Digital Signage Essentials: Building Blocks of Visual Communication

Walk into any modern corporate lobby and you’ll likely be greeted by a sleek digital display showcasing company branding, welcome messages, or real-time updates. It’s polished. It’s professional. And it’s powered by more than just the display.

Behind every impactful signage experience is a network (pun intended) of essential components – often overlooked, but absolutely critical. As AV professionals, we know that the magic of digital signage doesn’t just happen. It’s built from the ground up with the right mounts, cables, media players, and signage management platforms – and of course, an appropriately sized display.

Let’s break down the building blocks using a corporate lobby as our anchor.

Chief mountsDisplay Mounts: The Foundation of Form and Function

In a high-traffic lobby, aesthetics and safety go hand-in-hand. A commercial-grade mount like the Chief Tempo Flat Panel Wall Mount System ensures the display is securely installed, perfectly aligned, and easily serviceable while providing for mounting locations for other components. Whether it’s a single screen or a video wall, choosing the right mount affects not only the visual impact but also long-term maintenance.

Integration Tip: Always consider ADA compliance and future serviceability. Look for mounts with micro-adjustments and quick-release features to simplify installation and upkeep.

Cables & Extenders: The Lifelines of Connectivity

Cables may be out of sight, but they’re never out of mind for integrators. High-quality HDMI, DisplayPort, and power cables – like those from C2G or Kramer – ensure reliable signal transmission and reduce the risk of downtime. Send 4K up to 130ft or 1080p up to 230ft with C2G’s HDBaseT Transmitter and Receiver – pair with CAT6a shielded cables for crystal-clear, reliable AV performance.

Integration Tip: Use proper length shielded cables to limit clutter, while allowing access and avoiding interference in high-density installations.

BrightSign media playerMedia Players: The Content Engines

Media players are the workhorses of digital signage. Devices like the BrightSign XT5 or SpinetiX HMP400 deliver smooth playback, schedule content, and support interactive experiences.

Integration Tip: Opt for players with remote management capabilities and robust security features – especially in corporate environments where IT standards are high.

Signage Management Platforms: The Control Center

A signage deployment is only as good as its management system. Platforms like SpinetiX ARYA or Samsung MagicINFO allow AV pros and IT teams to schedule, monitor, and update content across locations with ease.

Integration Tip: Look for platforms that integrate with existing enterprise systems and offer analytics to measure engagement and performance.

NetgearAV Network Switch: Preconfigured Power

From one display to thousands, properly configured networks allow you to manage and monitor your signage network from your desk. Choosing a switch preconfigured for AV networks, like the Netgear M4250, makes the job even easier.

Integration Tip: Consider adding a POE powered media player and POE capable network switch to limit the number of power connections needed behind the display. PoE++ is becoming the new standard for Audio/Dante-controlled devices, the Netgear M4250 has 1,400 Watts available to future-proof your AV power needs.

Middle AtlanticPower Management: The Silent Protector

Protecting your displays and media players from a devastating power surge is as simple as adding some type of power management system. Solutions from brands like Middle Atlantic or SurgeX offer surge protection, power conditioning, and remote monitoring to keep your signage systems safe and running smoothly.

Integration Tip: Use rack-mounted or inline surge protectors with remote reboot capabilities to minimize service calls and ensure uptime in high-traffic environments

The Unsung Heroes of Impactful Signage

While the display may steal the spotlight, it’s the essentials that make the experience seamless, scalable, and secure. From the moment a visitor steps into the lobby to the time they enter a meeting space, these components work together to deliver a consistent brand experience.

Whether you’re designing a single display or a multi-zone signage network, start with the essentials, and build from there.

Ready to Elevate Your Signage Projects?

Explore Almo’s full range of digital signage solutions, including mounts, cables, controllers, players, and platforms – all backed by expert support and distribution services. Contact your Almo Pro AV rep or Business Development Manager to get started.

