Digital signage software

Digital Signage - powerful communication for every business and organisation at the touch of a button

The assertion that digital signage is a powerful tool that can help organisations work smarter and communicate more effectively is virtually a given within today’s business sectors.

The power of an organisation to manage, disseminate and deliver information to internal and external recipients at the touch of a control pad button is undoubtedly presenting savings in time, cost and efficiency to increasingly wider audiences. Its not hard to see why the appeal of cutting-edge, networked visual automation is such an alluring proposition.

On an aesthetic level, the AV (audio visual) industry’s latest flat panel TFTs, LCDs, LEDs and plasmas look incredibly stylish and a new wave of video cubes, large format display walls and large-scale public display monitors are going all out to increase the visual performance of their private and public spaces.

However, as far as functionality goes, digital signage has huge relevance throughout industry. There are very few organisations who don’t need to keep their staff informed and in touch, who aren't looking for instant responses to their time-critical operations and who don’t aspire for a competitive edge when it comes to sheer professionalism and efficiency. Think Government departments, the emergency services, utility providers.
And, in today’s fast-paced, 24/7 way of life and work, there are even fewer environments which wouldn’t benefit from the empowerment that visual communication invariably delivers. Think control rooms, call centres, educational institutions, public venues.



However, although digital signage can represent the first logical step towards total collaborative enlightenment, making the decision to embrace networked display technology is not the only one that organisations will face. There is the question of software: How do you display your message and/or media, in the most accessible, dynamic and comprehensible way possible?

Now were talking platforms

The engineers of display technology aren’t the only revolutionaries in the digital signage industry; software developers across the world have spent years developing the ultimate software platforms that make it easier for companies to create content, schedule and manage information, distribute content, monitor systems, report, analyse, assess and respond.

In short, the future has caught up with digital signage: think Minority Report
The type of software that is needed to manage, disseminate and display information depends on how and where you want to do just that.

There are a number of platforms that have been developed that allow users to customise their visual displays, incorporating text, graphics and live or stored video images and streaming as required. Where data or content is available from external sources, such as a computer, television or website, a custom view can be created. Moreover, information from RSS feeds and broadcast news to schedules and slideshows can be used to generate a visual image with even greater impact and value.

These are two of the audio visual industry’s groundbreaking software programmes that have been unleashed on the innovative world of display system technology:

Omnivex Moxie integrated management software

Omnivex has a renowned pedigree in the arena of integrated management software for display systems. Its products are designed specifically to manage a wide range of display media and every platform provides all the tools that a user needs to acquire, create, schedule, manage and distribute data.

Omnivex has observed and reacted to the publics increasing exposure to the superior graphics capabilities of our contemporary gaming platforms, which have pushed expectations for more dynamic, innovative and relevant video content. Add that to a new awareness of what High Definition really means to a viewer and this increased demand for superlative picture quality can be justified.

The result is Moxie a pioneering software programme based on the latest technologies from Microsoft which uses the same 3D graphics engine found in Windows Vista and numerous high-end video games. The platform doesn't require any proprietary hardware and the users content is delivered via standard TCP/IP protocols.

Moxie has been designed to accelerate the process of developing and deploying digital signage networks, whilst dramatically lowering the costs to operate them. But its the ability to capture the context of the content that is catching the eyes of the worlds audio visual professionals.

This is cross-spectrum software and network operators, content developers and marketing managers based within a variety of environments can now focus their content on individual viewers and tie it directly to real-time information displays for a totally personalised message with impact.

Flat screen technology is, quite literally, flat but Moxie is bringing digital signage displays to life with high-quality 3D graphics that are full of impact. Displays can now target viewers with relevant messages based on who they are, where they are, what they are doing and how they can take full advantage of the location that theyre in.

Digital signage has just got personal!

Scenario 1
:
Imagine walking into a large, international headquarters building for a conference. Before you reach into your pocket to find your itinerary and arrivals instructions, a display screen welcomes you personally, confirms your arrival and schedule and directs you to your venue. A series of networked screens guide you to the conference hall and highlight the days events, which incorporate the most relevant speakers and activities all based on your specific market sector and individual preferences.

The possibilities, as it is said, are endless and they include a very real prospect of welcome ROI too.

