Digital Signage Software

Top opportunities & obstacles for digital signage in corporate communication

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 by Chuck Gose

The first Digital Signage for Corporate Communication was a big success (in my opinion of course) because for an entire day we had communication experts focused on how to best use the technology internally. The day-long event also included a tour of Eli Lilly & Company's network, in addition to content presentations from David Trounstine and Steve Crescenzo.

Digital Signage Today was kind enough to publish the list of top opportunities and obstacles facing digital signage used for employee communication. The challenges faced by these networks are often quite different from those that are public facing.

Please check out the full detail on Digital Signage Today but here's a sampling of what the group cited:

The Top Opportunities (in no particular order)

Flexibility – Forget cluttered bulletin boards and printing flyers. Recognition messages, HR updates and daily notices can be changed instantly and often through digital signage software. Also, you can play a variety of content, including static images and video.

Gives content depth & context – Through the use of images and/or video, digital signage templates, messages from screens can resonate better with workforces than flyers, whiteboard messages or company memos.

Interactivity – The network's messages will resonate better with an engaged user of digital signage. Interactive screens on the user level can also be used to access the company website or perform HR tasks, such as requesting days off or checking 401k statuses.

Break news to a non-wired workforce – Believe it or not, there are still members of the workforce not on e-mail all day. These groups can still be informed via update messages through digital signage.

Passive channel - E-mail can be very intrusive to an employee’s work day. Digital signage places key messages in the environment and lets employees digest the communication at their pace.

Reinforce & redirect – Digital signage can provide basic info and redirect employees to communication channels better suited to deliver the full message.

The Top Obstacles (in no particular order)

Money – We are still feeling the effects of a recession, and the initial non-reoccurring cost (capital expenditure) of a network is not something companies are eager to be shelling out.

Executive buy-in – This is along the same lines as the money example. CEOs have to have the final signoff on the network and are generally concerned about the bottom line. Executives have to be presented with a detailed cost/benefit comparison in order to get them on board. It’s best to do this early in the planning process.

IT – Successful digital signage is a collaboration between IT and marketing departments. Often times, IT staffs are strapped as it is without the responsibility of managing operations of a digital signage network.

Risk & security – Because operation of the digital signage network often lies on the company’s LAN infrastructure, proper IT security measures need to be put in place to ensure there is no misuse of the network.

I have been asked by many for details on the next event. All I can say at this point is stay tuned. I'm determined to make sure that each event is worth the time and expense it takes to attend events like these.

Walk before you run

Friday, August 20, 2010 by MediaServices

- By David Trounstine -

Some of our clients don't have the in-house expertise to create, manage and deploy their own content. That's why our team exists. In fact we have some clients who completely rely on us for everything that is shown on their digital signage network. As the economy has forced many of us to tighten up our budgets we are starting to enable these clients take on some of the creative work in an effort to help keep them in the black throughout these tough times. The process is tougher than you might think, but it all comes down to taking small steps toward the goal.

Charles Fleharty, MediaTile's Director of Content Development and one of the engineers behind the new Human Kiosk with 4G VideoPresence, in conjunction with our portal engineering team created a fantastic web-based application that we call Composer. Simply put is is a content editing tool that allows a user to change pre-built templates to include relevant and up-to-date information without the use of a cumbersome and expensive set of digital design tools.

Using Composer our clients can create great looking content with a few simple steps, all within their web browser. The templates can be custom built to the needs of a client. They can include a number of very cool dynamic functions such as RSS display, time & date, and even weather. All parts of the template can be animated, and when the user makes changes to the text or imagery the animation is preserved.

We met recently with a client who uses interactive content to engage their users and provide them with current event information relative to the local area. It would be very development intensive to provide them with a "template" version of this touch screen application, so instead we suggested moving some of that content out to an attractor screen. Allowing passers-by to see the content, and be encouraged to learn more by interacting with the touch screen.

We are pushing forward with the next version of the software as I type this, and the new features will really make the template approach shine. I highly recommend that our clients check it out, and if you aren't a MediaTile client consider making templates that work for your system to aid you in achieving your design goals.

