Volume 7, Issue 10 — October 26, 2015

So, when thinking of strategy, have you considered what the strategy of your company is? Does your company have a planned strategy for digital signage? If not, then this column should help you get a head start.

First, consider what the experts have to say about strategy. Michael Porter is the expert on strategy and his work What is Strategy is often considered the final word on business strategy. This article is a good read if you have never have gotten the chance before. Strategy is commonly defined (and defined by Porter) as doing something that your competitors don’t do, and doing it in a way that can not be duplicated. Therefore, your strategy for digital signage in your company can not be selling a single unit, or even a system, and then walking away. Anybody can do that. It is likely that other people are willing to do it better and less expensive than you. You don’t want to get stuck in the death spiral of losing money on installs.

Instead, you want to develop a strategy that puts your company at the forefront of applying digital signage techniques and showing your customers how to use it. This will likely involve hiring, or reassigning duties among people in your business. Ideally, you will want a person who is a marketing person to be represented in this digital signage team. Marketers understand the goals and needs of other marketers. They can listen to needs and make suggestions that are real and believable. It is possible, especially for some of the larger AV firms, that you already have someone on your team who is a marketing expert. Leverage the skills and abilities of this person. It may mean reassigning some other tasks, or bringing on a new person, but remember, you have a strategy for doing it. You have a plan that will pay off. Second, you will likely need to bring in a designer. This is a person who can work as part of your digital signage sales team (including engineers, installers and the marketing person) to hear customers needs and desires and turn that into content that meets those needs. This is perhaps one of the most important aspects. Companies often buy full digital signage systems and then have no idea how to implement them. Think of how many banks, hotels and conference centers you have walked into that have monitors installed, but are either off or simply showing the name of the business. Because they worked with an AV firm that either had no strategy, or had a very poor strategy.

The worse part about either of those approaches is that you are leaving so much money on the table. With the correct strategy, you can sell and install the equipment for the same small margin you always have. In many cases, you don’t even need to talk in detail with your customer about the hardware product. The fact is they don’t care. They want to know how it will work and what it will do for them. If you have a strategy in place to show them this, you will also have a strategy for a steady revenue stream and repeat customers. While you will not be the cheapest firm going to sell the product, you will have a history of success and a clear value added product for your customer. So, now it is time for you to develop YOUR strategy before someone else does it first, and does it better.

Picture yourself at your favorite amusement park: It’s a 90 degree day with 98 percent humidity, you get up to your favorite roller coaster ride only to find out the wait time is 90 minutes. What will you do for all that time, slowly weaving through the line with nothing but your excitement for the ride? Well, the solution to that dilemma is digital signage.

Digital signage is the solution to many of the troubles faced at amusement parks. There are endless uses for the application and amusement parks are a perfect application!

No one wants to wait in a 90-minute line, especially when that wait happens for every ride they patronize. The solution to making guest experience as pleasant as possible while waiting countless hours is digital signage.  The content options are totally up to the park itself.  Content can include anything from music videos to themed trivia, and can easily be altered to entertain the target audience depending on the ride. For example, a children’s ride would be best to play cartoons, which are a great way to entertain the kids and keep the parents happy. Giving guests something to look at gives them a better wait time experience overall.

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Ad options are endless with digital signage. Think about the many vendors, shops, etc. inside an amusement park: food and drink stands; gift shops; airbrush tattoo artists; caricature artists; park photographers; the list could go on and on. With the ability to display multiple ads on one display, gives the ability to reach many different audiences. You want to be on the top of as many guests’ minds as you can so they will come to your food stand or your gift shop. Digital signage allows for the opportunity to send out as many messages as you please.

Create a Digital Experience

All rides have a theme and what better way to immerse guests than by displaying digital content on multiple displays incorporated in the ride? Digital signage can be used to display the rides countdown, or it could be used to simulate an experience for example.

Easily and Quickly Update Content

Updating content has never been easier. Staff can update the content via a computer, eliminating the need to physically change signs and allowing for much more content possibilities. One moment the display could be of an advertisement, while the next it could be playing a movie click to entertain guests.

Outdoor Abilities

Incorporating outdoor displays in theme parks offers endless options for content, but it’s important to ensure your digital signage properly works for the outdoors. Outdoor elements create all sorts of problems for electronics, but if you incorporate the right digital signage solution outdoors you won’t run into problems. Proper outdoor displays are able to withstand wide temperature ranges that come with the seasons, and completely protect the display from rain, wind, dust, etc.

