Digital Signage Solutions

New 3G/4G Digital Signage Guide Released – Free from Digital Signage Today

Monday, January 23, 2012 by Mike Foster

I’m delighted to announce that a new guide on 3G / 4G Cellular-based Digital Signage is now available from Digital Signage Today. As the recognized leader in cellular digital signage, MediaTile has been the proud sponsor of this whitepaper for the past 5 years.

T

he new 2012 edition includes an expanded section on 4G services and additional information on the growth of M2M (machine to machine) initiatives from worldwide cellular carriers. Given all the recent interest in, and growth of 4G networks, I expect that this new edition will be equally, if not more popular, than last year’s.

Last year, this whitepaper made the “Top 10 list of most popular downloads” each and every month from the Digital Signage Today site. Another clear indication that there is tremendous interest in 3G and 4G-based digital signage solutions. At MediaTile, we believe 4G is truly a “disruptive technology” as it has leveled the playing field between cellular networks and tethered LAN-based networks in terms of bandwidth. You can now grab the equivalent of 3 to 5 T1 lines right out of the air.

For anyone interested in how 4G wireless broadband networks are expanding the addressable market for digital signage, download the “3G/4G Cellular-based Digital Signage” guide. As always, we’re delighted to share our expertise in this dynamic and growing market.

MediaTile hearts #CES

Thursday, January 19, 2012 by Rob Brinkmeyer

If you thought Las Vegas couldn’t jam more blinking lights into its city limits, the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) has news for you – Vegas can and did.

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.

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And the DIGI AWARD goes to #MediaCast Video Presence

Friday, December 30, 2011 by Simon Wilson

What a great way to kick off the New Year. Digital Signage Magazine awarded MediaTile the coveted 2012 DIGI Award for our innovative MediaCast Video Presence system.

MediaCast Video Presence, which powers the revolutionary HumanKiosk solution, has received a first place award for Best New Product in the New Content Management Software/Web Based (SaaS) category.

From the Digital Signage Magazine website: “The DIGI Awards recognize the resellers, integrators and service providers who have gone the extra mile to ensure success for their clients, thereby furthering the digital signage industry as a whole. Additionally, we recognized the best New Products for the digital signage and DOOH market.”

I would like to extend a hearty “Thank You” to David Keene, as the Chair of the Judges Committee for the DIGI Awards, for this prestigious industry accolade, and to my entire team at MediaTile for their dedication and persistence in continuing to deliver highly innovative solutions that deliver real customer advantages.

MediaCast meets MediaLab ……… IPG-style

Sunday, November 13, 2011 by Simon Wilson

Our friends at IPG's MediaLab certainly know how to throw a party – from innovative eats (pizza hanging from meat hooks), a funked up DJ and highly attentive service hosts, this launch event in NYC yesterday evening was definitely Madison Avenue-style (actually 100 West 33rd to be precise). With roaming camera crews, floating celebs, and of course the hip swinging robot with cute LED blue eyes – guests were put at ease to casually learn and get hands-on experience of some of the cutting edge (some of them bleeding) applications of technology to take consumer/brand retail experiences to a whole new level.

The DailyDOOH picked up on this event and rightly described the new Lab as an "immersive exploration center." It commented that "At any given time, The Lab will feature 50 of these technologies, platforms and applications from the industry’s most pioneering companies".

MediaTile is one of those pioneering companies and has worked with the Lab team for over a year now – first in the Wilshire Blvd, LA MediaLab and now in NYC - by showcasing MediaCast Video Presence on the HumanKiosk. So from first-hand experience I can say that the Lab is a very creative space and the IPG team (many thanks to Scott, Sonya and the rest of the team) is great to work with; providing constructive feedback, local technical support in the Lab, a can-do attitude and sharing high levels of enthusiasm about the solutions to both their clients and technology partners like ourselves.

