We see it as the go-to resource for people who don’t know much about the product or about Dynamax and an equally interesting document  for those who know a bit about the two but would like to learn more. The brochure points readers to our white papers, videos and Forums so it really is an information hub.

We encourage you to download it, pass around it if someone else would like to read it and get in touch with us if you need advice or you want to learn more about the software.

Nothing but good wishes,

Ana & all at Dynamax

Click on this image to download the brochure.

]]> http://www.digitalsignage.net/2013/05/23/digital-signage-software-brochure/feed/ 0 http://www.digitalsignage.net/2013/05/23/digital-signage-software-brochure/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Digitalsignagenet/~3/MC9GEcb1UHg/ http://www.digitalsignage.net/2013/05/21/cloud-based-vs-on-premise-digital-signage-software/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 12:05:03 +0000 Ana http://www.digitalsignage.net/?p=8370 Continue reading →]]> In our previous post, we’ve shared a few tips on how to choose the right digital signage software solution for your project. We continue our series of software-related advice with a quick comparison between cloud-based and on-premise digital signage systems. Your system’s hosting is a main consideration in the planning stage of your project as it greatly affects the costs and level of control you will have to handle later on.  There are many things to be said about each alternative but for brevity-purposes we decided to highlight their most important advantages and features only.

Before we start here are the definitions of each solution, just in case you’re not sure what they mean.

A cloud-based digital signage solution carries your message to your screens with the help of web-based digital signage software hosted on an external server (implying that you don’t need to have your own) and is accessible via any standard web-browser.

An on-premise digital signage solution is hosted by you, on dedicated internal servers which means that you have full control over your system. You host the digital signage software, you decide when and if you update it and you are responsible for maintaining the server associated with it.

More resources available:

- sector-specific digital signage white papers

- free consultation

- our videos

What criteria do you use when comparing the two types of digital signage software? Share them with us below.

Photo credit: RLHyde, Flickr

The software is the critical part of your digital signage solution that affects the type of content you can display, the cost and the reliability of your system. So choose it carefully making sure that it is able to serve your project’s needs.

Here are a few questions to go through when selecting a digital signage software product.

Does it allow you to get started quickly?  

The answer should be ‘’yes’’ for SaaS (cloud-based) applications like digitalsignage.NET that ought to be suitable even for DIY digital signage projects (provided you can handle the system’s installation). You should be able to set up your account within few minutes and manage your content (and displays, if you have them) seamlessly.

When it comes to on-premise digital signage software that are usually more complex systems than their cloud-based counterparts, you will most likely need a demo and/or specific training to be able to use it independently.

Are you offered the chance to test the software before subscribing/ paying?

You won’t be able to truly assess the simplicity of a piece of software until you actually use it. Therefore, you should be offered a free trial before you commit any resources.

This exercise will help you assess another important aspect – the quality of the customer support you are going to receive.

In our case for example, all our users have set up their accounts and tested digitalsignage.NET for free until they decided to purchase a subscription and send content to their screens. They receive all the help they need in the process from Andrew and our support team.

Can you know where and when your files have been played?

This feature enables you to monitor the system’s health remotely and be sure that your content has been played when and where you wanted it to. You don’t want to be running around from location to location checking that each screen is working or having to phone a thousand people to make sure that the system runs properly. The software should be able to do the work for you, offering an overview of the system’s performance (see how we do it in digitalsignage.NET).

The reports prove particularly useful if you are responsible towards a third party like a manager or an advertiser that need an objective proof that a certain piece of content has indeed been displayed at the right time, on the right screen.

Does the vendor have a proven history of successful, scalable deployments?

Search for case- studies, reviews and press releases of the vendors you are assessing to see if they have solid-enough businesses for a long- term partnership.

A company’s history is oftentimes an objective indication about its products’ quality and reliability. So do some detective’s work first before signing a contract.

How flexible is the software when it comes  to media support?

When selecting your digital signage software, the types of files you can or cannot play must be a major consideration because eventually, they will affect the final output of the system. Choose a software that can play the type of media files you plan to use (videos- live or pre-recorded, photos, widgets, social media feeds etc.).

How easy is it to use?

Again, this question is mainly valid for cloud-based applications rather than on-premise ones. A good web-based digital signage software is written with the end-user in mind and so it should be intuitive and simple to use even for non- technical persons. Don’t commit any resources before testing it and seeing how it works for yourself.

As you will be managing content on a daily basis or at least several times a week you need a product that you feel comfortable with and that comes with all the support you need along the way.

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Discover more digital signage-related tips in our white paper ”Digital Signage for Beginners”.

See how digitalsignage.NET works for you by setting up an account for free.

AND download our brochure.