These are very limited suggestions for the reasons and benefits of digital signage in amusement parks. I suggest reaching out to your local CTS-certified installer for ideas.

Tell us: What’s your favorite example of digital signage at a theme park?

Sharp Electronics showed an 8K TV at CES. That’s 7,680×4,320 pixels (that’s 33 megapixels). But, they’ll never ship it.

Why?

Well, Sharp exited the consumer TV business earlier this year. But, the commercial AV version will be ready to ship next month — at least in the U.S. It will ship in Europe and Asia in early 2016.

So what good is it?

Well, although the first real 8K content won’t arrive until the 2020 Olympics from Tokyo (the 2020 games will be broadcast in 8K, actually), imagine the collaborative applications where you an display 1080p and 4K natively at the same time!

The 84” Sharp LV-85001 will debut next month will be about $135,000 and will be difficult to send signals to as no one actually makes 8K-capable signal distribution gear, or cables, for that matter.

And don’t think that LG, Samsung or Sony are sitting back watching Sharp take the resolution lead. All of them claim they’ll ship 8K next year, too.

Wireless displays are one of the more exciting frontiers of technology. As little as three years ago, most of the world’s displays could only be accessed through a traditional video cable. Video transport standards and cables + adapters meant that the use-case model for displays hadn’t changed since the Xerox Star of the mid-1970s. One of the reasons we built Solstice was to unlock what we viewed as the world’s largest untapped computational infrastructure — the trillions of pixels that are being deployed in conference rooms, hallways and lobbies in the form of larger format displays.

Now all that has changed. Wireless display technologies allow any user to stream media (videos, pictures or their entire desktop) to displays without the traditional video cable. This means that the old one-source-at-a-time paradigm is being challenged — often in very cool ways. I spend a lot of time on the road meeting with customers who are using our wireless display system for collaboration — Solstice. Most of the time, it’s being used to increase meeting efficiency and efficacy by reducing the time it takes to get information up on the screen from a device and by increasing collaboration between participants (Solstice allows many sources to stream to a shared display at the same time). I’ve seen it transform meeting culture in some of the most conservative companies in the world — from long, single-presenter, serialized meetings to more conversational, multi-source collaboration sessions.

This is great, but once in a while I come across even more creative uses of Solstice outside of the meeting room. This second order effect often happens with disruptive technologies where the initial disruption is centered on one use-case, but then it quickly spreads to have impact in other areas. The printing press, for example, was initially used to only print Bibles faster as a replacement for hand-written copies; the second order effect, of course, was to impact how we communicated and learned in general.

Here are the top three uses of wireless display that I’ve seen this year. Hats off to these innovative customers and their AV partners that have designed these very cool spaces (I’ve redacted names in the interest of privacy).

3. Activity Sharing to a Developers’ Wall

There is a software company out there that is known for its market-leading products. They divide their engineers into small ’scrum’ teams that work together in two-week ‘sprints’ to introduce new features to their products. These are teams of about 8-12 developers who sit together, communicate quite often, and collaborate to quickly develop code. They’ve installed a 70” flat-panel display above their soft-armed furniture and tables where they work. A Solstice Pod is connected to the room’s display so that it becomes a shared workspace. Each developer has installed Solstice and streams their development environment to the display. This means that at any time, the display is showing one, many, or all of the different desktops. I’ve seen them stack the desktops so that they can flip through the different desktops to see the one they want. A developer may wonder ’What is the name of that function that I need to call?’ They will then flip to the desktop of the person who is actually writing that function to take a look.The shared display has become a global-view of what is being done by the team as well as a way for users, at a glance, to see what their colleagues are working on. This is so much better than shoulder surfing. They’ve taken synchronous collaboration to a whole new level.

