Tech Showcase: Digital Signage

This month, we take a look at the latest and greatest products in the world of digital signage. These technologies provide a specialized form of video broadcast aimed at a very narrow niche audience in which video or multimedia content is displayed for informational or advertising purposes. Digital signage is found in retail stores, schools, libraries, office buildings, medical facilities, airports, train and bus stations, banks, auto dealerships and other public venues.

This market is growing more than 40 percent per year, according to research published in December 2013 by InfoTrends. The market growth for digital signage could reach $17.1 billion in worldwide sales by 2017, with the U.S. market accounting for more than one third of this figure.

Barix Instreamer

Barix Audio Point is a unique convergence of IP audio, digital signage and mobile technology. Audio Point works with any digital signage player and content management system. A Barix Instreamer audio encoder delivers audio streams to a Wi-Fi access point, in synchronization with video feeds playing out on screens. A Barix mobile app developed especially for this solution provides access to the audio streams, delivering relevant and captivating audio content to consumers with smartphones and other mobile devices. The complete solution gives systems integrators and end-users an all-in-one package that is quick to deploy with ongoing reliability.

BenQ DH550C

The DH550C, BenQ’s first-of-its-kind, dual-sided digital signage panel combines round-the-clock reliability, aero-thin design, and the ability to provide engaging content from both sides of the screen. Providing both horizontal and vertical installation possibilities, the versatile solution can be mounted to walls and ceilings in both indoor and outdoor settings, or placed on a portable stand making the display ideal for a wide range of locations. Featuring the ability to display brightness levels between 450 and 700 nits simultaneously, the lightweight solution measures less than 25mm, which makes the product an extremely flexible advertising solution that remains both aesthetically attractive and easy to install. For high visibility and longevity, the DH550C boasts a 3000:1 contrast ratio, and has an average life of 50,000 hours— enough for several years of nonstop service. Via a dual HDMI, the DH550C display allows operators to make immediate adjustments to the layout and design of their displayed information at any time. The DH550C can be displayed on a stand or mounted—either in portrait or landscape configurations.

Black Box iCOMPEL

This content management appliance for Black Box’s iCOMPEL networked digital signage enables multiuser, multichannel content management. Create, schedule, distribute, and edit for local content with this solution. The iCOMPEL Content Commander makes signage management simple with multiple screen formats to design content. Automate playlists with flexible scheduling and distribute content with several content channels, simultaneous publishing, and more.

Cabletime MediaStar Evolution Multi-Format MPEG Encoder and Decoder

MediaStar Evolution Multi-Format MPEG Encoder and Decoder from Cabletime can handle a variety of inputs, including HDMI, HD-SD, and VGA, with input resolutions of up to 1920×1200 and the output of up to 1080p. Combined with the 780 series Media Player, users benefit from a 250-channel digital signage system, delivering substantial channel capacity to display signage from the built-in 7G-128G solid state memory or receive live streams from traditional PC based signage products and any combination of the two.

Drake DSE 2 Plus

The DSE 2 Plus HD Encoder with RF output from Drake combines encoding and QAM modulation capabilities within a single compact unit, dramatically simplifying HD video distribution while lowering operator costs. The DSE 2 Plus offers good performance-to-cost ratio, exceptional video quality, and good RF performance.

Gefen 4K Ultra HD Extender

Gefen’s new 4K Ultra HD Extender over One Fiber delivers resolutions up to 4K (3840×2160@30Hz) with RS-232 and bidirectional IR using one SC-terminated fiber optic cable. It sends 4K up to 1,000 meters, 1080p up to 2,000 meters for remote signage applications. RS-232 offers an easy method of system automation while bidirectional IR facilitates control from both local and extended locations. Automatic calibration based on the length of the cable is included to refine the quality of the delivered video. Virtual EDID management ensures signal continuity during use and facilitates a quick setup when powering on or off displays or integrating switchers or other solutions in the video chain.

LG 84in. 4K Ultra HD Multi-touch monitor

This LG 84in. 4K Ultra HD Multi-touch monitor display is optimized with 4K technology (with more than 8 million pixels) and features LG’s unique IPS (In Plane Switching) panel technology. LG’s 10-point touchscreen technology represents the next generation of digital display and allows for a more intuitive user experience than a screen requiring a stylus. In addition to zooming, rotating, or writing onscreen messages with your fingers, LG’s 84in. 4K Ultra HD Multi-touch monitor is easy to use with one gesture, making it well suited for a variety of commercial and educational applications.

Navori QL

QL Digital Signage software from Navori uniquely supports broadcast-quality playout across Windows and Android platforms to enable a dynamic, multiplatform communications network. Rich content creation and management tools support out-of-home networks of any scale, empowering realtime information and native media playout across any number of digital displays, mobile devices, and videowalls. Collaborative, multi-user operations inspire customization, driving audience engagement through enhanced, targeted content. Flexible on-premises and cloud-based licensing options allow end-users to strategize a deployment to best match each business or organizational structure.

Panasonic Digital Drive-Thru

Panasonic’s Digital Drive-Thru brings the power of digital menu boards and integrated AV to the drive-thru in the food service industry’s first fully-integrated digital drivethru system. The digital drive-thru’s complete system combines weatherproof, glare-resistant outdoor displays with outdoor mounting, integrated AV capabilities, onscreen order confirmation along with a host of services and support. Certified for 24-7 operation, the solution’s digital menu boards have the ability to work in variable temperatures and the displays brightness enables viewability in direct sunlight.

Planar UltraRes Touch

Unveiled in 2014, the 84in. Planar UltraRes Touch with ERO featuring Corning Gorilla Glass is the newest member of the Planar UltraRes Series family of 4K displays. The Planar UltraRes family includes 84in. and 98in. Ultra HD resolution (3840×2160) displays that produce resolution and picture quality not before seen in large-format LCD displays. The Planar UltraRes Touch combines the company’s exclusive Extended Ruggedness and Optics (ERO) optical glass bonding technology with Gorilla Glass, an industry-leading cover solution, making it scratch resistant, durable, and ideal for digital signage and public venue applications. Planar UltraRes Touch now also supports up to 32 simultaneous touch points, offering the ultimate solution for multi-user applications, making it easy for multiple users to collaborate and interact at the same time.

Rise Vision platform

Rise Vision is an enterprise grade digital signage platform. This is an open-source platform with the cloud-based software needed to create digital signage. The code is open HTML along with public API’s to their servers. The service is scalable and there are no limitations in the size of the network supported. It allows users to create, manage, and display, and works with all brands of hardware, displays, and media players. Interestingly, the service is free.

The Samsung DB 22D is a 22in. commercial display that is ideal for retail environments, meeting rooms, and public spaces. Key features include high-resolution HD graphics and internal media player functionality (SoC), which means users can easily show content with no external PC required. It also provides the option for an integrated touchscreen, enabling new possibilities for retailers and businesses looking to entice and engage with customers and employees.

Shuttle DS81

Shuttle’s highest-definition digital signage player, the DS81, is designed to deliver top-quality advertising, movie trailers, detailed graphics, and the like. Combined with Shuttle’s customization services, the new DS81 offers a wide range of features that can save integrators time and money. With a body thickness of only 43 mm, the compact DS81 supports international VESA mount standards and can fit seamlessly in many digital signage venues. The DS81 boasts the Intel Haswell 4th generation chip for lightning fast processing and graphics performance. Shuttle’s DS81 also features an exclusive heat pipe cooling module with a smart fan design which allows for constant air circulation and results in high stability and low noise for long-term operation.

SignWave solution

SignWave puts your sign to work and replaces labor-intensive meeting room placards with a digital display solution that is ready to mount on the wall right out of the box. The SignWave all-in-one digital door sign brings affordable room scheduling to anyone using Microsoft Exchange or popular EMS software. It also includes a handy builtin scheduler for those not using event or room management software. All SignWave displays support PoE (Power over Ethernet) for easy wiring.

Designed for permanent outdoor installation and completely weatherproof, SunBrite’s SB-4670HD features a bright full-HD 1080p LED screen for improved outdoor viewing, along with a powder-coated aluminum exterior and internal temperature systems that keep a SunBriteTV running in temperatures spanning -24 to 122 degrees F. Our specially-designed weather-tight exterior keeps internal components safe from rain, dust, humidity, salt-air, heat, snow, and insects. With a variety of colors, sizes, and availability of touchscreen models, SunBriteTV’s outdoor displays seamlessly integrate into any aesthetic and are useful in a variety of applications including guest services, menus, way finding, or anything else where weather can be a factor.

SVSi N3000 series

SVSi’s N3000 Video over IP products extend the reach of SVSi’s networked AV solutions to the WAN for streaming, video to desktop, digital signage, set-top boxes, or mobile devices applications. The N3000 Series delivers the high-quality HD video content at the lowest bandwidth for demanding applications. Moving video to or from the cloud just became a lot easier with the N3000. The N3000 Series is an ideal solution for digital signage applications providing users the ability to display content, from anywhere to any display device.

Tightrope Carousel

The Tightrope Media Systems Carousel Digital Signage platform is a complete hardware and software system comprising content creation, management, and media playout that puts ease of use front and center, simplifying provision and presentation of multichannel content without limitations. Seamless integration with common IT and networking infrastructure ensures intelligent incorporation of screen content, with multi-user access empowering contributors across many locations. On the playout side, Carousel seamlessly integrates with BrightSign networked media players for cost-efficient deployments across large out-of-home networks, while supporting landscape and portrait modes, native resolutions to 2560×1600, and touchscreen interactivity across all server and player software.

The Total Channel Playout 2 digital signage player includes many features such as built-in touchscreen interactivity and tool set for creating interactive content, video on demand capabilities, which give the viewer a list of selectable content to choose from, and dual channel outputs with 4K resolution. Features also include ad insertion with content tracking and custom reporting, the system accepts all standard media file formats, offers more than 60 drag-and-drop apps, content creation tools and unlimited user licenses.

tvONE CORIO master mini

In this creative world of collaborative projects where technical people and creative talent need to work closely, tvONE ’s CORIOmaster mini with CORIOgrapher software allow creative and technical minds to work independently to create a single spectacular video wall project. The project can go as far as scattering customized video across many displays mounted at varying angles and positions. Content can be created remotely by creative teams while technical teams connect the physical system and set up edge blending and configure I/O for any range of inputs.

X2O Media Social Media Moderation Tools

In the area of broadcast news and digital signage, having the latest news and reactions from the social-sphere has become a key part of news programming and delivery. X2O Media’s Social Media Moderation Tools provide an innovative approach to researching, moderating, and approving content from realtime social media feeds such as Twitter and Facebook, RSS, news feeds such as AP, and others to ensure that only appropriate content appears live in a channel. Operators can research user-generated content on social sites, review them and tag them as appropriate to go either “on air” in a television production setting, or on an internal digital signage network. The X2O Social Media Moderation Tools work in concert with the X2O platform, which displays the social media messages in channels on any screen. Specific user accounts can be assigned different roles in order to search, research, approve, filter, edit, and ultimately publish social media feeds to air. This functionality allows multiple users to collaborate in providing accurate and up-to-the-second news coverage of stories that are unfolding across social media and broadcasting it on-air.

More Online

Barix

BenQ

Black Box

Cabletime

Drake

Gefen