When the sun goes down, there is no dispute; the core element of digital signage is content. And there we have it, the enduring question; how, when, where and why? Every digital signage operator wakes up in the morning and faces that reality. I have no immediate answer and each application has a different need, for example a queuing system needs numbers, those numbers represent people, and without the people there would be no content.

Today’s creative director can honestly concentrate full-time on coming up with content. The technology has been taken care of. The human brain is the greatest computer in the world and the most creative, let it do the work. You only have to push the button. The rest is taken care of by an army of digital assistants. Recently one of my friends wrote to me how he used to work in the military with 8mm movie film. Those of you old enough to remember can recognise some of what he had outlined below. Shooting home movies 30/40 years ago was expensive and painstaking. Today almost anyone can afford a movie camera. Fact is most of us carry one around with us every day in our pockets and lay them out in front of us on the conference room table while we discuss content, your mobile phone. We have it easy, think back to the days of when a 4-minute reel of film cost a greater part of your salary.

Let’s let Chuck Lunsford, radio operator in the USAF relate to us the process of bringing content from the past to YOUTUBE.

Let em roll Chuck: “8mm Kodacolor film shot in a wind-up Bell & Howell single lens camera with manual aperture adjustments– actually 25 feet of 16mm with sprocket holes on both sides which Kodak processed and then split and spliced to give 50 feet–I would shoot half of it, and then had to open the camera (hopefully in a dark place) and reverse the two reels to shoot the other half. Kodak was the only place that could process the exposed film, and the cost of that and the return mail was included in the price of the film. The only way the film could be viewed was a pain in the ass–Splicing to other reels, winding it into a projector, set up a screen and hope the lamp didn’t go out or the film jam and ruin a few feet before it could be stopped. I would put my father’s return address on the box, send it to Kodak, they would process and return it to him, my parents would watch it and then he would splice it, not always in sequence, onto 300 ft. reels–12 of them.

I edited it in 1961, labelling the cans with notes what was in that can, but it was an exercise in frustration to try to find a sequence I wanted to look at and it was rare when the film was looked at– years went by between viewings. In the ’70s let my nephew take it home to view it, and while he won’t admit it, he must have had a jam because all the footage of my visit to the Louvre–including footage 5 feet away from the Mona Lisa when one could stand that close to it–is gone. The film sat in the can deteriorating for 30 years and then I heard movie film could be transferred to VHS. Did it through a company contracting to Walgreens in 1985–cost me $600, but now I could look at the film on the TV, and it was so much better than the screen I couldn’t believe it. I used a hand-held tape recorder to add a narrative while watching the film, then had to go to a firm with banks of big boxes and a thing called a flying erase head, to put the narration on the VHS tape in 1988. Hours and days of backing up the tape and running it to the exact point to start the narration–at $15 an hour. After that was done I could have the 3 VHS tapes copied for $9 each and send them to people who were interested. After I acquired a computer and DM was published, in 2001 it became possible to convert the tapes to DVD. Cost me $75 for the 3 of them, but now I could make copies on the computer for pennies. In the ’60s, I wrote to Kodak and asked if they could make a still photo from the 8mm positive, and they said they could not. Now, I have software that allows me to freeze a frame and make a passable photograph and even edit the DVD right here on the desktop in minutes.

For an old guy like me, how wild it that?? And what technological advances does the next 50 years hold? It’s mind boggling.

Can’t remember if I sent you this new video of an equipment drop — you’ve seen it in the movies.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Chuckradioop

I’m going to see if I can put one together of the troop-drop footage. Still amazes me that technology makes it possible for me to do this stuff. I remember when it was a colossal bother to set up the projector, thread the film into the sprockets, hope the damn lamp wasn’t burned out–and watch the fuzzy images on the screen and then have the film jam and ruin several feet of film before I could stop it. My dad spliced the 50 ft rolls onto 300 ft reels and put them in cans–12 of them. About 1961, I spent weeks going through the whole thing and made notes to try to have some idea what was on which reel.

