Volume 6, Issue 3 — March 20, 2014

True 4K is spectacular — as good as a top quality printed poster. One of the bigger myths out there right now is that 4K is too expensive. That may have been true in the past, but the price point for 4K is dropping very fast!

Most digital signage content is already shot in 4K and signage providers, retailers and integrators can present it in its pristine native quality without great expense — by picking the right installation components.

While most top commercial grade 4K screens can be very expensive, there are monitors available for under $1,000. The 50″ consumer grade Seiki 4K screens we used in the BrightSign booth at ISE sell for under $950. I think you will see this trend, 4K screen prices dropping to a reasonable premium over full HD screens, start to happen in the commercial market soon.

Equally, you can spend thousands on a solution for decode and output to the display, or you can use a less than $900 purpose-built, solid-state player that perfectly supports the requirements of the new 4K ecosystem, handling H.265 encoded content at 60 fps for output via a HDMI 2.0 interface.

Since 4K is becoming affordable at a very rapid rate, I believe that this transition will be one of the fastest that the digital signage industry has ever seen. There is a good chance that commercial adoption of 4K will happen ahead of consumer adoption. The reason is that we have much greater control of the whole ecosystem from content creation and distribution to presentation. While most movies and other broadcast content are already shot in 4K, the distribution challenges are much greater for the broadcast industry. There is good momentum for 4K’s arrival in the consumer space as evidenced by announcements from Netflix that they will be starting 4K delivery trials with H.265 encoded content in the first half of this year and by Amazon which also promises 4K content delivery in the near future.

When our player ships this summer, signage industry professionals will be able to buy a player with leading-edge technology along with a screen that presents a true 4K experience for under $2,000. That’s a promise.

The focus of this series “Power of Content” is to help people with content strategies and how they relate to digital screen media.

If digital signage was real estate, then the aspect ratio would be the overall shape of the lot — in the case of screens, it’s width divided by its height. Many people are already familiar with this general concept thanks to the development of HDTV and its “wide screen” images. For digital signage, this is more than about the sheer size of the screen, though — it’s about getting the shape of the content, particularly video content, to match up with the screen.

It’s quite likely, unless a network or multiple networks are of single aspect ratio and all the content for the networks can be built from scratch or acquired in that same ratio, that the network operator or agency will need to decide how to place content of one ratio onto the screen of the other.

The aspect ratio of the traditional television screen prior to HDTV was developed from the movie screen, built to display the 35 mm film that had been developed in Edison’s time. It is not quite square: The aspect ratio is 4:3, (Figure 1) also known as 1.33 (what you get when you divide 4 by 3). Until recently, most computer screens were also built on a 4:3 aspect ratio. Almost all films prior to the 1950s, the vast majority of TV programs until very recently, and TV ads were all also shot in this aspect ratio and hence fill up the full frame of such a screen.

In the 1950s, in an attempt to stave off competition from television, the movie industry developed a collection of wide-screen formats, and today filmgoers are accustomed to seeing movies that are almost twice as wide as they are tall — and in some cases, even wider. The development of HDTV involved the adoption of the most common of these newer aspect ratios, 16:9, also commonly called 1.78 (Figure 2). Many films since the 1950s, significant prime time and sports programming on TV, and some TV ads, are in this aspect ratio. Almost all PC screens being sold today are in this format, and as HDTV becomes more widespread, more video will be available from the TV world in this format as well. If one is installing a new digital signage network, chances are it will consist solely of 16:9 screens, whether they are small shelf-mounted POS screens or large outdoor billboards.

