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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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E4 AV TOUR

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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.

LG Wallpaper: The Easier Way to Enjoy Being Thin

by | Apr 10, 2017 | Digital Signage, Pro Displays, Video Walls

When we live on the east coast, the spring thaw sends thoughts of basking in the summer sun at a lake front cottage.

And then it hits you!  THINK THIN!  Who wouldn’t want to be the thinnest model ever?

You don’t need to go on a stringent diet or work out to the point of exhaustion.  LG can help!   That’s right; LG has released its futuristic “wallpaper” OLED TV – Their thinnest model ever!  This panel is so thin and light, you can literally attach the screen directly to the wall. Making it seem more like a framed painting than cutting-edge OLED technology, this is first-of-its-kind design.

Most models sold today require a backlight, but not LG OLED TVs. LG OLED TVs have complete control over their pixels. Meaning they can be turned on or off to achieve truly perfect black levels with zero light bleed. This gives shadows more depth and makes colors feel like they’re leaping off the screen.

This version of the LG OLED Wallpaper is specifically for commercial display applications and it’s in a 55″ form-factor that weighs less than 13 pounds and has a depth that is just 3.65 millimeters (0.14 inches). Yes, you read that right – barely more than 1/10th of an inch.

LG OLED technology uses self-lighting pixels for exact control of image brightness and quality, and with no separate light source the technology is extremely lightweight, thin and flexible

Rave Publications highlighted the new LG OLED Wallpaper Display in a recent article written by Gary Kayye, highlighting the best new products at 2016 Digital Signage Expo.

“The Wallpaper display can be mounted either vertically or horizontally for a customizable display design. Ultra-slim mounting brackets with a magnetic mat create a truly seamless design that becomes one with the wall. Electronic components are housed in a separate control box connected to the display with a 2-meter (6-1/2-foot) cable.”

So if you are looking for a solution with perfect color, a wide viewing angle, and clear viewing images, check out the LG 55EJ5C.   And, with easy installation and video wall tiling options, it can be hung on the wall with dedicated slim brackets for video wall usage; providing you more time to spend basking in the sun at that lakeside cottage.

Oh Integrator, May I Have Some Raspberry Pi with My Panel?

by | Jan 24, 2017 | Digital Signage, Pro Displays, Uncategorized

Not being a software developer, you can imagine my confusion when NEC Display Solutions of America  announced its upcoming line of commercial displays with the ability to insert a Raspberry Pi Compute Module.

“Raspberry Pi?” I said.  “Isn’t that some sort of dessert?”

Raspberry Pi was developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in 2012. The Foundation’s original intention was to provide an inexpensive tool for the teaching of basic computer science in schools and in developing countries. But like many inventions, the original model became far more popular than anticipated, spreading into many other commercial uses.

Check out Picademy, the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s flagship free teacher-training initiative.

As I continued my inquiry, I was informed that the Raspberry Pi Compute Module is a tiny PC that looks like a small board of laptop memory. First introduced in 2014, it’s basically a small alternative to a full-sized Raspberry Pi computer (which is only about the size of a credit card).

The upcoming line of NEC V-Series and P-Series  displays will have screen sizes ranging from 40 to 80 inches, and use a Pi Compute Module to power digital signage and other applications. There’s an internal bay in each display that will accept either a first-gen Raspberry Pi Compute Module or recently-introduced Compute 3 Module. These new displays are due to ship in Q2 2017 and will be available from Almo ProAV.

So, how will the NEC displays with the Raspberry Pi module (which, by the way, is making my stomach growl right now), be used? Well, in addition to powering digital signage applications, the Raspberry Pi Foundation envisions NEC displays being used for interactive presentations and other Internet of Things applications. Oh, oh….there’s that “IoT” talk again…

How does this benefit YOU?

Bottom line, is that with Raspberry Pi, software application developers and digital signage content creators now have many flexible and scalable platforms to choose from.  All this new world of capabilities inserts into an elegant design of displays suitable for smooth installations in any environment.  No more external media players or PCs with every display.  Can you imagine the power savings and ease of installation?  So ask yourself Mr. Digital Signage Integrator, are you embracing this powerful platform to offer your end-users innovation?  Take a bite of the Pi!

“Our strategic initiative to team up with Raspberry Pi is an example of how we continue to ensure that an organization in any sector has the most advanced technology in place to meet their application needs. Our open platform approach provides display intelligence at any time, thanks to our modular and interchangeable design. Integrating the Raspberry Pis with our displays will provide businesses with advanced technology suitable for digital signage, streaming and presenting to enhance the overall visual experience at an affordable price point,” said Stefanie Corinth, Senior Vice President Marketing and Business Development at NEC Display Solutions Europe GmbH.

And as contributor Bob Raikes stated three months ago in Display Daily, “I see this as quite an elegant solution for NEC. The company is not in the TV business, unlike competitors that are in the digital signage business like Samsung, LG and Philips, so it has not had the economies of scale to simply exploit technology developed for Smart TVs, as the others have been able to do. By adopting Pi, NEC is able to exploit the volume of the Pi to keep costs relatively down (the older Compute Module is currently selling for less than $30) and offer a level of price and performance that is competitive”

We are working with our Almo Content Services partners to take advantage of this new and exciting offering from NEC. There are many emerging content creation software offerings written for the Raspberry Pi platform and we plan to offer our integrators and dealers the latest in innovative and interactive digital signage.

I invite you to write me and let me know about your taste for Raspberry Pi.  I’ll be happy to post your comments on future posts as this exciting combination of NEC displays and Raspberry Pi content is introduced into the US digital signage marketplace.

So, if Raspberry Pi is on the panel menu, I’ll have one with my cappuccino, please!

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