2. Transforming Digital Signage into Collaboration Hotspots

A large business school had already deployed dozens of flat panels throughout campus buildings as part of a digital signage initiative. The displays were being used for traditional digital signage such as visiting lectures announcements and new student instructions. By installing Solstice Software on the same host PC driving the digital signage and configuring the software to ‘wake on connect,’ those displays now listen for any device that wants to share its screen to that display. This installation is exactly what the promise of wireless displays is all about — leveraging the huge deployed base of displays for something new. The AV consultant on the project designed physical labels that were added to the displays to announce that these were ‘collaboration hotspots.’ Now when I visit this campus, I can watch students visiting in a hall about a lecture open their phone and stream a PDF document to the display to support the conversation. As this customer continues to deploy wireless displays, the campus is becoming a seamless infrastructure for sharing and communication.

1. Creating a Social Camera Wall

A very large video cube wall that had initially been deployed as part of a bar/restaurant’s ambiance received a major upgrade just by adding wireless display capability. The wall spans the length of the waiting area and, in the past, was used for subtle advertising — basically it was ignored. The AV designer in this case installed Solstice and customized the design of the display to let waiting patrons at the bar share from their devices to the display. Dozens of users were now able to share vacation images for their friends, stream the output from their cameras live as they drink at their table, and mirror their devices as they read the New York Times. The effect is a constantly evolving graffiti wall of ambiance that is interactive, social, and new. Because Solstice authenticates users on connection — the graffiti tends to stay PG-13 rated and fun. I’ve seen the various streams of media from all the wirelessly connected devices evolve as though a hive mind is at work — drifting from political satire, to just beautiful imagery, and into the more scientific over a few hours. The restaurant that wanted to convey modernism and openness is happy. Patrons that wait for as long as two hours for a table are happy too.

I find these uses of Solstice fascinating, and as wireless display technology becomes more common, I have no doubt many more new use cases will manifest. So while it may be impossible to say exactly what the future will hold, I do think it’s safe to predict that the primary paradigm of display interaction will continue to shift away from a single source, one-to-many model and toward accessible, multi-user, interactive infrastructure. In fact, you can already observe the demand for interactivity at a basic level in the decline of broadcast media and the rise of on-demand content. Users no longer want to ‘tune-in’ — rather they want to push play when it’s convenient for them. Put another way, they want their technology to respond to their input, not the other way around. Is it so much to ask? I see wireless display technology as the next large-scale instantiation of that principle. And I think it’s arriving as you read this in a big way.

Every A/V project comes with a unique set of challenges. When installing equipment into an existing structure, integrators may need to securely install equipment into a location that was built before digital signage even existed. This can create a laundry list of challenges, from protecting equipment outdoors to creating video walls where walls don’t exist.

Here are 6 mounting challenges that integrators face when placing digital signage in an existing structure, and the tools they can use to resolve them:

1. Minimize Cost- Maximize Creativity

One of the most common challenges in any installation is to meet budgetary guidelines. This challenge is particularly complicated for existing structural conditions because it often takes creative thinking to integrate equipment into a structure that may not have been built with AV in mind.

Creative thinking means offering Good, Better, and Best solutions that will deliver on an eye-catching project while still fitting within budgetary constraints. It’s easy to look toward commodity mounting solutions as a means to save a few bucks, but when you look at the increased installation time and long-term serviceability, the up-front cost diminishes against the total cost of ownership. When the requirements of an existing structural installation means creative thinking, they can’t come at the cost of long-term ROI for the whole project.

2. Fitting Within Structural Conditions… and Deadlines

Another key challenge when installing digital signage into an existing structure is to ensure that the install is completed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Saving money on a “bare bones” solution doesn’t add up to much when that money goes toward paying the installers for more time spent on site.

The solution to combat against a tight deadline is to use a mounting solution that makes installing as fast and easy as possible. The Symmetry Series is a configurable solution that offers a two-part installation process that saves over 40% on install time, when compared to traditional individual display mounting solutions. The lightweight aluminum design of the Symmetry Series allows the system to be installed using fewer installers, and the configurable design allows this one system to serve as a solution across single or multi-site deployments. The L-brackets of the Symmetry Series are used to anchor the interface bar anywhere along the wall to match the stud location, allowing it to be installed in a fraction of the time. Fine tune brackets for (x,y,z) adjustments makes post-installation leveling fast and easy. This means that no matter what your location, building design, or viewing angle requirements you have, this one solution can be used.

