I thought I’d bring this up again since I just saw a video of a digital signage presentation that I believe breached several legal aspects. I want our readers to understand this clearly before they take the next step further.

The first legal area is about copyright. Yes, it’s something we all know about but the Internet provides us with so much as information, images and videos that we sometimes forget how easily the content can be easily re-used. So for those creating content, don’t be tempted to just use content that you find on the Internet. There are many companies out there that is able to provide stock images, videos, templates etc. Most importantly, in the video I noticed that there was an option to add an RSS news feed from CNN news. Even thought the video was a demonstration of a digital signage system, I believe there was a breach in the RSS terms and conditions. The CNN website clearly mentions that the use of the RSS is for non-commercial purposes. We previously talked about breacking RSS copyright laws in the post titled: Are you breaching RSS copyright laws? By the way, in that post we mentioned that we were getting 100 RSS feeds per day(statistics from early 2009 and as of today, we receive over 1000 feeds per day).

The second legal area is about overlaying RSS text or advertisements or any other type of content over live TV feeds. We also talked about this in one of our previous posts titled Embedding live video content in digital signage. Is this a breach of copyright in Australia? For example, if you were showing a live feed of a soccer match and you overlayed an RSS feed at the bottom of the actual feed then you’re breaching some of the broadcasters terms and conditions. Besides all the legal jargon that you will find on the broadcasters websites, I believe the main reasons why commercial businesses are not allowed to do this is for the following reasons:

1. It costs big money to broadcast video content and they make the majority of their money by displaying advertisements during the ad breaks. By you displaying other content such as ads then the broadcasters are not making money from you and they obviously want to avoid this.

2. The broadcasters do not want to give the viewers the impression and confusion that the other content on the live TV feed is actually displayed from them. They don’t want the affiliation simply because they are unable to control what is displayed on the screen. Just image you’re displaying live TV of a news channel and all of a sudden you display an overlay RSS feed of the CNN news. Now, that will be confusing.

I simply want to make our readers, system integrators or digital signage users aware of some of these legal issues because I don’t want you to be in a legal battle – I’d rather you spend the time rolling out digital signage solutions than sitting in a court case. I also thought that our readers needed to be better educated on how to best use the features in a digital signage system and  not breach any laws.

Has these laws changed? If not, then think twice before you use some of the advanced features in a digital signage system and don’t blame the solution provider or manufacturer for giving you the functionality to do this!

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Does anyone know or have seen a small digital signage player that is able to support HD (dual core) videos and can fit between the screen and the wall?

Category: Digital Signage Blog News, Digital Signage Blog Products

Here’s an example of why it is important to invest in a good screen and I’ll give two examples I saw at Darling Harbour in Sydney Australia. The first example is an LCD screen in Sydney Wildlife World that was relocated from the inside of the reception area to the front. I think the company realised that the location of the screen is important and that visitors walking past did not notice the screens when it was located at the back of the reception area. It is now located at the front closer to were most of the traffic is. Besides one set of the screens being too low (I think this is an OH&S issue – I could almost touch the bottom of the screen with my head) the quality of the screen was pretty bad – have a look at the below picture. I could hardly see the content on the screen even when standing right in front of the screen. I think it’s time for a replacement – please call us if you’re reading this and want it replaced.

The second example is from Sydney Aquarium, which is just around the corner from the Sydney Wildlife. They recently installed multiple digital signage screens at the front of their reception area. From far away, you can clearly see the content of the screen. The colours on the screen is bright compared to the previous example. It’s eye catching and that’s what most digital signage installers need to think about i.e how can I make my screens get noticed. In total they had 5 screens, 4 in landscape and 1 in portrait. My suggestion would be to use a digital menu board at their food counter.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News, Digital Signage Klips

Have you ever tried to install a screen at a specific location and had to go through the hassle of installing a power point and video cables? Apparently you will no longer run into this issue in the next few years as manufacturers will be releasing wireless monitors that charges the power and also transmit video using wireless technology.

There are many benefits in using this technology and some of these are:

• Reduce installation costs for both power and video cabling – no more cables dangling from the screen
• Ability to install screen in any given location and have the freedom to change the location

I dont know how the quality of  the video is going to be like since there are a number of factors that affect the quality such as interference and distance. But from the video it appears that you need a wireless USB dongle to be attached to the laptop.

Have a look at the Fujitsu screen which was showcased during the CeBIT 2011 and it might available in 5 to 10 years (you may need the infrastructure to run the wireless power):

Category: Digital Signage Blog Products

For this week we ask all the digital signage techies out there on how to prevent or reduce glare on a shop window for your display screens. Many installers and businesses have experienced this issue so it would be worthwhile to share what you’ve done to overcome this issue. Here’s an example of a screen near the east exist of Shinjuku Station that clearly shows the glare.

Category: Digital Signage Techie

I stumbled across an RFP that was released on the 15th March 2011 by bidUSA and here’s the link http://www.bidsusa.net/Default.CFM?Page=400&BSID=63937&PC=70DB213F . The closing date is the 29th March 2011 and it’s for the North Carolina region. Apparently from the title the RFP is for the supply of digital signage 46 LCD display screens. In order to obtain more information you will need to register and login. There is currently a special offer “Sign up today to get full access to bidsUSA through May 31, 2011. There is no cost, obligation or credit card required.” so for those of you who are interest, apply for an account and start bidding…. and good luck.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Thanks to David Rossi for sharing this klip of an error message on a screen.

I think error messages like this one is pretty common when using Windows as an operating system.