Scenario 2:

You're shopping, intent on buying a specific electronic product that youve seen advertised on television. Youd like to shop around for the best price, see a demonstration although your time is limited. You enter the shopping centre and a display at the entrance welcomes you and directs you to a retail outlet on the first floor where your product is in stock and available at the most competitive price locally. Youre also shown an advertisement from another retailer in the centre who is promoting exactly the same product. The price is slightly higher but theres a free upgrade when youre ready.

The decision is yours and is, quite literally, staring you in the face.

The potential for a return in respect of focussed on-screen advertising and marketing is a very real proposition, particularly in areas where footfall and target audience are high.

However, the key benefits of Moxie lie in its simplicity of use and perceptive functionality:

• A new user interface combines the ubiquity of a web browser with the power and speed of a dedicated client application to increase accessibility to the system with full rights and security from any point on the network
• Designers can preview effects on the content before applying it publicly, improving both productivity and quality
• Intuitive network control automatically discovers, recognises and configures computers and displays when plugged into the network, helping to reduce costs of installation and network changes
• Encryption, authentication and permissioning is brought down to a single variable to protect data and provide total security
• Remote updating, monitoring, alerting and management is available from any point on the network to maximise uptime and make the system more reliable.

Moxie is, without doubt, strategic software that will force organisations within a vast spread of market environments to rethink their perception of digital signage and how it can contextualise what they have to say.

VBrick networked video solutions

VBrick Systems is the master of live, online networked video solutions. It offers the most comprehensive suite of enterprise video products in the industry and provides business and organisations with robust and proven online video streaming systems that connect people across the world.

Video streaming is the process used to compress live or pre-recorded video and audio into a digital format, which is delivered over IP (Internet Protocol) computer networks on demand or via continuous streaming and is increasing being integrated within digital signage systems.

At its core, VBrick is a powerful, yet very user-friendly portable networked video appliance that enables customers to capture and deliver high-quality live streaming video content over any IP network - from LANs and WANs to the internet reliably and consistently.

When combined with other system components from the range, the video appliance becomes a fully-scalable product with a collection of complementary technologies that keep businesses informed and connected in style.
• EtherneTV is an enterprise-wide solution comprising a set of upgradable, industrial strength, network-aware appliances that allow organisations to build a video infrastructure on top of an existing IP network. Each component plays a significant role in capturing, recording, managing, distributing, and viewing video assets
• VB Cast is for streaming on the go! This easy-to-use and very portable package contains everything a user needs to go live and being streaming or webcasting in an instant simply connect a camera microphone and broadcast.
The potential applications for both live and stored video streaming are clearly infinite and, thanks to a range of novel and fully-interactive software suites, the technology has already been adopted across market sectors.
Corporate Sector

Enterprising corporate clients have embraced VBrick as a valuable tool with which to broadcast messages to employees, partners and clients. Its used to impart information, to train staff at their own pace, to monitor infrastructure and to collaborate across networks, regardless of size or distance.

Government and Public Sectors

Government and public sector organisations employ VBricks streaming capabilities to enable them respond to mission-critical scenarios, to monitor operation and call centres and share live news feeds. They rely on it to communicate, to train and to broadcast important announcements within civil departments. The emergency services depend on it as way of collaborating across networks in time-critical environments where immediate response is vital.

Education Sector

Educators appreciate its value as a both a teaching and learning tool. Universities, colleges and private trainers use it to communicate information, to broadcast content and share it with campuses and educational institutions and the world outside.

Evolving technologies

Video is, without doubt, the most popular communication medium today. It is used by corporate, educational, government and public sector institutions across the world to broadcast, inform, monitor and teach. In recent years, the dramatic growth of social networking websites is largely due to the ease with which high quality video streaming can enlighten and entertain online users.
Video streaming is an evolving technology and the whole concept of when, where and how video can be stored and viewed is developing by the day.
Likewise, display software platforms that are available to digital signage designers and users are becoming increasingly richer. The advances in context-specific media which are helping to bring down costs and increase impact are undoubtedly shaping the ways that all market sectors can satisfy their trading partners and customers.

The future has caught up with digital signage, for now at least.

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