3. No Wall? No Problem

But what about trying to find the best place to put digital signage in situations where the structure doesn’t appear to support the installation? A classic example of this might be a situation where the customer wants to feature a vibrant, eye-catching video wall, but simply does not have a load bearing wall for one. These scenarios require a Solutions Group expert to determine whether the structure can support a variety of video wall suspension options, such as a video wall stand, ceiling suspended video wall, or semi-custom solution.

Diesel Retail’s flagship store on 5th Avenue in New York City serves as a prime example of this. The customer wanted a 3×2 video wall that would showcase their seasonal clothing releases in an eye-catching, branded format. Since the store was not designed with an existing structure to support a traditional video wall, we created a semi-custom solution that would use dual-pole floor stands to create the appearance of a 3×2 video wall. This installation, which won a DIGI Award for Best Advertising Content, was so successful that it was later replicated at their San Francisco location.

4. Not All Walls Are Created Equal(ly Flat)

Any installer will tell you that there is no such thing as a flat wall. Every wall is its own “unique snowflake” of bumps and curves, and it becomes an installer’s job to use mounting solutions that will more or less “correct” those imperfections. We’ve all seen displays that were carelessly installed, with thousands of dollars adding up to walls that are so badly misaligned that it completely kills the visual effect. Why bother investing in something that winds up looking terrible?

This is where post-installation adjustments make all the difference. Even with an imperfect wall, any digital signage project can appear perfect when post-installation alignment can compensate for wall variations. Invest in video wall mounting solutions that feature post-installation leveling to ensure correct bezel spacing and (x,y,z) axis alignment, and take the time to work with professionals who insist on quality presentation.

5. Take Your AV Outside To Play

Taking digital signage outside brings a variety of unique concerns, including equipment protection from outdoor environments. Much of that can be reviewed in our previous blog titled, “Taking it Outside”.

When working with existing outdoor structures, it can become complicated to mount digital signage without compromising the safety and structural integrity of the building.

For example, we designed an outdoor solution for Cedar Fair nationwide amusement parks, which featured a custom clamping mechanism that allowed installers to mount over 300 displays from “box-to-pole” in a variety of single and dual-facing orientations, and on two different sized poles. Several of these solutions also featured a hood to shade the display from direct sunlight, which made it a multi-functional mounting solution. This solution was also perfect for the integrator, as it didn’t require any changes to existing structure of the theme park.

6. Safety First For Secure Installations

Safety is another huge concern for any AV install, partially because complying with building code is imperative in order to avoid costly lawsuits if guidelines aren’t met. We designed our LMVS and LMVSP mounting solutions to meet ADA regulations that require protruding objects stay less than 4” from any wall when they also sit under 27” from the floor.

Examples like these are just a few of the reasons that it’s so important to understand the variety of installation requirements for a variety of structures. A safe, efficient, and cost-effective installation is most easily met when you work with a team of experts who understand the big picture, and help you to reach your project goals from concept to creation. For more information on how you can minimize your installation time, cost, and risk, contact Premier Mounts Solutions Group at 877.472.2991, or email solutions@mounts.com.

This blog is reprinted with permission from Premier Mounts and originally appeared here.

In previous years, the awards program was judged in two segments – Installation and Content. Taking a cue from real life, the Installation and Content Awards will no longer be judged as separate segments. Entries are now being judged by category.

To streamline the application process, the entry form is now digital. Upon submission, you will receive a confirmation email as proof of your entry. There is a fee of $95 per entry. Each entry requires a minimum of one photo or video, with a maximum of five photos and two videos. There is also no longer a length or file size limit for videos.

The awards will be presented during at the DSE networking reception on Wed., March 16 from 5:30-7:00 pm.

Enter here.

Eiki International has just launched its new EK-800U single chip DLP projector specified at 12,000 ANSI Lumen brightness and a 5,000:1 (DA:ON) contrast ratio. The WUXGA (1920×1200) resolution EK-800U inputs include VGA, HDMI, HDBaseT and 3G HD-SDI.

Integrated with powered zoom and focus as well as vertical and horizontal lens shift (V: +- 60%, H: +/- 25%), the new model also has image blending, warping, color matching and it can be mounted to show content in portrait mode.

The EIKI EK-800U will ship in late October and will list for $19,995. More information is here.

