Digital Signage in Arts And Entertainment

Topics
What is digital signage?
Why use digital signage?
Digital signage methodologies
Current technologies
Best practices
Solution checklist
What’s next?

What is Digital Signage? Digital signage* is a term used to describe computer controlled display systems designed to inform, entertain and advertise. Digital signs are usually found in public spaces, retail stores and elevators. * Also called: Narrowcasting or “out-of-home” advertising .

Why Use Digital Signage?
Excellent advertising and informational medium
Higher impact than traditional signs
Content is updated as needed
Content can be derived from existing material like web, print or video

Digital Signage Methodologies
Various methodologies:
Stand alone
Networked: “Forward and store”
Networked: Streaming
Networked: Internet Browser Based

Stand alone digital signs:
Least expensive solution to implement
Can use less sophisticated equipment
Relies on content being delivered by memory card, CD or DVD (end user interaction required for updates)
Not suitable for content that needs to be updated often

Networked – Forward and Store:
Content resides on a shared storage device or server
Each player gets content as required
Fault tolerant; if network goes down, players continue to play existing content
Requires a networked storage device or FTP server depending on the solution

Networked – Streaming:
Content resides on a central storage device or server and gets sent to each player on a continuous basis (push)
If network goes down, players can also fail
Relies on video technology (MPEG) and requires plenty of network capacity (bandwidth)

Networked – Browser based:
Content resides on an internet web server and gets sent to each player on a continuous basis (push)
If network goes down, players can also fail
Note: Some browser based systems also use “forward and store” and are more fault tolerant
Relies on internet technology (most often Microsoft Internet Explorer) so there are limits to the types of content that are supported

Current Technologies
Displays:
Plasma
LCD
Rear projection (DLP)
Software based player systems
Hardware based player systems

Plasma Displays:
Mid-priced large screen technology
Limited lifespan (about 3 years)
Brightness levels decline as screens age
Highly susceptible to “burn in” if static images are left on screen for long periods
Some units have a narrow viewing angle
Heavy, requires special mounting hardware

LCD Displays:
Most expensive large screen technology
Offers increased longevity and more vibrant image than plasma screens
Not susceptible to “burn in”
Wide viewing angle
Most often used in smaller sizes and mounted at eye level (15” and up)

Rear Projection Displays (DLP):
Least expensive large screen technology
Projection lamp must be replaced every 3+years
Bulkier than Plasma or LCD units
Not susceptible to “burn in”
Requires good ventilation and access to replace projection lamp

Software based players:
Basically a multimedia playback program runs on a “Player” PC.
Each PC is hooked up to a display and managed through some type of Server/Scheduler program.
The scheduling software can be managed either by internal or external resources

Most require Windows XP based PC (some run on Linux)
You must specify hardware that will match the capabilities of the software
Be sure to test the software solution to ensure it can play your media. Not all video formats or CODECs are supported.

Some digital signage software requires you to run on a dedicated network to which you must subscribe to (for a monthly fee)
Some software can be configured to run on your dedicated (private) network or you can use FTP servers to transfer content to each player

Hardware based players:
Hardware players that are optimized to playback MPEG video content
Most require proprietary control and scheduling software
At least one hardware player supports animated Flash content natively
Usually offered as a complete solution (including a server)

Hardware based players:
Proponents claim these solutions are less expensive and more reliable than software based players
Built in proprietary operating systems
Runs on optimized hardware platform

Best Practices
Select the solution that best matches your requirements:
Is your content mostly video?
Will you update the content often?
Do you plan to acquire the technology or farm out the implementation to a third party?

Best Practices
Select the solution that best matches your requirements:
Will your model require dividing the screen into multiple “zones”?
Do you have a source for syndicated content (news, weather, sports, etc…)?
Will you be able to position the player hardware near the screen? (if not, you may need to investigate “video over cat-5” or another technique to get the video signal to the screen)

Best Practices
Test using “real world” conditions:
Install one or two screens in a test location
Position the signs close to your lobby, near the ticket counter or in a public area
Monitor viewer response and adjust content accordingly

Best Practices
Design your content for maximum impact:
Use short (5 to 7 seconds) duration for pure promotional content
Try to keep your message short and to the point
Extend “text heavy” content duration to 15 seconds or more

Best Practices
Examples of suitable content:
“ Coming Soon” video clip
Live weather, entertainment news, local news
Announcements, events
Snack Bar ads (theatre)

Solution Checklist
Will you be tied to a proprietary server?
Can you acquire all of the technology if you decide to run the project in-house?
Is the solution scalable?
How long has this technology been on the market?
Who currently uses the product?
Is there a “product map”? Where is the technology heading?

What’s Next?
Better integrated, less expensive solutions are coming to market
Smaller form factor PCs with enhanced video capabilities (such as Intel Extreme Video)
Windows Embedded based systems
Plasma screens with increased longevity and more resistant to burn in

About the author…
I have 5 years of expertise in digital signage backed by 20+ years in the retail sector.
I can be reached at:
[email_address]
(905) 706-7543

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Digital Signage in Arts And Entertainment

by dsignguy on Dec 03, 2008

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Digital Signage in Arts And Entertainment — Presentation Transcript