Volume 8, Issue 11 — November 15, 2016

I am writing this article on the afternoon of Halloween. I spent the day running errands the get ready for the long winter that is ahead of us here in the North. As I drove around completing those errands, I was amazed with the lawns that are awash with political signs. In addition to realizing I can’t wait for this election cycle to be over, a couple of thoughts went through my head as I rode around. The first thought was that the campaigns who create these sign sometimes don’t pay enough attention to the basic rules of signage. Colors are awful and not in contrast enough to be able to read. Or, they put so much on one small sign that you can not tell what they say.

Then my mind started drifting towards what would these signs be like in the future? Will static signs continue to make sense, or will we see a drift to digital political signs? I predict we will. Let’s take a look at the costs and the value of moving towards digital signs.

At first glance one would think the costs would simply be prohibitive. On the face of it I agree, today, but think that one needs to consider the future. Display technologies have continued to drop drastically in price. Take a look at any website and you can find 32” televisions for around $100. Ten years ago that price would have been upwards of $300. Water proof and weather resistant monitors continue to become more common and less expensive. Take into account the OLED televisions, and now you have a very light and thin monitor. Yes, OLED is still very expensive. But one can only expect that those prices will continue to drop as more manufacturers make them and they become more popular.

The second issue to deal with around cost would be power. For signs to make sense to campaigns, they would need to be self-sufficient in regards to power. A large car battery could not be required to run the sign. Fortunately, battery technology continues to evolve. Modern laptops have small, efficient batteries that provide several hours of use, even for heaving computing use. Adapting this battery technology would be key to making a lawn sign usable. Finally, of course, the batteries would need to have the ability to be re-charged by sunlight. Efficiencies would need to be put into place in order to make the signs conserve the power as much as possible. An example of this would be the signs turning themselves off at night when there is no traffic. This could be done by using logic and a light sensor. You can assume a car coming down the road at night will have its lights on. So, as soon as the light sensor detects that light, the sign turns on.

All of the reasons above are why a logical person may decide that using a digital political lawn sign may not make sense. However, I believe that there is significant value that campaigns could realize from these signs. I have noticed over this election season that most campaigns are still pouring money into television commercials. However, so much of the type of viewing we do now is via streaming. Many people are missing these campaign ads because they are not watching traditional TV. This is especially true of the very critical “young” voter. Campaigns are looking for new, effective ways to reach out to these voters. They will be willing to move money from traditional campaign commercials.

A second attraction of the digital lawn sign will be that it can be targeted to specific audiences. Right now, every sign for a campaign is the same. They simply list the candidate’s name, and possibility a slogan. What if a campaign could target the towns that surround a local factory that has recently closed, and advertise their fight against free trade agreements? In Maine, hunting season opened a couple of days ago. In addition, we have a gun control question on the ballot. What if on the day that hunting season opened, the campaigns could advertise their stance on these gun control issues? Additionally, the signs that they choose to have these advertisements on, could be carefully chosen. That is, if you are not in favor of any gun control, you may choose to have your signs change, only in areas that have a strong hunting population. A campaign could also support apps that allow the homeowner to choose from a base set of signs. Which issue are you most interested in? Pick the sign for your candidate that best demonstrates that issue.

It is true that campaigns would spend more money on this technology than they do on the current analog signs. However, the question to ask is not if they are spending more, but rather, are they GETTING MORE VALUE, from the alternative. I believe they would get more value. Perhaps it will start out with the county campaign offices investing in the equipment. They could then re-use these every year. This provides another value. When a candidate leaves office, all those signs are thrown away. These signs could be reused for many election cycles.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Is this a dream? Is is possible? How long before we could see it become a reality? Of course, if by the time you read this, and the election is over, and you don’t want to think about elections for a while, I certainly understand.

The placement of digital kiosks and displays in outdoor environments presents numerous challenges to hardware designers and manufacturers, which are not always readily apparent to the end-user who is trying to bring her vision for a project to life. That is why it is the responsibility of the project integrator to set appropriate client expectations, which includes identifying the key variables for consideration and communicating any and all unique project challenges that are inherent in any, but particularly in outdoor installations.

As soon as projects that involve outdoor kiosks or displays begin to take shape, it is important that the integrator begin discussing the challenges unique to outdoor applications. Examples of a few key questions to address would include:

• Where will this application be installed?
• What are the annual average low temperatures for the area?
• What are the annual average high temperatures for the area?
• What is the annual average relative humidity for the region?
• Will the application be in direct sunlight?
• Will the PC or media player live in the kiosk or will it be stored in an environmentally controlled room?
• How will this product be installed? (wall mount, sidewalk, existing foundation, etc.)

