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A Free-Standing Interactive Kiosk Installed with Content in 30 Minutes? Yep!

by | Aug 28, 2018 | Digital Signage, Events, Pro Displays

Would you be interested in installing a free-standing, 55” portrait kiosk with touch and Wi-Fi connectivity?  This kiosk would support a simple interactive directory board, which an end-user can easily update and manage using a cloud-based CMS.  All this for around $5,500 retail with an estimated $120/yr. cloud-based CMS fee?  And better yet, install it in 30 minutes?

I think I just heard a collective YES!!!!!!!!!!

The opportunity has arrived and is available to dealers regardless of digital signage content experience or having an extensive company.

Introducing the Peerless-AV KIPICT555 “All-in-One” portrait, free-standing kiosk.  This kiosk solution is literally ready  to go out of the box with a low suggested retail list price of $3,375.  It ships complete and assembled with a 55”, 24/7 display that has six simultaneous points of interactive touch, a BrightSign media player and Wi-Fi/RJ45 connectivity.  An integrator just unpacks the kiosk, moves it into position and plugs it in.  Once powered, simply follow a few on-screen menu instructions and the kiosk is ready for a digital signage application.

Here’s a video of Earl Naegele, Managing Director at Peerless-AV explaining this Kiosk at a 2018 E4 AV Tour Stop.

And, Almo’s content creation services stands ready to provide dealers with content solutions for their customers.  Almo provides dealers with standardized and custom solutions utilizing HTML5 cloud-based content and an easy-to-use CMS for end-users.  This includes end-user training to fully complete the project.

BTW, did you know that Almo recently acquired Insteo, a specialized digital signage content and creative company?  Check it out!

Dealers now have the abililty to offer the ENTIRE digital signage solution and control the entire transaction.  In turn, Almo has the Peerless-AV KIPICT555 in stock and our content creation team ready to provide solutions to meet your customers’ visions.

Almo’s E4 AV Tour will be making stops this fall in Boston, MA on September 21 and Nashville, TN on October 26.  Don’t miss your chance to see the Kiosk and other exciting technology from your favorite manufacturer partners and register to attend now!

Samsung Goes All-In on Digital Signage

by | Jul 27, 2018 | Digital Signage, Outdoor AV, Pro Displays

I learned something new this year at InfoComm: I have no future as a professional gambler. While true, that’s not really it. What I REALLY learned was that LED may soon take over the world of digital advertising. There were probably more digital signage displays at InfoComm than there are slot machines in Vegas.  However, of those displays, Samsung clearly hit the jackpot. After spending just a few minutes at Samsung’s booth, I am placing my bet on these three Samsung products.

THE WALL

By far the standout was Samsung’s THE WALL professional LED. This thing has it all. Samsung engineers were able to develop revolutionary technology, giving THE WALL top-of-the-line resolution. Not only that, but Samsung also found a way to get rid of those gaudy lines that disrupt your displays, allowing for more aesthetically-pleasing signage.

Still not convinced? Still not ready to go all in? What if I told you that on top of all this, Samsung has given THE WALL a diagonal canvas of 146 inches, the largest flat panel display on the market. With all of these enhancements to their already-stellar digital signage, THE WALL is the perfect combination of quality and quantity.

FLIP

Not only did Samsung up the ante on LED Digital Signage; it also showcased their Samsung Flip. An interactive display perfect for collaboration in meetings and on projects, Flip is essentially the whiteboard of the future. With Flip, you can import any project your team is working on or mirror your phone or computer screen to share with everyone working on it. Not only that, but Flip can easily switch between portrait and landscape views for any type of presentation. With these key features, Flip is looking to increase Samsung’s professional applications in all industries, including education, professional athletics, and of course professional businesses. Teachers can now import content directly onto the display to bolster their students’ learning.

Coaches can now easily switch from portrait to landscape view to show full-court and half-court plays to their team. Businesses can collaborate interactively on important assignments. The Flip is the whiteboard that will change the future, and Samsung will look to increase their market share in interactive digital displays with this innovative product.

Outdoor Signage

On top of their improvements in large-scale digital signage, Samsung upped their game in the outdoor signage department. Whether you are looking for displays to be placed in the snow of Maine or the sun of Miami, look no further than Samsung’s outdoor displays.

These displays are the ultimate sports bar viewing experience with eye-popping quality and unfailing durability to make them perfect for all outdoor venues, enclosed outdoor venues, and even window-facing displays. Samsung has used their cutting-edge techniques to enhance resolution and brightness, making these displays some of the crispest visuals one can find in digital signage. Not only that, but Samsung has increased durability to make their outdoor displays perfect to withstand any weather conditions. Add to that the SMART Signage Platform, which allows users to update their signage in real time from their mobile device and anyone can spend all the time they want in Vegas… learning how to better gamble.

Checking Boxes

by | May 4, 2018 | Digital Menu Boards, Digital Signage, Pro Displays

A digital signage content management software

that ✓ all the boxes.

Clients looking for a digital signage solution often have very similar feature sets that they are seeking. In the past, there were some features that our solutions could not provide, so the client would need to make some sort of compromise instead of being able to check all the boxes on their list of needs. Since the addition of Zebrix to the Almo line card, compromises are now few and far between.

Let’s take a look at what Zebrix offers that allows us to check off some of commonly requested features that were previously out of reach.

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Hosted, web based CMS

Having a hosted, web based content management system (CMS) offers some advantages over an “on premise” solution.   It reduces the amount of time that IT professionals would spend evaluating security and managing a software installed on local servers, which allows them to focus on their day to day workload.

One of the other great advantages of a hosted CMS is the ability to manage the content from any device, anywhere internet access is available.  Since web browsers are ubiquitous there is no need for a specialized device to manage content or to provide access to players.

Also, because the software is in the cloud you can manage players located all over the world.

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No need for additional player hardware

With the introduction of powerful “system on a chip” processors in commercial displays, like Samsung’s Tizen processor*, Zebrix is able to offer PC-like performance without the cost of an external player.  Savings can be parlayed into larger displays, or additional displays for a project.

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Intuitive CMS interface

Ok, so this may not be exclusive to Zebrix (Almo Pro AV offers other solutions with this feature), but they take it to a whole new level.  Since Zebrix is web based, it offers the ease of use and functionality that people have come to associate with purpose made “apps” on mobile devices.  With drag and drop content upload, and WYSIWYG design features, creating professional looking signage becomes easier than ever.

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Display management and live view

Because Zebrix uses the internal player on the Samsung Tizen based displays, it becomes easy to manage the display as well as see a snapshot of exactly what is playing on the display at any time…all with the click of a button.

If you’d like more information on the features Zebrix offers, or to demo of the software, please feel free to contact me using the contact information below.

Todd Heberlein
888-420-2566 x6205  |  [email protected]

*Currently, only Samsung’s internal player and a Ubuntu external player work with Zebrix.

LG Introduces LV640S – the New Series of Smart TV Signage

by | Sep 14, 2017 | Digital Signage, Pro Displays

Author: LG Commercial Display

We’re hearing it more and more. Small and medium-sized businesses are looking for eye-catching, affordable and easy to manage ways to communicate with their customers. And it has to be attention-grabbing—enough to get customers to look up from their smartphones for a while.

That’s why we’ve created a smart new solution—the LV640S Series Smart TV Signage.

Smart TV Signage builds upon the success of our SuperSign® TVs. Like SuperSign TVs, they have built-in tuners to support a variety of TV broadcast signals. They enable businesses to show live TV programs and deliver customized messaging and advertisements simultaneously. They include pre-installed templates to make it easier than ever to create dazzling content for various types of businesses and use cases.

So what’s the difference? The Smart TV platform. Smart TV Signage offers a number of exciting new capabilities like embedded CMS software for PC-less operation. (But they also have PC-based SuperSign Simple Editor software.)

The new LV640S Series Smart TV Signage is engineered for reliable 16/7 operation in business environments, and is backed by our commercial 3-year warranty.

New Smart TV Signage Features:

  • Crestron Connected® Certification – Quickly integrate the LV640S Series as part of a totally automated A/V and IT environment. It will function seamlessly with all other Crestron Connected Certified products.
  • Content Manager – Without an extra PC, you can easily create content using embedded templates and play it according to scheduled sets.
  • Group Manager – Smart TV Signage works as a server. Without any extra device, a master TV can distribute content and set data for a selected group within the same network.
  • YouTube and Web Browser – Access various content via the pre-loaded YouTube app, web browser and live channel.
  • Smart Share and Screen Share – Use features such as Wi-Fi Direct®, WiDi and Miracast® to view content from mobile devices on the TV screen.
  • Wireless Hotspot – SoftAP (software enabled access point) is a virtual Wi-Fi feature that enables Smart TV Signage to function as a wireless access point for mobile devices in the vicinity.
  • Wi-Fi / Bluetooth Built-in (Bluetooth Sound Sync) – Distribute content and control the TV through a wireless network. Listen to audio from a Bluetooth-enabled mobile device through the TV speakers.
  • Full IP control through the network, including WoL (Wake on LAN) to remotely wake the TV from low power mode.