To 4G and Beyond!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010 by MediaServices

- By David Trounstine -

Our partnership with Alcatel/Lucent and 4G VideoPresence has been mentioned several times in our blog now, but I just wanted to give the design team perspective.

4G VideoPresence is two-way video conferencing software for your digital signage network that will allow customers to connect directly to a specialist at the point in time that they have a decision to make. There has already been a lot of buzz around it, and we have interest from a number of different vertical markets.

With 4G delivery of content is going to become much less restrictive. "Store and forward" will be an option, not a requirement, as full HD video and interactive content will be able to stream to any enabled consumer electronic device. We are talking real time user interaction with Internet based content, and instant feedback to content providers.

Real time interactions draw users in, they also provide extremely useful information because it can be contextual and relevant. Using 4G to drive these real time interactions means they can happen anywhere at anytime, without the need for complicated infrastructure.

Bi-directional video chat is only the beginning... we have much more to come, so stay tuned!

Yesterday was a great day for digital signage & corporate communication

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 by Chuck Gose

As lame it sounds, yesterday was a dream come true. I've worked on digital signage at various employers for more than seven years now and couldn't be happier with how yesterday's Digital Signage for Corporate Communication event went.

Despite some travel issues and cancellations, we assembled a great group of communicators looking to discuss digital signage and learn more about how they can integrate it into their employee communications.

In my opinion, the best part of the day was our kickoff "show and tell" session where companies each talked about how they are using the technology and discussed some of the challenges they've faced.

My only complaint is that more companies weren't able to participate in the conversation so I hope going forward that we get more companies there and more companies using other digital signage hardware and software.

So where does it take off from here? Stay tuned...

MediaTile Demonstrates HumanKiosk at Sprint 4G Event in Kansas City

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 by Leah Kane

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

Sprint has included our 3G/4G cellular digital signage as a key element in their public 4G road-shows, the first of which is in Kansas City this week.

Our HumanKiosk will be prominently featured in Sprint’s 4G Retail solutions “vignettes”, showcasing the live, 2-way video chat using our MediaCast SaaS content management system and 4G Video Presence technology. With 10x more bandwidth over 3G networks, 4G eliminates any remaining variance between hard-wired, high bandwidth networks while providing all the advantages of a cellular solution: more secure, more flexible, easier to deploy, higher reliability and linear scalability. I’m excited to be in Kansas City as this 4G road-show kicks off.

Sprint has accelerated their marketing efforts around 4G, and is now offering 4G services in more than 30 US markets. We are very excited about the 4G opportunity, including the soon to be released 4G LTE platform from Alcatel/Lucent and VerizonWireless.

4G networks could very well be a tipping point for the entire digital signage industry, accelerating deployments and enabling new market opportunities. If you’d like to know more about the impact that 4G will have on digital signage, please visit Digital Signage Today and download the newly updated version of the "3G/4G Cellular-based Digital Signage" guide. This guide includes the latest 4G information and commentary by carriers, users and integrators.

Making employee communications dynamic

Friday, June 4, 2010 by Chuck Gose

I spent the day with one of our current digital signage customers who's looking to expand their network to help with a new internal branding campaign.

First, I love going behind the lines (so to speak) and seeing how our clients are using all sorts of measures to improve communication with employees.

Second, I love when they use digital signage to do it.

There divisions and lines of business have gone through some recent shuffling and they are banking on digital signage to help them through the transitions.

One of the features they love about MediaTile's approach is MediaCast, our digital signage software. Because it is entirely web-based, they can now give more people access to contribute content to the network. And with Composer, our embedded content creation tool, they can now take advantage of flash templates so that content contributors can focus on the message and not the

Variety is the spice of the National Restaurant Association Show #nrashow

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 by Chuck Gose

I've never had the chance to attend the National Restaurant Association Show so yesterday was my first time. Our digital signage technology is tucked away in the AT&T booth (#5666) in the Technology Pavilion.

32" Digital Sign in a Box on display at the National Restaurant Association Show

Yesterday I was pleased and surprised at not just the sheer volume of attendees looking at digital signage for to improve communication with customers (including menu boards) but more importantly the variety of companies. There was everything from smaller "mom and pop" restaurants looking to jazz up their customer communication all the way to some of the largest food retail chains in the country.