I was at the cocktail party in NYC last night to show guests how to 'get personal' with the HumanKiosk – a fusion of interactive digital signage and video-enabled customer service. Remote expert agents were on hand in California to take the video calls from the MediaLab guests (thus proving out one of the benefits of remote video agents…..shift work by time zones!). If you weren't on the guest list last night you can still check out the HumanKiosk at www.humankiosk.com

Along side of the HumanKiosk was an array of many promising Retail and Marketing technologies; from multi-touch product experience tables that allow you to quickly select a large number of product range items and evaluate color, type, or performance merits – through to visual dressing rooms that allow you to see yourself 'virtually' with different clothes, accessories and color/styles without even touching a screen. In the Consumer Intelligence/Business Intelligence (CI/BI) area there was a great Executive Dashboard that in real time drew visitor statistics from all the social media channels and attempted to correlate them to events and activities, whether local or national, to help create actionable management information. And then there was anonymous video analytics…..those cameras were everywhere! I saw three different demonstration stations showing different applications of this powerful tool, including one that purported to gauge your emotional response to displayed content. I pulled a face and made a gesture and sure enough the graph on the demo screen spiked! I wonder what those CI gurus are making of that this morning……?

The IPG MediaLab launch event reminded me of the theme of CETW event that had wrapped up at the Javits Center just a couple of hours earlier that day: ENGAGE! Whether it's self-serve kiosks/tables, interactive digital signage or mobile/social apps – or all three working in tandem – our job in the industry is to engage the viewer/consumer, give them a personalized, relevant and rewarding experience, and do it simply and quickly. A big thank you to the IPG MediaLab team for making the next steps towards that goal more possible.

Back-to-back Championships for Jason Meyers and Elite Racing - It's all about commitment and teamwork!

Friday, November 11, 2011 by Mike Foster

I’m extremely proud to post that Jason Meyers and the Elite Racing team have taken the championship title in this year’s national “World of Outlaws” sprint car racing circuit. This is a great achievement in and of itself – but what makes it “outstanding” is that the team has won back-to-back championship titles! A hearty, and highly deserved “congratulations” goes out to the entire team and car #14 driver Jason Meyers from the MediaTile team. MediaTile is a proud sponsor of California native Jason Meyers and the Elite Racing Team.

So what’s behind the win? Obviously, a huge amount of talent, passion, energy, focus, effort, commitment and most importantly TEAMWORK! It is this same passion, dedication and teamwork that drives MediaTile to develop and deliver innovative, and award winning interactive digital signage solutions like our HumanKiosk.

Without a strong and committed team, and our extended team of eco-system partners that include leading carriers, integrators, hardware suppliers, and service companies, we would not be able to provide our customers with award-winning products and services. We congratulate Jason Meyers and the Elite Racing team for their back-to-back championships, and for once again reminding us all what it really takes to win – absolute commitment and teamwork!

Mike Foster, CMO, Co-Founder of MediaTile,
and the entire MediaTile Team

'Getting Personal' at #CETW in DFI Tech Booth #334

Monday, November 7, 2011 by Simon Wilson

This week I’ll be attending CETW (Consumer Engagement Technology World) in New York City November 9-11. CETW is one of the more interesting shows, as it highlights elements from three distinct, yet converging worlds: the world of interactive digital signage, kiosk-based self-service systems and the mobile communications. The common thread: “customer engagement,” which is right in line with our thinking and our new campaign “get personal.” The HumanKiosk solution is the fusion of live, video call routing to on-demand experts, and interactive signage so we’ll be right a home with all comers to the event.

You can find me supporting DFI Tech, one of our HumanKiosk hardware partners, in booth #334 - so stop by and see the latest generation of the HumanKiosk solution and our MediCast Video Presence solution that powers this end-to-end system. If you can’t make it to the show, please have a look at our short video on YouTube, or visit our site to learn more about this revolution in customer service and support in point-of-sale and point-of-service environments.

The day before the show, I’ll be attending the DSA (Digital ScreenMedia Association) advisory committee meeting. As the industry’s largest digital signage trade association, it will be great to see everyone and learn about the new activities underway to further promote our industry and support its participants through advocacy and education. If you’re a customer of digital signage it’s free to join, so if you haven’t yet done so, please visit their site http://www.digitalscreenmedia.org/join-users-deployers – you’ll have access to a wealth of industry information as well as experts at no charge.