The company’s Symmetry Series line is a configurable mounting solution that Premier says reduces installation time by over 40 percent compared to single display mounting solutions. It is designed for single and multi-site deployments where a repeatable installation is important (e.g., video walls, for example). Features include:

• Two component design using an interface bar and a set of display brackets
• Six-point (x,y,z) precise adjustment features for easy display alignment
• Built-in service kickstand for 9° of access
• Versatile for wall, stand and ceiling installations

In addition, Premier tells rAVe it’s also shipping its new Heavy Duty False Ceiling Plate, the PP-HDFCP, which is a ceiling adapter that can be used to mount flat panels or projectors from a drop ceiling.

According to Premier, the PP-HDFCP saves 62.5 percent in installation time vs. traditional custom cut unistrut and pipe mounting methods, with no need to perform pre-installation site walks.

PP-HDFCP features:

• Single-trip installs for single or multi-site projects
• Holds flat panels and projectors up to 125-lbs.
• Four 25′ steel braided cables included
• Includes escutcheon ring cutter and beauty ring for easy installation and a more appealing aesthetic

All the details on both are here.

DSS Europe featured more than 40 speakers, 30 exhibitors, 25 presentations, workshops and panel discussions and attracted 477 delegates – with almost half of the attendance visiting from outside Germany. This year’s event continued the legacy that invidis consulting started with the first Digital Signage Conference in 2007.

The organizers made a strategic decision to combine their skill-sets and develop the key event for digital signage and digital out of home (DooH). With the attendance figure for DSS Europe 2015 being the largest to date, and with events planned for Russia in October and Dubai in November, it’s clear that they are delivering on their objective.

DSS Europe 2015 was split over two days. Both days saw 30 industry-leading companies take over the grand atrium of Hilton Munich Airport. Exhibitors included: NEC Display Solutions, Samsung, LG, Sharp, BenQ, Toshiba, Elo, Barco, Matrox and Scala.

Delegates and exhibitors commended the newly introduced matchmaking service, which they used to schedule appointments with people and companies they wanted to connect with. The easy to use system used the latest scheduling technology to support the creation of meaningful business relationships.

On Day 1, Industry experts from invidis consulting led a digital signage and DooH tour around installations in Munich city centre. The tour included standout projects, such as Münchner Bank – with its cutting-edge multimedia technology – and highlighted ways in which the use of digital signage can be improved. In the evening, the organizers hosted the Digital Signage Evening Event & Award Ceremony, which recognised the industry’s top performers. This was combined with the launch of the ‘invidis Digital Signage Yearbook 2015/16’ (in German and English) and the ‘DooH Yearbook 2015/16’.

Day 2 saw a series of important keynotes, presentations and panel discussions, covering key industry topics like 4k, digital agencies and DooH. There was also an exclusive launch from Google. The multinational technology company chose DSS Europe 2015 for the EMEA launch of its Chromebase digital signage solution. One of the highlights was Giovanni Flore’s keynote speech about his work with Benetton Group. Flore helped to re-invent Benetton’s high street presence with the Live Window project, which has captured people’s imaginations through a fun and engaging concept.

TMTFactory presented its highly successful digital retail solution for FCBarcelona, Razorshop gave insight into its transformative digital solution for the physical retail shopping experience and Deutsche Post DHL discussed the relaunch of its ground-breaking Innovation Centre.

invidis consulting’s Managing Director Florian Rotberg commented: “DSS Europe 2015 has been a great success. It was our largest conference to date, with strong international representation, which demonstrated perfectly what the joint venture between invidis and ISE is capable of.

“The matchmaking service proved to be a tremendous success. The feedback from delegates was very promising and we will extend DSS matchmaking to more events in the future. We’re looking forward to creating a full two-day event next year, with many exciting new event features.”

Integrated Systems Events’ Managing Director Mike Blackman added, “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the first chapter in our joint venture with invidis consulting and look forward to many more in the future. This year’s programme was full of highlights and we witnessed some very important conversations that will help shape digital signage and DooH in the future. We now look forward to DSS events in Russia and Dubai, and to working together to make DSS Europe 2016 an even bigger success.”

According to Chief, the new mounts offer perfect display positioning and flexible adjustments. The single horizontal extrusion with depth adjustment aligns displays quickly, even on irregular mounting surfaces. The mount allows for easy access behind the displays for servicing and storing media players.

Each menu board mount uses two or three wall plates to minimize drilling time, especially on difficult substrates.