Now all I have to do is either put a disc in the player, or go to the storage on the hard drive to find what I want in seconds. Amazing.”

Chuck was a radio operator and today is a novelist, what I am saying here is that he produced content, for himself and his family yes. But he outlined how difficult it was not so long ago to produce something worthwhile. He sums it all up in his last word, “Amazing”.

We are almost there, but not yet fully automatic. The queuing system with a news ticker could be considered fully automatic. It is still primitive. Once we tie up artificial intelligence and enterprise resource management systems with data mining into a closed loop, you will have something that goes beyond “Minority Report” and is truly useful. More and more consumers are pouring their heart out into Facebook, at the moment there are privacy issues, in the future there will be none. Inventive incentives will pry the lid on that can of worms keeping the lawyers at bay.

So come on in, the technology is fine and it’s in your pocket.

James van Etten, Editor CLIPPINGs

Project Summary
Founded in 1972, Samco recently topped off a steady succession of plant expansions — which have grown their facilities from 200 to 80,000 square feet over the years — with a complete renovation of their front offices. As part of those renovations, they called Rise Display in to install a new LCD display in the reception area, as a replacement for the old letter board they used previously to display greetings and messages to visitors.

“We display the names of customers who visit for the day, and we wanted to go ‘above and beyond’ this simple process,” said Samco President and COO Bob Repovs. “After we renovated our entire offices, we needed a more professional Reception Greeting Board.”

They considered various options, including LED displays, but in the end decided to opt for what they considered to be the most modern-looking solution, a dynamic 40″ NEC LCD display mounted prominently in the reception area.

In addition to providing the hardware and installation services, Rise also hosts and manages the content of the Samco display and provides the company with online access to its unique Rise Display Wire software, which gives Samco the power to enter and display their own daily messages on the board.

Project Summary
Although Heritage Valley strives to be uniquely connected to its community, with a large employee base of over 4,300 and two main hospitals 17 miles apart, it was often difficult to make sure everyone received information in a timely manner.

Carlotta Morgan, interactive media coordinator for the health system, remembers having to go to one location to deliver communication and then having to travel to the other location to do the same thing. “Of course,” she adds, “nobody gets the information at the same time.”

Having a central spot for displaying information would help, the hospital administrators decided. Initially, they tried using an LED display in the Sewickley hospital lobby to provide information, but the static display didn’t meet their needs. Heritage Valley wanted a system that could be expanded and used for two audiences: consumers and employees. Mrs. Morgan also wanted to be able to create a more dynamic display.

At first, Heritage Valley evaluated LCD digital displays that could be completely customized. They also considered buying a more encompassing subscription program, but found that those options often had features that weren’t needed and that were to expensive.

The Solution
Eventually, Heritage Valley selected Rise Display. The digital signs allow them to display live data, text, photos, animations, TV programs and videos from a computer and view it on the display screen.

“We used it out of the box,” Mrs. Morgan says. “Rise customized a template that met our branding standards, but other than that, it’s an out of the box solution.”

Heritage Valley bought four LCD displays to use in the main lobbies and cafeterias of the two hospitals. Since that initial investment three years ago, they have purchased four more units. In addition to installing one more display at each hospital, the have put two in their walk-in clinics, located in area Walmart stores.

As with any technological product, parts occasionally wear out. When that happened, Mrs. Morgan was extremely impressed with the customer service she received from Rise.
“They drop-shipped me the unit and I had it the next day. They were there to help me with all the configurations,” Mrs. Morgan recalls. She adds: “I love Rise.”

Heritage Valley anticipates using the Rise displays as an integral part of the hospital’s communication tools. Even now, Mrs. Morgan posts teasers on the displays directing viewers to information available on the hospital website. She looks forward to using the displays to provide real- time wait times at the various locations so patients can determine where they may receive care faster.