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What is the benefit of 4G digital signage?

Monday, November 7, 2011 by Rob Brinkmeyer

To borrow a term from one of our premier partners, commercially 4G means "lightning fast speed" but that is obviously geared more toward cell phone services. 4G in the world of digital signage means something exponentially different. To the digital signage customer, 4G means no longer sacrificing content or interactive features in an effort to reduce cost and complexities of screen installation.

What 4G allows MediaTile's digital signage solution set to deliver is more dynamic content thanks to the increased bandwidth 4G provides. Specifically, MediaCast can now deliver live, 2-way video communication on screen or "Video Presence". When Video Presence is utilized, our 4G digital signage solution set becomes "The HumanKiosk" (at this point I like to image a mild mannered digital signage screen entering an old-time phone and changing into the HK. You know, like Superman). The HumanKiosk provides all the benefits of traditional digital signage to attract, engage, and immerse users in relevant digital information but now adds experts, live on-demand.

Beyond delivering Video Presence, the benefit of 4G for digital signage is the ability to start answering the questions "what if?" and "why not?" Because 4G can deliver data only traditionally provided by a CAT5 line, many customers (with guidance from vendor experts like MediaTile's MediaServices Team) are discovering integration points to help increase both hard dollar and soft dollar return on their digital signage investment.

4G is changing the digital signage marketplace and I look forward to seeing how 5G only raises the stakes.

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MediaTile’s HumanKiosk featured at inaugural US government show

Thursday, November 3, 2011 by Simon Wilson

I just spent the past several days in Washington DC, attending the inaugural GovComm 2011 show. This new show is focused on serving WDC area technology managers, end users and procurement officers in the government sector and other local markets. With our hardware partner DFI Tech, we’ve been showcasing our HumanKiosk solution and have received a lot of attention and interest.

As with today’s commercial businesses, government agencies and institutions such as libraries and museums are also looking for new, innovative and cost-effective ways of getting their messages directly to their constituents, in a manner that is more relevant and personally engaging. Given that our HumanKiosk solution, powered by MediaCast Video Presence, fuses interactive digital signage with live and intelligent 2-way video calling, we’ve again hit a sweet spot with our audience here at this government show.

Most of the government buyers I’ve spoken with over the past two days were especially interested in using the HumanKiosk solution to reach remote, highly targeted audiences in a compelling and personal manner. Of significant interest was our ability to provide intelligent video call routing. This enables the user in front of the display to make specific on-screen selections, then have a face-to-face conversation with a remote expert agent who has detailed subject matter expertise conversation, even in the native language of the viewer.

As we’ve seen at other government shows, such as the G-Tech conference, providing a more interactive and engaging method of servicing customers is top of mind with today’s government buyers. And, by delivering live experts virtually through video presence, labor costs and associated on-site expenses can be dramatically reduced. If you haven’t seen our video yet, take a moment to see how you can get personal with your customers.

Simon Wilson
CEO, MediaTile

CMO Council recognizes HumanKiosk as emerging solution to help brands localize marketing programs

Wednesday, November 2, 2011 by Mike Foster

This just in… Our HumanKiosk has been recognized by the CMO Council as an emerging technology solution that can help brands and businesses localize their marketing programs to optimize sales effectiveness. Check out the full announcement.

Today’s news follows the CMO Council’s release of its “Localize to Optimize Sales Channel Effectiveness” research report, announced on Monday. It reveals that 86% percent of national marketers surveyed intend to look for better ways to modify, adapt and localize their marketing content, messaging and prospect engagement practices. Highlighted in this research were the “preferred” marketing mediums to achieve “localization,” which include interactive digital signage along with electronic messaging, and social networks over broadcast television, local magazines and other traditional B2C communications.

This is an important milestone for our industry, for MediaTile and our HumanKiosk and MediaCast Video Presence solution, as it highlights the core “needs” and business value which is driving the high demand and interest in the HumanKiosk digital signage solution. Simply stated, businesses (and brands) are being driven by both profitability and competitive positioning needs to deliver marketing programs that increase customer relevance and direct engagement.