But some of the best conversations I had was with colleges and universities, who are looking to use digital signage for menu boards and share nutritional information but to also have the signage in place for crisis communication if needed.

All in all, those I talked to liked MediaTile's approach to digital signage. They liked the simplicity of our Digital Sign in a Box (32" on display), as well as the robustness and ease-of-use our software provides. Clearly, this was not their first exposure to signage and past hiccups seemed to be the complexity of installs. We simply don't have that.

I heard over and over, "We just want it to work." Ours works.

Please, don't participate in social media

Wednesday, May 5, 2010 by Chuck Gose

I had a good time at yesterday's National Hardware Show social networking panel. I felt kind of like a goof up there with the three other professionals but I hope my points came across. One of my fellow panelists spoke that he's glad this competitors aren't taking advantage of social media. It gives him more room (so to speak) to maneuver in the space.

I couldn't agree more. I love the fact that MediaTile is really the only digital signage software and hardware provider regularly blogging, Tweeting and Facebooking. I started our social media program as a way to differentiate our company in the crowded digital signage marketplace and I think it's working.

I reply back to people on Twitter who mention MediaTile and search to who else is talking or asking questions about digital signage and I try to help them out. We have customers commenting and forwarding our Facebook posts. And then there's this - our blog, the crown jewel (in my opinion) of our social media program.

So I relish in the fact that many of our competitors, who are both larger and smaller than us, don't regularly blog, Tweet or Facebook. That's their loss and our gain.

Digital Signage Silver Lining... Is in the Cloud

Monday, April 19, 2010 by Simon Wilson

Cellular and SaaS-based Digital Signage solutions have finally come of age. Over the past quarter, I’ve attended CES, Digital Signage Expo 2010, The Digital Signage Show, KioskCom, and NAB, and it was clear that cloud computing is definitely on everyone’s radar. And most everyone is seeing the silver lining of this solution – the inherent reliability, simplicity, scalability and security that it provides.

Customers, strategic partners, vendors, and managed service providers are much clearer on the pros and cons of a cloud-based digital signage solution. The beauty of 3G, and now, 4G cellular and SaaS solutions is that the network naturally scales to support more media players as they are deployed while providing the built-in reliability and security. Unlike client-server architectures and LAN-based solutions, computing in the cloud is "off premise" and "off network", enabling network operators and vendors to allocate increasingly more of their time to be focused on the content running across the network, as opposed to running and maintaining the technology behind the digital signage network.

Interested in learning more about Cellular and SaaS? I penned an article that was featured in the latest issue of Digital Signage Magazine; look for the special supplement, "Wireless Networking and Content Delivery."

Keeping it Simple,

Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit: Day 2 in Review #DSContent

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 by Chuck Gose

Wow. You know when you go to conferences and you may not get much out of them but you're still overly complimentary? This is not the case at all. Day 2 of the Strategy Institute's Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit was awesome. And those aren't just my words, but the feedback from other attendees.

Aside from being a consumer myself, I don't have any experience in the retail world and truly am not aware of the challenges they face in the digital world. After yesterday, color me enlightened. Just follow the hash tag #DSContent and you can see all of the messages I shared from the @MediaTile Twitter account.

The day was a good balance of what the possibilities are with digital technology along with many of the obstacles that still exist. Here are a few of my observations...