These are the most commonly encountered aspect ratios but there are others, notably the 2.35:1 format used by some movies, typically high-budget productions. (It is extremely rare to find digital signage in this format; there are few manufacturers.) And some screens in custom form may have unique ratios, or they may be taller than then are wide to accommodate the location (the large exterior digital signs in Times Square are an example of the latter).
The reason these ratios matter is because content created in one aspect ratio must be modified in some way to be displayed in another. This can create a number of problems for a network operator: If a digital signage network consists of screens of different aspect ratios, the same content will look different on each type without special treatment. Even for a network comprising a single screen format — and 4:3 is being phased out in existing networks as hardware is updated — any content created in another ratio poses the same display issue. (This is another reason for considering carefully the direct use of TV commercials in digital signage networks, since almost all ads today are still in 4:3.)

Figure 1 — 4:3 Ratio Screen ©2014 Keith Kelsen

Figure 2 — 16:9 Ratio Screen ©2014 Keith Kelsen

There are two basic methods for taking 16:9 content and presenting it on 4:3 screens, methods that might be familiar to buyers of wide-screen movies on DVD but watch them on older TVs.

The first is known as letterboxing (Figure 3). In this approach, the 16:9 image is allowed to fill the horizontal width of the screen. Because of the difference in ratios, this means the content will not extend the full height of the screen. Instead, it is centered vertically on the screen and two black stripes are displayed as borders on the top and bottom of the image. Letterboxing has the advantage of retaining the full image of the original content, although it leaves some significant screen real estate unused. If the screen is not sufficiently large, then some individual objects in the image might become less distinct.

Figure 3 — Letterboxing ©2014 Keith Kelsen

Figure 4 — Cropping a 16:9 image onto a 4:3 screen. ©2014 Keith Kelsen

A second approach is to allow the 16:9 image to fill the full vertical height of the 4:3 screen (Figure 4). By necessity, this means that the full width cannot be presented and some of the original image will not be visible. This can be done by cropping out both the left and right sides of the original image and displaying the 4:3 section at the center, or by a more laborious process called “pan and scan” in which the cropping may be more pronounced on one side or the other in order to keep important parts of the image centered. This typically requires an editor or technician to view the original content and determine which part of each frame to crop, and then creating a 4:3 version of the original according to that decision. In either case, the content takes up all the available screen space, but at the loss of a considerable amount of the image.

Know what type of network the content will be deployed on — ask for the specifications.

Author and speaker Keith Kelsen, chief visionary at 5th Screen, is considered one of the leading experts on digital media. More information about his book, Unleashing the Power of Digital Signage — Content Strategies for the 5th Screen, published by Focal Press, can be found on the book’s companion website. Reach him at keith.kelsen@5thscreen.com or on Twitter.

But, one of the most profitable parts of digital signage is the creative services part. You see, digital signage is made up three parts – the hardware (you know, the display, the media player, the wire/cable, etc), the network (that’s what makes the digital signage system connectable and manageable over the Internet) and the creative (the stuff you see on the screen). That last part is tough for AV’ers as we typically have a hard time keeping our own websites update – much less making creative looking digital signage presentation material.

In my presentations over the past few years, I’ve been recommending integrators doing digital signage get into the creative as it’s more profitable (generally 50-70 percent margins) and it’s recurring (you get that money every time they change it – and with good digital signage networks, it’ll change weekly). To do this, I have been saying that you can hire college kids who majored in graphic design as they can easily do this and it’s a heck of a lot more interesting than designing a website.

But, if you haven’t done this yet, Almo is making it even easier as tomorrow they will launch Almo Digital Signage Creative Services. And, the best part is that you can buy the service from Almo and resell it to your clients. It’s a win-win!

This morning, I got the lowdown from Almo’s VP of Marketing Melody Craigmyle via my daily podcast. She explains how it will work and where you can find more details. It’s worth listening.

For more information on Almo Pro A/V’s content creation services and to see examples, click here.