For example, 67% of companies participating in the survey indicated that localized marketing strategies and programs would help them achieve greater customer relevance, response and return; while 40% reported they desired better customer conversations and connectivity.

Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council, had this to say: "The HumanKiosk solution is a perfect fit for today's innovative brands and businesses seeking to localize their marketing efforts by connecting directly with consumers where and when they are making a considered purchase decision. The CMO Council's research, compiled from more than 300 member interactions across leading industry sectors, indicates that brands are moving to more targeted, personalized, interactive and measureable forms of local engagement - and the HumanKiosk does just that."

Here is the link to the CMO Council’s press release, and to their research report (fee based). Click here for more information on the HumanKiosk Solution andMediaCast Video Presence.

Mike Foster
CMO and Co-Founder, MediaTile

31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage #dsafraid // Reason #30: Enterprise deployments

Sunday, October 30, 2011 by Chuck Gose

In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #30: Enterprise deployments

A nationwide or worldwide digital signage deployment can scare the pants off even the most hardened IT or marketing professional. It can be a nightmare between all of the logistics of purchasing and IT networking.

But just because it CAN BE doesn't mean it HAS TO BE. We've helped both large and small companies deploy signage networks, here in the states and abroad. Because our hardware just needs a data connection (LAN, WiFi or cellular), you can put them anywhere. Our MediaCast software is web-based, which means you can give users access anywhere they have an Internet connection.

And we can provide enterprise-level pricing for those looking at large digital signage deployments. Giving you an "all-you-can-eat" signage solution (hence the zombie image). We've made it as easy possible to deploy your digital out of home network, especially if you're trying to deploy across multiple locations or countries.

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31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage #dsafraid // Reason #28: Project management

Saturday, October 29, 2011 by Rob Brinkmeyer

In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #28: Project management

When you are ready to kick-off your digital signage project, the management of said project can feel like a whole other job on to itself. MediaTile offers to manage your entire project from start to finish through our MediaServices team. We will work with your primary internal digital signage advocate starting with the kick-off meeting, then concept creation, establishing timelines, approvals, testing, roll out, and reporting. In the case you want to keep the project in house, here are a few suggestions to help your engagement go as smoothly as possible:

Dedicate a project leader to oversee the processes and make sure it is moving.
Come up with clearly defined goals for your digital signage network.
Have a single provider contact so any questions or issues that may arise only require a single call.
Come up with content designs and templates that maintain a consistent tone with your existing brand messaging (whether your audience is internal or external)
Have a list of all the hardware and software components you'll need to deliver an individual installation point.
Schedule your team's training and testing well in advance and encourage "playing" with the content management solution.
Once your project goes live, make sure either the project leader or some other vital team member is checking on the network daily to ensure success and gather usage data.

If you have any questions about a new project or management of existing one, MediaTile has the experts to consult or inherit the engagement and increase the likelihood of another digital signage project in your future.

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Verizon Wireless and MediaTile Announce Support for 4G LTE on the HumanKiosk

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 by Mike Foster

HumanKiosk powered by MediaCast Video Presence and 4G LTE

Today, in a joint press release with Verizon Wireless, we announced support for 4G LTE on the commercial release of the HumanKiosk solution, powered by MediaCast Video Presence. Since 2004 we’ve been working with Verizon Wireless to bring the advantages of “cellular digital signage” to our customers and partners – today we’re excited to have Verizon Wireless on board as an official eco-system partner for our revolutionary HumanKiosk and MediaCast Video Presence solution.

By leveraging the 4G LTE network, MediaTile extends its lead in delivering innovative, interactive digital signage solutions that transform traditional B2C communications into B2Me engagement. The HumanKiosk does just this – it is the fusion of interactive digital signage with on-demand, virtual experts and face-to-face interaction. With the integration of Verizon’s fast and reliable 4G LTE network, the HumanKiosk supports secure, high-definition, two-way face-to-face video conversations with nothing more than a power source on site.