Kevin Flatt and Mark Renshaw, Leo Burnett and Arc Worldwide, showcased the future of what digital can be in the retail world, using a great analogy of who's driving the bus. Apparently agencies are the drivers who know where they want to go but often get lost and NEVER ask for directions.
Paul Flanigan, The Preset Group, led a panel of Michael Twitty, Unilever Americas, and Jim Lucas, Draftfcb. The information spewing out of Michael was amazing. I practically couldn't type fast enough about how brands are viewing digital in the consumer packaged goods world. This will lead to future blog posts.
And we finally had our first Foursquare mention with Stephen Randall, LocaModa. Stephen did a great job showcasing how digital signage and social media content can play quite nicely in the same sandbox. His point that "you must view that your digital signage message has a range of 20 miles, not 20 feet," really hit home with the audience.
And then there is Bob Stowe, Wendy's. Bob added an important element to the conference, highlighting the challenges faced when working with large corporations. Many wonder why quick service restaurants have been somewhat slow to adapt to digital signage. Bob outlined all of the players that get involved and the challenges with each. Though I don't think he'll be getting the key to the city of Detroit anytime soon. He mentioned that one of their stores stays open 24 hours solely due to security concerns. Yikes.
Rudy Dearborn, MGM Mirage, outlined the history that his casino has had with the technology along with some of the unique content challenges. What was peculiar is that they use Mac Minis to drive displays and had to have custom mounts built, along with a custom digital signage software application. BUT they do a great job of utilizing existing resources and data to keep content fresh and relevant.
And last but not least, our very own Simon Wilson and David Ozer, iPOWOW!, presented on the importance of getting instantaneous viewer feedback of what they are seeing on the screens. The audience didn't appear to be a big hunting crowd, so the example of how Hunter Specialities is using touch-screen technology in endcaps to promote their products. All kidding aside, the digital signage has given them a 30% sales uplift. That's no laughing matter.

So, all in all, a great show. But during the networking lunch, one of the attendees asked me how much of our business was in non-retail. Quite a bit in fact. He was curious why there was no attention paid to corporate communication networks.

I told him that's my challenge. That's why I do what I do. That's my crusade.

"Content is easy. But good content is the challenge." Day 1 at the Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by Chuck Gose

Day 1 at the Strategy Institute's Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit was a good one. Even though I am very corporate communication focused, attending events like these are very helpful. It gives me a chance to learn what the retail industry and agencies are doing or have tried in the digital signage space. The first day was very agency-driven but that's not a bad thing. These are the people we need to have engaged in the market.

The comment that kept bouncing around in my head was mentioned by Pat Hellberg at The Preset Group. He led a panel of creative designers and while they were getting set up, he said, "Content is easy. But good content is the challenge." This sentiment applies to not just digital signage, but every medium.

I'd really like for corporate communicators to take note of this phrase. Digital signage software makes it easy to simply throw up content on to screens, but that's not what you need. What you need is really good content up on your network.

This is no different from an employee newsletter or intranet. You load them with crap and nobody is going to pay attention. Plain and simple.
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The chairperson for the event is Keith Kelsen, former CEO of MediaTile and author of Content Strategies for the 5th Screen. This is the first book dedicated to digital signage content and was launched at Digital Signage Expo. I'm proud of the work Keith put in writing the book and hope he has continued success with it.
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On a side note, I was surprised not to hear one mention of Foursquare, Gowalla or any other geolocation social media tool. I am far from an expert, but I think there is a huge integration possibility between these tools, digital signage and the retail industry. Maybe the digital signage shows how many check-ins there have been, who the mayor is, or what (if any) discounts you can get.

Why do we need the iPad?

Monday, April 12, 2010 by Leah Kane

I've never been much of an early adopter, and am secretly something of a luddite, generally preferring pen and paper and all things old-timey to hand-helds and gadgets.

Though as a music lover, I made a gadget-exception for the iPod as soon as they came out with 80GB of space- in addition to my fairly huge library of mp3's, and audiobooks, podcasts are in constant rotation, especially at the gym; gym podcasting makes workout time fly, and keeps me up to date with all my favorite This American Life stories... oh, Ira Glass, you are a national treasure...

But I digress.

Moving onto the iPhone- I'd never particularly seen the appeal until someone at the office gifted one to me. My old, prehistoric Razr was failing from age, I needed a new phone and voila! Was handed a brand new iPhone, right out of the box. Holy generosity! It took me all of about 3 days to load up with apps and get it on the Doodlejump craze. It's not the greatest phone, I'll admit, but as toys go...well done, Apple!

Which brings me to the iPad. Why do we need this thing? I guess if you're a fan of e-reading, it outguns the Kindle, and I guess if you consume a lot of online movies, it affords an opportunity to do so more easily while travelling (as my laptop weighs in at 7lbs, I tend not to tote it through airports unnecessarily)...but for all the criticisms surrounding the iPad and it's dubious tech specs (particularly the charging issue...that would drive me nuts) and its inflexibility vis a vis its keyboard (virtual or bluetooth, but not both), not to mention its relatively small hard drive- why are people plunking down between $500-$800 for what ostensibly is a large screen iPhone? (Interesting review available here...)