Andrew Walsh, our Operations Manager

Andrew is the person that keeps things spinning when it comes to support, he is the one that makes sure that your enquiries are answered promptly and your support tickets are resolved quickly.

He’s also the mind behind our Forums, ensuring that you are offered all the support and training materials you need to use our digital signage software.  So we thought we should help you put a face to the name and give you a better idea about the person you will be or already are dealing with.

1. How long have you been with Dynamax?
I have been with Dynamax for 9 years since making a career change from Mechanical Engineering to computer software. Working with large blue chip companies like BT, JCDecaux and Clear Channel gave me valuable industry experience and knowledge.  A position arose for Operations manager and I was offered the role. This gave me a change to gain new skills and knowledge while managing a number of staff and getting more involved in the day to day business tasks and management decisions.

2. What does your job role entail? Please describe your typical day.

What is a typical day? No two days are the same. I can be involved in customer meetings, supplier discussions, invoice conversations, software development and customer-related support issues. My job involves all aspects of the business.

3. Name the three things you like most about your job.

a)       “Variety is the spice of life” and that statement is true. I am fortunate to have a varied role and this keeps me involved at all ends of the business scale.

b)      Helping other colleagues to improve their knowledge and experience

c)       Making customers happy with the services they receive from Dynamax. Happy customers hopefully mean repeat business.

d)      Of course I cannot forget the cakes my colleagues bring on their birthdays.

4. How would you describe Dynamax as a company?

Dynamax are very experienced in the digital signage sector, one of the few businesses that has been there since BDSE (Before Digital Signage Existed). Growing from evangelist to industry specialist, Dynamax has helped develop and spread the digital signage word for many years.

5. You are heavily involved in the development of digitalsignage.NET and you know the software inside and out. Can you give us an insider’s view on the product? What excites you about the product?

digitalsignge.NET was developed from our industry knowledge of feature-rich out of home software products like POV- an enterprise digital signage software offered to Blue chip clients but with features that would not be used by SME’s. Our challenge was to start again and develop a simple-to-use, simple-to-deploy and simple-to-maintain product that was designed from the ground and a piece of software that could fit in all business sectors (Education, Hospitality, Corporate, Retail etc.).

The most exciting thing about digitalsignage.NET is that it is driven by the user. It’s the users who decide how they want it to work and what they want the software to do for them. So it’s the user who dictates the development roads we take: new feature, UI changes etc. This vital input helps to give the customer exactly what they want: robust, scalable, reliable, and cost-effective software solutions.

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If you want to test digitalsignage.NET and see how it works, sign up for free here.

Want to get in contact? Please do so here, we’d be glad to hear from you.

Image credit: Katy Bate, Flickr

Being a team of avid readers, we discover quite a few interesting or even thought-provoking articles every now & then and we’ve made it a point to regularly share them with you  on our blog. And with the longer weekend coming up here in the UK, we thought you might have the time to indulge yourself in some good reading.

So here are five hand-picked articles we recommend, most of them very rich in data since they cover recent studies from realms such as outdoor advertising and retail.  Enjoy!

1)      Great Advertising Is Both Local and Global

As social media has made the communications of companies small and large more or less ‘’global’’, the Harvard Business Review experts claim that smaller organizations too should start having an international perspective on things while giving their message a ‘’local flavor’’. The same advice stays true for established brands as well, and they give a few examples of multi-national companies that do it right.

“Global brands and agencies will reorganize themselves — with speed, agility, and editorial spirit — to create stories that will travel across countries without being lost in translation” points out Garinois-Melenikiotou, the CMO of Estée Lauder. This being said, there’s nothing like place-based media (read digital signage) when it comes to adapting messages to a particular location and changing them on the fly.

2)      In-store POS advertising budgets to increase says Epson 20/20 Survey

The Drum acknowledges Epson’s new study and highlights a few interesting statistics that seem to point out that the future of the Point Of Sale is digital (as Screenmedia Magazine rightly states in its own article on the topic). 75% of the POS media will be electronic by the year 2020, the survey’s findings show and will be preponderantly used to promote fast-moving, commodity items while print -based media will be the preferred support for high-end goods. The article shares the insight of James Henry, head of retail at Intermarketing Agency ‘’We’ve already started to see significant growth in digital POS’’ he says, explaining why ‘’ …with its fast turnaround and low cost, it allows us to deploy campaigns quickly and cost effectively.’’

3)       13 ways for retailers to deal with the threat of showrooming

Whether we like it or not showrooming is here to say, says this Econsultancy article, quoting a 2012 study carried out by them (Econsultancy) according to which 43% of the UK consumers use their smartphones for price comparisons and product reviews while shopping. The article offers 13 ideas of how to convert shoppers from mere ‘’visitors’’ into customers and digital signage (or video screens as they label it) is the second option on the list.