Features include:

• ControlZone micro-height adjustment you can position above or below mount
• Centris tilt between +0 and -20 degrees, with set locking points at 0, 10 and 20 degrees
• Lateral shift to work around outlets and other obstructions
• Tool-free screen engagement
• Portrait and landscape options for 2×1 and 3×1 configurations
• Landscape for 4×1 and 5×1 configurations
• Integrated cable management for a clean installation
• Accommodate 40-55″ screens, or up to 60″ with the FCAX extension brackets

The LWM Menu Board Wall Mounts are already shipping and all the details are here.

The new mounts offer display positioning and flexible adjustments and the single horizontal extrusion with depth adjustment aligns displays quickly, even on irregular mounting surfaces. The mount allows for easy access behind the displays for servicing and storing media players. Each menu board mount uses two or three wall plates to minimize drilling time, especially on difficult substrates.

Features include:

• ControlZone micro-height adjustment you can position above or below mount
• Centris tilt between +0 and -20 degrees, with set locking points at 0, 10 and 20 degrees
• Lateral shift to work around outlets and other obstructions
• Tool-free screen engagement
• Portrait and landscape options for 2×1 and 3×1 configurations
• Landscape for 4×1 and 5×1 configurations
• Integrated cable management for a clean installation
• Accommodate 40-55″ screens, or up to 60″ with the FCAX extension brackets

The LWM Menu Board Wall Mounts are here.

The HD 4K 110 Series supports HDMI specification features that include data rates up to 10.2 Gbps, 12-bit Deep Color, 3D, Lip Sync, HD lossless audio formats, and CEC. It can be used in conjunction with equalizers and other AV products to ensure optimal image quality within professional applications. Rear panel dip switch settings for input equalization and output signal pre-emphasis make the HD 4K 110 an ideal input connection to enable a strong HDMI signal within matrix switching applications, such as with the Extron DTP CrossPoint 84. For AV equipment that does not provide input cable equalization, the signal regenerator can be paired with an Extron UHD4K 101 equalizer at the far end to maintain a high quality HDMI signal from source to destination.

Here are the specs.

WAND claims that, in the past, outdoor digital menu solutions were not economical, or easy to install. With the release of WAND’s new Viewstation and Xtreme models, restaurant operators have access to standardized, modular designs that are built to withstand weather conditions and adjust brightness for sun glare to produce optimal results.

Here are the details.

New Features include:

• Advanced multi-source viewing: The new Planar UltraRes Series displays come standard with integrated Planar MediaPlex Plus Processing, allowing multiple sources to be viewed simultaneously that can be viewed in dual, triple, quad or picture-in-picture (PiP) layouts.
• Embedded OPS: The Planar UltraRes Series includes a built-in expansion slot that supports Intel’s Open Pluggable Specification (OPS).
• Easier installation and access: The optional Planar Profile Mounting System has been enhanced to enable even easier installation and access to inputs. The mounting system provides a front service access mode and Planar claims it’s the slimmest mounted profile in the industry.
• Integrated multi-touch functionality: The new Planar UltraRes Touch models with in-bezel touch technology offer support up to 32 simultaneous touch points
• Advanced energy efficiency: The latest generation Planar UltraRes Series comes with redundant power supply for continuous operation using a fan-less edge-lit LED.
• Multi-source viewing management from mobile devices: The updated Planar UltraRes App for iOS and Android enables on-the-fly switching of layouts and sources from a phone or tablet.

Check out all the specs here.

Shuttle Computer Group announced its XS35V5 and XS36V5 with improved graphics performance aimed at digital signage, kiosks and menu boards.

These new SFF computers from Shuttle feature:

• Triple Play: The XS35V5 and XS36V5 have 4K or 1080p outputs on HDMI.
• Fanless Design: Using a cooled heat pipe and sink technology, heat is transmitted throughout the system quickly and evenly. No fan means no noise and no dust or grease intake for improved operation in harsh environments.
• Intel Inside: The XS35V5 and XS36V5 are equipped with an embedded Intel Celeron N3050 dual-core processor and support the Intel Braswell platform.
• 24/7 Operation: With a low-power consumption design, the XS35V5 and XS36V5 are extremely reliable, even during long-term, nonstop operation.