“That’s the ease of this,” she says. “Getting (information) down quickly and getting it up quickly.”

Project Summary
Gary Huether, president of Arooga’s, knew from the onset that he wanted to include high-tech digital signage in his restaurants. “With being a sports bar, being able to incorporate real-time sports scores was very important,” Mr. Huether explains. He also aimed to use the digital signage for advertising daily and weekly specials and special events.

Mr. Huether first came in contact with Rise Display at the Las Vegas Nightclub and Bar Convention and Trade Show. Among Rise’s wares was a vertical display that caught Mr. Huether’s interest. “With so many TVs in our places, some of the horizontal displays can blend in,” he says. “But the verticals really draw people’s attention.”

Additionally, “We were finding that not too many [companies] offered the live sports feed, which was one of our biggest needs,” he says. “But Rise did.”

Rise Display worked with Mr. Huether to design and install four 42″ vertical boards, and many horizontal displays ranging from 37″ to 50″, at each Arooga’s location. At least one vertical board is located in each lobby and is used to display rotating specials and advertisements for special events. “While guests are waiting for tables, I think [the vertical displays] get more of their attention than a stand-alone billboard,” says Mr. Huether. “And once we have their attention and are rotating the ads, I think they’re retaining more about our specials because it is something neat and unique.”

Because the flexibility to make content changes himself was important to Mr. Huether, he was provided access to web-based software that allows for changes to be made within minutes. “It’s as easy as uploading a .jpeg to an e- mail,” Mr. Huether enthuses.

Among the 100-plus televisions in each Arooga’s location, the electronic displays keep customers updated with real-time sports scores and game time information. Arooga’s also uses the digital displays for direct marketing and co-op marketing, which was an additional benefit, says Mr. Huether.

“I think the [displays] are great,” he says. “They’re building advertising in-house, and we can upload content by ourselves in a minute. They’re also doing the wow factor. When people walk into the lobby and see a vertical board with our name and brand on it, I think they see that we’re up with technology. It’s something new.”

It was an important day, like a new dawn, BellMicro and Avnet were beginning the long planned kick-off to a new and powerful company.
Bell Micro/Avnet, an international, value-added distributor of a wide range of high-tech products, services and solutions emerged that morning to become the largest added value sales organization in the world with some 18,000 employees. Providing not only software, computer components and peripherals, but also maintenance and professional services. They are also the world’s largest storage-centric value-added distributors.
With the inclusion now of Avnet, the company is uniquely qualified with extensive technical and application expertise to service a broad range of information technology needs. From beginning to end, a formidable player is a rapidly expanding market. The core mission is added-value, now represented in some 15 countries, an effort that was started 23 years ago.
The plan is that this event to be held annually.

Maximising the Digital Signage Opportunity
First to address an audience of experienced professionals, some who have been in Digital Signage long before it became mainstream, was Dirk Andreas, Bell Micro’s Business Development Director.
Today marked the start of integrating Bell Micro into the existing Avnet business, completion target is end of its fiscal year 12 months from now. Dirk outlined that by merging both organisations and combining their individual values Bell Micro is more than ever now able to bring its business partners a robust selection of products, services and solutions delivered by an experienced, knowledgeable team.

Future of Interactive Marketing
Emphasis on marketing was stressed by Simon Wileyman, Distribution Manager of Intel UK a Partner with the new organisation. Simon spoke of the digital signage market as constantly pushing for cost reduction. Usually this can be found in up-front hardware costs. Intel technology can be found in all three hardware bundles, represented by Entry-level, Mainstream and the High-End. Emphasis is not only in the hardware but the concept of “power down” simply this means to turn the equipment off without fear of the restart. Their website has a power down calculator which brings to point home quickly.
Thoughts of reliability and longevity enter the scene. Time has proven that it is a false economy to control costs by using consumer-grade PCs to power signage. Although this approach can minimize the initial installation cost, it does lead to large expenses down the road.
Replacing failed components is expensive; therefore considerable expertise was engineered into standardization. With standardization, component failures are reduced and lead to less expensive field service. Hardware failures can also lead to complications on the software side.
Hardware changes also mean that it is no longer possible uphold a single hardware build across locations. Instead, locations with the original hardware will use one build, while locations with the new hardware will use a different build. Maintaining multiple builds is a headache, and it adds to maintenance costs. It is these extra costs have been addressed.

Graphics Hardware: Creatives & the Blank canvas
One of the most knowledgeable individuals in Graphics is Rob Moody of Matrox. To listen to him talk of screen placement, format and size is like old time religion. Something so fundamental that even professionals can get it wrong.
Matrox is a Canadian company, privately held, based in Dorval, Quebec, which produces video card components and equipment for personal computers. It was founded by Lorne Trottier and Branko Matić. The “ma” from Matić and “tro” from Trottier, combined with an “x” for excellence, form the Matrox name. They’ve been in business for 30 years now; obviously they know what they are doing.
The targeted user-base for Matrox video cards largely consists of 2D, 3D, video, scientific, medical, military, digital signage and financial workstation users.
Rob says, “Think Wide, Think Tall” with the key to this world beginning with the driver.
The Matrox partnership adds definite colour to the group.

All in one Solution
Bas Smeets, Aopen’s Business Development Manager, outlined their position in today’s market. As a PC components and peripheral distributor, they are an established market leader, from motherboards to monitors, to multimedia add-on cards, and more. AOpen products push the green factor and the control of design, manufacturing, quality from the drawing board to the finished product.
By partnering with BellMicro/Avnet, AOpen becomes a One-Stop Shop. Their extensive and comprehensive product offerings cover all component needs. The Digital Signage element is also a One-Stop equivalent.
All this is backed by 20 years experience.
Their latest offering is the DE45 effectively the smallest player in the market, its most powerful feature is that it can be customized to fit any requirement. Its long life cycle also provides positive ROI when planning an estate.

Prestop and Touchscreens
If you’ve used a touchscreen, then most likely it was a Prestop screen. They manufacture the Philips offering.
Now with 20 years under the belt, they have amassed a high-level of perfection and experience in both hardware the driving software.
Not only do they manufacture the touchscreens for Philips, but they also have a fluid sales and rental operation in the Netherlands.
A recent trend in education is the switchover from digiboard to touchscreens. Cost-effectiveness and silent operation allow expansion into this growing market. Their touchtable is also a Microsoft Surface killer.

The Last Mile
With 22 years experience in KVM and extenders, Minicom has become the leading organisation in its field. Minicom handles the dicey issues that evolve in the last mile or last inch, that distance between your player and the screen. A niche, yes, but one of the most critical and often overlooked in it importance. This makes, the company a world leader in advanced media platforms.
Minicom is this year specifically addressing the Digital Signage sector with an infusion of venture capital to the tune of $6 Million. Capitalizing on the knowledge and experience in powering 400,000 displays globally.
They cover all verticals thus gaining insight into many specialties through their solid business relationships with end users.
In essence they allow you to have more control over the coal face of the industry, the screen. Their products are flexible thus being compatible with any player.

Philips
Philips is such a household name that needs little introduction.
As a professional in the market you will happy to note that Philips produces screens and screens only. Therefore there is no competition with an inside product when providing recommendations to a client.
Now the push is cost efficiency in operation. Philips pledges to work with you. Ask for their power consumption spreadsheet.

Summary
It is a welcome sight to see two solid names merge into a formidable partner in the Digital Signage universe. Large rollouts will benefit from the experience banked within this company. Although there are many smaller companies out there, all steeped in experience, there is only a handful in the world that bring it all under one roof.

James van Etten, Executive Editor, CLIPPINGs

“Without people, our ministries are not very effective. We can’t meet people’s needs if they don’t know what ministries we offer, or how they can be involved to help us meet the needs of others.”