Most educational institutions first started using interactive kiosks as a way to manage the registration of students, especially at university campuses. It eliminated the long lines, allowing students to enter their personal information, choose their classes and even pay tuition using a secure, user‐friendly platform. Kiosk usage has since been extended, allowing students to:

• Top up smart cards to avoid using cash for school transactions
• Access transcripts
• Obtain campus maps
• Participate in student and faculty surveys
• Obtain directions for the area around the campus
• Check in for events
• Obtain campus information and updates
• Conduct research via the internet
• Purchase books online
• Fill out applications for student clubs and volunteer organizations

Schools are also using kiosk technology to promote recycling. At Texas A&M, recycling kiosks allow users to earn points for every bottle or can they recycle. The points can then be redeemed for discounts at participating local establishments.

Three Williamson County schools announced that they will start using small electronic kiosks in their front offices. It is hoped that it will make some of the schools’ processes more accessible to parents. It will also enhance current security measures, providing visual documentation, including vehicle information, of anyone present at the campus.
School kiosks bring many benefits including:

• Reduced payroll and overhead costs
• Increased efficiency
• Less paperwork
• A great opportunity for school branding to promote school pride
• A more positive, effective student experience

One of our earlier projects included the installation of information kiosks in three different languages at Stoddert Elementary in Washington, D.C. These kiosks facilitated the school’s efforts to become more energy efficient. Since then, as their benefits are realized resulting in increased usage, we have installed many types of kiosks at educational institutions, each customized to address the specific needs of the school.

This column was reprinted with permission from the Digital Screenmedia Association and originally appeared here.

Image via Slabb

In my view, there are many industries that can benefit from this interaction, one of the biggest being the restaurant industry. Applebee’s has recently announced that it will start using tablets in its restaurants. According to an article in Business Week, the restaurant chain is initiating this change because customers have told them the thing they hate the most is waiting for their bill.

Certainly, I can understand this feeling. I am one of those people who give my card to the waitress as soon as I get my entree to be sure I don’t have to wait 15 minutes for the bill when I am done eating. The chain plans on allowing customers to order drinks, desserts and pay their bills from the tablets. Applebee’s feels that customers will leave happier not having to sit around waiting, and will allow them to turn the tables over faster.

I am interested to also see what the other possibilities of the “second screen” will be for Applebee’s. Certainly, the tablets could be a full menu, that allow diners to order their food when they are ready. Using a tablet the diners could see pictures of every entree, dessert, drink and appetizer on the menu. Allowing customers to order from the tablets would help the impulse purchase of extra drinks and appetizers. How many times have you spent ten minutes looking for your waitress so you can order a second drink, only to be done your meal by the time you get it? What if you could order it from the tablet, and the order goes directly to the bar, and gets sent over by an available waitress? Maybe, you would end up purchasing a third drink, which means more money for the restaurant.

You don’t need to be a national chain in order to benefit from this technology. Your local sports bar would be a great place for this technology. Locally owned restaurants could benefit from technology by being able to push certain dishes or drinks. I envision an app on the tablets designed specifically for the restaurant. Like the Applebee’s app, there would be a full menu, and you can order from it. But, you could customize this for your restaurant. For example, if you had a special you wanted to push, you could feature it on the app. The feature would include pictures, descriptions and costs.

Now, what about the customer who comes in and is not quite sure what she wants? How about an app that walks them through some questions? Do you feel like beef, chicken or fish? Do you like spicy food or sweet food? Once you have narrowed down your entree, the app could suggest what drinks would go well with the selection. Perhaps it could even suggest some good appetizers for your particular choices.

The hold out for this type of change is clearly going to be the money that will need to be invested. There is definitely an initial investment, so the smart integrator is going to put some numbers on paper to present to the restaurateur about where they will spend, save and make money. An obvious money saver will be the removal of all the paper menus. Perhaps, you let the customer bring in their own second screen. A simple QR code at each table could be scanned to load the app on their phone, and indicate which table they are at for ordering purposes. You certainly would need to purchase some tablets, but you would not need a tablet for every potential customer. You could even offer a discount for customers who use their own devices. Personally as a germ-o-phobe, I would love to use my own device and not have to worry about touching the menu or tablet that dozens of other people have touched.