Maybe it's just me, as I'm a PC person, and not the biggest fan of Apple products (my mobile devices proving the exceptions to that rule) but I'll be curious to read the user reviews once we pass the beta stage...

I hate digital signage

Monday, March 15, 2010 by Chuck Gose

If you would have asked me what I thought of digital signage, that's what I would have said just 4 or 5 years ago. Well, first off, I wouldn't have even known the term "digital signage."

But if you had asked, "What do you think of the network of TVs you use for internal communications?" I would have said I hated it.

Though it wasn't because the tool was effective. It was actually amazingly effective for employee communications. The problem was that the software used to manage the network was such a pain in the you-know-what. Way too restrictive and way to IT-reliant. Digital signage wasn't a communication network; it was an IT network.

And this wasn't just one system. This was two. And two separate vendors. Create content on one PC and upload it a file folder that existed somewhere. Then go over to another PC and put the software on that computer to the folder. Clap three times and then hit submit.

What a nightmare. Now though so many things have improved with digital signage and software is just one of them. With MediaCast, our SaaS-based solution, you can manage your digital signage network from any computer with an updated browser. Upload your own content or create messaging right inside the system.

But it's funny to me to think that just a few years ago I was not a fan of digital signage, but now I'm one of the industry's loudest cheerleaders. Sometimes it comes down to having the right tools in place.

Let's focus on what was in Las Vegas ...

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 by Chuck Gose

There have have been a few mixed reviews on last week's Digital Signage Expo. From what I can tell though, none of these blog posts have been from actual Expo exhibitors (if I'm wrong, point out exhibitor posts to me please). The comments seem to have been come from attendees or media guests. Now this isn't to undervalue their opinion, but more so provide some thoughts from someone who was there as an exhibitor.

The consensus seems to be that there was too much focus on digital signage hardware and software providers and not enough on content, strategy or integration. If that was the case, then don't fault those who were there - fault those who weren't.

Companies like MediaTile and their employees put in a lot of hard work to put on a good show. From setup, through the days of exhibiting, on through tear-down, it shows a bit commitment to the industry to take part. Even at a mixer held by The Preset Group, there's tremendous camaraderie between even so-called competitors.

This year I had the chance to lead two lunch and learns on digital signage and corporate communications. Very little of the conversation was about hardware or software, and we talked mostly about content and deployment strategies. Maybe those are critical of the show missed out on the best part - a variety of attendees and exhibitors having real conversations about the digital signage industry. I think the Expo lunch and learns were a success and a huge step forward.

I compare my experience two years ago when the event was held at Mandalay Bay to now, and he show is truly light years ahead of where it was. Exhibitors are more professional and attendees are more prepared.

No show is going to be perfect, but it's so easy to focus on what wasn't there. Instead, let's talk about what was there. In my limited time of being able to walk around, I saw a lot of dedicated individuals and companies working hard for the industry.

If there are people or perspectives NOT at the show, let's get them there. We need to show to only get better and stronger.

Who's watching me now?

Thursday, February 25, 2010 by Sean Michael Kelly

Here's an example of a digital signage promotional campaign gone awry at a local veterinary hospital:

Someone clearly spent some marketing budget on a digital sign that they intended to promote their product at the shelf for an up-sell opportunity in the waiting room. Naturally I am instinctively drawn to see what is being promoted by whom and how in a scene like this, but I was disappointed to find the unit powered off - you can see the rectangular supply laying atop the counter without a power cord.

While there are any number of plausible explanations for this scene, I was immediately stricken by some distinct possibilities that afflict other electronic sign options. The first (most obvious and common) was that the unit was unplugged by an employee of the facility or their cleaning service and it simply was not plugged back in. In truth it could be any reason, but regardless, it boils down to two questions: why was it unplugged, and why hasn't anyone noticed?

