Digital Media Displays

In arguably its biggest show ever, CES allowed consumers and companies alike to see what the future holds in the consumer technology marketplace. From Ultra-flat panel 3D TVs to Justin Beiber, CES delivered the goods.

MediaTile was prominently featured in both the Verizon Wireless and Alcatel Lucent booths in the form of The GameTime Media Table. After winning the 2012 DIGI Award for "Best New Content Management Software/Web-based”, absent was “The HumanKiosk” featuring Video Presence. But born from the same value propositions of being cellular connected and cloud controlled, The GameTime Media Table delivered the rich on screen content and unique experiences over 4G LTE that drew visitors to both booths consistently over three days. This is super-powered cellular digital signage. 

The GameTime Media Table showcases multiple interactive features including the ability to upload and display pictures instantly from your smart phone, play music, watch movie previews and the coup de grace: playing video games (single or multi player) where smart phones act the controllers. So if you are thinking to yourself, ‘MediaCast can deliver media like movie/music files, streaming videos, live intelligently routed video calls, interactive gaming and everything in between!’ your thinking would be spot on. Verizon’s network and Brass Monkey’s video games deliver the blows, but it’s the MediaCast muscle that ensures maximum impact (also in attendance at CES was UFC Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, hence the metaphor). Gaming on digital signage... and then some!

It was great to be part of CES and MediaTile is honored to partner with industry leaders like Verizon Wireless and Alcatel Lucent to launch solutions that will steer the industry and delight users for years to come…or at least until CES 2013.

• Audit your user list regularly; make sure that former employees or contractors are removed from the system, and that those who are active only have access to what they should. 
  
• Use role-based separation; enforce a work flow process by way of internal procedure. Only allow the content producers to upload content; the digital sign network operators should review and approve content for scheduling - don't allow one person to perform both functions if you want an opportunity to review content before it goes live.
  
• Require password changes; enforce a password rotation policy for MediaCast logins. Prohibit users from using their web browser to 'remember' the login for the site! Any laptop with a remembered password that gets stolen automatically grants the thief access to your digital signage network. (Note: this is a real security risk, but it might incite panic - what do the marketing folks think?)
  
• Require strong passwords; passwords should include upper and lower case letters, numbers, even symbols from the keyboard, and should be at least 8 characters long. Users should be discouraged from using something that's too simple, or something they routinely use for other logins around the Internet.
  
• Don't use email; email is a notoriously insecure method of communication is a preferred method for hackers to sniff out usernames and passwords to systems that they shouldn't have access to. If you need to send a login to someone, pick up the phone!
  
• Digital signs are valuable; don't tell too many “interested” people where all your signs are located. If they want to see one, select a couple flagship locations to send prospectives to check them out. you never know who might be looking to take advantage of you for an easy score. (Again, something we want to mention? maybe it's over-stating the obvious, but I think a lot of people in business just think about business and don't take a step back and think about reality...)
  
• Beware of URL Files; though the MediaCast system supports URL Files which can be automatically retrieved and displayed on your signs, be certain that you trust the source of the content and whoever has access to it because you will not have any oversight as to what gets displayed.

It’s another exciting day for MediaTile and our MediaCast Video Presence system that powers HumanKiosk solutions. Today we’ve been included in another ‘ideation center,’ as one of the key components of a new generation of interactive digital signage solution for banks, credit unions and other financial institutions. I’ve had the pleasure of working directly with both DBSI, and our joint partner F-2-F Live to include our HumanKiosk solution in what’s been dubbed the Future FI interactive display system.

DBSI has put a tremendous amount of effort into their ideation center for financial institutions. To give banking and credit union customers, for example, the ability to experience a wide range of the latest FI products and services to improve their businesses. FI customers, by appointment only, can visit the ideation center to personally experience the advanced products and services showcased in order to improve their business efficiency, the customer experience, and differentiate themselves from the pack. The DBSI center is a special showcase centerpiece for the FI market, unlike anything I’ve seen. 

We’re extremely honored to participate in this center with our HumanKiosk solution – the fusion of interactive digital signage and remote customer service agents available for live, face-to-face engagement. Today, it’s all about getting personal with customers and we’re very happy to be part of it all.

About the HumanKiosk Solution: Powered by MediaCast Video Presence, the HumanKiosk revolutionizes marketing and customer service in point-of-sale and point-of-service environments. With the HumanKiosk businesses can humanize their brand interaction, improve the customer experience, and deliver messages with absolute control and precision.  Watch our video here.

About DBSI:“For over fourteen years, DBSI Incorporated, headquartered in Chandler, Arizona has created profitable, problem solving, experience enhancing with lower cost-to-create and operate retail bank and credit union branches.” 

About Face to Face live, Inc.: “Here at Face to Face Live, Inc.™, we're developing a reputation for having the most trusted, affordable, and dependable unified communication solutions on the planet.”

Reason #13 and 14: Content Management and expansion

Keeping your digital signage content unique and fresh can seem like a daunting task. Many digital signage content management solutions almost require you to learn a new language to update what’s on your screens.

Don’t our friends in IT have enough on their plates?! They don’t need to handle all your content change requests too. MediaCast allows administrators to upload existing media assets and quickly schedule them to play down to the screen or even the zone.There are some basic guidelines that will help steer content management and expansion:

-       Purpose: Know what you want your message to be and what the objective of your digital signage network is. Examples may be to enhance the consumer experience while entertaining or maybe to educate the viewers on human resource announcements. It is important to have a clear understanding of what your digital signage network is aimed to do to ensure your created content can achieve those goals.

