Digital Signage player 1	Digital Signage Player 2

As you can see from the picture, these players have the same components as a computer – basically it is a computer. It has a CPU, Motherboard, PSU (Power Supply Unit), Graphics chip, HHD, Memory, Storage Drive and heat sinks/FANs.

Most of the digital signage players that we have seen have an Intel Central Processor Unit chip. The CPU requirements will depend on type of content and software you intent to use the player for. For example, if you just intent to display images and text an Intel ATOM CPU will suffice but if you need to display High Definition videos with flash and images, then a Dual Core CPU will be required.

In addition, the Graphics chip is also a crucial component when determining what digital signage player is required. In particular, there are different types of Graphics chips and cards that has many useful features e.g multiple video outputs (HDMI, VGA, DVI), extended or clone video (the ability to duplicate or extend the content to multiple screens)

If you intent to display lots of Videos as content, then the bigger the HHD the better. SATA is generally faster than IDE. These days, HD Videos can take up as much as Gigabytes of storage, and given that storage is quite affordable then why not have the large storage space.

RAM (Random Access Memory) is temporary storage that loads much faster than a HHD. Memory is also cheap, so the bigger the memory the better. Obviously, costs is always a deciding factor when purchasing any type of product but before you do decide to make that final purchasing decision, make sure you thoroughly review and test the unit.

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Post tags: Central Processor Unit, Cpu Motherboard, Cpu Requirements, digital signage player, Dual Core Cpu, Gigabytes, Graphics Chips, Heat Sinks, Intel, Intel Chip, Intel Cpu, Memory Storage, Nbsp, Peek, Player 1, Power Supply Unit, Random Access Memory, Sata, Storage Drive, Storage Space, Temporary Storage, Unit Graphics, Vga, Video Outputs

Here’s some pictures of the unit.

Here’s the specs of the unit:

Digital Display Compatibility
Aspect ratio 16:9, 16:10, 4:3 (horizontal & vertical)
Video output 50/60 Hz: 720p (1280×720), XGA (1024×768), WSVGA
(1024×640), WVGA (768×480), 576p (720×576), 480p
(720×480), SVGA (800×600), VGA (640×480), EDID
24/25 Hz: 1080p (1920×1080; only for semistatic content)
Video connectors HDMI (incl. digital audio), DVI via adapter. VGA (DB15 HD
connector). Simultaneous use of HDMI and VGA possible
Media Format
Description language SVG Tiny 1.2+ (Scalable Vector Graphics)
Media synchronization SMIL 2.1 (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language)
Still image formats JPEG, PNG, GIF, SVG
Supported video codecs Up to SD resolution: MPEG-4 ASP, MPEG-2, MPEG-1,
H.264, MJPEG, Microsoft VC-1 (Windows Media Video 9)
Supported audio codecs MPEG audio layer 1/2/3 (MP3), ITU G.711, G.722,
G.729,PCM, Microsoft WMA, Real Audio
Media container formats AVI, WMV/WMA, VOB, AIFF, OGG, WAV, MOV (Quicktime)
Streaming media protocol MMS, RTSP, RTP, SDP, HTTP; Uni- & multicast
Import filters provided for Flash 9, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, BMP, TIFF,
XPM, WBMP, PNM bitmaps
Scripting language PHP5, JavaScript, ECMAScript
Content scheduling iCalendar (RFC2445)
Graphic Effects Engine
Graphic effects language SVG Tiny 1.2+
Vector graphics primitives Rectangles, polygons, paths with lines, elliptical arcs and
Bezier curves, text areas, linear and radial gradients
International text support Unicode standard compliant with bidirectional text support
Font file formats TrueType and OpenType
Animation capabilities Color, gradients, transparency level, audio volume, motion
along a path, translation, scaling, rotation, clipping
Animation modes Discrete, linear, paced and spline interpolation
Specialized Applications
Kiosk applications Touch screen, keyboard/joysticks/gamepads/mouse, HID
I/O devices via USB 2.0 or user defined serial port, with
touch screen calibration
Event management Real-time event communication for triggering content
changes on-demand
Time synchronized Millisecond accuracy, for unconstrained
video wall configurations
Streaming Video and audio streaming compatibility, including
live TV streamers
Network
Connectivity Ethernet 10/100 Mbit/s (RJ-45), IEEE 802.3u, 802.3x
3G connectivity through USB modem stick;
Protocols DHCP or fixed address; IPv4; IPv6;
Remote configuration HTTP(S) configuration server, password protected
Content administration WebDAV server, password protected
Other protocols SNMPv1/v2c, NTP, Zeroconf
Content updates Pull mode, push mode, server based

