Some people no longer have time for others…this is a true shame as we all want some attention,. If we all took 5 minutes to help a stranger, the world would be such a better place.
We wish everybody a great day!
Digital signage is big business so you have to understand that the company’s who are using any digital dynamic advertising is on the leading edge of marketing. However there are 2 parts of the puzzle that are not earth shattering, however without them the advertising campaign would be dead in the water.
The first part is, you do not need to spend thousands of dollars on software, there is software available that is free to use, yes it does have limitations but it is good enough to get you started.
digital signage software
As you can see the software splits the display screen into three sections, the main section can be used for the product you wish to sell, the yellow sector could be used for weather updates and the green sector used for scrolling news feed. All you need to do is drag and drop what content you require into each sector and save - then you’re done!
The second part of the puzzle is why would you spend over $3,000 on a signage solution, putting it in a public area that is unmanned and “hoping” it will be OK? The chances are someone will come along and try to vandalise the display causing thousands of dollars worth of damage as well as inconvenience, as the display will have to be replaced and protected. This is were LCD enclosures come in, they offer almost bullet proof protection (well, the viewing window is made from bullet proof material!), they definitely protect from the elements as well as unauthorised access, these units are located in high public traffic areas, sometimes in areas were you wouldn’t care to go yourself…
Outdoor digital signage is a revolution in the advertising industry, this is compared to the invention of the printing press. (The first printing press was invented by the goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg around 1439 – I digress.) Digital advertising gives total flexibility to the content and how it is presented, this is totally unique to dynamic advertising and unmatched by any other advertising medium.
The popularity of digital advertising has increased due to the decrease in price of the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) displays and plasma displays.
When any outdoor digital advertising is placed outside it needs the correct plasma or LCD enclosure , so that it is protected against the elements or any hostile areas, should an industrial LCD enclosure be required. These are available in both NEMA and European IP standards, these reduce the amount of fluid and dust reaching the LCD or plasma television.
Potential problems and advantages.
Plasma televisions have a reputation for image burn, this is were an image burns on to the surface of the screen permanently. LCD’s have never suffered from image burn.
LCD televisions have a worse viewing angle than plasma TV’s.
LCD TV’s work better in dimly lit areas, especially were digital advertising is being used. Just look at the old train stations.
Both solutions can be housed in a plasma or LCD enclosure, providing the ideal outdoor digital signage solution that will last years to come. I know that I personally prefer the LCD option as it is more flexible and has sharper black colours when dimly lit.
When you are installing an LCD display in an airport, the easiest way to update media is wirelessly, this is due to the encryption you put on the system , this makes it easier and more cost effective, the other alternative is to have a hard wired Internet connection into the TV enclosure, that you can control from any location, all you do is dial in, similar to connecting up to the Internet.
Just make sure if you are using a wireless connection that you encrypt it! Otherwise someone will hack in to it and add their own content and that could be embarrassing.
There are several LCD tv enclosure manufacturers all offering solutions, so go check them out. These outdoor LCD enclosures protect to NEMA and IP standards.
More and more businesses are using technology to develop their business, we have developed our range of protective industrial computer enclosures over 10 years, in that time we have seen the old computers shrink to small factor PCs and even thin clients!
Now our range of PC enclosure will accommodate any type of computer: tower or desktop, making it a more affordable way to protect standard computers on factory floors or in hostile areas. We also launched last May our newest product, the LCD enclosure, this is used mainly in outdoor digital signage, and protects the standard LCD display from the elements, as well as vandalism.
The demand for our LCD enclosures is massive and we constantly get enquiries from all the world, we have had many successful projects in Dubai, Singapore, USA, Europe and Australia.
Coupled to this, is our CPU enclosure, this was initially designed for protecting computers in schools and colleges, now many of the CCTV installers need to protect the digital drive from staff etc, so our enclosure is perfect, we recently completed one project for the House of Commons for the entire CCTV network.
The more you can use technology, the better it is, as we all benefit, it makes our businesses more profitable as we can use standard software to track our sales, cost of raw material etc.
We are also working with a national transport company for supplying a digital signage solution and getting local businesses to advertise on it, this is worth a potential £600,000, with us providing the media content. We are also working with 2 hotel chains, were we anticipate we will supply each hotel with 12 digital signage posters at 8 locations in the UK.
We think that the digital signage market is massive in the UK and Europe and we are positioned to lead with our LCD enclosures, media content creation and digital poster products.
We have previously discussed what options are available to you for digital advertising, we will give the video walls a miss for now, unless you wish to discuss an actual project, you can always contact us for advise on our LCD enclosures that protect outdoor digital signage.
Networked outdoor digital signage.
Now on to the networked outdoor digital signage boards, these consist of several digital displays being linked from 1 central control point, it could be the head quarters of the company. From the control centre the content media is uploaded to the media players, these media players are small computers, connection is normally via a wired Internet connection. Enabling the control center to update media throughout the network in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.
Now if these displays are located in hazardous areas or areas that have a potential for public vandalism, the best option is to protect the LCD or plasma display with an LCD enclosure, these are special steel enclosures, that protect the displays from physical abuse as well as protecting them from the weather. Offering NEMA 4x protection.
Our LCD enclosures protect LCD displays from 27″ up to and including 60″ televisions, in areas otherwise thought impossible to locate a digital sign. Out LCD enclosures protect outdoor digital signage throughout the world, including: Australia, Singapore, Dubai, Europe and USA. As you can see our enclosures have been subjected to extreme environments.
So, the essential kit for any networked digital signage solutions is:
The advantage of a networked signage solution, is that is reduces the amount of hours and extra cost for getting new content out there and it is immediate. Compare it too copying the content to CD or DVD and mailing it to each location, if for example you had 20 locations and each update was every month marketing the “months special promotion”.
20 locations x $1 per CD = $20
Cost of copying the media content to CD $20
Cost of mailing them to each location 20 x $1 = $20
Cost of technical person uploading the new content 15 minutes per location @ $30/hr = $7.50 x 20 locations = $150
Total $210
Compared to the cost of the Internet connection, say $20/month for the network…it’s a no brain er, is it? These are extremely conservative prices.
The new digital advertising solutions that are now on the market range from the ultra expensive aimed at the Times top 100 Companies to the mom and pop stores in your local town. Ensuring that there is a digital signage solution for all budgets.
Video Walls -yes, you have seen them, Times Square is a fantastic example, just look at any on the huge skyscrapers to see digital advertisers advertising their products and services to the masses, now these video walls are extreme expensive costing many thousands of $. There is an office block on Times Square that makes more money selling the outside space for ads, than it would if it was fully occupied with offices!
Networked outdoor digital signs - aimed at most mid range Companies, who want to increase their brand present and inform potential buyers of new offers in the brand range.
Single outdoor digital signs - any business can use these, from the local town dentist to the pizza restaurant, these are very affordable.
Digital Signage posters - this is the entry level digital sign, designed to be either located in a stores window or reception were there is a lot of foot traffic (passing people), this will catch their eye and entice them to come in and buy, these solutions start from $750 complete!
Now all you have to do is decide which best suits your business needs. There will be other articles on this topic, describing what you would need for any of the above solutions, so keep coming back to see our updates.
Computer Security & Solutions Limited specialise in the manufacturer of outdoor digital signage enclosures for LCD displays as well as supplying a range of digital posters.