In a venue like a sports bar, there could also be integration with the digital signs and monitors already on the wall.  Customers could use the apps on their devices to “cheer” on a team with messages on the boards. Is there some guy on the other side of the bar cheering on the “wrong” team? Challenge them to a bet for a beer and let the rest of the venue take in the action with you. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Another enormous benefit of these digital menus is the flexibility of providing calorie information. There have been big pushes in the country over the past several years to get calorie information on our menus. However, the restaurant industry has fought back, essentially saying that one cannot possibly include all the options on a menu or a sign.  Does your steak have garlic butter on it, blue cheese on it or some other topping? What if you substitute mashed potatoes for french fries? The app would make this a simple calculation and allow the customer to try out several different scenarios. Heck, they could even put in a calorie limit as they stepped through their preferences for food.

One of the most amazing benefits for integrators is that this would be a massive money maker. There is some equipment to sell (which you don’t make money on) and a lot of integration and creative work (the things that really bring in the cash). Like so much of the AV and digital signage industry today, you also need a very integrated company. You would need your IT guys on board, your creative team on board and your programmers (both for systems and apps) on board.

What do you think? Is the restaurant industry on the verge of some exciting changes? Would the costs of these technologies make them approachable for the smaller local establishments? Does your company have the right people in place to strike gold in this new market? Touch base with me and let me know your thoughts!

John Curran, 1946-2014

John was an influencer in the industry and was always digging deep into the facts that drove the industry. Those insights were responsible for many initiatives that industry technology leaders used to create strategy for the marketplace. We have seen his work show up in presentations at DSE, CETW although he did not take credit publicly. He was a leading expert on location-based Consumer Digital Engagements and provided strategic consulting to technology market leaders such as Intel and HP. He had a proven track record of designing, integrating, evaluating and deploying complex and cost-effective Digital Engagement Solutions and was considered a subject matter expert on Video Analytics and Remote Monitoring and Management. Mr. Curran helped numerous retail giants simplify the complex process of designing, developing and deploying end-to-end Digital Engagement Solutions that were easy to use, scalable and cost effective.

John was beloved in the industry by his colleagues, most of whom were his friends. The long calls and strategy sessions were always engaging and at times entertaining with laughter all around. On some calls his much-loved dogs would be in the background creating havoc while he was talking statistical data to drive a strategic point.
He will be sorely missed by the industry that he helped shape over the last 14 years. There is a gap in the industry and in our hearts.

Best known, recently, as designing and engineering the new Fox News NewsDeck, X2O Media was established in 2006 as a spin-off from VertigoXmedia, a Montreal based company with strong expertise in the field of broadcast graphics automation. X2O’s innovative platform enables the connection, management and delivery of real-time data through dynamic and interactive channels, from any source to any screen, anywhere — including digital signage.

X2O’s platform establishes real-time visual communications with every possible feed via the Internet including social media feeds, RSS feeds, news feeds, etc and makes them available wherever you want. The software is being used in demanding applications across a wide range of industries and shows a strong match with Barco’s target markets, including enterprise communications, corporate and education, retail and advertising, control rooms, broadcast and healthcare. The customer base includes major global brands and multinational corporations who use the X2O platform for visually communicating with employees, customers and other stakeholders.

The X2O software platform is using hardware agnostic standards, building on HTML-5 technology, and can address any display and all mobile devices. The platform includes plug-ins, “objects” for almost any type of data-source, from local database-systems, over collaboration sites (SharePoint, Exchange…) up to dynamic data feeds from social media or news sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube…).

X2O Media will be integrated in the Barco organization as a business venture. In addition, the X2O specific capabilities and technology will be integrated gradually in solutions for all of Barco’s markets.

X2O Media posted sales of 5 million Canadian Dollars in 2013, employs about 40 people and was backed by Propulsion Ventures. The price of this acquisition is set at 21 million Canadian Dollars ($18.6 million USD).