Project Summary
Steve Weir, director of technology services for Grace Point, explains why he recently led a drive to update and improve the church’s methods of communicating with its members. “We wanted to further communicate the needs of our church to our attendees. We also wanted to further advertise the various ministries, and promote them, in hopes of getting more people involved here at Grace Point.”

His recommendation was to add digital signage to the church’s communication strategy. “We had been relying on a weekly paper bulletin and Power Point announcement slides before each service. But not everyone is able to view those. This also meant that we were missing our mid-week visitors and those who don’t receive a weekly bulletin.”

The Solution
Grace Point hired Rise Display to install three new digital LCD signs. “We now have a new display in each of the entranceways to our church,” Mr. Weir explained, “and a third display on our Missions Wall. This third screen displays missions-specific content, including missionary profiles and thought-provoking missions-related videos.”

The ability to include video and other rich content makes the displays useful and attractive. “The more ways we can get information out to people, the better,” he said. “The displays are visually attractive and grab people’s attention as they walk past them. Information is getting out and we aren’t relying solely on the paper bulletin.”

Mr. Weir said that reaction to the new media has been very favorable. “Thus far, our attendees have been rather impressed with the overall look of the displays. They do look great out in the lobby! The displays have really enhanced the aesthetic look and feel of both our lobby and our Missions area.

“The church staff has also been pleased with the new displays and the potential for ministry development and member participation. All of the feedback has been positive. Everyone loves the appearance of the displays and appreciates the additional media through which they can now receive information.”

And demand is growing for additional uses for the signs. “I frequently receive requests to add more content to the displays. Our ministry leaders especially see the potential positive impact the displays can have for their respective ministries. They’re consistently asking to have their ministry featured on the various displays.”

To meet that demand, Mr. Weir uses Rise Display Network, the online digital sign content management software supplied by Rise Display that makes it easy for church officials to change the messages on their own signs themselves. As he explained, “The website for uploading content is easy to use and very convenient.”

Overall, Mr. Weir says that his church is very pleased with the sign project’s outcome. “I have already recommended Rise to others as a premier digital signage solution.”

The speakers, as well as the opportunity to organize one-on-one meetings with them during this educational/networking conference, are the event’s highlights. Take a look at the speakers and subjects:

• How to maximise the Digital Signage Market opportunity – Dirk Andreas, Business Development Director, ISD, Bell Micro
• The Future of Interactive Marketing – Adrian Whelan, EMEA ESG Embedded BDM, Intel UK Ltd
• Briefing the creative, about the blank canvas – Rob Moody, Signage Specialist, Matrox
• All-in-one DS solution – Bastiaan Smeets, BDM, AOpen
• Flexibility and serviceability of Digital Signage Displays – Mick Duffy, Director, Philips LTd (t/a Mixel Ltd)
• The Last Mile – Ronni Guggenheim, CEO, Minicom Digital Signage

If you are interested, register for the event here

Project Summary
Until recently, they did not have a very efficient way to communicate the menu to the students and building staff. “We would post a small 8″×10″ sign board on the wall in several spots, with the full week’s menu. The students would have to walk to the sign, check to see what was being served in each line and then go to that line. This caused crowding at the cashier stands and delays in the lines.”

What they needed was a better way to display the menus to the students to avoid crowding. Their solution to this problem was to hang a large digital menu board on the wall where all of the students could see the menus without blocking any of the busy lunchtime traffic. “We needed to convey the daily menu for each of the lunch lines, and we also wanted to be able to reach the students at the Senior High School in a ‘techie’ way that they could relate to.”

The Solution
The department selected Rise Display to supply them with everything that they required to implement their plan. “Rise had what we needed and it didn’t look too complicated to run or set up or change,” said Ms. Maas. “To piece together a solution by myself was just not feasible — time-wise, product-wise or content-wise.” The display solution that Rise provided to Wayzata High School included not only the large LCD screen itself, but also the user-friendly Display Wire software that lets Ms. Maas change the menus herself from day to day.