You can read the full release here, but here are some quick facts about Verizon Wireless 4G LTE and the HumanKiosk from the announcement: The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network is the nation’s fastest, most reliable 4G network, covering more than 165 markets and providing speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon Wireless’ 3G network. The HumanKiosk is a result of collaboration fostered at Verizon Wireless’ LTE Innovation Center in Waltham, Mass. The LTE Innovation Center and the Verizon’s Innovation Program (www.innovation.verizon.com) provide an environment for diverse companies to work together to develop innovative products that leverage 4G LTE technology.

Brian Higgins, vice president, Network Technology at Verizon Wireless had this to say: “By combining the advantages of the HumanKiosk with the power and speed of Verizon’s 4G LTE network, in-field marketing and customer service can be changed dramatically.” For more on the HumanKiosk solution visit our website here. And if you haven’t yet seen our launch video yet, you can view it on youtube here.

Mike Foster
CMO, Co-Founder, MediaTile

31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage #dsafraid // Reason #23: IT involvement

Saturday, October 22, 2011 by Chuck Gose

In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #23: IT involvement

One of the scariest phrases to a marketer or communicator is, "You'll need to get IT involved." They've likely worked with IT in the past on projects and probably clashed. Not because either group is in a feisty mood, but because often their priorities are vastly different.

If a company chooses cellular as the networking choice, IT doesn't HAVE to be involved, but I still recommend it. It will be helpful for them to understand how the network works. And if LAN or Wi-Fi is chosen, a marketer will need IT's support to add the digital signage network to the internal network.

Many IT people I've worked with love the cellular solution because it's NOT on their network. But because of the security measures we've built into our platform, more and more IT pros are supportive of adding a MediaTile network to the corporate LAN or Wi-Fi.

So don't be afraid to call IT when you're looking to launch a network. Their hearts are in the right place. . . usually.

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Future Interactive Displays! Integrating MediaTile's HumanKiosk...

Thursday, October 20, 2011 by Simon Wilson

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.”

31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage #dsafraid // Reason #21 - Video

Thursday, October 20, 2011 by Rob Brinkmeyer

“I want to show videos on my digital signage network”. Very commonly said and seemingly a simple request. But like peeling away zombie skin, there are many subtle levels.

In many cases, the request to put a video on screen refers to streaming a television channel. It can be done but it is really necessary? Obviously streaming video from an unknown source limits your control over what appears on your network and more often than not, you probably have more than enough videos in your YouTube account. With MediaCast, simply upload your mpeg video, put those mpegs in the desired order you wish to have them play (or “create a playlist”), drag and drop your playlist on to the preview, and approve. Don’t look now, but you’re broadcasting your own network.

Ok, not enough? Still want to stream videos? MediaCast can deliver this as well (assuming it’s a source that allows you to do that). With MediaTile’s premium media player, you can even get as sophisticated as delivering videos on demand using a touch screen.

And the top the mountain...live video calls on screen. MediaCast can also feature MediaTile’s Video Presence technology. Video Presence enables your screen viewer to generate an intelligently routed video call that connects to a remote video operator who is determined by what the screen viewer is looking at.

MediaTile’s solution set boasts all the benefits of digital signage, as well as the ability to add the human element, live on screen.

31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage #dsafraid // Reason #18 - Training

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 by Rob Brinkmeyer

In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #18: Training

No Halloween monster parallel required here – training on how to use your digital signage screens can be flat out scary. Never mind what the majority of providers require from an installation standpoint– on site servers, hard line connectivity – their content management solutions can be like learning a new programming language. Should you want to use a jpeg already created, you will probably have to contact your IT representative and have them re-create this asset using your provider’s complex content management system.

MediaTile’s cellular connected, SaaS-based content management system – “MediaCast” – eliminates many of the costs and complexities of initial installation. Additionally, MediaCast allows you to simply upload common media assets (mpegs, jpegs, etc), easily create a playlist, and schedule this content to play in a matter of minutes. There is no need to learn a new “programming language” and no need to bother your IT counterparts with pushing content to your digital signage network. MediaCast is so intuitive that training only takes a few hours and can be done remotely, versus spending a few days at an offsite location, which is required by other digital signage providers.

