The Digital Signage Expert » digital signage

viscom Frankfurt 2010 impressions

Elizabeta Petakovic — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:06:00 +0000

viscom Frankfurt is over, and here are some of our first impressions!

EDIT: And here is the moment when André Koitzsch, MDS Sales Director DACH, Baltics & Scandinavia, took over the prize! Pictures are taken from invidis.de website, pls see them at their source

Digital Signs and LED Tickers in Finance Trading Labs

Ryan Cahoy — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:45:29 +0000

Customer Overview

Established in 1967, the University of Toronto Mississauga provides undergraduate and graduate studies and is the second largest division of the University of Toronto, Canada’s largest university. The university is set upon a park-like campus on the Credit River, approximately 33 kilometers west of Downtown Toronto.

The Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre, UTM’s library, is a central place for the students to meet and study. Tucked inside this library is the Li Koon Chun Finance Learning Centre, a new, state-of-the-art facility. Programming is provided on a variety of topics related to the stock markets and financial literacy for students, faculty, and staff of UTM. The Centre offers 32 computer stations and four Bloomberg terminals for student use and training purposes. In addition, the Centre is used as a unique classroom for students in the department of management.

Project Summary

“There are a couple of finance courses and an international business course held in the Centre,” explains Michael Meth, the Centre’s director. “The management program is one of our biggest supporters, but because of our location in the library, we reach a lot of people on our campus.”

Because of this reach, it was important to the University that the Centre offered cutting-edge communication solutions. That’s where Digitals Signs come in.

The Solution

The University of Toronto Mississauga selected an AV integration partner to provide the Sharp LCD screens for the room, and asked Rise to help define the rest of the digital signage solution along with the LED ticker. Rise worked closely with IT to build a media player that would support running a 2×1 video wall plus a separate single LCD screen from a server room nearly 1000 feet away. After the media player, Minicom distribution system and LED ticker hardware components were defined, the creative staff went to work designing the content to give a broad overview of the markets worldwide.

The Final Result

The LED ticker, and all three LCDs, were installed and running for the Fall 2008 ribbon-cutting to greet the room’s donor and the media. A wall of windows lets library patrons see the technology from all angles. “The digital signage lets us push through market news, North American Exchange stock quotes and index data, and a live video feed from the Business News Network,” Mr. Meth says.

Mr. Meth has also found an effective way of utilizing the ticker at night, when the stock market is closed but the library is still open. “We keep the closing prices running, but we also start running sports scores,” he says.

“I think people are pretty impressed by the digital signage,” says Mr. Meth. “People will often stand by the window and watch what’s going on the ticker and displays. Overall, they’ve been very favorably received.”

Hardware, software, live data, and installation for this project was provided by Rise Display

Remarkable “The Wall” multitouch debuts in Copenhagen

Carsten Holløse — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:42:32 +0000

With a price-tag of €200.000 per square meter, the new interactive digital signage installation “The Wall” must be one of the most expensive ones in Denmark.

Copenhagen City Museum has this saturday (april 24^th) opened a public interactive digital signage “museum”, allowing the public to view, touch and interact with thousand of years of history. Using multitouch the user can surf a timeline and/or geographical map and zoom onto pictures, stories and video clips. You can even add your own recording, if you have knowledge or comments, which then can be viewed by the next visitors to “The Wall”.

It also plays role in one of Copenhagens largest archeological efforts, as the 8-year construction of a new Metro City Ring, hopefully will bring lots of new and exciting finds, which will be displayed on “The Wall”.

Software is being provided by Gibson (New Zealand), content by danish bureau Spil af Tid. Hardware and installation is provided by danish vendor Pro Shop Europe, consiting of 103 inch plasmas and using laser technology to achieve multi-touch on the large displays.

Case Study: Bentley University

Ryan Cahoy — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:55:09 +0000

Customer Overview

Bentley University is one of the nation’s leading business schools, dedicated to preparing a new kind of business leader and one with the deep technical skills, the broad global perspective and the high ethical standards required to make a difference in an ever-changing world. As one of the first business schools in the country to establish a trading room for its students, Bentley University has quite a reputation to maintain. That means (among other things) making sure that the 4,300 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students have fast and reliable access to the information they need to manage their financial portfolios.

The University prides itself on preparing its students “for the new realities of doing business in an information-driven, technology-rich global marketplace” and advertises “firsthand experience with the same high-tech tools that companies use every day.”

Project Summary

According to Richard Gibble, manager of the University’s Hughey Center for Financial Services, turning to digital signage to get that data is a natural choice. “We needed large amounts of varied financial data in real-time, and our previous solution relied on out-of-date LED wallboard technology.” Mr. Gibble is responsible for integrating the trading room into Bentley University’s finance curriculum at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He also develops and delivers content for the University’s nationally renowned ‘Wall Street 101’ program.

“The Hughey Center for Financial Services is a cornerstone of the Bentley University educational experience,” he explained, “and it is imperative that the Center be fully functional at all times. We can’t risk having inaccurate data— or no data at all — on our display boards. ”

Before the start of the fall 2008 semester the University decided to update their more than 10-year old LED wallboard technology with new state-of-the-art LCD video walls. Each video wall consists of eight 46″ LCD displays in a 4×2 configuration and is powered by a computer utilizing two Matrox 4 output video cards to run each display at its native resolution while allowing content to stream from screen to screen.

In addition to upgrading to the video walls, the outdated single-color LED tickers were upgraded to tri-color tickers. The graphic interface ability allows logos to be shown with the stock symbols.