The answers to these questions will help the integrator work with the manufacturer and/or recommend hardware for the project that is designed to accommodate whatever conditions will be prevalent. These will include issues relating to airflow, levels of AR (anti-reflective) and IR (infra-red) coatings on the protective glass and other considerations.

Understanding the environment in which the kiosks need to function may also affect the aesthetics of the design the client is trying to achieve. For example, the client may not want the design to be impinged by exposed air intake louvers, but if louvers are required in specific locations of the kiosk’s exterior to properly cool the internal components, the client will need to know this and make changes to the design to accommodate them. If explained this way, clients will understand that maintaining the proper operating temperature of the internal components for outdoor kiosks to ensure that they work properly and consistently is more important than maintaining the originally intended look of the kiosks.

This doesn’t mean that aesthetics should be ignored; rather, it means that the system integrator needs to be sensitive to client preferences, but proactive in introducing new ideas when the client’s initial concept design disturbs the proper function of the kiosk. This may entail having discussions with the manufacturer about alternatives to the client’s original design and functioning as the conduit between the client’s preferences and the manufacturers suggested performance requirements.

The integrator’s key role in this process is to function as an educated intermediary in communicating the client’s aesthetic needs to the kiosk designer and in turn communicating potential environmental limitations back to the client to ensure everyone is in the same page.

As with all projects, it is the responsibility of the integrator to ensure proper communication between all involved parties. Such communication is integral to ensure any successful deployment of kiosk and signage projects in indoor or outdoor environments and to eliminate failed deployments.

William Bear has worked in sales and business development for Crimson AV since 2014.

Leyard/Planar held their open house at the Gilmore’s Sound Advice office, where they showcased a number of the latest Leyard and Planar products. As you are probably familiar with, Leyard bought Planar in August of last year, and with the two companies fully integrated this year they started the 2016 Video Wallapalooza Tour — a nine-city a open house road tour. And since NYC wasn’t technically part of the Video Wallapalooza, this was a great time for Leyard/Planar to showcase their products in the Big Apple.

I had the chance to catch up and interview Jennifer Davis, Leyard’s CMO, where we talked about the event as well as the merger. Jennifer also took the time to introduce each and every product at their open house in short videos. Watch the interview and all of the Leyard/Planar videos below!

• Planar demonstrates its CLF CarbonLight floor displays.
• Planar shows the Leyard CarbonLight Series.
• Planar features its Mosaic Architectural displays.
• Planar shows the Leyard TWA Seamless LED video walls.
• Planar exhibits the DirectLight LED video wall system.
• Planar brings its flagship Clarity Matrix LCD video wall system to New York Digital Signage Week.
• Planar demos its amazing LookThru transparent OLE display.
• Planar features the new Leyard TWA in various pitches, including that as low as 0.9 mm.
• Planar shows off its EP Series of 4K displays in an interactive touch application.

This year, however, instead of just having each partner in their own booth doing their own thing, NEC had whole systems put together as different market solutions using their partners’ products. An idea that not only simplifies things for the system’s integrators, consultants and end-users attending the showcase and shows them how the whole solution can look like at the end, but it also shows NEC partners how to work together to deliver on what the customer wants.

Below you are able to see an interview that I did with Rich Ventura, VP of business development at NEC Display.

NEC also showed off many of its own products and solutions, which we captured on video and you can see below.

• NEC Display offers financial and leasing services for its dealers, distributors and customers.
• NEC Display demos the “Big Apple Mapped” with its PX803 projectors.
• NEC features its MultiPresenter technology.
• NEC demos the PX1004UL projector.
• NEC talks about its Multi-Sync PA322UHD color-critical monitor.
• NEC shows off its 34″ curved monitor.
• NEC demos its PA803U projector for large venues.
• NEC Display features its direct view LED displays and demos it in a broadcast application.
• NEC Display shows off a 2×2 video wall configuration using the brand-new EX241UN display.

The first event we attended was the Ghostbusters Experience at Madame Tussauds, presented by Open Eye Global. During the tour Open Eye Global’s CEO Bryan Meszaros, together with a museum representative, spoke about the technology used in each of the segments of the newly designed Ghostbusters Experience at the renowned Madame Tussaud’s museum, and how they brought the movie experience to museum visitors.

