OfficeMax uses multi-screen PCs
February 25, 2007
ADFLOW Networks and Matrox Graphics are installing 120 displays to 60 OfficeMax locations.
Each of the PCs used will drive two 40-inch LCD displays using the multi-screen graphics cards from Matrox.
Multi-screen PCs are a great way to reduce per-screen costs for digital signage.
Re-formatable digital signage software
February 25, 2007
A recent progress in dedicated (non-PC) digital signage technology is the removal of operating system and media player software from the hard disk drive (HDD) and store in on-board flash memory only. The change drastically lowers total cost of ownership (TCO) for digital signage networks.
Traditional digital signage solutions require storing most of the software on either the HDD or DOM (disk-on-module, or flash disk drives) shared with storage of media files. Since the media files are accessed 24×7 non-stop at duty cycles often exceeding their MTBF specs, the HDDs and DOMs are especially prone to physically failed sectors. Once this happens, the traditional technology requires a field visit by the support personnel to manually re-format the storage and re-install the software. This has been true for all Windows- and Linux-based digital signage systems.
The new technology, announced by IAdea Corporation as a feature of the Adfotain Foundations digital signage operating system, detects such conditions and moves necessary software components on the HDD into on-board flash ROM before it re-formats the HDD, all without human intervention. Once the HDD is repaired, software is automatically restored to make the system functional again. The entire process is done by server-side software without requiring any field visits, thereby saving a great deal of service costs.
On average, a network of 200 nodes incurs an average of one physical HDD failure per month. The new technology saves on-average $36,000 in field service costs for a network of such size. The technology effectively saves $1,800 per screen per year in maintenance costs.
Companies including digiSignage, IAdea Corporation, Digital View and Advantech are making the new technology available in their upcoming digital signage product lines powered by the Adfotain Foundations operating system.
Apparent Fragililty in PC-based Software Solutions
July 4, 2006
Digital signage company NUVA publishes an article noting their experience with instability found in PC-based software systems:
NUVA ‘s article named Software Stability
Content partially extracted from the article (emphasis in typeface taken from original article):
There is a false sense of security given to the end user when their display system seems to be working without a glitch when their display must retrieve content by pulling media from a central FTP / HTTP server […] These multiple processes, under certain circumstances can destabilize a PC based display causing the entire screen to crash, show error messages, or just stop working.
[…] We can defiantly say, in our opinion, none of the software we have used is Crash-Proof, and no other company in the market today can Guarantee their software will NEVER CRASH.
Digital Signage at the Infocomm
June 15, 2006
Mature digital signage technology is on-display at the Infocomm 2006 show last week in Orlando, Florida. Despite a larger floor space and an increase in number of exhibitors, there seems to be a reduction of overall visitors compared to last year (not officially confirmed).
One area that seems to continue to attract more visitors each year is the Digital Signage Pavilion where a combination of display providers, PC software player and non-PC hardware player box vendors show their latest technology to draw in distributors and value-added resellers.
In terms of technology demonstrated, there is a drop in the number of software vendors at the show. Webpavement and Infocaster who had booths last year were absent from this year’s show.
A new category, media players, is created to encompass companies including AGNPRO, digiSignage, Visual Circuits, Advantech, Sony, and Chyron.
New Technology
Scala introduced the latest InfoChannel 5 product with a new web-based screen provisioning and schedule management functionality. This allows Scala to provide a more comprehensive solution in additional to its legendary content creation tool.
On the non-PC hardware player side, 1080i/720p high-definition decoders are a main theme at the show this year. Many of the players shown are capable of decoding HD content at full-speed while overlaying a layer of arbitrary graphics. On the management software side, most hardware players provide a simple Windows-based client software that controls one player at a time. One exception is digiSignage who demonstrated a web-based management server with quality-of-service guarantee.
In terms of media transportation technology, there were no broadcast TV solutions at the show. All companies we visited used an IP-based technology for delivery of digital signage.
In general, the largest leap in technology this year would have to go to the non-PC hardware players.
Content Formats – Part II
May 21, 2006
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is an advancement over the MPEG-2. The new standard has the advantage that good quality video can be properly encoded at relatively low bit rate. MPEG-4 is the basis of the DivX codec, one of the most popular video format used on the Internet.
MPEG-4 is widely used on the Internet for its efficiency in transporting over the network. MPEG-4 video is often encoded at 1 to 2 Mbps, or 1/8 to 1/4 MB per second (128 to 256 kbps). A 1 GB memory card easily holds 1 hour of MPEG-4 video. Transmitting a 1-minute MPEG-4 content on the 512 kbps xDSL takes 30 to 60 seconds. This makes frequent content updates feasible.
