Review BrightSign XT1144: the player for all seasons?


BrightSign’s XT1144 media play- er is ideal for systems integra- tors with the long-term interests of their clients in mind. With a vast range of content and input/ output options, the XT1144 has the


flexibility and features


continue to meet clients’ evolving needs.


to


BrightSign’s XT1144 media player is ideal for systems integrators with the long-term interests of their clients in mind.


The BrightSign XT1144 me- dia player is said to deliver unsurpassed performance for enterprise


applications with


a powerful 4K video engine, BrightSign's fastest HTML and graphics engine and Bright- Sign's most powerful CPU. In an interview with AV News, BrightSign CEO Jeff Hastings explained that the XT1144 represents a platform with longevity that will extend until the next major shift in display technology – the emergence of 8K, for example.


The platform embodied by the XT1144 incorporates


“state-


of-the-art technology for lead- ing-edge digital signage instal- lations,”


supporting “H.264


and H.265 decoding, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ media profiles, Full HD and 4K play- back including Mosaic Mode.” It offers a hardware accelerat- ed HTML5 rendering engine that enables flawless playback of multiple modular HTML5 assets including JavaScript, CSS animations, WebGL and even swipe/gesture interactiv- ity. BrightSign XT1144 offers Gigabit Ethernet, and it is the only product line offering PoE+ as well as HDMI In for Live TV playback.


High performance BrightSign


XT1144 stan-


dard I/O media player offers BrightSign's most powerful H.264/H.265 4K and Full HD video engine with Dolby Vi- sion and HDR10 support, 4K upscaling and dual decoding of two 4K p60 videos simulta- neously. BrightSign XT1144 is said to deliver the best HTML5 rendering


performance The


XT1144 also supports live TV playback via the HDMI 2.0a input to play content from any broadcast channel – even pro- tected HDCP content.


XT1144 has the video,


graphics processing capabili- ties, interactivity to create an immersive digital signage ex- perience. Customers can elect to integrate live TV, flawless 4K video with Dolby Vision and HDR10+, streaming social media and swipe/gesture inter- activity to deliver a high-end corporate lobby experience. For an experience that's just like being there, the XT1144 can deliver a live TV broadcast as it's happening surrounded by immersive HTML5 and social media experiences.


Image and video quality


With image and video quality available from fine pixel pitch LED displays the quality avail- able from the media player is essential. To that end, Bright- Sign has opted for Dolby Vision to display vibrant colours in highlights and detail in shad- ows. The technology supports up to 12-bit colour depth and HDR content metadata


with dynamic


Enterprise HTML5 support comes in the form of hard- ware-accelerated Chromium HTML5 rendering engine brings powerful content development tools to developers. They can also elect to play industry stan- dard HTML5 content (including JavaScript, CCS animations, transitions and more). WebGL video support is included, as is improved HTML graphics per- formance with a dedicated GL compositor Highly complex and memory intensive HTML5 con- tent such as swipe/pinch/zoom interactive, streaming social media and multiple modular HTML5 assets layered with live TV and video are all possible with the XT1144.


Both 4K and Full HD content encoded with H.265 results in super quality at half the file size and double the bandwidth with memory savings. Only H.265


supports 10-bit colour and high dynamic range of colour. The XT1144 offers native 4K CEA HDR10, H.265 decoding via HDMI 2.0a at 60fps. Dual video decoding: one 4K (3840 x 2160 p60) video and one Full HD (1080p 60) video simul- taneously. But what if the 4K content is unavailable? Scaling technology in the unit delivers pristine video quality for any screen or zone size including upscaling of Full HD video to 4K BrightSign upscaling is said to offer far better quality than the upscaling built into screens If the 4K is available, the XT1144 is designed for optimal playback of native 4K content on a 4K/UHD display at True 4K: 3840 x 2160 resolution @ 60p frame rate. H.265 HEVC (high efficiency video coding) enables delivery of high-quality 4K content at about the same file size and data rate as HD content at H.264. Only the new HDMI 2.0 standard can support 60p playback at 4K