I had the chance to interview Bryan from Open Eye Global and talk about a little bit more about the project.

Here is a short video of the actual Ghostbusters Experience Tour.

Bryan talks more about the Ghostbuster’s Experience here.

OpenEye Global talks about its digital experience design here.

Although there are other ambient light rejection screens out there, the dnp brand and line, by our analysis, seems to be the dominating screen for that application — with over 68 percent of the installs. This carries over to both rear-screens and front-screens.

dnp arguably invented that category of screen technology. So, how does an ambient light rejection screen work? Watch this video.

As projectors have gotten brighter and brighter, lights are being left on in the room. Ten years ago, yes, an ambient light rejection screen would have helped, but wasn’t required as most projection applications were in the dark — or, at least, in dimly lit rooms.

This company is going to keep getting bigger and bigger. And, I am shocked that someone like Da-Lite, Stewart or Draper hasn’t purchased them. Instead, a screen or two is being OEM’ed from them and branded under their US-counterparts. But look for that to change.

dnp is ripe for an acquisition and I wouldn’t be surprised if Milestone AV or even Peerless-AV hasn’t already made an offer. Plus, dnp is run by some amazing people — something you can’t always say is true in an acquisition. The dnp team is highly technical, focused and understand the value of a screen company sis highly service-based. Screens aren’t one-size-fits-all any longer.

Want to learn about dnp? Go here. And, if you want to understand the technology even more, go here.

The announcement and launch follow months of development and integration efforts by Signagelive in collaboration with the engineering team at IAdea, manufacturer of the XMP-7300 4K media player which is now Ultra-D compatible.

The companies plan to jointly showcase the glasses-free 3D signage solution at the Consumer Electronics Show next January in Las Vegas and the Integrated Systems Europe expo next February in Amsterdam. Signagelive is here.

Vivitek just released a software and firmware upgrade to V2.1.1 with new features and improved functionalities including more templates for content design, serial port (RS 232) control of multiple displays, Full 1080p HD content storage and playback and an enhanced simulator mode.

Details on the free upgrade are here.

Using Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology and native WUXGA resolution (1920 x 1200), the projector has the capability to process 4K input signals – but converts them to WUXGA. In addition, the laser projector utilizes a filter-less design technology and is essentially dust proof, removing the need for filter cleaning or replacement. These features combined with low overall power consumption provide exceptional reliability and virtually zero maintenance. The PX1004UL projector is therefore an attractive option in scenarios where total cost of ownership is crucial and maintenance access is limited.

The projector offers easy and flexible installation options with support for third party lenses. This enables the PX1004UL to be used as a drop-in replacement without any reprogramming. The free landscape and portrait orientation function of the projector makes it suitable for use at any angle, while the geometric control function makes the projector perfect for projection onto curved surfaces. Furthermore, the projector supports automatic camera-based stacking and blending. This gives users quick and easy multi-screen setup capabilities, plus support for large presentation pictures.

Go here for all the detailed specs.

The Kingdy HD Series is a sunlight readable, full IP65 outdoor display specifically designed for installation in harsh environments where resistant corrosive materials are used or dust, rain, oil or hose-directed water may intrude. They’ve integrated it with some outdoor-specific features including a light scattering matrix shield that rejects outdoor light, a viewing angle of greater than 178º, 3mm AR glass with optical bonding, a rustproof and waterproof chassis, connector and power adaptor and in an all-in-one package.

So far, they are only available in small form-factors like 15″ to 21.5” (and with both VGA and DVI ports) as well as 800/1000/1200/1600/2000 nit high brightness LED-backlit LCD panel options.

Here are all the detailed specs.

Designed for ProAV and broadcast applications, the new DVI-input model captures 4K video at up to 30 frames per second over its HDMI 1.4 and 6Gbps SDI interfaces, while the Pro Capture AIO 4K Plus supports 60fps over HDMI 2.0 and 30fps via SDI. The Pro Capture HDMI 4K and Pro Capture HDMI 4K Plus support 30fps and 60fps 4K video, respectively, for HDMI-only uses. All five cards support resolutions up to the 4096×2160 4K digital cinema and production standard, including 3840×2160 4K Ultra HD.

All Magewell Pro Capture cards feature hardware-based video processing, providing de-interlacing, scaling, color space conversion and video enhancements without taking valuable CPU cycles away from third-party software. Input video can be fed to multiple software applications simultaneously, with independent control of the resolution, frame rate and video processing for each output.