X20 is here and Barco is here.

Features of the YA-S10 include:

• High-precision correction and an interface that allows easy modifications using a remote control
• Image correction for curved surfaces using free-form surface compensation with a lattice of up to 81 grid points for adjustments
• Enables users to project images onto curved pillars, round areas, flat surfaces, or any unique shape
• Adjusts any image misalignment or distortion without the need for additional hardware

The YA-S10 lists for $1,999.99 and more information can be found here.

Single strut channel install per row — for large walls, installers simply level a single strut channel and hang the mounts. This quickly aligns the entire row and removes the need for spacers to measure horizontally between mounts. The mounts work with strut channel that can be easily sourced locally. For multiple rows, simply use the height of the screen to measure between each row rail.

PowerZone Adjustment — Six points of tool-free height, tilt, lateral and depth adjustment are all found in one easy-to-access location. One tilt pivot point and a floating plane protect the display from damaging twisting and eliminate transfer of torque from the wall to screen. Three levels of lateral adjustment allow for precise alignment and protect screens from unnecessary collisions.

Generous Depth Adjustment — No wall is perfectly flat, and the more screens are added, the more difficult aligning video walls becomes. ConnexSys mounts allow the home position to be set anywhere between 4 to 7.3″ (102-186 mm) from the wall for perfect depth. Independent depth adjustments can be made on both sides of the mount to accommodate walls up to 2″ out of alignment horizontally. This helps meet needs for large video walls, recess video walls where matching the outer surface can be particularly difficult, and even single display recess applications.

RapidDraw Display Release — A controlled pull cord release gives installers access to any display on the video wall, removing the possibility of accidental pop-outs from people bumping into screens. The release also protects the displays by reducing the frequency and aggressiveness of screen pushing. Cords can be positioned to pull for release from any side. The mounts can be pulled out up to 13.7″ (348 millimeters) from the wall for ample access space. Engage the kickstand to 20 degrees for even more room to work.

Rigidity — A particular problem for installers is that displays lose their alignment if they are pulled out for service. Overzealous cleaning crews can also accidentally shift display alignment. Chief engineers added rigidity to the solution to prevent accidental screen shift from occurring when the screen is pulled out.

ConnexSys is available in landscape (LVS1U) and portrait (LVS1UP) versions with rails. Here are all the details.

More information is here.

“This is the first time we have co-located our E4 event with a major tradeshow and we look forward to connecting with those in the sign industry to share the value, benefits and profitability opportunities in digital signage from an AV perspective,” according to Melody Craigmyle, vice president of marketing for Almo Professional A/V. “E4 Orlando will include a digital signage keynote address, a full day of courses focusing on digital signage and information about Almo’s new Content Creation Services, and more than 35 audiovisual manufacturers showcasing the newest digital signage products. We will also co-host a reception immediately after E4.”

Craigmyle added that the morning keynote address and afternoon panel discussion will also be available live via webstream so those who cannot attend in person can still tune in to ask questions and learn valuable information.

“We are so excited to have Almo’s E4 tour co-locating with ISA International Sign Expo,” said Lori Anderson, ISA president and CEO. “Dynamic digital signage is a growth area for the sign industry. Partnering with Almo’s E4 tour will bring integrators and sign manufacturers together to help both serve their customers better.”

Now in its fifth year, the E4 tour continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of AV resellers, integrators and consultants. Credited as the industry’s most specialized one-day dealer event, E4 has traveled to countless cities to serve the product, technical and business training needs of thousands of resellers and installers while creating the ideal forum for professional networking.

ISA International Sign Expo is the on-premise sign industry’s largest event, drawing 19,500 attendees in 2013. Its exhibit floor exceeds 200,000 square feet of space and includes an area dedicated to this unique sector of the sign industry, ISA Dynamic Digital Park (DDP). In addition to education sessions within the DDP throughout the show, ISA will once again hold Dynamic Digital Day at ISA Sign Expo on Wednesday, April 23, a special day of education for sign companies dedicated to dynamic digital signage.

