What is the dominant form of digital signage in the retail market? Twisted-pair video? Ethernet? No. The most prevalent medium for signage is HDTV, sent to displays over ordinary RF cable. Check out the TV section at any Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and other well-known stores. If you look closely, the displays are tuned into a highly detailed, attention-getting HD signage channel, broadcast from a single media player in the storem using the same HDTV technology as SignStream.
This may seem odd with all the hype behind Ethernet signage delivery systems, but retail giants are run by some very savvy leadership - they understand the benefits:
- HDTV Definition - The reason why people want HDTV at home as the same as signage in store - amazing high-definition video, delivered in real time. The secret is HDTV's high data rate, 19.4 mbps, generally 10 times greater than typical Ethernet quality.
- HDTV Playback Built In - The HDTV tuner included in most flat-panel displays are actually high-speed MPEG video players, the same or better than expensive PCs required by signage systems. With HDTV displays, that capability is free.
- Single-Server Operation - As the players are built in to the displays, only one server per site is needed to broadcast the HDTV signage channels.
- Network Agnostic - The RF cable carries the load, not the IP network. When it comes to true high-definition content - few networks can handle the bandwidth without expensive restructuring.
- Simple Installation - No Ethernet cable, hubs, players, or IP addressing is required. Just connect the RF cable to the tuners.
- Standard Media Format - The ATSC media standard used in cable and off-air broadcasting is the same for SignStream on-site signage - media producers and software companies know what to do.
Corporate Signage
Corporate facilities have similar needs as retail outlets. While they don't need digital signage in the marketing sense, they do need a better way to communicate to their employees. Putting up flyers, banners, and notes around the campus helps call attention, but are expensive to maintain and often ignored.
Digital signage can help, dramatically so. The roadblock to implementation has two components, cost of integration and cost of content origination. While companies have networks, installing new wiring and adding individual media players is an expensive proposition. Beyond the one-time expense, the cost of daily content creation at the same standard as marketing signage is considerable.
Corporate HDTV Solutions
The solution, as The Home Depot and other have discovered, is to re-task their existing RF coax system for corporate communication signage. Often, wiring is already in place at key locations, and extending RF is an easy task. With the advent of digital technology, the RF system can carry many more streams of media than a network, at a far less cost. Most sites use PowerPoint for signage origination, a tool that many in the organization already understand. There are two options for content delivery, PowerPoint media alone, and mixed-media presentations. Both use SignStream technology to integrated and manage the network,
- The Home Depot and Collaborative HDTV Signage. How Home Depot broadcasts a digital employee channel in its Atlanta Store Support Center. Creating content is a collaborative effort by Home Depot departments using PowerPoint, mixed-media signage generated by X2O Media XPresenter, display control via SignStream Display Express.
- Collaborative PowerPoint Origination for Corporate SignStream Digital Signage. How to create a SignStream digital signage channel via collaborative use of PowerPoint. Content is converted to a digital video, then broadcast as an HDTV channel using the SignStream HDTV Media Player.
Four Basic Components
The system architecture is simple, employing four types of system components.
- SignStream Media Player - resides at the RF head end, the player manages video playlists, distribution for one or more HDTV signage channels, and scheduled control of displays. Included Browser-based Media Express software can be accessed anywhere over your network. Compatible with IE, FireFox, Opera, and Safari browsers, Web control is available from iPhones or other Internet-enabled devices.
- ICC-HE Head End. Inserts RS-232 commands from the Media Player into the RF system at 74.7 MHz, in between channels 4 and 5. The ICE-HE Ethernet Head End can communicate with the Media Player over IP.
- RF Controllers. SignStream offers open-architecture control for a wide variety of makes and models. Typical controllers include:
- ICC1-232 RS-232 Display Controller. Use with RS-232 controlled displays with integral HDTV tuners, including LG, Revolution HD, NEC Museo, and others.
- ICC1-IR IR Display Controller. While RS-232 control is the best solution, this controller can integrate existing TVs, and consumer IR-driven displays. Displays without discrete power commands will need an optional power current sensor.
- ICC2-ATSC HDTV Tuner/Controller. Use with flat-panel monitors and video projectors. Provides integrated RS-232 control and HDMI/Component/RGB HD video and audio.
Proven Performance
The display networking technology in SignStream systems has been in continuous use in major corporate, sports, and worship sites across the country. Many are now in their second generation, and have upgraded to many different makes and models of TVs and displays. Our list of installations include:
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