Business opportunities Scaling up


What starts as a small-scale solution for an SME, assuming the solu- tion works well, can quickly transform into a more expansive and complex solution. Decisions taken at the outset pf a project can have serious implications for scaling up. Flexibility and scalability are the orders of today.


Irrespective of the scale of the proposed installation, Thom- as Walter, section manager strategic product marketing at NEC Display Solutions Eu- rope, argues that: “An open and modular signage player approach is the best solution for digital signage as it allows a smart upgrade of the sig- nage player and screen both in terms of scale and perfor- mance.


He believes that: “A basic integrated media player for simple media playback is ideal for single screen installations or small companies. With an open modular solution, perfor- mance levels can be upgraded should


future requirements


change,” and, unsurprisingly that: “The NEC Open Modular Intelligence (OMi) platform is an open and modular com- puting intelligence concept that allows the integration of a broad range of computing power from RaspberryPi to In- tel Core i7 slot-in PCs. Supporting all the common


OS such as Windows, Linux, android and Raspbian, this solution


bility with all major digital signage


provides software


compati- providers.


Full performance media play- back is fully integrated in the screen for a holistic approach which is neat and cable free whilst customisable for cur- rent requirements and re- maining compatible for future upgrade.


Scaling up


Walter argues that the best system for digital signage is the one that provides the most flexible solution to the wide range of different customer requirements and an open and modular system can do that best. The OMi concept allows all kinds of signage applica- tions including cloud-based software solutions.


Cloud-based signage systems provide fast availability, quick adoption and low operation- al efforts. We recommend our partners to be clear on their requirements and then rec- ommend the best fit solution which might differ from case to case.


Digital Signage is general- ly used to stand out from the crowd and successfully impact on target customers. “We don’t believe that a standardised ap- proach which appears similar to all other signage installs will capture the viewers’ attention as much as a unique and tar- geted install can,” says Walter. “Our customisable products allow tailor-made solutions in terms of performance, system integration, management and maintenance and are the basis for a good return on invest in the signage system.”


Economy


Many new buyers of digital sig- nage are attracted by the econ- omy ranges offered by hardware vendors. Walter maintains that it is the total cost of the hard- ware that is the relevant factor here: “NEC’s OMi allows the continuous use of the display even when the computing per- formance needs an upgrade. This extends the lifetime of an up-to-date signage display and reduces replacement cycles and operational costs.” But what about changes in per- formance standards? 4K UHD is becoming more and more prevalent – starting with the larger sizes from 65” onwards, it will soon become the de fac- to standard. UHD brings huge advantages when it comes to shorter viewing distances. “In digital signage the viewing distance constantly changes, as the viewer passes by he will approach from a distance then be in close proximity. In both instances, the content needs


Thomas Walter, Section Manag- er Strategic Product Marketing, NEC Display Solutions Europe GmbH: “We don’t believe that a standardised approach which appears similar to all other sig- nage installs will capture the viewers’ attention as much as a unique and targeted install can.”


to be crisp, readable and ap- pealing. This is achieved with UHD. As UHD content is also becoming more common we are expecting a significant ramp-up of UHD resolution displays in the next year. We already see a huge demand for UHD in fashion retail where the retailers not only want to show more detail but also more life-like and CI-conform- ing colours,” explains Walter. NEC recently collaborated with RaspberryPi to bring em- bedded upgradable computing power to its large format dis- plays. It is a true IoT device that can be smartly integrated into cloud-based systems. “NEC’s solution greatly ap- peals as it


is not a closed


system. Unlike SoC which is limited with compatibility is- sues, the performance power is entirely available for media playback and not diverted to power the on-screen menu or display operation. It’s the most cost-effective open and modu- lar solution on the market. A broad developers community is currently working on ways to further improve the computing performance.”


An open and modular computing intelligence concept that allows the integration of a broad range of com- puting power from RaspberryPi to Intel Core i7 slot-in PCs.


Digital signage: a growing opportunity


Notcutts Garden Centres Ltd, a private limited company, operates 18 individual garden centres across England. isation.


Notcutts Garden Centres Ltd, a private limited company, operates 18 individual garden centres across England and has been supplying plants etc. for over a century. Proud to be family-owned and independent, their core values of quality and customer care remain the same as when they first started. Systems integrator 21st Cen- tury AV is well placed to ascer- tain the requirements of the garden centres both now and in the future. The integrator recommended the flexibility of a cloud-based digital signage solution, Signagelive.


The solution is being used being to show menu prices and special food promotions within


Initially, the solution was implemented to show pro- motions and seasonal offers. This has now expanded into a mixed array of point of sale, café menus as well as promo- tional displays.


The integrator justifies the choice of Signagelive, on the basis of adaptability and fit with the clients’ needs. Con- tent can be updated centrally and pushed out company-wide. They have also found the on- line live chat support to be of great help and the team has been very helpful in providing support for any issues and the development of new features. Prior


to deploying Signage- live, Notcutts used small 10”


was necessary. Were there any challenges during any part of the project implementation? How were these resolved? “Being com- pletely new to Signagelive, and digital signage. meant we had to pick things up quickly. How- ever, with the Live Chat func- tionality which comes as part of the solution, it meant they were always on hand to help us regardless of whether we were querying hardware issues.” Said Lee Rogers, IT Systems Coordinator at Notcutts “Working with customers like Notcutts really shows how digi- tal signage has crossed borders in terms of suitability for use as well as of course return on


What started off as an original idea for QSR menu boards grew into new possibilities of adding value to the customer journey, through wayfinding and POS integration.


the restaurant areas, also prod- uct information throughout the stores. Some stores have out- door kiosk points showing sea- sonal offers. The system also serves to present various POS information and to direct cus- tomers to certain key locations in store.


The Notcutts deployment is typical of the organic spread of technology through an organ-


P12 AV News May 2018


screens updated with a USB key at each point, and printed posters or A1 display boards. Scalability and the ability to completely customise every section / part of every display and menu were cited by the cli- ent as favourite features of the solution. In fact, the client felt that the adoption of the solu- tion was such a ‘no brainer’ that no formal business case


the customer experience. What started off as an original idea for QSR menu boards grew into new possibilities of adding value to the customer journey, through wayfinding, POS inte- gration etc. It is down to knowl- edgeable partners whom we work with which this would be possible to achieve,” said Afer- dita Qesku, Director of Sales at Signagelive.


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