LG Introduces LV640S – the New Series of Smart TV Signage

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

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.

ALMO
E4 AV TOUR

3 Ways LG Commercial Displays Compare to Major League Baseball

Everyone wants to hit their business opportunities out of the park – and LG’s newest commercial displays can help make this possible! Given that we are in the midst of summer, it only makes sense to compare how LG displays are like one of greatest games on Earth…you guessed it! Major League Baseball.

#1 There’s something for everyone to enjoy at the ballpark

Going to a baseball game is enjoyable for all ages with so much to do beyond just watching the actual ball game. There’s the food and beverage vendors, people watching, pre-game activity and post-game fireworks. Each team has its own unique chant, song or something special to make the overall experience fun and satisfying for everyone.

Much the same, LG provides a major league experience with a wide array of commercial displays. From flat to curved OLED, to Wallpaper OLED, Videowalls, 4K product and LED offerings to high bright, transparent and easily installed “run and done” outdoor solutions.  The cutting edge 88-Inch LG Ultra stretch (86BH5C) and 55-in LG Ultra Bright Video Wall Displays (55VH1D) were also part of the entirely new line of products for the U.S. Market, showcased at INFOCOMM 2017.

For the most important locations, LG’s OLED displays provide the best brightness and contrast. Viewers get a broad viewing angle without loss of color. The displays are amazingly thin, so they can fit almost anywhere. OLED displays can even come in double-sided form, so people walking by on both sides can read it. Or you can throw the customers a curve they’ll love, with a curved display to get notice from all sides. They’ll make a hit every time.

 

LG Curved OLED

LG OLED

 

Backlit LED displays fill out the lineup. LG LED monitors are available in a broad range of sizes, so high-resolution displays can go anywhere and everywhere.

And don’t forget LG’s key differentiator: IPS Technology. IPS Technology provides color accuracy beyond compare and the “stable panel” provides for zero image distortion. IPS wide viewing angels are not only technologically important, but provide you opportunity for more time to deliver a message to customers.

#2 Baseball is not a fast game

Baseball games take time. Extra innings, rain delays, recalled plays – yep, we all watched Game 7 in the 2016 World Series…all 4.5 hours…a nail-biter that lasted well past our bedtimes.

Not every hit has to be a home run. Wouldn’t you like to “walk” your customer and give them an additional five seconds to retain your messaging?

$150 BILLION IS LOST

in retail revenue alone

Customer experience can

BOOST REVENUE BY OVER 5%

Research has indicated that today’s

MILLENNIALS

who are driving decisions

WOULD PAY UP TO
20% MORE

for a better retail experience

Are you enjoying your virtual baseball analogy within the world of digital signage?  While enjoying the game, we all want to enhance the experience. “Peanuts, Popcorn, Cracker Jack, Content Management Software (CMS)?”

Enhance your digital signage opportunities with an essential component of digital signage.  You may find that CMS can not only influence, but dictate the hardware selection of your customers in the same manner as the smell of popcorn may influence your decision to purchase a snack.

#3 Understanding the rules of the game

Not everyone is an MVP but together we are all an important part of the team.   With ALMO PRO AV and LG in your “dugout” you have everything you need all the players you need to have a winning team.

“Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.”

Frederick B. Wilcox

You’re in the major league now. Don’t bunt – Aim out of the ballpark with LG.   Take advantage of LG’s “Best in Class” 3% discount for government, education, medial and house of worship sales on select commercial grade displays now through the end of 2017.

And as the dedicated business development manager at LG, I welcome an opportunity to become a part of your team.  Contact me at [email protected] to learn more about LG’s state of the art products, programs and promotions.

Share in the comments how you’ve incorporated LG displays into your installations and you could earn a $5 Starbucks gift card!

Refined Southern Fare with a Story Only Digital Signage Can Tell

As a nod to The Kentucky Derby, a few classic cocktails were in order to celebrate New York’s Always Dreaming, the colt who was “ready to run” at Churchill Downs on Saturday and bolted over the finish line in first place despite the mucky track and acclaimed list of contenders.  A classic Mint Julep and craft Vodka Martinishaken not stirred-  a real James Bond way to start off the evening and we’re off to the races!

The restaurant business has evolved in the last decade with more importance than ever being placed on the quality of ingredients.  Daily Specials that used to offer what restaurants needed to closeout now feature dishes with seasonal ingredients and other buzz words like sustainably-sourced, organic, locally grown and gluten free.  Beyond great food, careful consideration goes into meticulous details that create the guest experience that will ultimately leave a lasting impression, for better or worse.  Kitchens have transitioned from being as far away from the dining room as possible to becoming a major element of restaurant design where the bustle of meal preparations actually contribute to the restaurant’s vibe. At Restaurant IRON, downtown Pensacola, FL in the heart of Palafox Street, their cozy kitchen isn’t just visible from the dining room…  For guests who want a closer look at the action, limited seating is available at the chef’s counter- a dining area overlooking the kitchen where guests become fully immersed in the experience to the point you almost feel part of the delicate dance between Executive Chef, Alex McPhail and his skillful team.

Although the décor is sleek and contemporary with an industrial flair, it was interesting that audio visual technology was minimal throughout the space.  Other than only a couple small (consumer grade) speakers for ecclectic background music and a hint of bass just enough to remind you this was a swanky place, this was a dining experience where the music didn’t overpower or obstruct your dinner conversation, a trend we’ve seen in recent years that many establishments have used to create atmosphere, or so they call it.  It was nice for a change to actually be able to hear well enough to have conversations with the parties next to us as we sat at the chef’s counter.