To the former, sometimes it's simply that the additional power outlet was needed for something else. But sometimes it's more sinister: employees are annoyed by the audio, or "feel bad" about leaving it running when they close up shop for the night. Through its native remote management and scheduling automation, the Mediacast System addresses these issues by permitting the display network operator to make adjustments to volume levels as well as to schedule operational hours so that the display visibly turns itself off, thus lessening the temptation for employees to pull the plug on the unit.

(As a side note, while the appropriateness of audio in content is always a consideration for effective business communication in any given deployment, if audio is necessary, it is best to follow-up with the employees at the establishment to ensure that it is not irritating which could leave a lasting, negative impression of your brand!)

Another possibility is that the content became out-dated - perhaps there was a recall on something being promoted, or the product was discontinued, or there was some other rights issue with the media... any of a dozen reasons that the media has to stop playing, and now. For other electronic sign platforms, there is no way to remotely manage the content at all; they require an operator to physically come to the site and change out a memory stick or disc, etc. So until they can come out to the site to change out the media, when it comes to issues like those mentioned, their only recourse is to pull the power.

From day one the Mediacast System has provided a purely remotely managed store-and-forward content distribution method with the assumption that our customers have better things to do than constantly visit their display locations to change media. Using the web-based Mediacast Digital Signage SaaS, you upload your content to the portal, then remotely distribute it to the Internet-connected display network - take control without stepping foot into the remote sites.

The other nagging question is why, after several months (and missed opportunities) of sitting like this, has nobody noticed that the display is offline? The answer in many cases is: because nobody is watching. The Mediacast system provides a flexible alert notification system that dispatches emails to selected individuals if a display goes offline. The idea is to dispatch a technician or other field representative to the site so as not to prolong a simple problem.

The automated monitoring also keeps an active status on the displays so that even if the email is missed initially, operators logging into the portal system on a regular basis as able to see displays that have a problem.

(As an annecdotal side bar, we once had a display go offline for a customer running a network in a major consumer electronics retailer at the end-cap of one of the aisles. The assigned technician phoned up the appropriate department and inquired about the unit; when the store employee checked on it, they found that another employee had disassembled the end-cap display and was preparing to install a different vendor's display in the same location. This turned out to be miscommunication internally on the part of the retailer and the end-cap was properly restored, but it shows the value of expedient response; had the materials been boxed up and sent off to the back of a warehouse in a busy environment like that, they might never have been located and recovered.)

As you can see, it is only a matter of time before this vendor's counter top becomes general purpose storage because the dead screen doesn't look like it needs to be visible. The only thing I'm left wondering is how much time is needed for the sorry thing to finally decompose and disappear like so much dust in this otherwise quiet and solemn environment.

Some of the best digital signage content advice I've ever read - #dse2010

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 by Chuck Gose

And I learned it all from my online mistress. . . Twitter.

I didn't get into Vegas until mid-day yesterday and didn't attend any of the Tuesday Digital Signage Expo events. But thanks to Twitter and those who did tweeted their comments, I followed the #dse2010 hash tag to see what was going on.

So without further delay, here's some of the best advice I've ever read on digital signage content...

This fantastic nugget was delivered by Jason Kates of Argo Digital Solutions as part of Tuesday's activities. What's great about the advice, beyond its simplicity, is that applies to every application of digital signage. I don't care if you're installing it to help out with employee communications, upgrading menu boards for a restaurant, installing signage into banks to advertise to customers, or it's a purely ad-based network.

The philosophy works. It doesn't matter what type of network you operate. If your audience is on the go, keep your content still. If your audience is still, make your content move. I'm now going to share this with even my existing clients because I think it helps cement with people what they need to focus on when it comes to digital signage content.

And at the end of the day, that's simply what matters most. The hardware is important. And so is the software. But if people and clients don't know what to do with content, we're in trouble.

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As the Expo goes on, I'll provide updates through the event. I do recommend following the #dse2010 hash tag on Twitter, as well as the official @DSExpo account. (And it would mean a lot to me if you followed @MediaTile, too.)