Storage
Internal storage 2GB solid state
External storage Flash drives and hard disks via USB 2.0 port

Physical Specification
Size 105(W) x 26(H) x 83(D) mm
4.13’(W) x 1.02’(H) x 3.27’(D)
Weight 190g / 6.7 oz
Power supply 5V DC, typ. 0.4A (2W)
Power supply input 100-240V 50-60 Hz, max input current 0.6A
Operating temperature 0-40ºC / 32-104ºF; 10-90% RH
Storage temperature -25ºC to 45ºC / -13ºF to 113ºF; 10% to 90% RH
Real time clock Min. accuracy 1 minute/month free running, battery
backed
Serial RS232, up to 115200 bauds, mini-jack 3.5mm
Analog audio output Line level, stereo, mini-jack 3.5mm

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Post tags: 1920x1080, Adapter Vga, Animation Capabilities, Audio Volume, Bezier Curves, Color Gradients, Db15, digital signage player, Elliptical Arcs, Format Description, G 711, Graphic Effects, Graphics Media, Graphics Primitives, Hyper Media, Import Filters, Lifetime Warranty, Media Player, Microsoft Powerpoint Presentations, Microsoft Wma, Mov Quicktime, Multimedia Integration Language, Radial Gradients, Resolution Mpeg, Support Unicode, Vector Graphics, Vga 640x480, Video Connectors, Warranty, Xga 1024x768

Below are the specs from Panasonic’s website:

Key Benefits:

Embedded Design

The PC integrates seamlessly into a Panasonic professional plasma.
It minimises the need for cabling, making installation easier, removing the
need for a separate PC or an extra air conditioning unit to keep it cool.

Control

Change the way you communicate to staff and customers. Enjoy the flexibility of updating your content in real time, when you want it, where you want it and as often as required.

Power

A single power source ensures that no additional power is required.
With an ultra low voltage chip of 15 watts, energy usage is lower than a light bulb.

Reliable

Based on an industrial grade PC platform, the system is stable and reliable for uninterrupted playback of multimedia content.

Speed

Unlike traditional forms of signage such as billboards and point-of-sale posters, the digital signage solution allows dynamic and rich content, ensuring fast transfer of information via the screens.

Scalable distribution

The application is scalable from one screen to thousands of screens nationwide, networked via wireless, WAN, LAN or satellite distribution.

Low Noise

Low noise operation makes Panasonic professional plasmas suitable for hospitals, hotels, libraries and museums.

Embedded PC: ETX1312C1000

• 1GHz ULV Intel Pentium Celeron Processor
• Dimension: 203 (W) x 32(H) x 125 (D)mm 2-Slot Size
• Supports LVDS and CRT Interface
• Supports both Landscape and Portrait Display Mode
• 512 MB DDR SO-DIMM
• 2.5″ 40GB HDD & Compact Flash Interface
• 10/100 Base-T LAN x 1
• Max. 15W Power Consumption Intel 82855GME/ICH4 Chipset
• OS: Windows XP or XP Embedded or Linux (optional)
• 4x USB 2.0 Ports (2 Connectors @ Terminal & 2 Headers on Board)

Interface: (2x USB2.0, 1x COM (RS232), 1x LAN (RJ45 w/ Status LED),
3x Audio Jack Connectors for Line Out, Line-in & Mic)

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Post tags: Additional Power, Billboards, Board Interface, Celeron Processor, Crt Interface, Current Unit, digital signage, Energy Usage, Flash Interface, Intel Pentium Celeron, Libraries And Museums, Light Bulb, Low Noise, Low Voltage, Multimedia Content, Noise Operation, Panasonic Plasma Screens, Panasonic Product, Pc Platform, power consumption, Power Source, Rich Content, Satellite Distribution, Signage Solution, Slot Size, Uninterrupted Playback, Wan Lan, Watts Energy, Wireless Wan

“The latest updates and new components included with this version support the growing demand in digital signage for faster, better quality content with a focus on touch-screen interactive experiences. The newest multi-touch features, including the ability to slide, swipe and flick at all components on a screen, allow companies to do cooler things with digital signage, and do them more affordably and in significantly less time.”

