offered Cable Management Accessory.
Portrait or landscape installation is completed in a quick three-step process that allows for multiple displays to be arranged side-by-side. And, to aid installation, Peerless has created an online Menu Board Configurator that allows users to plug in various board dimensions to an online tool that produces results showing the proper corresponding kit.
The Digital Menu Board kit is built to hold a wide range of menu board displays from 13 to 102 inches. See the full specs here: http://www.peerlessinfo.com/menuboard/
In addition, here’s a video we show of this at DSE. Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top CyberResearch Adds 52" Outdoor Display CyberResearch showed three additions to its CyRAQ 1000 series of sunlight-readable outdoor digital signs in the form of 32, 40, and 52" LCD displays with optional touchscreens. You can mount these high-resolution signs nearly anywhere in portrait or landscape and they use what CyberResearch calls “AR-Bonding.”. CyberResearch pioneered this technology in the industrial field to reduce excessive light reflections, which can make standard LCDs look washed out. The AR-Bonding system supposedly makes the signs readable even in direct sunlight and they claim it reduces internal reflections, so more light escapes from the signs. As a result, less power is needed for backlight and cooling-cutting costs every day. AR-Bonding also provides support between LCD and front glass, and it eliminates air-gap fogging from condensation.
For complete details, go here: http://www.cyberresearch.com/ Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top DS Case Study of the Month: Las Vegas' Cosmopolitan Casino
By Dave Haynes
Editor, Sixteen:Nine There was lots of chatter last month in the digital signage community about the new Cosmopolitan casino in Las Vegas. The place is very cool, very expensive, and loaded with digital video.
The LED boards outside are beautifully crisp and well-positioned. The digital walls in the lobby are stunning. There are large screens embedded, even, in the elevator car walls. And the screens that are sprinkled around the gaming floor run content that is wildly different than anything else I have seen.
It’s that last thing that continues to intrigue me. The material, apparently contracted to and developed by Digital Kitchen in Chicago, is purely ambient. There is nothing approaching promotional material. There are no calls to action. There are no ties at all to what one can spend money on at the Cosmo.
Instead, it is jellyfish, and glowing, shifting colors, and monochromatic CGI micro-movies that look overhead as people move around an urban landscape. It is the sort of thing that would break the heart of the typical beverage manager who wants to yell “$2 Michelobs!” from the slot bank monitors.
But I think, and this is based on asking smart content guys like Preset partner Pat Hellberg, the whole idea was differentiation. Just about any other casino uses its screens to promote, promote, promote. And there is no programming strategy. People can come to the Cosmo and feel a little different. It is hardly serene, but it is definitely different.
I shot some video, and that’s me jabbering away in the background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsX78nTXN3g&feature=player_embedded#at=19 Leave a Comment
Share Article 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. Only 12 percent of the DS market is integrated by AV companies. The other 88 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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