Todd Heberlein

Todd Heberlein | CTS, DMC-D-4K, DSCE

Senior BDM – Technical Lead

Supported Manufacturers: Absen and BrightSign

Nick Carnahan

Nick Carnahan | DSCE

BDM – Brand Specialist

Supported Manufacturers: Legrand AVChief, C2G, Da-Lite, Luxul, Middle Atlantic, Vaddio, Wiremold

Eric Olson headshot

Eric Olson​​ | CTS, DSCE

Senior BDM – Technical Lead

Supported Manufacturers: Netgear, LG, Lumens and Atlona

Emerging AV Trends Shaping the Future of Government Facilities

Government facilities are undergoing a technology modernization – and AV technology is at the heart of it. From city halls and courthouses to command centers and public safety offices, agencies are investing in smarter, more secure, and more scalable AV systems to meet the demands of hybrid workforces, citizen engagement, and operational resilience.

At Almo Pro AV, we work in partnership with resellers and integrators to help them stay ahead of the curve. Let’s look at the top technologies shaping the future of public sector AV – and how you can leverage them to grow your business.

  1. AV Over IP: The Backbone of Scalable Government Infrastructure

Kramer kds7mngrAV over IP is rapidly replacing traditional AV distribution in government buildings. It offers flexibility, centralized control, and cost-effective scalability – especially for multi-site deployments and command centers.

Integrator Insight: Agencies are prioritizing TAA-compliant, secure AV-over-IP solutions that integrate with existing IT infrastructure. Almo’s product portfolio includes vetted, standards-based systems ready for federal and SLED environments.

Featured Product: Explore Kramer’s reliable AV over IP solutions, such as the KDS-7-MNGR, for seamless video distribution.

  1. Hybrid-Ready Meeting Spaces

PTZOptics Move 4kVirtual and hybrid meetings are now standard in government operations. Agencies need AV setups that support remote testimony, live streaming, and real-time collaboration with high security and accessibility.

Integrator Insight: Focus on UC platforms with ADA-compliant features, real-time captioning, and EO 14028 alignment. Almo offers training and sales enablement to help you map product features to policy requirements.

Featured Product: PTZOptics Move 4K offers built-in auto-tracking capabilities and comes native with NDI® HX3 for unparalleled performance and versatility.

  1. Digital Signage for Public Messaging and Wayfinding

SpinetiX media playerDigital signage is becoming essential for real-time alerts, multilingual communication, and interactive wayfinding in public buildings. Agencies are replacing static signage with dynamic, remotely managed displays.

Integrator Insight: Offer signage solutions with emergency alert integration and remote content management. Almo’s partners benefit from access to exclusive signage platforms and deployment support.

Featured Product: SpinetiX iBX440 is the digital signage player that makes
video walls accessible to everyone.

  1. Assistive Listening and Accessibility TechListen Technologies

Accessibility is a legal and ethical priority. Agencies are upgrading council chambers and courtrooms with assistive listening systems, captioning, and inclusive interfaces.

Integrator Insight: Almo’s team helps you spec and source ADA-compliant solutions, including induction loops, IR systems, and real-time translation tools.

Featured Product: Auri™, powered by Listen Technologies, is the first Auracast™ broadcast audio-based solution for assistive listening.

  1. Sustainable and Energy-Efficient AVViewSonic ViewBoard

Sustainability is now a procurement priority. Agencies are seeking energy-efficient AV systems, recyclable components, and eco-conscious installation practices.

Integrator Insight: Almo offers EPEAT-certified displays and consults on green AV design to help you meet agency sustainability goals.

Featured Product: The EPEAT Gold-rated 65” ViewBoard series from ViewSonic is made with over 90% post-consumer recycled materials.

Why Almo Pro AV Is the Perfect Public Sector Partner

court roomChoosing the right technology is only part of winning in the public sector. The other part is having a partner who understands the entire procurement and deployment ecosystem – and that’s where Almo Pro AV excels.

✓ Deep Public Sector Expertise

Our dedicated public sector team has decades of experience navigating government buying cycles – from GSA contracts to SLED procurements. We speak the language of contracting officers, compliance reviewers, and IT security leads.