Magewell’s universal Pro Capture drivers support Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems, and offer broad compatibility with popular encoding, streaming, live production, collaboration, video conferencing and virtual reality (VR) creation software. For third-party developers, the comprehensive Magewell Pro Capture SDK enables partners to create custom software applications and turnkey solutions leveraging the full feature set and unique capabilities of the Magewell cards.

Here are all the specs.

New this year are the industry-specific keynotes and two special sessions for manufacturers/exhibitors. All sessions include relevant topics vetted by both the DSE Advisory Board and Educational Oversight Committees comprised of volunteers whose expertise and experience helped shape the 2017 curriculum.

The general conference is comprised of eight tracks including:

1. Digital Signage Fundamentals
2. Professional AV/IT Systems Integrators
3. Digital Out-of-Home Network Operators
4. Retail
5. Restaurants
6. Corporate Communications
7. Higher Education
8. All Other End User Industry Verticals

NOTE:  Halloween Registration Special: For one week only from 10/31 to midnight 11/4 (EDT) attendees can register using the code DSEBOO for a one-time 20 percent off the purchase of any conference package.

When deployed in touch tables, object recognition provides a compelling new way of engaging the user with the touch screen and the interactive content. The function is particularly well-suited to retail applications, museums and galleries. The Zytronic and Tangible Display solution is based on the attachment of physical markers to the objects to be tracked and does not require modification of the touch sensor or multi-touch controller. Tangible Display’s proprietary object recognition user interface (UI) software, ObjectViz, works in concert with proprietary Zytronic firmware that can be quickly installed onto a standard ZXY200 or 300, 40-point multi-touch controller.

A key advantage of the combined Zytronic and Tangible Display solution is that although the sensor will continue to respond to multiple touches, any objects placed on the screen that do not have the requisite “tags” on their base are disregarded. Therefore a cup, pen or a bag left on the table, or a sleeve making contact with the glass, will be ignored. As part of the guided setup process, the Tangible software is taught to recognize only a specific pattern of tags attached to an object, and respond accordingly. Furthermore, a full report of user interactions can be saved for later review and analysis.

Here are the details.

Social media feeds provide clients with auto-updating content that attracts viewers and increases participation on their social networks. It also allows them to promote their brand and events, while starting conversations with audience members through social channels.

Clients can show posts for a single handle or hashtag from 10 social networks – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, Tumblr, Vine, Google+ and LinkedIn. They can choose from five different display styles, view basic analytics, and moderate posts from a user-friendly online dashboard.

Visix’s Creative Services team will customize each module with custom colors, fonts and background designs to match the client’s brand and screen designs. All social media modules are responsive to fit any content zone within digital signage layouts.

Here are the details.

The acquisition brings Planar closer to strategic opportunities in augmented and virtual reality and in other market segments like CAVEs, drone tracking, movement sciences, sports performance, computer visualization and animation.

NaturalPoint, makers of OptiTrack, TrackIR and SmartNav branded products, is headquartered two hours south of the Planar campus in Oregon, employs a team of 60 in North America, and has a 25,000 square foot facility for its optical tracking business. The close physical proximity of the two companies will facilitate opportunities to better serve their growing customer bases, work with valued suppliers, and collaborate with industry partners to support these two businesses.

Zach Zhang, the Chairman of Planar, said, “We believe these two companies will complement each other and create significant opportunities for growth. This acquisition demonstrates our ongoing commitment to building capabilities in engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and sales in North America and internationally.”

Jim Richardson, chief executive officer of NaturalPoint, said, “NaturalPoint has grown to be the leader in precision optical tracking and this acquisition recognizes the ecosystem relationship that exists between tracking and display technology. This acquisition is all about leveraging our strengths with the Planar team and continuing to build the world’s best tracking products for our existing customers and for new markets.”

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, and is expected to finalize in the fourth calendar quarter of 2016 or early in the first calendar quarter of 2017. NaturalPoint will remain a separate business with its own executive team, customers, and market initiatives.

Planar is here.

EPS signs are wireless, battery-powered and can be mounted virtually anywhere. Calendar changes are delivered throughout the day without any user intervention, so you no longer have to manage outdated paper schedules. And you can design custom faceplates to match your brand and décor, with virtually unlimited options for shapes, finishes and colors.

The signs are updated wirelessly via RF communication designed to minimize battery usage. A sign’s batteries are only activated when information changes, so batteries to last up to three years or 10,000 updates.

EPS room signs show data from most event management systems, including:

• Microsoft Exchange and Exchange 365
• EMS by Dean Evans & Associates
• Google Calendars
• R25/25Live by CollegeNET
• Delphi by Newmarket

Here are all the details.

Advanced User Group enables admins to:

• Create user roles such as — Admin, Creative and IT whom only have access to his/her chosen areas.
• Create an unlimited amount of users with individual logins.
• Segment users into groups such as ‘London Office’.
• Tag items such as folders, media, layouts and playlists to assign them to groups.
• Sharing items throughout a digital signage network has never been easier. If selected, departmental or by branch, groups can share items by simply adding another groups chosen tags to an item. It will then automatically show up in that group’s account.

Find the full guide here.

Ranked second on the list of top Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, Acuity Insurance, founded in 1925, is a classic American success story and the country’s 57th largest insurance provider. The company credits its success to its 1,200 employees and opportunities in the United States.

“The United States offers more opportunities to more businesses than any nation on earth and our employees work tirelessly to help enable these businesses to achieve their biggest dreams,” President and CEO Ben Salzmann explained. “Keeping our employees motivated and informed is key to our continued success, so we created this new theater to help make that happen through quarterly employee town-hall meetings and smaller on-going group meetings and presentations held regularly throughout the year.”

Incorporating jumbotron sized video walls into the new 2,000-seat theater posed a serious challenge because the two-level theater is circular and the seats are installed in a shockingly vertical manner in a 65-foot radius from the stage. “People who enter the theater for the first time gasp because it is most unusual to see so many seats arranged in such a vertical manner in a radius that is so close to the stage,” Salzmann emphasized. “It delivers the impact we were hoping to create.”

The question was who could conceive of and then design and engineer the exact solution that would meet the requirements of the space — and that’s where NanoLumens came in to the picture, thanks to Acoustics by Design, the company responsible for developing the new theater’s entire advanced audiovisual system, and Camera Corner Connecting Point, the company responsible for installing whatever display solution was selected.

“We went through a long process discussing the digital displays,” Acoustic by Design Senior Audio Visual Consultant Tim Hamilton stated. “Since Acuity didn’t have a space like this currently, we explored many different technologies, everything from LED to projection technology. It was a tough challenge to ensure that the display solution met the vision of the Acuity team and resonated well with each audience.” After selecting LED technology as the way to go, Acuity, Acoustics by Design and Camera Corner Connecting Point selected NanoLumens because they were the only company that could meet the unique challenges presented by the space. “We wanted something that would be clean looking from an installation perspective and offer the brightness and resolution that the client’s content on the screen was going to require,” Hamilton continued. “NanoLumens created a stunning solution that worked for everyone involved in the project.”

The solution created by NanoLumens is a five-sided pentagon 3mm NanoSlim LED display solution that galvanizes the attention of everyone who sits in the new theater. Each of the five curved displays measures 10’H X 6.5’W and is joined together to create a single pentagon shaped structure that hangs suspended from the ceiling over the theater’s central stage. The pentagon measures 16’ across the center and weighs a total of 3,600 pounds, including the winch. The calculated weight of the displays is only 1,900 pounds.

“We had a very specific weight limit that we had to stay under when designing the display solution,” Camera Corner Audio Visual Systems Consultant Scott Tomashek emphasized. “The NanoLumens team demonstrated their value by creating a superior solution that came in under the maximum weight limit.”

As critical as the NanoLumens LED displays are to the new theater’s success, a 10 Danley speaker sound system with one large subwoofer and a six-camera video system to track speakers from every angle complete the technology package. “We made every effort to ensure that the visual sightlines and audio clarity were second-to-none,” Salzmann concluded. “The combination of the NanoLumens displays with the audiovisual system results in a solution that will help us to better connect with, inform and motivate our employees.”

According to NanoLumens Regional Sales Manager Ryan Wilhelm, the success of the project is a credit to every member of the team, each of whom contributed their very best ideas to design a solution that delivers an unprecedented visual impact in a structure that weighs less than the maximum weight restriction. “We wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” Wilhelm laughed. “Every time we faced a design or weight challenge, we just put our minds to it and started from scratch to create a solution that would work. If that’s not American ingenuity in action, then I don’t know what is!”