A hallmark of Shuttle Computer Group is its ability to offer integrators imaging services and customized BIOS; these services are available to commercial clients. Shuttle assists its customers to define parameters and functions, and automatically uploads specified BIOS in each unit to make installation and use fast and easy.

The XS35V5 has an optional optical disk drive for legacy media and the XS36V5 has two RS232 ports.

The XS35V5 and XS36V5, both listing for $219, are here.

Designed for permanent outdoor installation, both the SB-8418UHD and the SB-5574UHD feature reliable weatherproofing technology that protects internal components from rain, snow, dust, salt corrosion, insects and humidity. Specialized high-brightness anti-glare screens differ from those of indoor televisions and optimize the outdoor viewing experience, which has never looked better in 3840x2160p 4K UHD. Both units come with a 20W detachable weatherproof speaker bar.

The SB-8418UHD, part of SunBriteTV’s Pro Series, also features a glass shield to provide extra protection for the LED panel. The ultra-bright (800 nits) LED screen and Direct Sunlight-Readable capability displays a clear image in even the harshest lighting conditions. Built-in heating and cooling systems keep the 84-inch model operating in temperatures from -40° to 122°F.

The SB-5574UHD, part of SunBriteTV’s Signature Series line, does not compromise on durability. Beautifully designed and only 3.5” at maximum depth, the SB-5574UHD looks at home in even the most sophisticated outdoor living spaces. It’s fully functional in temperatures from -24° to 122°F.

More information is here.

The TD-E EasySeries is available in 43-, 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, at $999.99, $1,899.99 and $3,799.99, respectively. And a 50-inch model will be available later this month at $1,649.99 list. Here are all the tech specs.

The polytouch 55 4K is available in two versions: Either as all-in-one multi-touch system with integrated panel PC or as stand-alone multi-touch display. The integrated panel PC uses an Intel Core i7-6700T processor, 8GB DDR PC1600 memory and mSATA SSD 4 128GB drives. The system is compatible with Windows 10 (32/64 bit), Windows 8 (32/64 bit) and Linux. Both are 55-inch edge-lit LCD displays using InGlass touch-technology. The system is able to process up to ten touch points in parallel with ease, with a latency of less than fifteen milliseconds. Special pressure detection opens up further input. The display (3840×2160) supports ultra-HD resolution.

Here is more information.

XTP II CrossPoint matrix switchers are the first in the Pro AV industry to offer a 50 Gbps switching backplane. Designed and engineered to the highest standards, the 50 Gbps backplane delivers bandwidth performance that exceeds HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.3 signal requirements for all 4K/60 rates and gives future support for emerging resolutions, such as 8K.

All the detailed specs are here.

“Our dealers are doing more and more outdoor systems, and we want to help them grow revenue in those areas,” says SnapAV CEO John Heyman. The SunBriteTV lineup will complement SnapAV’s Episode outdoor audio products to provide dealers with a full solution for outdoor living.

Unlike banker-led financial “rollups” that have been common in the AV industry, SnapAV characterizes this transaction similarly to how they’ve entered a number of new product categories. Heyman indicates that in his conversations with dealers, outdoor spaces are discussed as an area of growth and future opportunity. He adds, “This acquisition represents a commitment that we’re making to the outdoors. While it’s our first major acquisition, it’s really just business as usual in terms of listening to our dealers and taking action based on what they tell us.”

SnapAV plans to sell SunBriteTV products directly to dealers rather than through the AV distribution channels that SunBriteTV has used in the past. SunBriteTV’s Cameron Hill comments, “When dealers purchase SunBriteTV products at SnapAV, they will be direct with the manufacturer, and their pricing will reflect that. SnapAV’s business model delivers value and service at significantly lower costs, and, as with all SnapAV products, dealers will begin benefiting from that right away.”

SunBriteTV products will become available through SnapAV before the end of the year. The company indicates that dealers will see lower prices and free shipping when buying directly from SnapAV, rather than through distribution.

SunBriteTV has already been incorporated into the SnapAV website.

Customer Profile

LivWell Health offers a secure, cloud-based solution for senior living and community-based organizations to enhance communications with seniors and their loved ones, improve staff productivity and drive innovative programs for future growth.

The LivWell Health information management system was born out of the desire to offer seniors living independently at home, or within a community, a vibrant lifestyle rich with hospitality-level services. Based on the highly scalable Force.com platform, applications include resident/senior portals, integrated CRM, service request management and interactive digital signage solutions.