✓ Bid and Compliance Support

We help our partners position themselves competitively in bids by providing:

    • TAA and NDAA compliance documentation
    • RFP-ready technical narratives
    • Grant eligibility guidelines
    • Sales Enablement & Training

command and control centerWe train your sales staff to position secure AV solutions to government buyers, aligning product features with mandates like EO 14028, CISA OT guidance, and directives. Government buyers value reliability and expertise – we show up with both.

✓ Exclusive Product Access

As Christie Digital’s exclusive distribution partner for the Secure Series III, we give you a competitive edge – delivering a high-demand, compliance-ready display that your competitors can’t source through standard channels.

✓ Integration Support

We don’t just ship boxes. We understand each agency’s mission. Our technical specialists consult on system design, ensuring that your deployments align with security policies, accessibility standards, and command-center workflows.

Partner with Almo Pro AV and Lead the Future of Government AV

Public sector AV is evolving fast. Agencies need partners who understand the mission, the mandates, and the technology. With Almo Pro AV, you get more than a distributor – you get a strategic ally.

Let’s build smarter, safer, and more connected government spaces – together.

Contact an Almo Pro AV representative to get started.

Pro Audio Trends 2025: The Good, The Smart, and The Acoustically Ugly

As we continue to barrel through 2025 (how is it the middle of August already?!?), I wanted to take a second to look at some of the trends that are shaping pro audio in our current landscape. We are seeing a steady march of technological breakthroughs – particularly in the conferencing space – which make our lives as audio professionals easier and our solutions more effective. However, as they say – physics is physics – and the spaces in which we are having to implement these solutions are making our success harder and harder to come by.

Let’s take a look at the pro audio landscape in 2025 – the good and the not-so-good.

All 1s and 0s – Networked Audio

In my opinion, we can declare the networked audio wars over, and Dante has emerged the victor (for better or for worse). Although many networked audio protocols still exist and see limited, niche use (AVB, I’m looking in your direction…), Dante now sees the most widespread use and adoption across the pro audio industry. Dante has become so popular and inexpensive that we are now seeing it at almost every price point – from budget mixers to entry-level speakers, and even some in the consumer audio world.

Networked audio is such a revolution that it deserves its own blog post, but put simply, it maximizes installation convenience and flexibility by routing all audio channels through a digital, networked backbone of Cat cables and network switches. For example, an event that used to require 32 individual input cables run from the front to the back of the room can now be handled by one Cat6 cable.

Not only is networked audio convenient, but it is also incredibly flexible. Routing one input to multiple outputs can now be done with a few mouse clicks. Changes can be made on the fly without even having to touch a physical cable.

Will Dante be the ultimate networked audio solution into the future? Due to its channel count limitations, likely not. But for now, its ease of use, flexibility, widespread adoption, and low cost, Dante is the go-to solution for 2025 and at least the next few years.

Audio-Technica beamforming ceiling micCeiling and Wall Microphone Arrays

We all work in the conferencing space extensively these days, and most of these spaces have the same needs: effective and professional-sounding audio which is as aesthetically unobtrusive as possible. Into this breech have stepped most of the major audio manufacturers – Shure, Yamaha, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica – with ceiling- or wall-mounted beamforming array microphones.

The amount of choices here is dizzying, but the technology in all of them is similar. They use sophisticated beamforming algorithms to isolate individual speakers, suppress background noise, and automatically adjust pickup patterns based on who is talking. Typically these are mounted on the ceiling, which eliminates the paper-shuffling noise of a table microphone, and the inconvenience and limited durability of gooseneck microphones.

Are beamforming microphones the correct solution for all conference rooms? Of course not. Most are limited to a maximum 25’x25’ coverage area, and audio at the edges of these coverage zones can sound thin. Locating microphones as close as possible to the speaker is always best practice, and some room configurations may not lend themselves to a ceiling mic array. Beamforming mics can also tend to be on the expensive side, so some situations may be better served by a more traditional solution.

The Challenge: Did Architects Forget About Sound?

modern conference roomFinally, for the trend that is assuredly NOT one that I hope sticks around, is the continued assault on acoustics that is modern conference room design. The aesthetics of modern conference room design seem to be engineered to be in direct opposition to what makes a room sound good.

Take a look at pretty much any conference room designed in the last 5-8 years: floor-to-ceiling glass walls and polished concrete floors that reflect every minute sound, exposed HVAC duct work that creates a continuous low-frequency rumble, open, cavernous ceiling spaces – it’s a miracle that we can hear anything intelligible in these spaces.

Although current mic and DSP technology can work miracles to overcome some of these challenges, the frustrating part of this is that with proper acoustic design choices, we wouldn’t need as many of these work-arounds. We are spending thousands of dollars on sophisticated signal processing to compensate for poor design choices.

These trends tend to come and go, so my fingers are firmly crossed that the open-ceiling, glass wall, concrete floor trends of this era go away – and quickly!

Wrapping Up

The professional audio industry has always been about solving problems and making communication clearer. We are seeing the promise of networked audio and advanced processing in action on a daily basis to make projects successful.

The future of pro audio is networked, intelligent, and unfortunately, still dealing with some questionable architectural choices.

If you need help finding the right technology for your next project, or have a difficult audio problem that needs solving, reach out to the audio team at Almo ProAV at [email protected]!

Audio enthusiast? Check out “Visiting the JBL Experience Center“.
John Rossman - headshot-frame

About the Author

John Rossman | CTS

BDM II – Technical Specialist

Supported Manufacturers: Harman ProfessionalAKG, AMX, BSS, Crown, DBX, JBL, Lexicon, Martin, & Soundcraft

AV Ecosystems: Because ‘Just Plug It In’ Never Works Out That Way

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me “We just need a screen and maybe a speaker,” I could retire early and start an LED ministry on the beach. Let’s be honest. AV is not a bunch of parts you slap on a quote to check a box. It’s an ecosystem. Everything has to work together or nothing works at all. When you get it right, the tech fades into the background and the experience takes the lead.

Here’s a real one from a client in Raleigh. High-end financial firm, fancy chairs, gorgeous space, zero tech harmony. Meetings were starting late, execs were sharing content through personal hotspots, and the poor IT guy was one coffee away from quitting.

We stepped in and flipped the script.

We gave them a Sony Pro BRAVIA 98 inch display that actually made spreadsheets look exciting. Dropped in an AVer CAM570 with smart AI framing so no one had to babysit the camera. Ran Legrand Wiremold cable management to keep the conference table looking sharp. Deployed a Netgear M4250 AV Line switch to handle bandwidth like a pro. Then added a Nureva HDL410 audio system that made the whole room sound like everyone had a mic, even the quiet ones in the back. Everything was integrated clean with Chief and Middle Atlantic gear.

Now their meetings start on time, nobody’s crawling under the table with a USB-C adapter, and the CEO stopped cursing during video calls. Progress.

Let’s hop down to Myrtle Beach. A boutique hotel wanted to upgrade their banquet space. They do weddings on Saturdays and corporate meetings Monday through Friday. One mic system wasn’t cutting it and the projector looked like it came from a garage sale.

We gave them an LG 136 inch All-in-One LED that stole the show. Installed a Shure MXA910 ceiling mic that catches every “I do” and every quarterly forecast. Added an Absenicon display in the lobby running BrightSign XT5 for customized welcome messages and event branding. Listen Technologies handled their ADA audio compliance. And they’re running everything off Atlona’s Velocity platform. It’s simple enough for the front desk to use, but powerful enough for back-to-back events.

Now they’re booking more events, charging more per room, and the tech just works. Imagine that.

Down in Guatemala City, a university needed hybrid learning across multiple classrooms. What they had was a mess. Different brands in every room, spotty audio, and teachers wasting half their class time setting up.

We standardized the setup. Epson PowerLite projectors. Sharp interactive displays. PTZOptics cameras with AI-powered tracking so teachers can walk and teach without losing the shot. BrightSign controls their content campus-wide. Netgear handles the network backbone. One ecosystem, one support path, one happy IT team.

