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

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

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

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