-       Know your viewers: For content to be effective, it needs to be created for a specific targeted demographic. The audience and location of the screens will dictate what content you display.

-       Interaction: Once your targeted demographic of viewers notice your digital signage screens, they need to be engaged and interact with the content. A content strategy identifies design tone, messaging, playlists, and length which intern drives use. Viewers that are attracted, engaged and immersed in content will be more likely to recall the information.

-       Call to action:  Now that your content has attracted, engaged and immersed your viewers that last step is a call to action. An effective digital message will not leave a viewer with any doubt as to what comes next. Content should communicate how they should respond or act next.

These basic guidelines will be a good springboard to help you initially create your content and direct you in its on going evolution.  The MediaCast content management system has the flexibility to allow you use existing content, create new on screen assets, and modify what type of media resource your can use from any remote location. Content can be new, recycled, or have new features/functions added at your convenience. It’s up to you to piece together your digital signage “Frankenstein” and when it’s done right, none of the towns people will be tempted to light it on fire or plunge a pitchfork in to it.

MediaTile will formally announce the commercial launch of its cloud-based MediaCast Video Presence system, and a new generation of HumanKiosk interactive digital signage displays from certified partners, later this week.

The traditional B2C model is being transformed to B2Me, or tailored individualized communications so users who interact with the HumanKiosk touchscreen interface are directing and selecting what they want to talk about, even to the point of choosing the language in which they want to interact — and all of that metadata is taken in and used to match them with the right brand advocate when they opt to speak to someone live. 

The HuamnKiosks can combine MediaTile's software with third-party hardware provider partners and third-party brand advocates and/or call-center personnel partners.

Watch the video and tell us how you see this new interactive digital signage can be used. 

(Today's guest entry comes from Mike Foster,
CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile)

Yesterday, I blogged about the exciting activities being staged for tomorrow’s unveiling of two new interactive digital signage hardware platforms in the DFI TECH booth  (#4583) at InfoComm 2011 – both systems are powered by our MediaCast Video Presence system to deliver live, 2-way video sessions over 4G.  This is real 4G digital signage! 

Today, I’m pleased to report that our MediaCast Content Management System is also front and center at the show, powering Chilin Solutions’ digital signs and media players.   While many people think of MediaTile as a digital signage solutions provider (hardware & software), MediaTile's software division works directly with hardware solution providers – enabling them to deliver all the unique cloud-based, and personal advantages we bring to digital signage solutions.

This photo was snapped by Simon Wilson, MediaTile’s CEO during today’s setup.  Chilin Solutions’  70” portrait mode 1080 x 1920 display is being showcased at InfoComm, and is powered by the MediaCast  Content Management System running a variety of high resolution video content including our own MediaCast  advertisement.

(Today's guest entry comes from Mike Foster, CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile) 

Over the past six months MediaTile has been very active with both Sprint and Verizon Wireless 4G launch events across the country as new cities are “lit” with a new generation of high-bandwidth wireless services. 

As we near our 50th 4G launch event this week, customer reactions to our “cloud-based” solutions – which deliver  both the advantages of 3G and 4G cellular (wireless) digital signage and SaaS-based content management services – continue to be met with a combination of relief and awe.

Simply put, cloud-based digital signage eliminates many of the costs and complexities associated with traditional deployments that require heavy investment and maintenance in on-site IP-based network gear and services.  Unlike these traditional systems, cloud-based digital signage is remarkably simple to deploy, and easy to use.  While in Phoenix, at a recent Verizon Wireless 4G LTE launch event,  it was fortunate that I was demonstrating our HumanKiosk with MediaCast Video Presence next to an artistic display in the US Airways center that featured a 20-foot power cable, plugged into a 10-foot representation of a power outlet.  

Thinking back on one of our earliest taglines at MediaTile, which was “Just Add Power™” I couldn’t have asked for a more representative location.  With 3G/4G wireless services being built-into our media players, and complete control through our web-based MediaCast system, all you need for next digital signage deployment is a standard power outlet.  And with advanced 4G services, even on-site T1 networks pale in comparison to what is possible with cloud-based digital signage. 

It is always very satisfying when you can help local businesses do a better job of building community ties, while at the same time improving their product and service promotions. Our local supermarket chain, The Scotts Valley Market, has deployed a digital sign above their deli counter – in one of the highest traffic areas of the store with good dwell time.

Their goal is to augment existing promotions, while also informing shoppers of all the community activities that they are involved with, including Chamber of Commerce events, such as the upcoming art and wine festival. They also run local weather and a national news ticker to keep shoppers engaged and entertained while waiting for deli orders. It’s great to see that digital signage has become such a common and well understood medium. This is right in line with the recent Arbitron study, which estimated that 155 million adults in the US remember seeing a digital display each month.

I’d also like to point out that one of our resellers, Vivid Digital Concepts (www.vividdigitalconcepts.com) is in the business of setting up digital-signage network operator franchisees who deploy and operate their own community-based and owner-operated chain-wide networks.   So...if you’re thinking of getting into the business, they are a terrific starting point. And because it’s a MediaTile cellular and web-based solution, the only infrastructure you need on-site is a power outlet (that’s my shameless plug!).