To be continued…
Content Formats, Part I
May 16, 2006
Digital signage contents are often created in the following formats:
MPEG-1/2
MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 are two of the most common video compression formats in use. They are often used to store and deliver video content on digital signage networks. MPEG-1 is the storage format for VCDs and is rarely used today. MPEG-2 performs better than MPEG-1 at higher bit rates, and is the video format for DVDs.
MPEG-2 media clip are typically encoded at 4 to 8 Mbps, or 0.5 to 1 MB per second of video content. Higher bitrate yields better video quality. A 1 GB memory card holds about 15 to 30 minutes of MPEG-2 video.
Long clips of MPEG-2 is not suitable for delivery over the network today. It takes a typical 512 kbps xDSL connection 8-16 minutes to deliver just one minute of MPEG-2 video.
To be continued…
This is Part II of the Categorization for Digital Signage Endpoint Devices article.
Non-PC / MPEG-2
Most non-PC products support MPEG-1/MPEG-2 decoding from a CompactFlash (CF) memory card. A 1 GB memory card stores approximately 30 minutes of MPEG-2 video. These are the simplest form of a digital signage media player available today.
Non-PC / MPEG-4
More advanced non-PC products support MPEG-4/DivX. These have an advantage over the MPEG-2 players in that MPEG-4 files occupy less storage space. A 1 GB memory card usually supports 60 minutes of MPEG-4 video. These are also low cost, but extensive “sneaker net” delivery cost may occur.
Non-PC / Set-top Box
Sometimes called “IPTV” solutions, these are low cost consumer set-top boxes that are used to deliver cable TV to home. They often support MPEG-2 video streaming via Internet without using a local CF card. The benefit of a set-top box is that it solves the problem of relying on the sneaker net. The downside is that most set-top boxes require a live Internet connection with large bandwidth (4 to 8Mbps per channel) to the media server to stream media files, and creates a large server bandwidth requirement that results in great connectivity costs.
Non-PC / Interactive
Some non-PC solutions also support interactive control (touch screen, bar code scanner, etc.) in addition to video playback. They support a restrictive form of kiosk application yet provide superior reliability to PC-based solutions.
Non-PC / HD (High Definition)
The more advanced non-PC solutions support the playback of HD contents and often in multiple zones. These devices perform very closely to PC-based solutions while continue to provide simplicity and reliability. These devices are also usually network controlled by a management software.
Endpoint devices are the media players at the end of the network connection driving display devices (TFT-LCDs, plasmas, LED walls, etc.). They are implemented in various technologies.
Wintel PC
Digital signage systems today are often implemented using ordinary desktop IBM-compatible PCs running Microsoft Windows. On top of this, a media player control software is run to play back media files according to a schedule. The main strength of the Wintel PC is flexibility. The main weakness is lack of reliability, as Wintel platforms are known to crash in front of the captive audience.
Linux PC
The Linux PC is a variation of the Wintel PC, running the open source Linux operating system instead of Microsoft Windows. A media player control software running on top of X-windows is often the solution. The upside of Linux PC is a reduction of cost (free operating system) and, some believe, improved reliability of the operating system. The downside is that it still runs on ordinary PC hardware and can be prone to reliability problems.
Mac PC
Another variation of the PC solutions is the Mac PC. With the Mac mini’s introduced at $499 with full media playback capabilities, the Mac PC is an attractive alternative to the Wintel PC, especially for the art savvy content designer. The plus of the Mac PC is a compact form factor and higher level of visual display capabilities. The minus of it is again lack of robustness being a consumer-grade solution.
Software
Often a endpoint technology comes as a software package only. The software runs on one of the hardware systems. The benefit of having a pure software solution is the choice of hardware is open to the integrator and cost can be easier controlled. However the risk here is that a software/hardware combination that is not certified by a vendor can often cause unforeseen problems unless it is well tested before installation.
Non-PC
A number of non-PC solutions exist today, running on various non-Wintel, RISC-based platforms. IC vendors including ESS, Sigma Designs, TI, AMD, Intel all offer solutions that are capable of handling digital signage in a dedicated hardware. The pros of a non-PC solution is by far reliability and often size. However the cons are that display features are often limited to video playback only and can be hard to integrate with real-time reporting systems (arrival/departure information, currency/interest rates, etc.).
Variations of non-PC solutions are described in detail in Part II of this article.
Inscriber Infocaster
May 7, 2006
Webpavement Sign Server
May 7, 2006
Webpavement Sign Server
Web-based digital signage platform server
The Digital Signage Technologist 