Raspberry Pi Now Being Served

by | Sep 1, 2017 | Digital Signage

In an earlier blog this year, I reviewed NEC’s recent announcement to incorporate the popular Raspberry Pi (RPi) computer with selected new V-Series and P-Series panels by mid-2017.

The addition of RPi continues NEC’s open platform philosophy utilizing OPS slots that provide the bridge for a variety of computers and digital signage OPS-compliant solutions. Now with the addition of low-cost RPi, software application developers and digital signage content creators have a flexible and scalable platform to choose from.

So, in a sense, NEC created something akin to a Food Network for digital signage content and IoT applications. The vision is for Developer “Chefs” everywhere to take their RPi creations from the kitchen to the marketplace table.
NEC & Raspberry Pi at InfoComm 2017

So, the Developer Chefs are busy with their recipes and I’m looking to get a taste of their RPi creations.  Not only are we moving ahead with our Almo Content Service partners busy adapting the current HTML5-based digital signage recipes to RPi but they’re mixing some new ones as well.

By year-end 2017, we plan to have a menu of low-cost, easy to install RPi selections to meet the creative demands of our dealer’s customers.

Another exciting development is how other content “Chef” houses are entering the marketplace with their recipes and creations. We’ve been contacted by numerous content houses who embrace RPi as their platform — a powerful, low-cost platform that allows them to bring their recipes to the digital signage table. They want to know more about NEC’s panels that, in a sense, are the beautiful plates to make their appetizing creations sparkle for wanting customers.

Stay tuned as my next blog will update all of you about our growing menu of RPi selections on the Almo digital signage menu.

In the meantime, you can see the RPi panels up close on the fall leg of the Almo Pro A/V E4 AV Tour, coming to New York on September 19 and October 3 in Irvine, CA.

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My Visit to Crestron HQ: Where Acceptable is Just Not Good Enough

by | Apr 17, 2017 | Digital Signage, Hospitality

Have you ever looked at two seemingly similar items on the shelf of a store, or more likely, two similar items on your Amazon wish list, and wondered, “Why is one more expensive than the other?” I know I have. With Amazon, it’s easy to use the online reviews to help determine the difference in value, but in the Pro AV world, it can be a bit more difficult.

Recently, I had the opportunity to see first-hand how one manufacturer adds significant value to their products.  Most of the difference comes in the form of ease of use and reliability, but some of the value goes even deeper.

Crestron has been known for the quality of their products since as long as long as I can remember.  When you install Crestron products into your AV system, they just work, and work well.

Last month, Brian Rhatigan (Almo BDM Director) and I visited Crestron’s facility in New Jersey, and were treated to a day of hospitality and education.   Not just an education on Crestron’s product line, which I felt I knew pretty well, but rather an education on their company focus – quality.   Not just a quality in product, but also a quality user experience.

We were fortunate enough to have Dave Silberstein, Crestron’s Director of Inside Sale, set aside an entire day to provide us with a guided tour of their facilities, along with a visual summary of their research, design, and manufacturing process from start to finish.  I’ll go ahead and speak for Brian here when I say, we were impressed.

A couple of things really stood out for me, besides the quality of their customer experience center (You could throw one heck of a party in there).

Here are some highlights I wanted to share:

R&D

Crestron has an entire staff of engineers devoted to the design of new products.  Currently 40% of their net profit is put back into their R&D department, and what a department it was.  Some of the brightest minds in the industry are working on developing the next piece of cutting edge technology.  And they have some of the best “toys” to play with. From flow jets to 3D printers and beyond, they have the tools to develop every component of a prototype.

TESTING

Their testing facility was incredible. One fascinating sight was an enormous system of their current and past products.  The system is primarily used to test any software / firmware due to be released, to verify that it doesn’t have any adverse effect on older systems still in use.  This is something I appreciated as it seems like each firmware released on my phone brings it closer to its demise.

Another impressive sight was the “wall” of 100 displays being used to test a video conferencing system with 100 end points.   It seems that testing, let’s say, 10 endpoints would be acceptable, but fortunately for Crestron’s clients, acceptable is just not good enough.

SUPPORT

Their technical support is provided regionally to better understand and support their local customer’s needs.  This isn’t so special, but what was, is each technician has a full system located at their desk.  It made for a crazy looking workspace, but it allows each technician to actively participate in the troubleshooting process, instead of just searching for a solution in their knowledge base.   In addition to this, older items are located just a few steps away, so the technician is able to grab whatever  is needed to try and duplicate what is being used in the field.  We even spotted a slide projector controller in this “closet of technology past” – something that harkens back to the roots of where Crestron began.

It’s hard to put into words just how impressive the Crestron facility is, and how dedicated they are to producing a quality product.  Luckily their long run of producing excellent, industry leading products has created a reputation that our industry already equates with quality.

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