Don’t believe me? Contact MediaTile today and we’ll be happy to demonstrate MediaCast to you directly, live on the web at your convenience.

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31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage #dsafraid // Reason #19: Content creation

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 by Chuck Gose

In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #19: Content creation

Previously we talked about the variety of file types that you can play on our digital signage solution, but there is also another option. Through our tool called Composer, users can use embedded templates to contribute content.

We've built in standard ones that any customer can use, or you can upload or have us create your own custom-branded templates. This way you can ensure that no matter who is contributing content you know what it will look like. Your colors, your schemes, your brand. No stretched logos or goofy clip art.

In fact, one of our corporate communication customers has locked their users out of doing anything BUT using Composer to add content. This guarantees consistency with the corporate content at an international and regional level.

If you'd like to see the Composer tool in action, check out this demo. It can make creating content for your out of home network not so scary.

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31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage #dsafraid // Reason #15: Component players

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 by Chuck Gose

In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reason #15: Media players

Maybe you've made a previous investment in digital signage and just aren't happy with the product. And yet you still have leftover LCDs or plasma screens you want to still use. This is where our media player comes in. We've helped company salvage their existing hardware investment and easily connect our media player to revitialize their digital signage network.

These players can still connect via Wi-Fi, LAN or Cellular and give you the same benefits of our all-in-one solution.

Another reason customers have purchased our media players is simply because they want to purchase their own screens. Maybe they have a local supplier who can get them a good deal. That's fine with us. The media players connect via HDMI, DVI or VGA into the 3rd party screen.

So whether you've made a previous investment that you don't want to lose or just want to buy your own screens, there's no reason to be afraid of our media players.

31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage #dsafraid // Reason #13 and 14: Content Management and expansion

Monday, October 17, 2011 by Rob Brinkmeyer

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.

31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage #dsafraid // Reasons 8 & 9: Cost & Complexity of Installation

Friday, October 14, 2011 by Rob Brinkmeyer

In light of October being a rather scary month, we thought we would highlight 31 reasons not to be afraid of digital signage. We hope you enjoy them.

Reasons #8 & #9: Cost AND Complexity of Installation

When you start thinking about digital signage - more specifically, putting your own digital signage network out in the world - what are the first few elements you think of?

How big will the screens be? What content will be shown? How will you manage all the screens?

As your engagement process moves forward and experts help steer your vision, one topic is rarely discussed proactively – how much will it cost to install your digital signage screens? The answer to the cost of installation question is often times the equivalent of costs related to purchasing hardware, software, and content development combined. Whaaa?

SOP for traditional signage installation consists of the following:

A third party installation vendor conducts a site visit to determine how connectivity will be established, where and what it will take to mount the screens ($$)
Your screens are shipped to the third party installation vendor ($)
The third party installation vendor in-field tech reps take your screens to predetermined locations, and at an hourly cost, integrate with or install any required onsite servers, provide connectivity, mount the screens, and test to ensure content is reaching the screens ($$$$)

MediaTile’s cellular connected, cloud controlled digital signage solution set eliminates many of costs and complexities associated with traditional digital signage network installations. MediaTile partners with the world leaders in cellular provided services and each of our screens has a dedicated point of connection to these cellular networks. This means our clients don’t have to worry about pulling wires to a certain screen location, integrating with existing secure networks and dealing with firewalls, or setting up a new robust Wi-Fi network as the connectivity to MediaTile’s platform is "outsourced" to the cellular networks.

MediaCast, MediaTile’s content management system, boasts all the benefits of a SSL encrypted cloud-based, SaaS web portal. Content can be created and securely scheduled to play from an Internet connected device and pushed out to one, many, or all of the digital screens on your entire network remotely. No onsite or near-location personnel required.

Costs related to installation are like the other escaped mental patients from the famous Halloween horror films. While everyone is focused on Michael Meyers, the other nuts are causing havoc but aren’t rounded up until later. Sure, they aren’t wearing hockey masks but eliminating them from the situation would certainly reduce a lot of tension just the same.