“The demand for digital signage is growing so exponentially, that companies are struggling to keep up and continually improve on the content itself. Flypaper is working tirelessly to stay ahead of the curve and give digital signage network owners and operators more options for creating killer content,” said Don Pierson, founder and president of Flypaper. “Multi-touch is the latest functionality that everyone is looking to incorporate, and this latest version of Flypaper helps showcase it beautifully.”

Flypaper’s Version 3.3 has several new features and updates aimed at making the customer experience with digital signage more interactive. New components that are especially powerful for kiosk displays include a virtual keyboard, a timer that kicks in during periods of inactivity, and a print button. Gesture support has been added to all components so users can slide, swipe and flick the display, making it a more engaging experience. Developers can also now add in Media RSS feeds and scrollers, run video within text, and input real-time weather data. In total, Flypaper added nearly 40 new features, updates and enhancements to version 3.3.

“Just when we think we’ve reached the limit for a touch screen display, Flypaper brings in new elements that raise the bar even higher,” said Scott Mathews, CEO of MG Digital Media Network.

“They have done a great job of staying one step ahead of what the industry needs.”

Flypaper is revolutionizing the digital signage world by enabling the development of high-quality, affordable Flash content that is very fast to create and easy to edit. The Flypaper Flash Content Creation Platform is a licensed environment where companies can create and share vast amounts of digital signage content and motion graphics. Users benefit from hundreds of already available templates and components, or can create their own quickly and easily, with no prior development experience.

We managed to get a comprehensive list of the new features and enhancements in v3.3 and these are:

New and Enhanced Features
1.    Components
a.    Multi-Touch
i.  The ability to Pan, Zoom and Rotate Components using a multi-touch enabled monitor has been added to all visible Components (requires Flash 10.1).
ii. In addition, the ability to Swipe has been added to the Cube Gallery, Image Scroller and Revolver Components (requires Flash 10.1).
b.    New
i.  Clock: Displays the time in an analog, digital or text format clock. Choose time zone and day light savings time.
ii. Close Presentation Button: Closes the running Flypaper presentation.
iii. MRSS Feed: Provides a list of MRSS messages and images associated with each message. You can choose a predefined MRSS feed, or define a custom one of your own. Messages are displayed in the RSS Viewer Component and images are displayed in the Image Viewer Component.
iv. MRSS Scroller: Displays the contents of an MRSS feed in a scrolling text box, including message and image. You can choose a predefined MRSS feed, or define a custom one of your own. Optionally, the MRSS image can be displayed in the Image Viewer Component.
v.  Print Button: Prints the visible contents of the screen (or just the visible Components you specify) at the time it is pressed.
vi. Video Feed: Streams video feeds from various news sources. In addition, you can specify your own FLV, MOV or MP4 feed.
vii. Video Text Mask: Displays the contents of a video file within the text characters of the Component.
viii. Virtual Keyboard: An on-screen keyboard which can be used to populate the contents of Components which accept key entry. The Virtual Keyboard can be accessed via touch, and can also be hidden when not in use.
c.     Updated
i.  CSV Component:
1. More Components can now display CSV data, including Big Text Mask, Zoom, Pan, and Pan & Zoom Components.
2. The Button Component can now select a specific row in the CSV Component’s data file, displaying the contents in associated Components.
ii. RSS Feed and RSS Scroller Components: New data formats available, including international date options.
iii. Timer Component: New “Kiosk Mode” activates timer after period of mouse inactivity.
iv. Image Viewer, Audio and Flash Components:
1. Ability to define remote resources via a URL.
2. Remote resources can be cached or refreshed on each access.
v. Image Scatter Component: Display speeds increased.
vi. Weather Component:
1. Can now display weather information fed from the CSV Component.
2. Ability to add custom SWF icons.
2.    Editing
a. Page Time and Timeline Duration are now synchronized. In addition, the option to update the page time when adding media files such as videos or audio files.
b. Maximum Project size of 4080×4080 (requires Flash 10).
c. AVI Video output option.
d. International Arial Font option including Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese.