E4 Orlando will include a specialized keynote address delivered by Gary Kayye of Kayye Consulting called “Press the ‘ON’ Button: Digital Signage is Here to Stay,” which focuses on how to get in on the ground floor of this explosively growing market. Additionally, E4 Orlando will include the following courses, some worth valuable InfoComm Renewal Units:

• Content Creation for Digital Signage. Almo Content Creation Team
• Power and Grounding Best Practices. InfoComm International
• Don’t Be a Commodity: Dealing with RFPs. Stimson Group, LLC
• Video Walls: A Start to Finish Guide for Success. NEC
• Assessing Network Readiness for AV Systems. InfoComm International
• Demystifying Media Players for Digital Signage. Brawn Consulting
• New A/V Integration Model. Stimson Group
• The Art of “Techorating” with Displays for Commercial Applications. Brawn Consulting

E4 Orlando is on April 23, 2014 at the Orange County Convention Center and runs from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There will be an onsite networking reception sponsored by Almo, ISA and NEC Display Solutions of America immediately following from 4:00-5:00 p.m. It is an entirely free event, including parking, for Almo Pro A/V’s reseller, integrator and consultant partners.

To register, click here. To watch any of the videos we shot at the Dallas E4 last week, go here.

The mounts come in triple- and quad-display options while keeping the Fusion single ceiling mount features, such as:

• Centris technology provides a continuous range of fingertip tilt from +5 to -20 degrees with four set locking points to eliminate guesswork when adjusting multiple screens
• Compatible with traditional 1.5″ NPT and Chief pin-connection CPA ceiling plates and column systems (sold separately)
• Compatible with most displays 32-60″
• Tool-free screen engagement to secure displays with optional padlock security

The multi-directional adapter can be ordered as an accessory without Fusion mounts to allow for integration of different mount heads. To mount three LCDs, use the LCM3U. To mount four LCDs, use the LCM4U.

Many audio and video file formats are supported with NTSC and PAL output resolutions up to 1920×1080. Two USB 2.0 ports provide connection to the included USB flash drive or to an external hard drive. File formats supported include MP3, MPEG, WMA, PCM, LPCM, ADPCM, FLAC, WAV, AAC, OGG and MKA audio formats as well as MPEG 1/2/4, DivX 3/4/5/6, XVid and H.264/AVC video codecs. It ‘s integrated with full media scheduling and accounting logs, plus you can create schedules and playlists using a text editor. It’s housed in a VESA mountable 8.4″ x 1.6″ x 5.1″ enclosure.

All the detailed specs are here.

ATEN says the VM5080H combines its EDID Expert functionality with its “Seamless Switch” technology to support mixed environments with disparate input and display resolutions, automatically selecting the optimum display parameters for a given display when switching inputs. It also includes front panel pushbuttons, an IR remote control, RS232, Telnet and access via a browser GUI / network interface.

Priced at $3,999.95, the VM5808H will be available this month. See all the specs here.

Signagelive and Samsung Solution

Rocket Oil selected the Samsung MD-C Series of commercial displays, powered by Samsung’s Smart Signage Platform and Signagelive’s Food Service Manager, for a digital menu board pilot at its Ideal Market location in Marion, Kentucky. Dynamic menu board content is delivered to five 46-inch displays over LA N without the need for an external media player, reducing the total cost of ownership and enabling menu updates to be made remotely at any time.

The Samsung Smart Signage displays enabled Rocket Oil to transition from static signage to dynamic digital menu boards and to achieve greater flexibility and lower costs. Within weeks of deploying the displays, Rocket Oil had received numerous positive customer comments and was seeing significant time savings due to the ease of making menu changes. The company expects to rollout the digital menu board platform to seven to ten more stores and also plans to utilize the displays for advertising.

See a more in-depth version of this case study here [PDF].