The Challenge

Innovative senior living communities are upgrading their communities and investing in technology to deliver a resort-level lifestyle and attract the next generation of web-savvy residents.

In addition to resident portal solutions, LivWell Health’s customers wanted one system to replace print-based calendars, dining menu and community news with an aesthetically pleasing digital signage solution which fit into the theme of resort-style living.

“Our customers wanted to eliminate paper as the primary means of communication of classes, events, dining menus and news,” said Alex Go, LivWell Health CEO. “In addition, the marketing group wanted us to develop a solution with a WOW factor during tours to drive market differentiation.”

Despite the obvious intent to communicate with residents, these paper missives are not only inconvenient (residents typically have to walk to numerous posting locations from their rooms to stay informed) it’s also difficult to keep them up to date.

“Even if the paper announcements happen to be delivered to their rooms, scheduled events change all the time,” said Go. “The communities end up having lots of scheduling issues, and they don’t have a means of efficiently communicating the changes to residents.”

That, of course, is where the LivWell Health solution comes in. A secure repository for a community’s information, which can be entered by authorized individuals via an intuitive online interface, the cloud-based content can be updated and redistributed in a matter of minutes. It can then be digitally broadcast to various locations throughout the facility. Seniors can access it in room or via an independent in-house TV network, for example, for easy access to content that is always up to date.

The next step in the plan was to supplement these capabilities with accessible, eye-catching digital signage in high traffic areas such as main lobbies or social areas.

“We were looking for three key features,” said Go. “First and foremost we wanted the signage to be interactive, to engage the residents and encourage their participation. We were also looking for a portrait solution, which improves accessibility for those in wheelchairs. And we also wanted something free-standing, rather than wall-mounted, to facilitate greater interaction and easier installation.”

After reviewing options from several manufacturers, LivWell Health selected the free-standing ViewSonic EP5555T 55″ double-sided interactive ePoster, which met all the requisites: vibrant HD display with top-quality color, contrast and clarity in a vertical, free-standing format – along with being a great value.

“The ViewSonic ePoster was just the right combination of finish, functionality and price point,” said Go, adding that in addition to meeting all requirements the ePoster really stood out. “We really liked the piano black finish, and it’s very sleek yet substantial. At about the size of a door, this signage really lends itself to capturing attention – it has presence and delivered on the WOW factor our customers desired.”

The Results

As predicted by Go, the ePosters displaying LivWell content are indeed making an impact in their initial pilot locations in three cities across California, including a facility managed by Brookdale – the largest senior center operator in the U.S.

“It’s been very well received. Everyone in these locations has really found it great,” said Go. “In terms of the residents, they love it. They see it as a giant iPad; it’s not intimidating. Not only is it helpful to them to see all the info they need there in one place and always up to date, it’s turned into a focal gathering point, creating new social opportunities.”
Residents aren’t the only ones enjoying the convenience and allure of the ePoster.

“The beautiful door-sized ePoster offers an outstanding marketing opportunity,” said Go. “By its very presence it demonstrates that a community is on the technology forefront, and it’s ideal for showcasing the facility to prospective residents.”

It’s common to see tour guides stop at the ePoster, said Go, using it as an interactive visual guide to the facilities’ menus, events and other community offerings.

Deployment, said Go, has been trouble-free and easier than if they had used a wall-mounted display. In fact, he said, from start to finish working with ViewSonic has been a pleasure.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with Ryan, our ViewSonic CDW account rep. He’s been an overall great partner to work with,” said Go. “I think that often people don’t realize the value of good customer service – for me, finding a really strong partner helps us drive a transformation in long term care. Ryan has been just great and has been really proactive in supporting our market development.”

Go looks forward to expanding upon LivWell Health’s initial successes with his ViewSonic and CDW partners.
“Our software solution is cloud based and highly scalable, ViewSonic has the right functional requirements and support, and CDW has been a good integration partner for all of us,” said Go. “Now we’re ready to expand.”

With over 50 communities poised to deploy the LivWell Health digital signage solution via ViewSonic ePosters in the next six months, hundreds of active qualified leads, and a concept ripe for expansion into other markets, the future for LivWell Health looks as high-impact as the Viewsonic ePoster solution itself.