General Improvements

1. Improved playback performance for Single SWF file output
2. File Recovery Improvements
3. Web Video Search enhancements
4. FlyPlayer performance upgrades

We are currently using an older version but we’re keen to test 3.3.

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Post tags: Customer Experience, digital signage network, Digital Signage Software, Don Pierson, Enhancements, Flick, Gesture, Inactivity, Interactive Experiences, Killer Content, Kiosk Displays, Mg Digital, New Features, Print Button, Quality Content, Scott Mathews, Swipe, Time Weather Data, touch screen, Virtual Keyboard

Below is a video demonstration from Panasonic. As you can clearly see from the video there are many uses and industries this whiteboard can be used in. If you think about it, this can also be used for digital signage implementations…

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Post tags: australia, Authorised Resellers, digital signage, Implementations, Meeting Rooms, Panaboard, panasonic, screens, Video Demonstration, Whiteboards

The SMP-WEB4 was only recently launched in Australia and we were fortunate enough to get our hands on this unit.

The unit itself looks completely different from the predecessor. Rather than just being a rectangle box the WEB4 looks more robust and has a fancy design. The other noticeable differences are:

1. S-Video input – the previous model had a Composite input so you’ll notice some better quality for your video input (this can be an external camera, DVD player, set top box or anything that has S-Video output)

2. Power – this is something we mentioned to Cayin several years ago and they actually listened. The end of the power cable can be twisted to the power socket – this means no further accidental power disconnections.

3. Two COM ports – and they are enabled so you can connect an external device and use an RS232 cable. You will now be able to remotely send commands to a screen or device that uses RS232.

4. DVI and VGA port – yes this means you will be able to connect two screens to this player. The same content will be played on the screens (the term used for this is called CLONE). If you are looking to display different content by using the same player then we recommend you use the SMP-DUO. The SMP-DUO has two DVI ports and one VGA port so you can configure this as an extended screen.

5. Software – there’s so many additional features that have been included in the WEB4. Some include the ability to add RS232 commands in the playlist, the ability to create local schedules, the ability to use the skin editor and add this to the playlist (for those who have used the SMP-PRO, it basically means they have combined the PRO features in the WEB). How awesome is that!!!!

6. Performance – it’s basically faster! It has a faster CPU, more memory and has a bigger HHD. To top it off it also has a 1Gbps LAN port to speed the process of copying files.

7. CPU Monitoring – One of the other great features is that the there is a CPU temperature sensor to help monitoring player’s operation status.

The SMP-WEB4 is one of the many digital signage fanless players we stock. It is also one of the most comprehensive and innovative products we’ve used and deployed in corporate and retail organisations. By integrating this player with the Cayin Content Management Server it becomes one of the most powerful digital signage solutions in the market.

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Post tags: australia, Authorised Resellers, Cayin, Clone, Composite Input, digital signage, digital signage player, Dvi, External Camera, Fancy Design, Innovative Products, Noticeable Differences, Perf, playlist, Power Cable, Power Socket, Predecessor, Pro Features, Rectangle, Rs232 Cable, S Video Input, S Video Output, Skin Editor, Two Screens, Vga Port, Web4

There are three components at back of the stand:

1. one is to access the back of the screen which includes the system boards and speakers

2. a small panel to access the network port, CF card and USB port

3. bottom of the panel to access the run the network cable

By removing several screws, and two pins on the power switch you can then remove the LCD screen from the enclosure.

Putting the screen back into the stand was quite straight forward and didn’t take that long. In one of the future posts we’ll show you how easy it is to manage the stand. If you need a digital signage stand or even a quote for your project let us know.

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Post tags: advertise, Aluminium, Aluminum, Bott, Cf Card, Desktop Image, digital signage, Digital Speakers, Image Caption, Inner Shell, lcd screen, Network Cable, Outer Shell, Pins, Power Switch, Quote, Reflection, Screen Caption, Screws, Signage Boards, speakers, Tampered Glass, Usb Port

Reviewed By: Advertise Me

The Product – Andrew’s Audio Tripper AS-7

The audio tripper is a two way automatic audio switcher. It has two audio inputs; a default input, a sensed input and an audio output.