Category: Digital Signage Klips

This week we received klips of a digital signage implementation at the University of Technology in Sydney Australia. The setup included several video walls in the main building of the university. This is one of the main high traffic areas so it does make sense to install digital signage there. The most interesting and unique factor of this implementation (besides using 6 screens for the wall) is the way the screen were installed on the pillars. There is an additional partition that seems to be angled rather than just flush mounted against the wall. Why? My guess is to increase the viewing angle for the students walking past and also to hide the equipment at the back of the screens.
This university has adopted digital signage quite well and also incorporated the use of projectors near the front of the entrance. Well done!

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Category: Digital Signage Klips

This weeks video is a product that is quite interesting.

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Category: Digital Signage Blog Products, Digital Signage Blog Video, Digital Signage Polls

Just recently, the NSW Bus transport department launched an SMS service for it commuters to receive up-to-the-minute information about when the next Sydney Buses service will arrive at their stop. All you have to do is simply SMS your bus stop number to 0488 TXT BUS (0488 898 287) for up-to-the-minute timetable information about when the next Sydney Buses service will arrive at your stop. The stop number can be found on the bus sign. Now I catch public transport (both bus and trains) and when I was waiting at the bus stop I was thinking to myself why don’t they convert your ordinary bus signs with a digital signage screen and display the location of the bus on a map. That way commuters exactly know where the bus is and how long before it will arrive. At the same time, the screen can be used to provide advertising and other useful information such as scheduled outages. If you have a smartphone then an application can be developed to provide this service to the general public. One that can be faced with having such an implementation is that buses can be target by terrorist or stalkers.

The screen can also be interactive so that commuters waiting at the bus stop can interact with the screen. Here’s a good example:

Yahoo! Bus Stop Derby from Obscura Digital on Vimeo.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

Last year we noticed a number of companies launching their audience measurements tools as part of their digital signage solution. The solution normally consists of a digital screen, server, digital signage player and a webcam. By using the webcam, the software tool detects and counts the number of people who are looking at the screen. For some solutions, it can even go beyond just tracking this number and determine what gender and age the person that looked at the screen was.
You may be asking yourself, “Do I really need this solution?”. If you’re a marketing or advertising company then yes, this information is critical. Using raw data and number to present to your advertisers will make a compelling reason why they should advertise on your screens.

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Category: Digital Signage Blog News

This is an awesome video of a digital signage cube by Sharp Electronics. It appears that the cube is made up of 64 60″ monitors …. no I physically didn’t count them but there was a sign on the side saying that. I wonder what the purpose of this cube was for. It’s also quite interesting to see how the installation took place and here’s the video for this fun weekend:

Category: Digital Signage Blog Video, Digital Signage Weekend Fun

Written by Guest Blogger: Drake MacDonald from ConstructionManagement.net

In recent years, large-scale digital signs have become one of most popular forms of advertising and communication. This is largely due to the fact that these signs seem to be an incredibly effective way of reaching consumers. By using large electronic screens, advertisers and businesses are able to quickly and efficiently send messages to passersby walking on the street or driving in the cars. Not only that, but these signs also allow businesses to send targeted messages to consumers at specific locations and times. Clearly, the benefits of large-scale digital signs are endless. Yet, their seemingly complicated nature may cause you to be hesitant about constructing one of your own. However, the truth is creating such a sign is far less complicated than you might think. In fact, you don’t even need construction management experience to get a sign up and running and start attracting more customers to your store. continue reading »

Category: Digital Signage Guest Posts

Digital menu boards are becoming the greatest marketing tool for Restaurants and food outlets. Why? Because food can be more engaging and enticing if there’s motion and if information can be updated based on time schedules.

One of the main advantages of using digital signage is the fact that if you own multiple stores at different locations, you can centrally manage all of these from the head office.

Traditionally, one of the most time consuming component of a menu board is changing the prices and images of the food items. With a digital menu board this task has become so much easier. For some digital signage solutions, all you need to do is update the prices in an image editing tool or edit a text file.

For those of you who are interested in a digital menu board visit advertise me – they are offering a packaged digital menu board solution which includes the following (click here to view their offerings and pricing):

• 40″ Commercial Grade LCD FHD display screen
• (Other screen sizes also available)
• Built-in Digital Signage player
• Creation and design of your menu board (preview some of our designs)
• 1 Year Commercial Warranty
• Operations/Training Manual
• Installation Guide
• Delivery

So take the step now and GO DIGITAL and contact Advertise Me to discuss your digital menu board solution.

Category: Digital Signage Blog News

At a recent digital signage implementation at Liverpool Hospital, we installed a digital screen at two areas of the hospital, one was at the student lobby and the other was at the training area theater. The digital signage system is used as a communication tool for staff and students.

One of the screens was installed in front of the training area theater that has a high traffic area. When we finished installing the screen, one of the training sessions also ended and within just a few minutes some of the visitors walked up to the screen and made some interesting comments. Most of asked us if they can take the screen home and how much it would cost. We responded that the screen was commercial and it wasn’t something they would want for their home.

The other interesting comment was can they watch TV. Being a commercial grade screen it didn’t come with a TV Tuner, so simply the answer was NO… and once again it’s a commercial grade screen. I guess from this, we realised how most people are not educated about the difference between residential and commercial grade screen. But what was more interesting is the fact that quite a number of people noticed the screen… it actually grabbed the visitors attention.

Now this was the same case when we installed the second screen at the student lobby area. Most of them were students and they too asked whether they can watch TV on this screen, unfortunately NO. What we did notice is that after 30 minutes of installing the screens students gathered around the digital signage screen and talked about some of the images that were displaying… that’s the power of digital signage and how it can be used to grab peoples attention and it really works.

digital signage student area

student area watching after 30 minutes of the install

Category: Digital Signage Blog News