Streaming


Live streamed video is an in- creasingly popular option in digital signage, with everything from a retail fashion show to the Chairman’s annual ad- dress being streamed. Bright- Sign’s XT1144 supports Full HD video, MPEG and audio IP streaming, including: HLS (the standard for public inter- net streaming (YouTube, etc.); UDP/RTP/RTSP streaming from head-end real-time encoders; HTTP, including SHOUT cast. The device allows streaming media to play in HTML5 as- sets or in BrightAuthor video, audio or MPEG stream states. Clients can stream, buffer and play content from IP cameras supporting the RTSP unicast streaming protocol, and even multiple video streams simul- taneously.


Beacons Another


video walls simple in any size and layout.


emerging trend in


digital signage is interaction with beacon technology to de- liver highly personalised and location dependent messag- es to individuals or groups. BrightBeacon supports highly targeted audience engage- ment with Bi-directional communication


between


BrightSign Digital signage and mobile devices It im- proves the overall digital sig- nage experience by increasing audience engagement and creating a highly targeted, personal experience on two screens. Using Bluetooth and beacon technologies, with 2-way communication between BrightSign digital signage and mobile devices is achieved and allows for the delivery of highly targeted promotions based on location as well the ability to control digital signage playback from a mobile device


Integrated beacon and BTLE technology is available on the BrightSign player with no batteries required. The solution senses nearby BTLE enabled mobile devices and sends highly targeted content based on location-awareness. The XT!1144 offers a fully programmable solution with multiple beacon UUIDs sup- ported, and easy repurposing of beacon and app associa- tions using BrightAuthor and the BrightSign Network.


Video Walls


Another far more prescient technology, perhaps, that beacons for the majority of applications than that of beacons is that of the video wall comprised of multiple displays. BrightWall is a pow- erful drag-and-drop BrightAu- thor tool that makes building


The XT1144 supports separate videos per display or stretches a single video across all the dis- plays. You can build video walls by simply choosing the number of displays, specifying the lay- out of the displays, and dragging the video(s) into BrightAuthor. It utilises the BrightSign Ether- net port and a common clock to achieve frame-accurate synchro- nization.


As an alternative, you can play- back multiple content files on a single screen with zones – even with dual videos. Content sup- ported includes Full HD video, images, HTML5, Live TV, au- dio, text tickers, Live Text, RSS feeds, date/time widgets and more. Each zone can have its own playlist. You can play video and audio independently.


Interactivity


Interactivity is known to make digital signage more interactive. We even have one display man- ufacturer combing a digital dis- play with physical controls. With XT1144, playback can be trig- gered from virtually any type of interactive device you like using Interactive Playlists in BrightAu- thor or HTML5.


Connect virtually any type of interactive device to a multitude of interactive ports (GPIO, IR, UDP), using the digital sign to demo product operations, deliver coupons and pricing on demand. You also have the option to link to any live data and media feed available to display in your sig- nage – for example, keep your signage up to date by linking to MRSS feeds and displaying pop- ular news, finance, weather, and sports feeds. Or, connect to virtually any database to display up to the minute details - perfect for flight timetables, event schedules, cor- porate statistics, etc. Or, link to


social media feeds such as twitter and Flickr to keep your signage relevant and fresh.


Government agency ver- sion


When


considering a tech- nology for a global signage roll-out, it is important that the technology meets all the legislative requirements for each territory. Some US in- stallations, in government agencies, require that the solution is manufactured in accordance with the Trade Agreements Act.


The BrightSign XT1144-T, which sells for $850, is a variant of the XT1144 which meets this requirement. The new media


player’s perfor-


mance and specifications are identical to the XT1144, how- ever the manufacturing pro- cess is Trade Agreements Act compliant, paving the way for sales into government agen- cies within the United States. As for what it means to be


TAA compliant, the law is in- tended to preserve fair and open international trade and it can restrict the purchase for certain products for federal contracts.


AV News September 2019 P13


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