In fact if you listened closely with a little lip-reading to fill in the gaps, you could even catch a glimpse of the orders being called out to the kitchen staff by the chef.  To someone with years working in restaurants, it brought back such nostalgic feelings as it often does.  There’s nothing like watching a well-run staff (and kitchen in this case) in the high of the dinner service rush – these days from the other side of the table as a guest in great company enjoying the fine dining experience.

With roots in New Orleans, Bar Manager, Campbell Esquerre’s move to Pensacola has hit the mark with IRON’s craft cocktail inspired bar.  But between the kitchen and bar, let me tell you this place has stories to tell!  What if traditionally-printed dinner and drink menus were supplemented by the latest digital signage technology to up the ante inside the restaurant?  Statistics show digital signage drives revenues and there are plenty of creative ways a fine dining restaurant (whether in a standalone location or as part of a hotel property) can use technology to add visual interest to tell the story of the restaurants’ delectable food and intriguing libations and can also be used as an architectural or artistic design element known as techoratingNeed a few ideas? 

  • Content on making one-of-a-kind aged whiskey in miniature sized oak barrels right in the restaurant combined with footage on crafting one of IRON’s Smoked Manhattan cocktails by the restaurants’ bar manager (who happens to be a regular competitor at regional bar tending competitions).
  • Images from the local farmer’s market where some of the produce is sourced in keeping with the restaurants’ theme of local vegetables and herbs.
  • Footage of new seasonal menu items being artfully plated by the executive chef or pastry chef.

Chances are that many folks already get the concept that could be mimicked in digital signage but they’re using it in places outside the restaurant to help drive traffic to them from social media sources like Facebook or Instagram or other advertising media.  Almo resellers can help the hospitality industry take that message inside to drive revenues and boost profits during the guests’ stay while they’re ‘in the heat of the guest experience’ as we say.  The above pictured Samsung hospitality and pro units provide several different size options and the UD22B can even be used in a unique video wall configuration to create visual interest in an artistic way and can show one image/source across the entire array or multiple sources on each panel providing countless options for featuring food or restaurant shots, video content or promotional items like the gift card feature (right image).

 

What makes a hospitality business successful?  Long-standing places get their reputation by word of mouth, (we’ll save REVIEWS for another blog) but the bottom line is that the hospitality business is based on repeat customers, without them their days are numbered; whether it means they close their doors, are sold to new ownership or undergo a re-branding.  The best thing a reseller can do to help a hospitality client increase revenues using digital signage is to get to know their business, their mission, what makes their business unique, what they’re already doing for self-promotion and what their objectives are for adding a digital solution inside their space… but if this seems like too much to remember, don’t worry we’re here to help.

Our visit to Restaurant IRON was exceptional.  From the Kentucky Derby Mint Juleps and James Bond Martinis straight through to the Nutella Pie with salted pretzel crust and everything in between, the IRON team has passion and that’s an energy guests can see and feel.  In a quote by Campbell Esquerre when he expressed his mission was to “ensure the best possible service all while making new friends and repeat customers” it is obvious these guys are practicing what they preach and we will surely be back!

Louisville Airport Gets Makeover in Time for Derby, Except One Terrible Video Wall

As a proud Kentucky native, I look forward to the Kentucky Derby every year. The hats, the pageantry, the mint juleps, the horses – it’s all just an incredible spectacle for the best 2:30 (approx.) seconds in sports. For your information Secretariat ran it in less than 2 minutes and that record has never been broken. This year, the Louisville Airport unveiled its newly renovated space with EVERYTHING you think of when you think Kentucky including:

Race Horses

Sluggers

The original celebrity chef himself Colonel Sanders

And finally Bourbon (I’m not sure what the book is all about….)

As a point of interest, Jack Daniels is not technically Bourbon, its made in Tennessee. “Bourbon needs to be produced in America and made from 51 percent corn, and whisky does not,” says Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Greg Davis. Bourbon also needs to be stored in new charred-oak barrels, whereas whiskey barrels do need to be oak but not new or charred. “Lastly, to be called bourbon, the liquid needs to be distilled to no more than 160 proof and entered into the barrel at 125.” For other whiskies the liquid must be distilled to no more than 190 proof. David notes that this isn’t just common practice — “it’s actual bourbon law.”

Now that you’ve had your bourbon lesson, now you are wondering what this has to do with audio visual or digital signage? Well they have installed some beautiful looking LED displays that replaced a hideous burned out bunch of Pioneer plasmas (sorry Pioneer I loved you very much). And oh yes, Muhammed Ali is from Kentucky.

However, leering in the shadows of the exit to the main terminal past security is a long forgotten video wall that is in dire need of calibration, new panels or something. I’m not a technical person so I would love for someone to propose a solution because it drives me CRAZY every time I go to visit my mother.

After a multi-million dollar renovation, why would they leave this eye sore, especially since they are getting ad revenue? Would someone please go pitch them a new video wall? Here’s a blog from our own John Wills about video wall refresh projects.

Tune into the Derby the first Saturday in May! I will be watching at home in my fancy hat and mint julep in hand -with real bourbon of course!

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