And let’s talk about AI. If your system isn’t leveraging AI today, you’re already behind. From auto-framing cameras to predictive audio leveling, AI is the new teammate in the room. It doesn’t just make things smarter. It makes things smoother. Faster. Simpler. That’s the real win.

The truth is, when AV is done right, people don’t talk about the tech. They talk about how great the space feels. That’s the goal. And we get there by building real ecosystems, not tech Frankensteins.

So whether you’re designing a boardroom in Raleigh, a venue in Myrtle Beach, or a classroom in Bogotá, stop cobbling. Start connecting.

You bring the vision. We’ll bring the brands and the brains to make it all work.

Gisela Ramirez, Sales Director - LATAM

About the Author

Gisela Ramirez

Sales Director – LATAM

Exertis Almo

Digital Signal Processors – a Beginner’s Guide

I was recently asked to advise on a project where the customer was installing new AV equipment in a public meeting space. The audio system was to include ceiling array microphones, gooseneck podium microphones, as well as a number of wireless lavalier and handheld microphones. The question I was being asked was “can you recommend an appropriate mixer for this application?”.

At first glance, an audio mixer seems to be the appropriate tool for the job – after all, a mixer takes a number of audio input sources, allows you to control the volume and equalization of each source, and mixes them into a combined output signal to be sent to an amplifier and eventually loudspeakers.

But what if you need to send multiple output signals to multiple destinations? What if some signals need to be sent to some outputs but not others? What if you need to instantly change the signal routing based on the room configuration? What if you need to apply auto echo cancellation (AEC) to any of the signals to prevent echo and feedback? And most importantly – what if you do not have a dedicated technician willing and able to sit behind the mixer to configure it and make adjustments?

For all of these reasons (and plenty more), the appropriate tool for this application is a digital signal processor (DSP), not a mixer. So, let us take a look at DSPs, their features and benefits, and where they are appropriate (and not) to use!

Anatomy of a DSP

One way of looking at a DSP is as a “mixer in a box” which can be remotely controlled. Similar to a mixer, a DSP will have a number of input channels and output channels – typically 12 (in) x 8 (out) – but many other configurations exist. Unlike a mixer, which is made to lay on a table or desk and features lots of volume sliders and knobs, a DSP is a small box which is made to be installed in an equipment rack and typically features no knobs or obvious controls.

blu101Below is the front and rear of a BSS BLU-101, one of the most popular and powerful DSPs that we sell:

As you can see, it does not look much like a mixer at all, but the functionality is similar. It has twelve inputs (the green ports on the right side), eight outputs (the orange ports in the middle), an ethernet port for connecting it to a network, an RS232 port for allowing the unit to be controlled remotely, BluLink for connecting to other Harman devices, and a set of GPIO control ports which can be used for monitoring other devices or accepting signals from external devices.

ac5swhtusAs mentioned above, there are not any controls or buttons on the front panel. Instead, DSPs are generally controlled by external control systems, such as AMX, Kramer, or Atlona. Users interact with a custom touch panel to send control signals such as channel mute, volume control, input/output routing and mixing, gating, and more! In simpler systems, BSS DSPs can also be controlled by a simple button/volume knob control panel, such as the BSS Contrio series.

Due to the versatility and abilities of DSPs, they do require configuration and setup before being deployed. When selling a DSP, always check to make sure that your customer has someone on their team who is familiar with configuring and setting up DSPs. In most cases, the manufacturer will have online training programs which can help them get up to speed. For example, Harman’s Professional Training Portal offers full courses on BSS programming for free! If the customer needs additional help or is simply pressed for time, Almo’s own LinkLab Professional Services team has certified DSP programmers ready to help!

When to Recommend a DSP

Now that you know a bit about what makes a DSP tick, when should you be recommending a DSP solution over a regular mixer?