Digital Pricing Marquee

Monday, February 22, 2010 by Sean Michael Kelly

It doesn't require a miracle or a fortune to produce a great, professional looking marquee like this for your establishment:

If you break it down to its basic components, it's really quite simple. There are three screens operating independently. Each screen plays one set of pre-canned content. In the scene above, the left and right screens may be rotating through concession promotions as well as video snippets of coming attractions. A little bit of motion is all it takes to draw the eye up here. The center screen is displaying current offerings and pricing information.

By linking the pricing information and the promotions together into, effectively, a single electronic sign, the viewer can't help but notice your promotions - focused messaging will improve communication for consumers by centralizing viewers' attention to a single place where you know you've got it.

At this point you may be thinking that the various forms of content rotation are all well and good, but what about when it comes time to update the pricing information? This may be one of the most significant points of hesitation to adopt digital signage content since the display needs to be easy to update for facilities managers. The MediaCast system can accommodate this in either of two ways: data managed within the management portal, or data managed externally on your own web server.

By creating the content which displays pricing information in Flash, you can get a unique blend of text and graphics and even have potential for animation here - careful not to overwhelm this particular display however as it needs to be useful for your most scrutinizing viewer. One thing that Flash is particularly well suited to is integrating data from multiple sources into a single view. Your Flash programmer can assemble a view that pulls data from an XML file and display it as directed. Then it just comes down to data management.

For data management, you can maintain a simple XML file on your management PC and associate it with your Dynamic Flash content in the MediaCast system. When you update the file and upload it to the portal, the updated data will be pushed out to the display automatically. Or if you'd prefer to centralize the management of the data on the portal, you can store the XML data right inside the properties of the Dynamic Flash asset itself within the portal and forego the need for maintaining a separate file.

If maintaining the data through the MediaCast portal is not well suited to your business operations, you also have the option of publishing the XML on your own website with a secret URL. Your programmers can create your own web based data editor which generates the XML file; simply add the URL to the XML as a "URL File" for your Dynamic Flash on the MediaCast portal.

As a URL File, the MediaCast system will poll it for updates every 15 minutes. When a change is found, it will update the data and push it out to the displays that need it without any additional adminsitrative effort - this way your employees can maintain your display data within your own, controlled administrative system and never need to log in to the portal after the initial setup - that's the beauty of Digital Signage SaaS!

If you don't know any Flash programmers but still want to take advantage of exciting digital signage content like this we've got your back. MediaTile offers creative Media Services with specific digital signage content expertise and can efficiently produce a custom presentation to your specifications!

Greetings!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 by Sean Michael Kelly

Sean Michael Kelly, V.P. Portal Development, The MediaTile Company

As a brief introduction, my involvement with MediaTile dates back to 2004 when I was working with founder Keith Kelsen on prototyping a content management system for a revolutionary digital signage platform based on cellular networking technology. Thus was born the term, Cellular Digital Signage. The concept was exciting, broke new ground, leveraged technology components that were at the time far from common - it was a great opportunity for me to exercise my strengths in mixed-platform systems engineering to integrate disparate and discreet technology components into a cohesive, working system, so how could I resist?

Today I am a Vice President of the company leading the product development group and we are still blazing new trails. MediaTile has been an influential industry leader when it comes to innovation and establishment of best practices in the technology and Software as a Service (SaaS) - this is the kind of momentum that we will continue to pursue as we strive to lead the way for excellence. I know that I am on the right path when the MediaCast System is relevant, simple, robust, secure, and flexible.

Now let's get on to the nuts and bolts, so to speak. It is my desire to demonstrate through this blog the countless ways that the MediaCast system can be configured and linked with other technology to produce an awesome array of capabilities that may not be self-evident at first glance. I have gone to great lengths to enable this "Swiss Army Knife" of digital signage platforms, and I'd like to show you just exactly how this tool can be put to work in the real world to meet your goals for effective business communication.

While it is true that the Digital-Sign-in-a-Box concept couldn't be simpler with respect to getting a basic digital sign up and running, there are possibilities that extend the content system out to the farthest reaches of the Internet and that extend the viewer (and management) experience to new heights for a comprehensive solution that bears both depth and bredth - technically speaking...

Digital Signage Gets the Green Light in Amsterdam (#ISE2010)

Thursday, February 11, 2010 by Leah Kane

Today's guest post is provided by Nick Powley of b2m Consulting in the UK, who has extensive experience in systems integration, and content distribution & management...