4)     Project: Virtual train windows in Madrid bar

This is the perfect example of digital signage used to create an ambiance rather than overtly ‘’selling’’ and has been featured by Sixteen:nine in one of its March articles. ’’To create the illusion of movement, three huge solid screens play the role of windows. They are constantly projected with synchronized and programmed videos that flow, from one screen to the next, just like in real life….The images have been recorded from train windows all over the world, presenting urban and nature landscapes that transport the clients into the fantastic experience of travel and leisure. ‘’ says Parolio, the creative mind behind this very interesting and artistic project.

5)      Outdoor ads prompt action, but tech knowledge is spotty

A recent CBS Outdoor study conducted in collaboration with Kantar Media shows that outdoor ads are more likely to convince viewers to take an online action (like a brand’s Facebook page, download an app, shop online) than other media. In some circumstances, the outdoor seemed to outperform the TV, radio and print when it came to influence. Yet, the results were mixed and not as rosy when people’s understanding of interactive technologies was under scrutiny. Many interviewees said they would welcome more explicit directions about how to interact with the ads.

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That’s about it. We hope you’ve found them interesting and if you have any suggestions, share them in the comments below or email them to us.

If we’ve just got you started, here are some more recommendations from our side. Read on!

Our favourite digital signage articles- November 2012

Quick list of recommended articles- September 2012

Based on the correct assumption that no one company can promote the industry on its own, the publication aims to leverage its rich contacts database and trade shows presence to promote the industry with the help of this new tool, marketed as ‘a 100% independent, industry encyclopedia’’.

According to Mike Davidson, the editor of the Guide, this is designed to be a manual and a sales tool for integrators wanting to offer digital signage solutions to their clients as well as an idea generator for end-users looking to make digital signage part of their marketing & communication strategy.

This being said, here’s a sample chapter of the 1,000- page publication. Its online version includes 70 videos exemplifying the different types of technology presented. It includes sector-specific case studies, checklists, purchasing advice and project management instructions.

The Guide is also accompanied by an online directory- which is still work-in-progress- that lists vendors of digital signage software (yes, we’re on there), hardware, content providers, distributors etc.

The Guide to Dynamic Digital Communication is available for purchase from tgddc.com and comes with a Strategy Planner and an Account/ Project Manager- two other resources offered by Screenmedia.

Digital display controlled in digitalsignage.NET

In a recent article titled ‘Retail Marketing- see me, touch me, move me”, Marketing Week gives Rohan’s digital signage project as an example of a simple, efficient exercise of promoting offers and merchandise in-store. Run by digitalsignage.NET, our cloud-based digital signage software, the install was launched last year as an attempt to raise shoppers’ engagement and present the hidden features of the Rohan clothing. The digital advertising screens are run by IAdea’s XMP-330 SMIL devices.

Here’s an excerpt from the piece covering the use of visual technology in retail:

“Outdoor clothing specialist Rohan, for example, has used screens to inform customers about the benefits of its products and the contexts in which they are worn. Working with digitalsignage.NET by Dynamax, the retailer installed monitors in three of its high-traffic stores in order to gauge the reaction from consumers.

“The point with Rohan is that we make performance clothing in a way where the benefits are almost hidden,” explains chairman Colin Fisher.

“In relatively high-traffic stores, it doesn’t matter how well trained the staff are, they can’t see and help everybody. So it struck me when I first saw this [technology] that it was a good way for us to put together presentations of our products.”

Fisher says the screens have had a positive effect in engaging people – especially shoppers who are reluctant to ask for help but appreciate visual aids. Rohan started off displaying simple slide show presentations on the screens before moving on to create its own videos.

“There are people who want to inform themselves and don’t necessarily want to interact with staff until they are ready to buy something,” he adds. “For those people this has been invaluable. Other people will immediately engage and say ‘I’m looking for such and such’ and for them it’s less relevant. Given the nature of what we do, quite a lot of our customers are in the first group – particularly men. said Fisher“

Rohan announces plans to expand the system to other high-traffic stores and to employ larger, more impactful displays to create ambience and a cohesive product proposition across its locations.

You can read more about the project here.

To find out more about the use of digital signage in retail, feel free to download our white paper or contact us.

Image credit: þä½, Flickr

Let’s face it- the success of a digital signage project doesn’t depend so much on the operating system used (Android vs. Windows) as it does on the quality of the deployment itself.

There has been a lot of hype around Android recently, which was described by many as a more reliable alternative to Windows and thus a better option for digital signage. We don’t challenge the cost benefit of Android media playback devices over non-Android ones but their ‘magic’ reliability. Honestly, it’s not magic.

