A. Digital signage is one of the most exciting and fastest growing segments of the commercial audiovisual industry. It has far reaching implications and opens expansive new markets for systems designers, integrators, content creators, and end users alike. From the obvious "explosion" of the retail and hospitality signage market, to the unique applications for indoor venues such as corporate communication and way finding, to education and transportation, digital signage cannot be ignored. There’s a fundamental shift going on with traditional static advertising and promotions methodology, that’s impacting the way we communicate, entertain, share information and ultimately sell products and services in the business world. This is touching almost every conceivable vertical market and business type, and it’s happening now!
Q. What’s the market size and growth potential?
A. The short answer is HUGE and UNLIMITED. Remember, the “Digital Signage “ market is one small slice of the gigantic Professional Audio-Video marketplace, that includes Telcom, Video Conferencing, Security, Visual Learning and a AV Integration and Consulting. Researcher Frost & Sullivan has forecast the worldwide digital signage systems market will continue to grow from a paltry $313.9 million in revenues in 2006 to more than $10 billion in products and services in 2012, at a compounded annual growth rate of more than 20 percent. In the U.S. alone, over $50B is currently spent on TV advertising, and much of this is being diverted to Digital-Out-Of-Home signage venues- with the numbers exceeding $1.7B in 2008, and expected to hit $5B in the next 3-5 years. Large format display sales (26” and up) continue to grow at 15-20% per year, and interactive kiosk sales are increasing faster than ever. All the various metrics and product categories point to the same conclusion- Digital Signage is about to really take off!
Q. Where Can Digital Signage be Used?
A. Digital signage can be used wherever there is a need to communicate to individuals or large groups of people. Wherever there is static signage, there is potential to replace it with digital signage. Digital signage installations are becoming more and more prevalent in:
• Corporate Environments – Often used in lobbies to communicate with visitors and customers, or employee areas for human resources and corporate communications, digital signage can provide the right message to the right audience at the right time. In manufacturing environments, performance metrics, current production requirements and education materials can be delivered to production areas for quality assurance purposes.
• Public Venues – Auditoriums, hotels, transportation venues, outdoor billboards and sports stadiums are common venues for digital signage. Providing customers with current schedules, way finding directions, or real time information such as news, weather, sports and advertising can be informative to patrons and visitors.
• Retail Environments – For timely advertising and impulse decision influencing at the point of purchase, digital signage provides a more compelling message. Many retailers and advertisers are seeing the advantages of in-store digital signage over traditional print and television buys. They are reaching their target audience and viewers are captive – they can’t change the channel. Retailers can dynamically change the content being displayed based on factors like inventory levels, margins, time of day, POS data etc.
• Public Saftey, Utilitites, Network Operations, Command & Control and Call Centers – Mission critical statistics and data can be displayed in real time keeping personnel informed of your system status. Internal messaging can be included with the content allowing updates from multiple participants.
Q. What kind of products are needed to install/connect basic DS networks?
A. No special hardware is required, information is assembled using a standard Windows® based computer and transmitted across a network to a PC or Media Player near or inside the display device(s). This local computer will display the content on one or more screens as scheduled or based on an event or trigger. Entire networks of displays can be managed from a single point. The system can support any number of displays and scale as the network grows. Redundant operation, hardware monitoring, content monitoring and feedback to a central management point is easy to provide through the software.
In general, there are five (5) basic components:
1. A host PC or Server
2. Content Management Software
3. Media Player to store the content and schedule the playlist
4. a Display device of some type (computer monitor, large format commercial panel, flat panel TV, touchscreen, or even a projection system or interactive video wall)
5. The actual network and connectivity peripherals
Q. What types of display technologies and are most commonly used in DS applications?
A. We began with hi-res CRT monitors and projection TVs, but today’s digital displays are simply flat screen computer monitors and/or LCD-TVs that visually show the digital signage messaging. Flat Panel Displays are usually referred to as FPDs, or LCD-TV’s (the same monitors with built in TV-tuners). Sizes vary, but most indoor displays used in commercial signage applications range from 32” to 50” (a 42” screen is one of the most common, but larger displays are also available, 65” up to 108”). Glass types include the most popular LCD screen; Plasma displays are still hanging on; and the emerging LED and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays are a thinner, faster, brighter film technology that is still too expensive in larger screen formats. And just to keep it interesting, there’s even newer technologies on the horizon like- IPTV (Internet Protocol TV), FED (Field Emission Display) and Electronic Paper (i.e., Amazon’s Kindle product, using microcapsules as thin as a human hair, to simulate a paper doc on a thin screen).