In its initial state the tripper selects the default input through the output. Whenever an audio signal is fed to the sensed input, the tripper will automatically switch to this input. The LED (green light) indicates that the sensed input has been selected. Once the signal to the sensed input stops, the tripper will switch back to the default input.

There is a delay control that can be used to adjust the amount of time the tripper waits before switching back to the default input. A delay would be preferable in the case of a multi CD player, for instance, to allow for the time taken to switch between discs.

The Setup

For our testing purposes we connected the unit as follows (I thought I’d be different and sketch the diagram by hand):

In this particular setup, we used a mobile phone as a default audio input – we thought we’d be creative and use a portable device that everyone carries around.

For the sensed input, we used the audio output of a digital signage player. The digital signage player was connected to a 19″ LCD screen and played scheduled content in a playlist. The playlist contained three items:

1. Image of product review email – has no sound

2. 15 second advertise me promotional video created by Blue Pony – has sound

3. Image of John Mayer Listening to… – has no sound

The output of the audio tripper is connected to a speaker. So what basically happens is that when the audio tripper doesn’t sense any audio coming from the digital signage player i.e playlist item 1 & 3, it will play audio from the default input i.e. mobile phone.  All RCA audio cables were used for these tests.

Our Verdict

• We tested several audio input sources – mobile phone (Nokia n95, iphone, blackberry storm), a CD player and also a digital signage player and didn’t find any issues with the switching or the quality of the audio.
• We have actually used this unit for one of our clients and we haven’t had an issues.
• The only thing to consider is that if the unit looses power, it will not perform the switching but it will still continue to play the default audio input – so at least there will be audio
• We would recommend to decrease the delay to the minimum setting (rotate anti-clockwise)
• Can be used for many purposes – ie. backup audio for continuous music

Usage

You may ask yourself when would you use this type of setup and to be honest if you had a digital signage player, you could schedule the audio to play directly from the player but there will be certain situations and environments like a retail store, that you may need to give some control to the local store manager to play their own audio CD’s.

The Video

Here’s a  quick video demonstrating how the system works.

If you want us to review your product, contact Advertise Me via email: review@advertiseme.com.au

About Advertise Me:

Advertise Me is a privately owned Australian company specialising in all aspects of digital signage solutions.

Our team of highly skilled professionals is able to introduce innovative ways for businesses to communicate with their intended audiences for a variety of purposes including informing, educating, entertaining and selling.

You can expect us to:

• offer the most affordable and cost effective solutions tailored to your specific business needs.
• provide you with concise and accurate information and will ensure that you understand and are comfortable with our proposals.
• strive to make our clients happy and successful.

We have partnered with a number of key reputable organisations and will continue to build further partnerships to deliver the most effective solutions for our customers.

Visit our website at www.advertiseme.com.au for more information.

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Post tags: 1918, advertise, Amount Of Time, Aud, Audio Input, Audio Inputs, Audio Signal, Audio Switcher, blackberry, Blue Pony, Caption, Cd Player, christmas, Default Input, Delay Control, digital signage, digital signage player, email, Initial State, Input Output, Input Sources, iphone, John Mayer, lcd screen, Mobile Phone, Multi Cd, nokia, Nokia N95, playlist, Pow, Sketch, Sound 3, Tripper, Video Camera

There are many software tools available on the market that is able to convert your traditional ppt files to flash but one that we would recommend is Flashpoint from Flashdemo (http://www.flashdemo.net/ppt2flash.html). The software costs US$89.00. There are a couple of demos on the website to show you what the software is capable of doing and they also have a free trial version.

So, rather than redesigning your powerpoint presentations for digital signage compatibility, have a look at Flashpoint – it may save you several hours worth of work.

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Post tags: compatibility, digital signage player, Easy Solution, Flashpoint, Free Trial Version, Powerpoint Flash, Powerpoint Presentations, Ppt Files, Software Tools

I have been a valued loyal customer of Vodafone since 1998 (if a customer rep from Vodafone is reading this maybe they can give me a call and send me something for being a loyal customer – c’mon 10 years must be worth something) and have have kept my mobile number the same ever since I purchased my first mobile phone – so thinking about switching to another provider was always a dilemma. Fortunately, we actually purchased the  Blackberry Storm from Crazy John’s – a reseller of Vodafone because they had a special deal: for $69 a month the following included in the package:

• the blackberry storm (9500 model)
• Unlimited internet and email (this was one of the main reasons why we went with the blackberry product. Just keep in mind that even though the plan includes unlimited internet it does not necessarily mean that everything is free. Vodafone have a strict policy on this. Basically, if you will be charged PAYG rates for streaming video)
• $340 worth of calls, SMS, etc
• A $50 voucher to spend on Dealsdirect.com.au ( Australia’s largest online department store and save up to 80% off – you should visit this website if you want to save $$)
  
• A $300 voucher to spend for your holiday

NOTE: To date, I have not received the vouchers yet and it’s been over a month.  I’ve spoken to a Crazy John rep and he will chase this up with Vodafone. Hopefully, I should receive that email soon.

If you’re like me I like gadgets and one of the first things I did when I came home was to play with the Blackberry without reading the manual – who reads the manual anyways. I guess that was one of my first mistakes because after a couple of days I started realising that things were missing from my phone. For example, I didn’t have all the messaging applications like Windows Live, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, AOL Instant messenger and ICQ (the image of the blackberry in the advertisement poster had these). When surfing the Internet I also noticed that I kept getting an error message saying that my phone was unable to connect to the data network because I was not in the data coverage area - I found this very peculiar especially when I was able to access the Internet at the same location with my previous Nokia N70 mobile phone . Feeling frustrated I gave in and started reading the manual which didn’t help much.  I then ended up calling Vodafone support and after several minutes of explaining what the problems were I found out that my mobile number was not activated with the Blackberry Internet Services - how was I supposed to know that I needed to activate this service when there were not instructions to do so in the manual! The customer services representative also mentioned that I should have received a Message when I first turned on the phone to call Vodafone Support to activate the Blackberry Internet Services …. opps, I ended up clearing all my messages when I first received the phone so I didn’t pay any attention to that initial message. Maybe in future they could put a small leaflet or pamphlet with these instructions stuck on the phone. Once they activated the Blackberry Internet Services the phone starting working as it should have had.

The other thing I found out is  that you can actually manage your email boxes on the Australian vodafone website by going to this URL: http://www.mobileemail.vodafone.com.au/ You do have the option to set this up on the actual unit but we found it much easier going to the website.

It has now been over a month since we’ve used the Blackberry and we discovered several good and bad points which we will detail below.  Although this device does not fall within the digital signage industry, we can see potential to use this device for remote managing a digital signage network. We won’t discuss this into too much detail in this blog post.

The bad

• Slow navigation – we have noticed that navigating through the applications and changing the orientation between landscape and portrait can be a bit slow. Doing a bit of research showed that hiding the logging can help to improve things (slightly). In order to do this follow these instructions:

In landscape mode - turn the blackberry to it’s side press the menu button (second button) and press Show Keyboard at the bottom of the list. Hold on to the !?123 button until you see the lock on the top left hand corner of this button. This basically means that it will be locked on the numbers and symbols keyboard. Press the / button, then “, then / and then ” again. You will notice the Event Log Warning on the heading of the screen. Press the menu button and then Clear Log. Then go back to the same menu and press on option – this will take you to the EventLogger Options. In this screen click menu and then press on Hide all types. This will disable all the logging.

• Slow capturing images – there seems to take a few seconds of delays when pressing the capture button but with a 3.2 megapixel camera the image of the quality is quite good. If you go back to some of our previous posts I actually took a couple of images with the Blackberry Storm.
• Not that many games or applications compared to the iPhone – there aren’t that many free games or applications that are available to download.
• The USB connector (micro USB) on the Blackberry Storm is not the same as the previous Blackberry units – so if you’re looking at upgrading your existing Blackberry and have existing accessories, you may have to upgrade these too. Also, be careful if you’re intending to buy a USB cable or a Car charger from eBay - just make sure that the item is actually for the Blackberry Storm. If you notice that the item description is also for other Blackberries then it’s most likely not compatible with the Storm.
• Streaming videos from youtube actually costs money! Read Vodafone’s fair use policy here.

We have also been advised that the next version of the firmware (4.7.0.90) will  improve speeds and rectify most of the above issues.

The good

• Nav4All – is a really good and free mobile phone navigation software for the Blackberry storm. The software is only free until the 1/1/2010.
• Good quality images – the quality is much better than the images I have taken with past photos.
• Watching video on the unit is awesome – I compared this to the iPHone and the video quality was much better.
• There are several cool features that we stumbled across and here’s our list:
  - When checking your emails you can filter your inbox by Sender or Subject – in order to do this you basically hold over the name or subject and you will see a bar scrolling to the left.
  - When listening to music, if you hold on to the up and down volume button it actually acts as a forward and rewind button.
  - GPS – this is a great feature to have especially when you get lost or need to search for the location of an address. Vodafone have a program called Vodafone Compass but once again this costs money.
• Emails – obviously the blackberry are renowned for this technology and we love this functionality to receive emails where ever we go
• Screen Push technology – something that people need to get use to but we like the idea of being able to push on to the screen to select something

Using the Blackberry as a modem

We actually spent quite a bit of time to work this one out but if you’re interested to setup your blackberry as a modem then follow these instructions:

Firstly, there are two options that can be used to connect to your laptop or PC – one is via the USB cable and the other is via the Bluetooth Dongle. You need to make sure that both of these connections are working (including getting the blackberry to communicate with the software Blackberry Desktop Manager) before trying to use the blackberry as a modem otherwise no matter how hard you try – it will not work. NOTE: we couldn’t really get the blackberry desktop manager to work with the bluetooth on our laptop but according to some documentation on the web we need to install the generic bluetooth drivers – the blackberry only works with the microsoft bluetooth drivers.

Once you’ve installed the Blackberry software go to phone and modem options in the windows control panel and click the Modems Tab. You will see the below screen:

Click on Standard Modem and click on properties and then the advanced tab. You will need to type the command string +cgdcont=1,”IP”,”vfinternet.au” – note you will need to replace vfinternet.au with your local APN (access point network):

Once that’s done go to network connections and create a new connection. Click Create a new connection – we won’t go into too much detail on how to set this up. But once you’ve set this up make sure you’ve included the below additional options (use the phone number *99#):

Click configure and make sure you have all hardware features turned off:

When you’re ready connect just dial the new connection. There you go hopefully this helped a poor soul out there.

Ever since we got the phone, we have received good feedback from our clients telling us how prompt and efficient we are with our email responses - I guess I just revealed one of our secrets for improving our Customer Services.

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Reviewed By: Advertise Me

Price Range (RRP): AU$700 – $900 (depending on the exact hardware requirements)

What’s black, compact, fast, affordable and can be used for almost any industry environment?
It’s the Synrax Onyx Mini.

We had the privilege to be one of the first companies to review this product. Below is our findings but before we start with our product review here’s the product specifications.

Product Specs

The unit offers the following features:

• Intel Mobile Processor 2.0Ghz Single Core or Dual Core (you can almost run any software application with this processor speed)
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM (can be upgraded to 2G if you need to run memory intensive applications)
• High Definition Output via HDMI – (great feature to have if you need high quality video output, especially if you’re deciding to use this for digital signage or multimedia applications. It also has the standard video connectors such as VGA and S-Video)
• HD Audio via Optical SPDIF – (great for capturing your audience using sound)
• 6 USB ports (2 at the front and 4 at the back. Just think of how many USB devices you can connect to the unit)
• Storage Options (the unit supports SSD compact flash cards, IDE and SATA HHD. This is pretty standard these days but it’s definately good to have the flexibility to choose your own storage device)
• Ethernet Port (the unit supports 1Gbps speeds. Once again with this speed, the unit is ideal for streaming high quality video over the network)
• 212mm x 126mm x 62mm Enclosure (It’s small…in terms of size, the Onyx Mini is almost the same size of a DL envelope. Here’s a picture to prove it)

Performance

For the digital signage industry, the Onyx Mini meets the video and processor performance requirements to run almost any high definition video or digital signage application. We tested this by playing a sample 1080p high definition file (the video was downloaded from the Microsoft Site – WMV HD Content Showcase) through Windows Media player and we didn’t notice any lags or freezes. The CPU utilisation didn’t even hit the 100% mark. Here’s a video to prove it:

We also used a trial version of PerformanceTest by passmark.com and ran several performance tests, and here are the results. The unit received a passmark rating of 343.8. Visit passmark.com for further details about this rating.

Our verdict

Bad

• We couldn’t find anything bad about the unit except that the fan noise was quite loud. In any case, this is something minor but we did find out from the vendor that the noise was actually related to the size of the air holes on the side of the unit.
• Another minor issue was that the unit had no labels at the front to indicate which button was the power and reset. It took us a while to figure this out.

Please note that the vendor will address both of the above issues in the next batch of units.

Good

• The Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset video graphics card supports dual screens – this is quite handy to have especially if you intend to run a solution which requires you to drive either the same or different content to two screens. It also allows you to position both screens in different layouts. I love this feature!



• It can be used in almost any industry, whether its the digital signage, medical, home (great for media centers or desktop pc), retail business, KIOSK, and the list goes on.
• You can install and manage your OWN operating system – not limited to a particular manufacturer or system application
• Has very good ventilation – we left the unit on for several days and the casing never got “too hot to handle”
• We like this unit and we have decided to include it in our product range so that our customers can benefit

If you want us to review your product, contact advertise me via email: review@advertiseme.com.au

About Synrax Australia

Synrax Australia Pty Ltd was established in year 2002 initially as a local distributor of embedded computing components, providing the services in Australia and New Zealand. Since it’s inception, Synrax’s dedication to provide quality reliable products was rewarded with great responses from our clients. This helped our company to grow rapidly and establish ourselves into the market despite its young history.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: onyx, onyx mini, product review, review, synrax

I’m always on the lookout for digital signage so this was a great opportunity for me to understand how Oceanworld implemented their system and if any, recommend ways to improve their setup. At each of the tanks, there was a 15-17 inch LCD screen displaying information about the fish or animal inside the tanks. This was located above each of the tanks and it eliminated the need to have a static board with this information.

Here’s an image of the screen:

I noticed that some of the screens had one static slide (I’m assuming that the system was using powerpoint), however there were other screens which had pictures of each of the different types of fishes in the tank at the bottom of the screen. This however wasn’t initially obvious to me or to the people I asked as the time it took to rotate to the next slide was several minutes – I wasn’t going to stand around and wait for several minutes just to find out more information about each of the different types of fish in the tank. Overall, the solution was quite average and may need to be reviewed. Here is our recommendation of things that may need to be improved:

1. LCD screen location – to view the screen, one would need to step away from the tank and tilt your head slightly up.  I think the screens could have been strategically better located so the visitors would actually see the information whilst looking at the fishes in the tank. Just as a thought, maybe install a waterproof screen at the back wall of the tank??? We talked about strategically positioning your screens in one of our previous posts called “Location, location, location“.

You’re probably thinking “waterproof screens????”… yep here’s a video from youtube to prove it that it does exist.

For more digital signage videos visit the Digital Signage Portal.

2. Use touch screen technology to enable the visitors to interact with the fish tank. Currently, visitors like myself would not be standing around to wait for the next slide so why not get the visitor to initiate the slide change. Otherwise, decrease the time it takes for each slide to rotate and also place a reference on the screen stating that “The below fishes can be found in the tank”. Make the image of the fish at the bottom of the screen that the information is referring to more noticeable – either fade the other images or highlight the current image. We talked about touch screen technology in one of the previous posts called “To touch or not to touch – that is the question“.

3. I also found that the solution installed was using the Windows XP operating system. How did I know this? We that was easy because there was that typical windows notification balloon at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Maybe disable all Windows XP notification messages.

4. On another screen there was also a notification that it found the Wireless network. This is definitely a security issue as the SSID of the wireless network was clearly visible to the public. We talked about digital signage security issues in two of our previous posts called “How secure is your digital signage solution?” and “Secure your digital signage solution – here’s why“.

Well that’s my recommendation based on what I saw and I apologise in advance if I misrepresented the solution and setup but I hope our readers can learn something from this post.

Do you have any digital signage experiences you would like to share with us?
Send us an email to info@digitalsignageblog.com or feel free to comment here.

P.S: For those who are interested in going to visit Oceanworld, there is a 15% discount if you enter after 3:30pm. Overall, the kid had fun and we will most likely visit Oceanworld again in the near future.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | One comment |
Post tags: digital signage, fish, interaction, location, manly, oceanworld, security, touch screen, waterproof, windows, wireless, xp