Results
“We are very pleased with both the sign and its content. The district maintenance staff installed the screens, the district electrician installed the Rise engine and the district carpenter built a box around each screen to match the wood in the rest of the building. The whole setup looks very sharp. One major advantage is that there are no visible buttons. We have received many compliments on the set up.”

And the Display Wire software they use to run the sign? “Once everything was up and running, it all ran smoothly. It has been great. It’s very easy to learn and maintain.”

According to Ms. Maas, their new LCD display is a huge hit with both staff and students. “The staff loved the high school signs. Now the kids don’t crowd around the cashier stands to look at the menus — they can look above the lines and tell very quickly what is being served on each line. Some start looking as they are coming down the hall.”

“And best of all, the kids are constantly commenting on how cool the signs are.”

Having myself been introduced to the hardware I’d say the iMotion Full HD LCD screen sizes, which range from 46 to 65 inches and are best suited for mid- to close-range applications. The displays are housed in a secure, landscape- or portrait-oriented stylish enclosure that blocks outside air from entering the system, protecting the hardware from contaminants. Extreme temperature ranges dealt by iMotion’s air-conditioned enclosure technology, firmly a stamp ahead of similar products. The issue of direct sunlight, addressed through iMotion’s improved readability by using specially coated glass with a reflection rate of only 1%

Some of the issues with outdoor electronics, so well addressed by iMotion are environments not friendly to electronics. iMotion® split system HVAC is powerful and is not in-taking outside air, securing stability also in extreme heat, as well as when environment experiences large temperature variations. Heat problems will rise with size of LCD panels, double side display and with the sheer volume of the elements exposed to solar radiation. Humidity control, 100% humidity control. Downpours have no effect. Hermetic seals mean No air vents. As there are no vents to the outside it is easier to preserve a constant running temperature and exclude unsafe dust build-up.
The outdoor digital signage market is still emerging, iMotion provides a unit that will provide end users the confidence that it is a high-quality, versatile solution in getting messages across to customers. Not only quality but it has also addressed new trends via iMotion’s screens, compatible with touchscreen, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies, as well as IP cameras and other ancillary accessories. Additionally the systems are available in single-sided and double-sided options.
Vandalism is on the increase, excluding air vents reduces unauthorized entry into the system by foreign object or liquids.
Heart defibrillator
For emergency services as lifesaving device.

COMPATIBILITY
All major digital signage content management software

IMOTION
Controls screen and environment plus interface with CMS Intelligent climate control using various resources according to situation. A unique “Intelligent heating ventilating air conditioning” enclosure helps protect investment and deliver results.
Pointers;
* System stability and reliability at all outdoor conditions even in most extreme outdoor conditions
* Optimal functioning of enclosed electronics
* Lower risk of critical system failures
* Lower frequency and simplicity of maintenance
* Minimized mean time between failures
* Silent operation

website Infinitus

James van Etten, Executive Editor, CLIPPINGs

Below are the pictures from the two latest Open Air, held during last two weekends in Switzerland.

Sonisphere in Jonschwil

An absolute outstanding event – the idea was to collect the top 5 heavy metal bands and make them play at one event. Metallica, Megadeth, Motörhead, Slayer & Anthrax, supported by some other carriers of heavy tunes (Alice in Chains, Airbourn, Overkill…) made this event historical not only on paper but in life as well. Not even rain and mud up to knees could have stopped 50K army of hard core fans.

All in all – 4 stages, the main one with two enormous displays, which allowed even those that stood (and froze) far away from the stage – to see the highlights of the event.

OpenAir St. Gallen

Held this weekend, on much better weather, with alternative (read: mixed) sound. With much tamer audience, the festival of light tunes (Gentleman excluded) had two pretty big displays next to the oval stage.