Q. What’s the difference in a Media Player and a small-format or Mini- PC?
A . A Media Player is simply an industrial-grade small footprint processor and storage device, with no external access for security. This can be PC, Mac or RISC-based architecture. PC-based players are most common and good for Macromedia Flash and web-based data. Because of the common OS there’s a wide range of compatibility with industry software solutions, but a powerful processor is needed for running Video content. RISC-based media players with Linux OS are gaining marketshare because they are solid-state with no moving parts, fanless, low power consumption, full HD video quality and a compact form factor with super-high reliability.
Q. Do I still need a PC and a Media Player?
A. Yes, if you want to manage data, send updates and change your content accordingly, this is controlled from a central PC, and the media content is stored and scheduled via a playlist on a local Player.
Q. How many Media Players do I need in a multi-screen network?
A. In general, you need one media player per screen, but there are exceptions based on your network topology and content requirements. If you are showing the same video content on multiple screens in a local network, this can be controlled through one Media Player, with the video content networked. Other options involve one Media Player with a CAT5 AV splitter that can manage different media formats and send the info to multiple screens. Many of the new Players and Mini-PCs are so small they attach to the back of the screen, and can be locked into place for security.
Q. What’s the difference in a flat panel consumer TV and a more expensive commercial panel?
A. There are plenty of differences in flat panel consumer TVs and commercial DS panels. Yes, the price points are higher on commercial grade panels, maybe 25-50% on average, but each product is built for it’s own market. TVs are a CONSUMER grade product that are designed for a few hours of use on a daily basis. Commercial or Professional- grade panels- are built for 24x7 use- and include- 1. More rugged construction, with more metal and steel, and much less plastic 2. Different AV inputs for more networking and connectivity choices, 3. Better quality glass with fewer defects, 4. A longer standard warranty- almost always includes a 3-year warranty, vs 1-year or sometimes 90 days on Consumer Electronics products, 5. Many of the Commercial panels include on-site service as a standard offering, 6. The internal boards, electronics and power supplies are more robust, and built for commercial environments
Q. What kind of warranty can I expect on DS hardware?
A. As mentioned previously, many commercial panels have a standard 3 year factory warranty, with 2-3 year upgrades available. Many of the HW peripherals have a minimum one year factory warranty, and many vendors offer 2-3 yr standard coverage.
Q. Are there significant quality differences in various Display brands?
A. Like everything else, for the most part we get what we pay for. The biggest differences in large screen panels from the Tier One brands and other Tier 2-3-4 choices are, 1. The GLASS quality (using only A+ or A level pixel defects vs B/B-/C grade glass, 2. The cabinet or bezel components/materials, and 3. The board level circuitry and overall QC standards. The Tier One brands also back-up their products with more reliable and timely professional services and support programs.
Q. Do I always need 1080p full HD resolution on a DS network?
A. This is the $64,000.00 question, and the answer is clearly NO. Most digital signage networks can deliver superb text, graphics and video using something less than full 1080p resolution. It really depends on the type of media content, environment and audience expectations, but most DS panels can deliver 720p or even 480p text, graphics and video with the same responses. A healthcare resource network showing 3D imaging and CAT scans would probably want the highest possible screen resolution, while a corporate lobby interactive kiosk, with way-finding software, would look terrific with 480p resolution.
Q. How often do I need to change my DS content?
A. Just like traditional static ads, the more interesting and timely your electronic messages are, the more impact and ROI you will get back from your audience. This is the real benefit of DS networks by managing and varying content based on real-time circumstances- time of day, holidays, audience demographics, manufacturer promotions, add-on sales opportunities, and an unlimited number of other audience buying factors that can be included in your targeted DS content.
Q. What is “SAAS” all about?
A. Instead of purchasing, installing, managing and updating out-of-the-box software, Software-As-A-Service is a content management system for digital signage that’s completely web-based (in the “cloud”, as it’s commonly referred to). Users do not have to install ANY software on their computer to contribute content or monitor the display network. Login with any web browser from any location, PC or Mac, it doesn’t matter. Authorized users can log in from any web browser like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or Chrome. Software as a Service (SaaS), which was historically called the Application Service Provider (ASP) model, is the provision of a digital signage solution to DS customers from a hosted and managed web-native software application that operates over the Internet. You do not pay for owning the software itself but rather for using it. All responsibility for the system, its maintenance, upgrades, and fulfillment of your digital signage needs rests with the distribution partner and the SAAS provider. Most SAAS companies partner with a global data center that is an enterprise-grade, tier 1 network provider with SAS-70 certification to host their many servers. Again, Users do not have to install ANY software on their computer to contribute content or monitor the digital display network. They simply purchase a subscription or pay a monthly usage fee, as needed.
