• How much does a battery solution add to the cost of the digital display?  The options for battery power are disposable alkaline and rechargeable lithium.  The alkaline option is less expensive per unit, but how many will you need per digital screen during the promotion?  The most efficient alkaline provide 50 hours of playback.  In the most efficient ad players which require interaction to wake up, combined with short videos, these may last up to 2 months, depending on the number of views daily.  For a 6 to 12 month promotion, this can add significantly to the cost.
• Lithium rechargeable batteries are a greener option but more expensive up front.  To keep the ad player up and running, you need 2 batteries per LCD screen.  That way there’s always a fresh battery ready to go.  A two battery plus charger add on is a bit more expensive up front, but you will save money on a 6 to 12 month promotion, or in a permanent display.
• Who is going to swap batteries?  This seems to be the hardest question to answer because no one wants to be stuck with the responsibility.  Retail stores worry that the step will be missed, but they typically don’t want to pay the operational expense to have someone else do the task.  Advertising agencies who typically create the content want to get paid to service the LCD ad players, but their cost can also be prohibitive, especially on a regional or national promotion.  Make sure all parties stack hands on this key decision.
• How often do the batteries need to be replaced?  This step is not difficult to calculate, but don’t overlook it.  No one wants to be responsible for having a dead ad player in a display.
• What do we do with the batteries when the promotion is over?  Batteries are usually not considered a green solution, so have a plan for recycling batteries when they die or when the promotion is complete.  There are many recycle centers in most cities, so just google it to find a nearby recycle center.  If you use rechargeable lithium batteries, they can probably be reused on another promotion.  Eventually they will not hold a charge (think about your old laptop) because they have a recharge life of about 600 charges.  So again, find that local battery recycle center.

Those are the main questions to ask when considering using a battery powered LCD advertising player in a display.   If all parties can agree on these points, you will be off to a great start.

• Industrial screens used in monitors and digital signage are designed to run for many more hours than a consumer grade screen. They are often rated at 50,000 hours versus 20,000 hours for a consumer grade screen, so you will get more than twice the life out of your initial investment.  Keep in mind that all commercial grade screens are not created either.  Some manufacturers use screens rated for 30,000 hours, so be sure to ask.
• Consumer grade screens are more sensitive to physical damage and using a consumer grade screen in a business setting may void the consumer warranty.  Be sure to look for rugged metal enclosures and stay away from plastic.  Ask for protective glass or IP65 water resistant panels if you need them.
• Heat is the most common killer of LCD screens. Industrial grade screens have better heat dissipation with fans and other methods to prolong their life, even when running 24 hours a day.  Even a fanless LCD display or panel PC will last longer than a consumer grade product.
• Industrial screens will have the types of connectivity required for your project such as RS232 connections, BNC, component video, and others.
• Security should always be a concern in an industrial environment.   Industrial displays have unique features to protect the unit, including extra protection for physical damage to the display. Controls on the front of the display can be locked while additional buttons for other functions are usually hidden to prevent unauthorized access.  Be sure to keep your content, connections, and controls secure from curious hands.
• Don’t underestimate power savings.  Many industrial grade screens can be programmed to turn on and off at the same time your location opens to the public, saving energy costs by turning off overnight.  Powering down during off hours also provides the additional benefit of cooling the screen so it will last longer.

Thanks for looking!

Thanks for looking!

We also want to announce that we will be closed Monday, May 31 for Memorial Day.  We send a huge THANK YOU to all those who have served our great country in the past and to those who are serving today.  Because of you we live with freedom in the Greatest Country in the world.  God Bless America!

Use your laptop or desktop computer with a SD card reader to add files.  When you plug the SD card into the reader, Windows will (usually) recognize the device and ask if you want to ‘Open folder to view files using Windows Explorer’.  Hit ‘OK’ and see the window for the removable disk pop open.  Now drag you JPEG images, MPEG or AVI videos, or both to the window and drop them.  You’re finished!  If you are displaying a slideshow of images, the ad player will loop through them.  If you want to loop a video, you’re done.  Now just remove the SD card from the computer, install in the ad player, and add power.  The ad player will auto start and run your content.  Even my 77 year-old dad can do this, so I know it’s easy!

For more complicated setups, like those with button or touch screen interaction, you simply add folders for the additional content.  For instance, if you have 4 touch segments to highlight 4 different products in a retail store, you will need to add 4 folders.  When the window for the Removable Disk is open, just right-click, hover over “new” and click folder.  Windows will prompt you to name the folders.  Name them 1, 2, 3, and 4.  They will correspond to the touch segments on the screen.  Now load the attraction video into the root directory, right next to the folders, put the product videos in the appropriate folders, and you’re done.  See how easy that is?

Thanks for looking!

Our experience has been that a digital sign with an attraction video, along with some interactive videos, tends to work the best.  Catch their attention at point of purchase with an attraction video loop, typically 10 to 20 seconds long.  If you can’t get them to interact in 20 seconds, they are on to the next item.  Once you have their attention and they interact with the screen by pushing a button or touching the touch screen, you have about 30 seconds to inform them about your product or options.  If you have several products or options, your customer will push a few buttons to make a decision.  Nobody is going to stand there and watch a series of 2 minute videos, so keep it short, entertaining, and to the point to close the sale.  Thanks for looking – I hope this helps!

To begin, I will explain our perspective for stand-alone digital signage.  Also known as flash-based digital signage, this particular niche is where we have chosen to play.  It is a niche that demands the attention gained from video screens, but without the high cost of entry into the world of networked digital signage.  Stand-alone digital signage does not require servers, network installation and maintenance, management software license agreements, or any other proprietary gear to function.  In other words, on a per screen basis, advertisers pay hundreds of dollars per screen instead of thousands of dollars per screen to play.  The simplicity of swapping a flash memory card makes stand-alone signage attractive to small and medium businesses who also want the excitement of video, but who doesn’t want to hire an IT staff to keep a network running.

At the point of purchase, the customer doesn’t know or care when the content was updated.  They just want to make a decision and move on.  Stand-alone solutions provide this same interaction with your customers, and opens the door to adding video screens to a huge number of businesses.   Mount them on shelves, walls, or in POP displays and watch sales increase by at least 23%.  That’s where we play, and we invite you to join us in our niche.  Thanks for looking!