There is no such a thing as a 100% reliable piece of computing equipment, be it Android or Windows-based or having its own bespoke operating system  (computers crash, smartphones do too, it’s in the nature of things). One OS cannot be a guarantee for the long-term functionality of a particular device. So don’t let yourself impressed or persuaded by suppliers who use this as the core selling point of their solution; at the end of the day it’s just a marketing gimmick for the non-connoisseurs.

There have been both good and bad digital signage systems out there deployed on Windows and the same will happen with Android too. As mentioned above, the reliability and the implicit success of a digital signage solution depends much more on the quality of the deployment.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

The graphics card- a common source of trouble

Most mistakes occur when the system is configured. Integrators choosing the latest graphics cards (or other peripheral) available should think twice about their choice. Those cards always come with the first version of the driver, which is usually the most flawed one. The wiser thing to do is buying one of the older models that come with older and better drivers that will allow your media device to perform well (for the non-techies, drivers make the connection between the graphics card/peripheral and the OS of your media player).

The automatic reboots- disregarded yet important

Another factor affecting the reliability of a digital signage solution is represented by the presence or lack of- automatic reboots. We advise digitalsignage.NET users to reboot their systems daily, choosing a time outside normal operating hours to avoid any disruptions (reboots serve to clear all the memory out to get rid of any memory leaks).

Image credit: billsoPHOTO, Flickr

Embrace a zero-waste modus operandi

Another quality deployment aspect which is a matter of common sense is not leaving the system running for longer than necessary. If you do so, it will depreciate a lot faster than it should. The players’ uptime should be during whichever hours you want to inform people. In digitalsignage.NET, you can set this up in the Player section, enabling the software to tell the players when to turn on and off (an aspect covered in our webinar). This particular task is the responsibility of the system’s administrator, which more often than not is the end user and not the integrator.

All in all, one OS (be it Android or Windows) is not the secret sauce for the success of a digital signage system. We see the potential of Android-based media playback devices in terms of cost reduction and ease of use, but we don’t consider them as the ultimate answer to all the issues that a digital signage system could raise.

Do you agree with us? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.

Want to learn more about digital signage? Download our white papers or request a free consultation.

Image source: Ooh-tv

Almost two years ago we started covering the news of Cübb, a company that, in our opinion, had an interesting approach to outdoor advertising. You may remember their digiwalkers (shown on the right) or the Cyklops as they used to call them in France. These were out and about on the streets of Paris (and not only) promoting well-known brands such as Orangina, Stade de France, Virgin Radio France, the French Federation of Tennis, etc.

It’s with great sadness that we announce the end of Cübb’s adventure.  For the past several months, the company had been trying to attract the necessary funding to continue developing new solutions and strengthen its presence abroad but without success. Cübb had partnerships with the British iDOOH Media Group and the Canadian Steel Space (for its recycled containers).

Some of the other products from Cübb’s arsenal were the Cyspace- ‘’an interactive, original and 100% entertaining’’ space made of the above-mentioned recycled containers put at the disposal of brands to offer different types of games and entertainment, as well as the Cytouch and the Cyvan. You can find out more about them on the company’s website.

Pascal Cübb, the company’s CEO and Founder whom we interviewed in 2011 about trends in digital signage and Digital Out of Home said in a recent announcement published on Ooh-tv: ‘’Yep…After almost 10 years of fighting alongside my valued colleagues, I have to throw in the towel in spite of myself… I’ve worked hard and with passion to set up this company…we’ve showcased many things and managed to stand out… I have many beautiful memories from those crazy years.’’

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish him and his team the best of luck in their future projects.

Our articles featuring Cübb can be found here.

From England to Mexico- Congratulations, Jose!

As you probably know, during the entire month of March we invited all those interested to sign up for our newly launched webinar and enter our prize draw for a free 1-year subscription of digitalsignage.NET (read more here).

Registration for the webinar closed on Thursday and on Friday we announced the lucky (and randomly picked) winner on Twitter. Jose Antonio Talavera from SLL Mexico won the free subscription and with it, the right to use our software for one year for free to display content on one or several screens.

SSL (Satellite Store Link) Mexico is an AV and digital signage integrator that provides design, installation, network and content management, advertising and technical support to clients from a variety of sectors. They also operate their own teleport and data centre that they use, among other things, to send targeted advertising to digital screens in Mexican cinemas.  So again, ¡felicitaciones Jose! As you said, it feels good to win.

This being said, we wish to thank all those who have registered for the webinar for their interest in digitalsignage.NET- we hope you’ve found it useful. If you haven’t signed up, well, you can watch it below since we’ve made it available to everyone on Friday.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Whether you’ve registered for the webinar or it’s the first time you’ve heard about it, we invite you to set up a digitalsignage.NET account, see how our digital signage software works (at no costs) and when you’re ready to go ahead with your project and install your screen(s), just give us a nudge.

Image credit: avlxyz, Flickr