  • Medium to Large Conference Rooms: any time a customer mentions conferencing, particularly for larger rooms with multiple microphones, a DSP should be recommended. DSPs have the flexibility and power to manage the complex routing needed to interface with conferencing devices. Make sure that your DSP has a USB port for conferencing, as well as auto echo cancellation (AEC)!
  • Training Rooms/Lecture Halls: for applications where there will not be a dedicated AV Tech available to manage the system, a DSP with preset scene recall and automatic level control is essential.
  • Building-wide Systems: any complex system where multiple rooms are being controlled from a central head-end system requires a DSP (and usually a large one) to manage the routing of audio from room to room.

cms14Of course, a DSP is not a fit for every situation. For example, most live performances (musical or otherwise) are better suited to being controlled by a real live person in front of a mixer who can respond in real time to the action on stage. Additionally, smaller, less complex systems (such as in a bar, restaurant, or retail store) which do not require advanced routing or signal control might be better suited to use a rack-mounted mixer (such as the JBL CSM series) or a zone controller (such as the dbx ZonePro).

Conclusion

Hopefully, this serves as a good introduction into the capabilities and use cases for audio digital signal processors. Do not be intimidated by the complexities of DSPs – at their heart they are simply tools for making audio sound great and getting it where it needs to go.

The good news is that you do not have to be an expert to sell DSPs. The audio team at Almo is here to help you navigate the details. Simply be on the lookout for the opportunity, ask some questions, and email [email protected] to help figure out the details. We are here to help!

Audio enthusiast? Check out “Visiting the JBL Experience Center“.
John Rossman - headshot-frame

About the Author

John Rossman | CTS

BDM II – Technical Specialist

Supported Manufacturers: Harman ProfessionalAKG, AMX, BSS, Crown, DBX, JBL, Lexicon, Martin, & Soundcraft

TAA-Compliant Products Available from Exertis Almo

If you work with customers in the Federal Government space, you’re probably familiar with the term “TAA-Compliant”. For those curious, “TAA” refers to the Trade Agreements Act, and its statute requires that products purchased through government contracts are:

  • Articles [products] that are wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of the U.S. or a designated country, or
  • Articles [products] that are “substantially transformed” in the U.S. or a designated country into a new and different article of commerce with a name, character, or use distinct from that of the article or articles from which it was transformed.

TAA Compliant logoThe Trade Agreements Act (TAA) was enacted to encourage fair and open international trade, but in practice it has implemented the requirement that the US government may only acquire US- or “designated end country”-made end products.

While this statute can seem quite limiting on first glance, in practice there are plenty of products available to meet your customers’ needs while remaining TAA-compliant. The list of “designated countries” outside of the US is substantial, and includes countries you may not have considered compliant, including Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, and Singapore.

To assist with identifying TAA-compliant products, Exertis Almo has recently added a new field to Almo Access which readily shows whether a product is compliant:

TAA products specifications

So what are some examples of TAA-compliant products available through Exertis Almo? The list might surprise you, and give you ideas of opportunities you may not have considered before: CSA series

AMPLIFIERS

Lumens OIP-N seriesAV OVER IP ENCODERS/DECODERS

C2G 501 seriesCABLES

Sony CAMERAS

Nureva huddlecamCONFERENCING

AMX VariaCONTROL

DISPLAYS

LOUDSPEAKERS

MICROPHONES

Chief display mountsMOUNTS

NETWORK SWITCHES

PROJECTORS

BrightSign TAA media player for digital signageDIGITAL SIGNAGE

VIDEO EXTENSION AND PROCESSING

This is just a sampling of the many products Exertis Almo has available for your projects which require TAA compliance. If you have questions regarding whether or not a certain product is TAA-compliant or have any technical questions, reach out to your Business Development Manager or to any of our Account Managers for assistance!

Want more audio tips? Check out “Enhance Your AV Projects with Pro Audio Solutions“.
John Rossman - headshot-frame

About the Author

John Rossman | CTS

BDM II – Technical Specialist

Supported Manufacturers: Harman ProfessionalAKG, AMX, BSS, Crown, DBX, JBL, Lexicon, Martin, & Soundcraft

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