Every now and again something dramatic happens that really catches your eye, and during last week's visit to theIntegrated Systems Europe (ISE) show in Amsterdam, I really had my eyes opened! Now, those of you who know Amsterdam are probably off on an entirely wrong track already...but here I’m talking about big bright and very eye-catching displays.

The theme of this year's show appeared to be, "How Big and Bright Can We Make Our Display to Really Get Noticed?" Those of you who visited the show and did so without dark glasses may have come away with an LED-induced tan. Whilst every exhibitor seemed to be competing for the most innovative, and sometimes obscure way to deliver their message, the recurring theme was undoubtedly digital signage, or as one exhibitor had written over their booth, Digital "Sinage"...how appropriate, given the location.

Sadly, even though it was nearly impossible to find a space in the show where you could avoid seeing those magic words, "digital signage," many exhibitors appeared to have lost their way when it came down to content and message. Things got even more interesting when one stopped to discuss signage solutions with potential vendors, who, without even asking about the application or what might be required, were happy to launch into wonderful technical block diagrams with ftp file servers, message handling servers, interrupt and backup devices, as well as a plethora of content management and creation tools...Oh! My head hurt, and not just from the retinal burn.

Stepping back for a moment and enjoying one of Amsterdam’s most expensive treats (exhibition coffee), I mused on why digital signage vendors still insist on focusing on hardware. Sadly, too many have come from a highly technical background and still believe that the only way to impress customers is to talk about file types/protocols and server architectures. Having now spent several years working in the sector and seeing good, bad, and ugly solutions, I believe passionately that the simpler the offering, the easier it is to understand and use, the more likely it is to be a real business benefit and not a millstone.

Surprisingly, finding simple solutions can be an incredibly complex process, and often suppliers can only offer a piece of the puzzle. Frequent enquiries at the show for a complete solution yielded responses from "Yes, we can do everything, apart from installation," through to "No, we only provide the software so you can use your own hardware." It would be wrong to imply that companies cannot offer complete solutions- of course they often can- but the route to enlightenment can be long and tortuous without a competent guide to lead the way.

As an independent consultant in the signage sector, I should declare that my current enthusiasm lies with the simple and highly effective offering from MediaTile. From the very first day I met with MediaTile in Las Vegas in 2007, I knew my life as a systems integrator was about to get a whole lot easier. "Digital Sign in a Box" seemed almost too good to be true, but three years on, I still find the offering hard to match in what has become a very competitive and confusing marketplace for vendors.

So as a veteran with some 25 years of trade show appearances, I can offer a few small pieces of advice when you're on the floor:

• Go with a plan and be prepared to change it!
• Keep your eyes open for new and exciting offerings.
• Don’t get drawn onto the rocks by the sirens with big distractions.
• Be inquisitive and dig beneath the surface to see if what glitters truly is gold.
• Bring a lot of cash if you want to eat/drink at the show.

If what you want from your digital signage is "Wow Factor," then visit Las Vegas' strip and be wowed. If, however, you need a global solution that's easy to manage and deploy, and provides great return on message, then focus on "keeping it simple" - and stay away from the bright red lights!

Nick Powley
b2m Consulting - UK

Spotlight on Digital Signage Association

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 by Leah Kane

Those of us who find ourselves spending most of the work day online (in one capacity or another) are aware of the power and effectiveness of social networking - but just as important is the power of traditional networking. Industry organizations such as the Digital Signage Association (DSA) provide like-minded professionals an industrious and business-neutral forum for education, networking and advocacy.

The DSA brings together vendors and users alike- everyone from display manufacturers, resellers and distributors, to content creators and network operators across all vertical markets. Members and sponsors (including MediaTile) work together to move the industry forward, share best practices and business opportunities, and increase awareness about digital signage.

Whether you're a brand manager, a corporate communications manager, or a display vendor, the Digital Signage Association has an event, a whitepaper, or a behind-the-scenes initative designed to grow your deployments and ensure your success.

We wanted to give a shout-out to the DSA for everything they do and for giving us a voice. Check them out, or better yet: