Here’s a klip of a cool and interactive marketing system from BOSE that was showcasing the SoundDock 10 digital music system for the iphone or the ipod. According to the reader there is a small LCD screen that is used to display video clips. The audio from the video clip is played to the SoundDock speakers and this is controlled through a panel on the corner.

bose interactive

Category: Digital Signage Klips

Tags: Audio Video, Bose, Clips Video, Digital Music System, digital signage, Interactive Marketing, iphone, Ipod, klip, lcd screen, Marketing System, Sounddock, speakers, Video Clip, Video Clips

Here’s an interesting and clever concept vending machine with a see through display that is being developed by a Japanese company. But firstly, he’s a few points from the video:

• They use a Vertical Full HD 65″ Transparent display. We don’t know the brand of the display. Does anyone know?
• The products behind the display can be seen through the glass. It would be cool if the screen will display information or content relating to the product that was purchased i.e Did you know…
• When the system is not being used it will display a large digital clock with animations to attract the attention of people passing by. If the animations are cool and has some humour I think it will definitely attract attention.
• You can also simultaneously see high definition text pictures and animation. It appears that the screen images/text are just in black.
• The system is driven by Intel Sandy bridge core. For more information about this processor see this link: http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/sandy-bridge/
• It also uses the Intel (they purchased the company Cognovision) Audience Impression Metric or otherwise known as AIM which is used to determine Anonymous facial recognition. The system will be able to determine the person’s gender (male or female), age and then display ads that is relevant to that person by using a camera attached at the top of the vending machine. I think it would have made more sense enclosing the camera as part of the vending machine rather than just having a webcam stuck at the top.
• In the demo, the company is suggesting that the vending machines can be used to purchase luxury items such as cosmetics and wine. I can just see the high insurance bill for this.
• The machine also has a public safety mode which can be used in times of emergency, which will show information such as the emergency routes. What would be cool and exciting to see is if the vending machine turn into a robot and usher you to a safe spot.
• There are many possibilities and opportunities with this solution. It’s all up to our imagination.

Now here’s the video:

Category: Digital Signage Blog Video

Tags: Animations, Clever Concept, Digital Clock, Emergency Routes, Facial Recognition, Gender Male, Hd, High Definition, Humour, Insurance Bill, Intel, Japanese Company, Luxury Items, Public Safety, Robot, Safe Spot, Screen Images, Software Intel, Vending Machine, Vending Machines

This will be our last post and digital signage klip for 2011 so enjoy. 2012 will be another exciting year for digital signage so please come back and pay us a visit.

One of our Sydney readers sent us a photo of a mobile phone charging station with a digital screen.

The company that developed this innovative system is actually from Australia and they are called ChargedMedia. Their idea is to provide a means of charging your mobile phone power for free but there’s a twist, you will be exposed to ads whilst you wait for the phone to charge. Now that’s quite a clever idea.

If you have klips you would like to share with the rest of our readers let us know by sending an email to info@digitalsignageblog.com

Category: Digital Signage Klips

Tags: australia, Charging Station, Clever Idea, digital signage, Display Advertising, email, Free Mobile, Free Mobile Phone, Innovative System, klip, Photo Station, Sydney

2011 has been great year for digital signage but in the media all we hear about is the big digital signage manufacturers/developers launching new products and  the large digital signage network owners growing their networks.

We hardly hear about the smaller companies launching their unique and innovative digital signage solutions and this year we want to recognise the quiet achievers. So if you’re a small business, let us know about your digital signage project so we can share this with the rest of the digital signage industry.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Tags: Developers, digital signage network, Digital Signage Solutions, Digital Solutions, Quiet Achievers, Signage Industry, Signage Project, Small Business, Smaller Companies

I’ve been stumbling across a couple of articles relating to SLIM digital signage players and to be honest I didn’t have a clue what SLIM was so I decided to dwelve a little further into this topic.

According to a-smil.org they describe SMIL as:

SMIL (pronounced “smile”) stands for “Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language” and defines scheduling (“Synchronized”), video, audio, images, text (“Multimedia”), multi-zone screen layout (“Integration”) in an XML-based text file format (“Language”). It is an open specification (royalty-free to use) created by the World-Wide Web Consortium, the same organization responsible for defining the HTML language, an open standard for the Internet. Products that utilize SMIL are available from leading companies such as Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, and Real Networks.

Digital signage deals with scheduling multimedia files for playback on digital displays connected on an IP network. The industry has roots tracing back for a few decades, but has recently expanded rapidly due to the proliferation of low-cost flat panel displays that are easy to install and maintain in public space. As the market expands out of the “emerging” status, mainstream customers demand compatibility and interoperability among products from different vendors. SMIL appears to be an ideal technology to answer the needs of the industry.

So basically, SLIM digital signage players are small form factor PCs that use this open standard. The purpose of using SLIM is compatability and the ability to reuse playlists and information across digital signage networks with different brands/model.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Tags: Adobe Apple, Apple Microsoft, Audio Images, Compatability, digital signage networks, Flat Panel Displays, Html Language, Internet Products, Ip Network, Leading Companies, Mainstream Customers, Multi Zone, Multimedia Files, Multimedia Integration Language, Public Space, Real Networks, Screen Layout, Smil, Synchronized Multimedia Integration, Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language, Wide Web Consortium, World Wide Web Consortium

Net Display Systems  (NDS), is a well known digital signage software company based in the Netherlands. We have just read the following news:

Net Display Systems BV (NDS), manufacturer of digital signage software have closed a loan of approximately 1 million euro (1.33 million dollar) for financing its growth plans of 2012 and beyond. The loan will be provided by ABN Amro Bank. Jasper Verriet of ABN Amro Bank comments: “NDS showed a very strong and clean balance sheet and proved it was and still is beating the market.”

“We are very pleased with this agreement as it will enable us to accelerate our current market expansion plan.” – says Louis van Geldrop, founder and CEO of NDS. Use of proceeds will be to penetrate the Western-European market even further, while also opening branch offices in the United States and Middle East.

NDS also plans to hire additional executives, tighten strategic partnerships with some of its current channel partners. Peter de Jong, business partner manager for North America: “We explored the US market in 2011. Our next priority is to find sales executives for the United States branch office”. NDS considers local representation to be a requirement for accomplishing growth in new geographical markets.

NDS will broadcast a webinar on December 21st in which it will provide further details on the growth plan. If you’re interested to join this webinar please sign up here.

advertise me is one of NDS channel partners in Australia and have rolled out and installed PADS for several companies. They look forward to further tighten their strategic partnerships.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Tags: Abn Amro Bank, Balance Sheet, Business Partner, Bv, Channel Partners, Current Market, Digital Signage Software, Euro 1, Exciting News, Expansion Plan, Geldrop, Geographical Markets, Jasper, Market Expansion, Partner Manager, Peter De Jong, Sales Executives, Software Company, Strategic Partnerships, Use Of Proceeds, webinar

I’m amazed at how light and thin the Samsung LED screens are compared to the LCD screens. We just purchased several Samsung SA300 screens for the office.

Although they do come with a price, they are so much easier to install and configure.

Here’s some information of the screens: (source: http://www.samsung.com/hk_en/consumer/computer-peripherals/monitors/consumer/LS23A300BS/XK/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&tab=specification&subsubtype=series-3-led):

Display

• Screen Size: 23″(16:9)
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• 250cd/? Brightness
• Contrast Ratio: Mega DCR (Static 3000:1)
• 5ms Response time
• Viewing Angle(Horizontal/Vertical): 170?/160?
• 16.7 Million Color Supported

Features

• Support Eco Saving, Multi Screen S/W, MagicAngle, MagicBright3, MagicColor, Off Timer, Magic Tune, Customized Key, Image Size, DVI with HDCP
• Compatible with Mac
• Cabinet Color: Black

Stand

• Use Simple stand

Monitor equipped with Samsung’s unique color engine and White LED-backlight (WLED), has higher color accuracy requirements, color temperature and brightness. The new monitors’ highest response time is 5ms and also features MEGA DCR technology, which enhances dynamic contrast 5,000,000:1 in textural images. Diversified “Magic” functions allow you to extend its viewing angle so the screen always appears as if viewed face-on.

Category: Digital Signage Blog Products

Tags: 5kg, Accuracy Requirements, Color Accuracy, Color Temperature, Computer Peripherals, Consumer Computer, Dimension Product, Dvi, Dynamic Contrast Ratio, Image Size, Input Video Signal, lcd screens, Magic Tune, Power Adaptor, power consumption, Series 3, Shipment Weight, Signal Input, Sync Signal, Wled

digital signage is everywhere! You’ve probably seen these in shopping centres, retail stores, medical centres, hotels, restaurants, take away stores, bathrooms/toilets, public venues, train stations, bus stops, reception areas, offices and now they can be found in lifts too.

Here’s a picture of a small screen located in a lift showing live TV:

If you have klips you would like to share with the rest of our readers let us know by sending an email to info@digitalsignageblog.com

Category: Digital Signage Klips

Tags: Bathrooms, digital signage, email, Hotels, Klips, live tv, Public Venues, Reception Areas, restaurants, retail stores, Shopping Centres, Toilets, Train Stations

Quite a number of Shopping Centres are now installing LED screens suspended from the ceiling and I’m quite intrigued as to what was involved with installing such a complex and large screen.

Here’s the image in the Darling Harbour Shopping Centre in Sydney Australia:

If you have klips you would like to share with the rest of our readers let us know by sending an email to info@digitalsignageblog.com

Category: Digital Signage Klips

Tags: Darling Harbour, digital signage, email, Image, Klips, led screen, Led Screens, Shopping Australia, Shopping Centre, Shopping Centres, Sydney Australia

There are two basic  free tools that we use to remotely manage our digital signage solution – (this is when we use the Microsoft Windows Operating System), Remote Desktop and VNC:

Microsoft Remote Desktop

The first tool is the built in Microsoft Remote Desktop. This needs to be enabled in your Operating System by going to Control Panel – System – Remote Tab and click “Allow Connections from Computers running any version of Remote Desktop” for less secure connections or “Allow Connections only from computer running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication” for more secure connections.

We generally use this tool on the server. The advantages of using this is that it’s slightly faster than the second tool. There is also an option to connect your local drives to your remote pc which is great for transferring files.

VNC

There are several flavours of VNC (http://www.realvnc.com/) This software tool provides remote control of your digital signage player and basically allows you to see and interact with your digital signage software across any network. The one we use is called tightvnc (http://www.tightvnc.com/) and it is free for personal and commercial use. For managing the players, we recommend using this tool rather than remote desktop since it does not lock the remote PC.

For both tools, you’ll need to make sure you have the relevant ports enabled on your firewall.

With VNC there seems to be a limit to 8 characters for the password but either way both tools are highly recommended.

Category: Digital Signage Techie

Tags: Authentication, Basic Tools, Control Digital, Control Panel, Control System, digital signage player, Digital Signage Software, Firewall, Flavours, Free Tools, microsoft, Microsoft Player, Microsoft Remote Desktop, Microsoft Windows Operating System, Nbsp, Pc Tools, Playes, ports, Pros And Cons, Remote Control, Remote Desktop, Signage Solution, Software Tool, Tool, Transferring Files, Two Tools, Vnc, Windows Operating System, Windows Player

1. Keep it Simple – Shorter words and phrases are easier to read – phrases with 3-4 words work well, but a single word can draw lots of attention as well. Each screen should only contain one focused message. Think of writing active, headline-style phrases rather than full sentences.

2. Repetition – Make sure to repeat your key message at the beginning and end of a segment. You may also want to consider using more than one segment to deliver the same message in different ways.

3. Call to Action – A call to action will tell your audience exactly what you want them to do and how you want them to do it. Start with a verb and keep the subject close to it, such as in the phrase “Ask a salesperson for details.” Then let your audience know when and where the action will take place, if applicable. You should also give information that allows them to act, such as a telephone number or Web URL.

4. Use Images Wisely – Complicated visual elements can easily draw attention away from an important message. On the other hand, simple, relevant images can be pleasing to the eye and help viewers remember the message.

5. Aesthetics Matter – Pay attention to aesthetic details such as font and color contrast. You should always use sans-serif fonts because they are the easiest to read. Likewise, high contrast between the foreground and background on a screen can make the content easy on the eyes.

7. Timing – The amount of time it takes to convey your message must be the same as the amount of time it takes a viewer to read it. If it takes a viewer 6 seconds to pass a screen, then he or she will probably only be able to read the screen for 4 seconds, which means that you have 4 seconds to convey your message.6. Text Size Over Screen Size – While it may seem that a big screen will be able to grab more attention, the message is ultimately the most important element of a digital sign. As you can see in the picture below, larger text on the same screen is more noticeable.

8. Display – It’s important to consider the field of viewing your audience will have. You should make sure that you position digital signs in places where they will be seen by as many people as possible, but that depends on the space you display them in. A screen placed higher up will be visible in a large area with lots of foot traffic, such as an airport. However, in narrow spaces like the aisles of a grocery store, screens tend to work better at eye level.

9. Know the Support Format – Due to the wide variety of formats available for images and video, you need to make sure that you presentation will work on all of your devices. The universal formats for images are JPEG and PNG. For videos, it’s generally easiest to stream a video you upload on YouTube, or to download a video from a cloud storage server and save it on your local display.

10. Test the Final Product – This may be the most important thing you do before officially putting your presentation on display to the public. First, you need to ensure that what you see on your computer screen is still effective and readable on the actual screen you will use, both in terms of the size of the screen and the distance from which people will read it. You should also consider the aspect ratio – perhaps the screen that will display your message is proportionally much wider than your computer screen. Most presentation software will have settings to help you easily change the aspect ratio. Finally, it is essential that you check spelling and grammar, because any errors could compromise the integrity of your message.

About the Guest Blogger:

Chuck Lorrell is a construction management enthusiast who writes about various topics including everything related to construction and is the owner of the site Construction Management>.

Category: Digital Signage Guest Posts

Tags: Aesthetic Details, Aesthetics, Amount Of Time, Color Contrast, Different Ways, digital signage, Easy On The Eyes, Foreground And Background, Headline Style, High Contrast, Pay Attention, Phrases, Relevant Images, Repetition, Salesperson, Sans Serif, Scre, Sentences, Single Word, Visual Elements, Web Url

We recently helped one of our clients with implementing digital signage at their exhibition booth. As part of our digital signage exhibition package we included the following:

• Hardware rental of the LCD Screen, Stand and Digital Signage player
• Transportation of the goods to and from the exhibition hall
• Installation of the system and removal at the end of the event
• Template Design
• Management and Monitoring of the digital signage solution – we were able to monitor the system remotely and make the relevant changes if required

During this exhibition, we introduced an innovative way for the exhibitor to manually switch content with a push of a button. The idea was that on quiet periods, the exhibitor will push a button and the screen will display specials to draw more attention to their booth.

In addition, we also integrated Social Media (Facebook) with digital signage. The company’s Facebook page with the number of Fans was displayed.

We know how stressful attending and participating in exhibitions are, so let us take care of your digital signage needs whilst you take care of more the important taks.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News, Digital Signage Case Study

Tags: Design Management, Digital Integration, digital signage, digital signage player, Exhibition Booth, Exhibition Booths, Exhibition Hall, Exhibition Halls, exhibitions, Exhibitor, Facebook, Hardware Rental, lcd screen, Nbsp, Quiet Periods, Relevant Changes, Signage Solution, Solution Integration, Taks, Template Design

Does your digital signage player allow you to automatically power on when it’s connected to power?
Have you been in this situation: Your digital signage players are powered on and are happily running the content on the screens. Then your building has a power outage and all of digital signage players lose power and end up being switched off.When the power comes back on and all the digital signage players are still switched off. You then have to walk around to all the players and switch them back on.What a waste of time right?

Now if you had the Wake On LAN feature enabled on your players you may be able to switch them back on using this feature but what happens if your using wireless? Wireless doesn’t have this feature. One alternative is to use the PowerOn Function Feature “Restore on AC Power Loss” in the BIOS. This feature basically turns on the player when it detects there is power.

Obviously your digital signage player needs to support this feature in the BIOS. If it does, follow these instructions to turn the feature on:

1. Turn on the player and press the DELETE button (or the relevant button to get into the BIOS) and go to the Advanced Tab.

2. Select Power Management Configuration

3. Enable the PowerOn Function

4. Select Retore on AC Power Loss

5. Make sure the Restore on AC Power Loss is selected to Power On

Category: Digital Signage Techie

Tags: Ac Power Loss, Bios, digital signage player, Management Features, Network Feature, Power Management, Power Outage, Power Player, Relevant Button, Running, screens, Wake On Lan, Waste Of Time

Have you been in this situation:

1. You’ve installed a digital signage player and want to remotely manage the unit

2. You don’t want to install a telephone or ADSL line because the costs are too high

3. You only need the Internet connection for a short perid of time i.e. 1-2 months

4. You don’t care about the speeds and bandwidth

5. You need the player to connect to the Internet

After months of researching I have found the solution in Australia….. (drum roll) Virgin 3G prepaid modem  – YES can you believe it Virgin!!! is the only provider that allows Internet inbound connections. Most other providers only allow you to do this if you’re on a contract (post pay). There are several items or checklists to consider before purchasing any 3G modem and these are:

1. Is your digital signage hardware compatible and be able to support the 3G modem?

2. Is there coverage in the location where you intend to use the 3G modem?

3. Does your player have the ability to automatically connect to the Internet in the event of coverage dropouts? If not, we would recommend you use a 3G Modem router that has the ability to automatically connect to the Internet.

The APN information that you will need to use is Virgin.Internet

Good luck and let us know if you find any other prepaid providers that uses a Public IP Address and allows inbound connections from the Internet.

Category: Digital Signage Techie

Tags: 3g, australia, Bandwidth, Checklists, digital signage, digital signage player, Dropouts, Drum Roll, good luck, hardware, Inbound Connection, Inbound Connections, Internet 2, Internet 6, Internet Connection, Internet Connections, Internet Providers, Ip Address, Isp Providers, Modem, Modem Router, Nbsp, Perid, Period Of Time, Public Ip, Purchasing, Short Period, Virgin

advertise me is your one stop shop for all your digital signage needs and solutions. Whether you need a digital menu board or an enterprise digital signage system, Advertise Me will be able to deliver a solution that will meets your budget and needs.
Advertise Me is a leading digital signage solutions provider and are able to supply digital signage displays from leading manufacturers, lcd/plasma/led screens, video walls, touch screens, digital signage players, digital signage software, digital signage servers, digital signage interactivity, digital signage hardware and accessories such as video extenders.
Advertise Me has completed digital signage installations at the major capital cities (Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne) and can pretty much cover all the states in Australia.
So for your next digital signage solution, contact Advertise Me on 1300 880 005 or contact info@advertiseme.com.au or click here to request a quote.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Tags: Capital Cities, Contact, Digital Displays, Digital Signage Software, Digital Signage Solutions, Enterprise, hardware, Melbourne, Menu Board, Perth, plasma, Servers, Signage Solution, Solutions Provider, States In Australia, Sydney, That Meets Your Needs, Tool, Touch Screens, Video Walls

Last week I was at my local shopping centre and noticed that they installed digital signage. The setup was as follows:

• There were two 47″ LG screens hanging from the ceiling.
• There was an LG player the back of the first screen
• Connected to the player there was a Telstra USB 3G modem – I’m assuming this was needed for Internet connectivity
• There was also a VGA splitter that connected the Video output to the second screen

Now, in terms of content and what was displayed on the screen seemed quite disappointing. There was only two ads displayed on the screen. One was the company’s own advertisement and the other was just an image.

My initial thoughts were, “How is the company making money?” and “Are the network owners already struggling to find advertisers?”

I believe this is a common issue for digital signage network startups. Most believe that having a network means that they can easily generate advertising revenue but that’s not always the case. Finding advertisers is the biggest challange easpecially if the network only has a handful of screens. Its a numbers game -most of the advertisers want exposure and they are willing to pay for it if the exposure is high.

So before jumping at the chance of setting up a digital signage network make sure you have advertisers ready to buy your advertising space…. and good luck.

Category: Digital Signage Blog Info

Tags: Advertisement, advertisers, Advertising Revenue, Challange, digital signage network, digital signage networks, good luck, Handful, Initial Thoughts, Making Money, Modem, Numbers Game, screens, Shopping Centre, Startups, telstra, Vga Splitter, Video Output

This week we posted a blog about 3D screens. A few hours after the post we were bombareded with emails from companies who manufacture 3D glasses. I guess 3D glasses are a consumer product and it’s something that most people would not carry with them. It doesn’t make sense to have a 3D screen in a public environment because no one would be carrying 3D glasses. There are 3D Screens out in the market that does not require the 3D glasses and these are the products that we will be seeing in the near future. We ask our readers what they think about 3D screens.

Category: Digital Signage Blog Products

Tags: 3d Glasses, 3d Screen, 3d Screens, blog, digital signage, Guess, Public Environment

We were recently contacted by a 3D screen manufacturer who wanted to introduce their products.
Now I personally believe that 3D screens are a great way to attract attention especially in bars and clubs, however is it worth spending the extra cash to replace your existing screens with 3D screens?

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Tags: 3d Screen, 3d Screens, Bars And Clubs, digital signage, Extra Cash

Written by Guest Blogger: Heather McDaniels

When you see a message scrolling or flashing across a billboard, or a video advertisement on the side of a stadium, or even short videos streamed on scoreboards at ballgames, you are seeing products of what is known as the digital signage industry. You are of course familiar with the concepts of advertisement and entertainment in public places, designed to meet a large audience; the digital signage industry is essentially an extension of these ideas, by which the same advertisement and entertainment are brought to the public through digital media. Now, thanks to the spread and usefulness of wireless internet, digital signage seems to be expanding even more, to the point that it will likely soon be surprising to see a billboard that does not change periodically, or a message that does not scroll endlessly.

Already, it is a bit strange to think back just a few years to when digital signage was a far smaller industry. Billboards used to always be solid, painted, and unchanging, and television screens in public areas (such as airports or the hallways at large stadiums) could sometimes only display one message. Now, it is extremely common to see billboards that can change their messages several times per minute (vastly expanding the number of advertisements they can display in a given amount of time), or screens scrolling messages that used to have to be posted one at a time, or one per screen. This is how far the digital signage industry has come just in the last few years, and, again, with the spread of wireless Internet, the industry will continue to grow.

Just like anything else that can use a wireless connection, the absence of cables and physical connections essentially signals a massive increase in speed and convenience. Not so long ago, you had to connect your computer by a cable reaching to a phone jack in the wall in order to access the Internet; now, you need only connect wirelessly to the nearest available network to enjoy high-speed, reliable Internet access. It is the same with the digital signage industry. Advertisers and entertainers are now able to mount television screens and other media display mechanisms just about anywhere they want, and can remotely, wirelessly cause messages to run across them. This is just another way that wireless Internet has improved the clarity, scope, and efficiency with which we do things – and the networks and speeds involved are only getting bigger and faster.

Category: Digital Signage Guest Posts

Tags: Advertisements, Airports, Amount Of Time, Ballgames, Balmat, billboard, Billboards, Cables, digital signage, Ginger, Hallways, Heather, Internet Digital, Massive Increase, Mcdaniels, Physical Connections, Public Areas, Scoreboards, Several Times, Signage Industry, Stadiums, Television Screens, Video Advertisement, Wireless Internet

Written by Guest Blogger: Barbara Jolie

Let me preface this post with the fact that I absolutely love Do-It-Yourself (DIY) hobbies and projects. There is nothing like building or accomplishing something yourself, having it look great and exactly the way you want it, and paying less for it too. I love DIY activities as much as the next industrious, frugal individual, but when it comes to digital signage, there may be some things you just want left to the pros.

Finding Your Limitations

Depending on your needs (and your skills of course), digital signage can just about be a complete DIY project. But your digital sign setup probably won’t be without some limitations. For instance, you can go out and buy your own LCD screens, design a Powerpoint or some sort of slideshow, and transmit your display through some type of computer or vod player that’s close enough to connect through wire to your monitor.

But what if you don’t want to tether a computer only a few feet away from your display monitor? What if you want to leave your sign somewhere outside your business where people could easily walk by and take your computer or even your whole monitor system for that matter? What if you don’t want to constantly create new content for your sign or have the same content repeating for months?

The more you actually try to make use of your digital signage, the more you’ll probably realize that you will need the help of at least some professionals. Perhaps you can mount the equipment yourself, or maybe you can design and create the content, but there’s likely no chance that you can do all of that in addition to network troubleshooting and everything else, even if you do have a fairly large and bright staff with even slightly appropriate skills.

How Professionals Can Help

One of the largest benefits to hiring professionals for digital signage is that you have multiple avenues you can take. You can go to a one-stop shop that will take care of all ends of your digital signage needs, but you can also select specific services from specific professionals.

And once you’ve received adequate service from a professional for one aspect of digital signage, they can refer you to other professionals that can help you out in other areas of digital signage. Having access to a network like this is valuable enough on its own.

Of course you can try out certain areas of digital signage on your own. Perhaps you have a knack for design and content strategy and would like to handle that whole aspect of digital signage. Why not at least give it a shot right? Just remember that, after all your own work, if you end up needing a professional, you have wasted some of your own resources that could have been spent elsewhere. You run this risk when you take on any DIY project rather than consorting with professionals.

About the Guest Blogger:

This guest post is contributed by Barbara Jolie, who writes for online classes.

Category: Digital Signage Guest Posts

Tags: Avenues, Design Content, digital signage, Diy Activities, Diy Project, Hobbies, lcd screens, Love, Monitor System, Nbsp, Network Troubleshooting, Pitfalls, Preface This Post, Slideshow

Written by Guest Blogger: Nadia Jones

Every sign has a purpose. Of course, some have more than others. The trend of using digital signage has become so rampant these days that many businesses and institutions, in my opinion, are getting them before even considering why they need them. Digital signs are awesome. But there’s nothing more cringe-inducing or face-palming than seeing a digital sign that offers no more variation or usability than a sign composed of a piece of paper and a Sharpee.

Schedules, Updates, and More Schedules

This should go without saying, but any sign or outpost that contains many schedules that are updated daily would be a perfect use of digital signage. Buildings with good numbers of conferences and institutions that hold a lot of meetings (such as universities) are prime candidates for digital signage. For conferences and lectures in particular, these digital signs can be helpful not only in updating time and locations of events, but also in providing descriptions and advertising for these types of events.

Of course any public transportation company or service should and probably is using digital signs; not using this technology in a field or situation that relies on relaying constant updates to customers is simply inexcusable. Maybe five years ago that sort of thing would be ok, but not this decade.

Pretty Pictures, Even videos!

If you feel like your signs could have a lot of digital media to offer, be them pictures or especially video, digital signage would work absolutely perfectly for your needs. For pictures and graphics, digital signage works great because it gives you an excellent quality image that you can then reuse or change without having to pay extra printing fees like you would for physical prints. Dollar for dollar, when you take into account long term costs of high quality prints, digital signage will always be cheaper and usually look better too.

For video, the need for digital signage is obvious. Frankly put, there is simply no other way to convey video through a sign without digital signage. Now, audio can get a bit more complicated, but it all depends on what you’re using to host the media for the sign.

Touch Media, Oh My!

While this technology is still pretty new and therefore expensive, touch signs can be a godsend for your digital signage needs. Particularly if you intend the sign to be used for information-getting and navigational purposes, having a touch-screen sign makes it so that you can offer a lot of information in one place without having it all cluttered and bunched together. Touch screen is definitely the future of digital signage.

About the Guest Blogger:

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at online college about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics.

Category: Digital Signage Guest Posts

Tags: Conferences, Decade, digital signage, Digital Signs, High Quality, Institutions, Nadia, Outpost, Physical Prints, Piece Of Paper, Pretty Pictures, Prime Candidates, Printing Fees, Public Transportation, Quality Image, Quality Prints, Transportation Company, usability, Variation, Video Digital

advertise me has showcased their digital signage solutions at the Digital Signage World 2011. The event was held over two days (9th & 10th June 2011) at Hall 1 at Darling Harbour Exhibition Center Sydney Australia. The Digital Signage World 2011 is the second digital signage event that has been held in Australia and is the only dedicated tradeshow and conference for the digital signage industry and included seminars from key speakers and exhibitors.

Advertise Me was one of the many exhibitors at the event which included large companies such as Sharp, Fujitsu and Netcomm. During this exhibition, Advertise Me stood out from their competitors by demonstrating the use of Social Networking tools such as Twitter and Foursquare to communicate real time information on the screen. The setup of their stand was also unique which incorporated the use of a video wall(2×2 47″ FULL High Definition LCD Panasonic screens) to demonstate different applications for digital signage. Here’s the setup:

The digital signage software that was used for delivering and distributing the content to the screens was PADS Professional developed  by a Netherlands based company called Net Display Systems. Net Display Systems has thousands of installations in multiple market sectors from transportation, corporate and government to hospitality and retail.

The PADS Professional software was installed on the Shuttle XS35 – one of the smallest and powerful PC we’ve seen on the market. The unit has an atom processor with an NVIDIA ION graphics chip set and is able to play Full HD videos without any issues. In actual fact,  we played a number of Full HD Videos at the same time and didn’t notice any lag. For convenience, the unit can be mounted on the back of a screen with a Shuttle VESA mounting kit.

The top left hand screen demonstrated the use of Twitter, Foursquare, News and Weather feeds, and the ability to show real time video (USB Camera) as an input source.

The top right hand screen demonstrated the use of Advertise Me’s custom built SMS solution. This digital signage solution enabled visitors to select a music video clip from a list by texting a code to a mobile number. According to the company, this application can be used with any digital signage software that can be connected to the Internet and it’s use can be applied in any industry. Advertise Me also used this solution to distribute the PADS demo key via SMS.

The bottom left hand screen played marketing videos and was also used to demonstrate the PADS software. This allowed Advertise Me to answer and show the user how easy the system is to use.

The bottom right hand screen played an image slideshow demonstrating the use of digital signage in different industries such as hospitality, education, retail and the corporate sector.

Facial recognition, hand and SMS interactivity were some of the innovative technologies being showcase at the exhibition and it is anticipated that businesses will soon adapt to these new technologies in Australia.

Advertise Me would like to thank their sponsors for their help and assistance:

• Net Display Systems
• Shuttle/Altech
• Panasonic
• Visual Sounds
• Squeak.com.au

Here’s a few more photos of the expo:

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Tags: Chip Set, Darling Harbour Exhibition Center, Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre, Definition Lcd, Digital Signage Software, Digital Signage Solutions, Exhibition Centre Sydney, Exhibitors, Facial Recognition, Fujitsu, Input Source, Interactive Solution, Interactivity, Ion Graphics, Key Technologies, Market Sectors, Mobile Number, Music Video Clip, Netcomm, Networking Tools, Nvidia, Pc Hardware, Possibilities, Professional Software, Signage Industry, Signage Solution, social networking, Social Networks, Sydney Australia, Tradeshow, twitter, Video Usb, video wall, weather

I just stumbled across an image of a bike with digital screens. Is this real or is it fake?

Here’s the picture:

If it is real, here’s a list of my concerns:

• theft – now it gives thieves more of a reason to steal your bike… they now will get a free screen
• what happens if it rain? is it a waterproof screen?
• what happens if there’s a strong wind? will the bike fall?
• will pedalling generate more electricity for the battery to run the screens?
• safety – if the screens draw too much attention to drivers will it cause accidents?

I must give it to the company or engineers that came up with this idea… but to be honest this digital signage implementation is not my cup of tea.

Category: Digital Signage Weekend Fun

Tags: Accidents, Bikes, Cup Of Tea, digital signage, Electricity, Fun, Images, Img, Lt, Ly, Photos, Rain, screens, Signage Implementation, Strong Wind, Thieves

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to update the firmware on your Cayin digital signage player. It is web based so it’s pretty easy and straight forward.

In this particular example, we’re upgrading the Cayin player model WEB4 from version 1.0 to 1.5 (U11436). This new firmware version introduces several new features such as the ability to disable the annoying scroll bars for html templates, abitility to add HTML/flash regions in the skin editor templates, upgrades some of the built in software packages and also the support of 3G and GPS.

However, with any major upgrade sometimes it does introduce new problems and we’ve already experienced this. This patch has an issue with image transitions and some of the backend logic which causes the background to appear during the transitions (1-2 seconds). Cayin are currently working on a fix. But in any case this tutorial was created before we discovered the issue and it’s just meant to demonstrate how to upgrade the player and here’s the link:

http://www.digitalsignageblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/cayin web4 firmware update.htm

We’ll provide an update when we hear from the manufacturer.

Category: Digital Signage Tutorials

Tags: 05 Swf, 3g, Background, Cayin, digital signage player, Firmware, Firmware Update, Firmware Version, Html Templates, Image Transitions, Logic, New Features, Player Model, Scroll Bars, Skin Editor, Software Packages, Swfobject, Web4

Let’s keep this simple, the only reason why you should install digital signage for your business is because everyone else is doing it. Yes, that’s my blog post for today. Short and simple.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Tags: Digital Business, digital signage, Reason

Written by Guest Blogger: Kelly Johnson

With DVRs giving us the ability to skip TV commercials, newspaper readership declining and a feeling of bombardment from online ads, advertisers are getting creative. Communities around the country are finding a fresh, new way to target potential customers through digital signage network advertising. This medium is more targeted, effective and cheaper than many traditional forms of advertisement. It targets consumers when they are out and about and in some cases, at the point of sale.

The digital signage network connects communities with screens in key locations and ads from non-competing businesses. Independent marketing companies choose key community locations where large amounts of people gather to eat, shop or play. Some marketing companies will even offer to set up a screen in a business for free if the business owner will allow other businesses to advertise on their screen.

continue reading »

Category: Digital Signage Guest Posts

Tags: Bombardment, Business Advertisements, Business Owner, Community Businesses, Creative Communities, Current Sales, digital signage network, digital signage networks, Dvrs, Host Businesses, Host Companies, Independent Marketing, Kelly Johnson, Marketing Companies, Network Advertising, Network Host, Network Hosts, New Menu, Newspaper Readership, Point Of Sale, Tv Commercials

Dell in North America is looking to fill an Inside Sales Account Management position at their North America. The Scope of the position is as follows: Individual contributors responsible for selling Dell’s printer, projector and digital signage solutions, to new and existing customers in Federal. I didn’t realise that Dell had their own digital signag solution but I’m guessing they must be refeering to their display screens or all in one PCs.

Based on the qualifications required, the position doesn’t look like it’s that difficult to get if you have the right skills:

• Minimum 2 years relationship sales and Federal experience

• ISR-AE class completion or field experience equivalent

• Strong organizational/time management skills

• Highly energetic

• Support of your manager and RSM

If you’re looking at applying for this job here’s the link: https://dell.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=11000UD9&src=JB-10007

Good luck to those that are applying.

Category: Digital Signage Jobs

Tags: Account Management, Amp, Class Completion, Dell Net, Digital Signage Solutions, Existing Customers, Federal Experience, Field Experience, good luck, Job Management, Management Position, North America, Organizational Time, Printer Projector, Relationship Sales, Rsm, Sales Management, Scope, screens, Time Management Skills

Before we first started our company advertise me – we didn’t have a clue what the industry was called and the different terminologies that was used to describe this booming industry. Back then, the idea of having advertisements  or content such as menus, images, videos, weather feeds, and text displayed on digital screens was still at its infancy. Commercial plasma screens was becoming more popular and with the introduction of LCD screens, prices of plasmas was becoming more affordable. If you look at the below image of google trends for the term digital signage, you’ll notice that this term became more popular (from google’s search perspective) in 2007.  I tried trending the term digital out of home and dooh but google responsed with “do not have enough search volume to show graphs.”

digital signage google trends

One of the terminologies that we were unfamiliar with was  DOOH – to date we still don’t use this term that often since it has been replaced by Digital Signage. Now to me, the two terms DOOH and Digital Signage can be used interchaneably and I don’t care if there is a difference. One might say that DOOH (since it’s not at home) is a screen network in a public area and that digital signage can be located in a corporate building to display internal communications. To me, both are the same but Digital Signage sounds shorter and easier to say so we’ll stick with this.

If you have a different opinion let us know.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Tags: Advertisements, Clue, digital signage, Google, Google Trends, Graphs, Image, Images, Infancy, Internal Communications, lcd screens, Menus, Perspective, plasma screens, Search Volume, Sounds, Terminologies, weather

Written by Guest Blogger: Bryan Cochand

Communication is crucial to any type of business, but choosing the right way to communicate can be challenging. digital signage — a term for publicly displaying important information and announcements on a large plasma, LED, or LCD screen — is a cutting-edge method for businesses or organizations to get their message out to their consumers in an economical and flexible way. Catching up to all the advantages of this method can be an easy and very lucrative improvement. So if you are looking for new methods to increase the exposure of your company or organization, it may be worthwhile to check out the benefits of using digital signage.

continue reading »

Category: Digital Signage Blog News, Digital Signage Guest Posts

Tags: Advertising Firm, Art Forms, Communication Components, Consumers, Cutting Edge, digital signage, Drastic Effect, Emerging Technology, Environments, Failure, Gt Communication, H3, Hardwar, hardware, Important Information, Lt, marketing, Moving, Organization, plasma, Public Communication, Signage Companies, Staggering Rate, State Of The Art, Tool

The Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Newcastle has implemented a digital signage solution  to help communicate information (course timetables, date/time and important notices) to students. The 50″ Screen is installed on a professional and sturdy stand that is located near the front entrance hall of the building. One of the main reasons why the screen is positioned in portrait mode is due to space – it was envisaged students would accidentally bump the screen if it is located in landscape. However, we supplied the University with a versatile stand that allows the client to easily rotate the screen in  either landscape or portrait.

Here’s a few photos of the installation:

About The University Of Newcastle

Sector leader in providing opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds.

Over 40,000 students including onshore, offshore and distance education.

Expanded into the Newcastle city centre on a campus accommodating business, law and creative arts students. Planning underway to establish education, humanities and social sciences disciplines in the city.

Home to the best engineering and health faculties in the country relative to size.

Even stronger health and medical research capabilities through the new state of the art Hunter Medical Research Institute building.

Increased reach across the region and overseas through expanded online program delivery.

Established infrastructure and support systems that provide one of the best student experiences in the country.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News, Digital Signage Case Study

Tags: Arts Students, Best Engineering, Communicating With Students, Course Timetables, Creative Arts, Date Time, Digital Communication, digital signage, Electrical Engineering Department, Entrance Hall, Front Entrance, Humanities And Social Sciences, Implements, Information Course, Landscape, Medical Research Institute, Newcastle City Centre, Photos, Portrait Mode, Program Delivery, Research Capabilities, Sector Leader, Signage Solution, Slideshow, Social Sciences Disciplines, Student Communication, Student Experiences, Timetable, University Of Newcastle