During the spring 2010 semester, the University added two interactive LCD screens for their Corporate Immersion program to recognize their valuable donors and business partners.

The Final Result

“The new LCD video walls get the attention of everyone who passes by the trading room,” said Mr. Gibble. “They display real-time information to our students in a manner that allows them to synthesize news and the effects of the news on

various securities and markets, as the events unfold.”

Mr. Gibble says the University is happy with the final result. “We needed a fresh look and more dynamic control of the information presented on our displays. Feedback related to the displays has been very good.”

Hardware, software, live data, and installation for this project was provided by Rise Display.

AEON National Rollout in Japan

Ronni Guggenheim — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:33:11 +0000

I just returned from a trip to Japan where I have seen parts of a national rollout of AEON, the leading supermarket and shopping malls operator. We believe the rollout was done with Scala software and all screens are connected with Minicom Digital Signage’s DS Vision 3000 systems, allowing for full screen control over CAT5.

Have a look at a local TV footage:

What we can learn from traditional signage.

Piet Hein Goosens — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:57:05 +0000

We all think and know we are doing a good job in our industry. We all think we know how to fill those screens in the most proper and revenue gaining way. But sometimes we cope with the difficulty of telling the message unless we all know less is more. Therefore I want to give you all a good tip; if you can’t find the right solution for you instore tv add, just think about it as if you produce an add for a digital signage screen. Because there you have to follow the golden rule less is more.

Beneath a couple of brilliant examples of traditional, non digital, signage to make something clear to the audience. Examples of professional agencies but also of non-professionals. Again, it is all about creativity.

User generated content in digital signage. No one ever fully convinced me.

Piet Hein Goosens — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:36:06 +0000

It is an often heard phenomenon these days to integrate UGC into the content programming of DS screens. I know, technical aspects aren’t an obstacle anymore. And I also know, some target groups are more than ready for it. But it still makes me shiver to open your bandwidth for everyone who wants to upload their own mobile-phone-shot-clips or pictures. What about viruses, what about abusive content and how to control it, and most important what about your advertisers who bought expensive airtime during the same loop of content? Do they like to be exposed to possible abusive content next to theirs?

I know, there are more possibilities. Let people edit their own clips or impressions at home on their own laptop. After an editor censored it the content always can be broadcasted in a safe way. But this is expensive and a time raising effort.

But what are the benefits of UGC? During a concert, a soccer game or on a large screens as just have been placed in London UGC may work. It even might be fun. But, always involve your advertisers if you decide to do it.
In my opinion UGC gives you, as a network owner, more headache than profit. I am not convinced at all. And please let’s be careful. At last companies are learning and accepting to book more money for content. So why should we take a risk to integrate UGC if the benefits are not clear at the moment. Perhaps I am wrong. Would be nice if someone could convince me…

Okay, one last note; I wrote about it before, lately a UGC concept was given birth at bus.top. Think this kind of UGC could make sense. But then again, I hope they can control the guys who wants to upload abusive content.

FIFA, Cape Town and Digital Signage – All-in-one

Elizabeta — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:42:16 +0000

Yes, we are talking about the draw for football World Cup, that will for the first time take place on the African continent. The ceremony was held yesterday, in Cape Town, and we were once again impressed by the way that FIFA uses contemporary technology at their high-profile events.

This time, on the 4.600 square meters stage, they managed to install huge screens, which showed live the draw results, run different content (artist videos, Nelson Mandela’s speech etc)

It wasn’t only the stage that was digitilized for the occasion. The hall was as well…

…just like a space in front of the Cape Town congress centre, where all the fans without VIP tickets had a chance to take a look of the draw festival live (the pictures are taken from fifa.com).

Sometimes no screens at all is the best choice!

Piet Hein Goosens — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:15:09 +0000

Sometimes digital signage in a store, hotel or restaurant is better to avoid. Sometimes it doesn’t boost the atmosphere but just tears it down. So, less is more is always the best, in terms of filling your screens with content but also in your choice whether you should place screens or you shouldn’t.

The biggest mistake people make in our business is stepping into digital signage because they are afraid to miss the trend. That is the most foolish decision one can make. Our first question to a potential new customer always is ‘why?’. Why do you need a digital signage system or screen? What are your objectives with it? If they can’t answer this question properly we try to help them. If we keep on failing answering the question we always advice them not to place screens. It will save them a lot of money and it will save us a lot of headaches.

Here two examples of restaurants where they didn’t place screens because the atmosphere doesn’t need it. Upper picture is a beach restaurant in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. Lower is a great Italian restaurant in Hamburg, Germany. Excellent choice (for not placing the screens!)

And here a screen placed in a window. I pass this screen regularly. The light changes a lot, and the reflection makes the visibility of the screen more or less very poor. I think this really is a waste of money. I am sure in this case no one ever really dared to ask themselves ‘WHY?’.

Digital Signage at Entertainment Venues – Julian Marley Example

Elizabeta — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:14:28 +0000

Yet another example of not even analog, but non-digital stage. At Friday night, here in Switzerland, just before the snow, we had a pleasure of listening to one of the Royalties – Julian Marley.

Music was great, atmosphere as well, but the stage was so disappointing. It was completely display-free zone. The only sign/scenography was the big designed drape with the name of the artist, his band, and their latest published CD.Is it the way to go in 21. century?

The space, KiFF in Aarau, where the event took place was definitely prepared for digitalizing. See some of the examples of previous events at the same place (pictures taken from kiff.ch).