New DDS articles

Sorting Out Digital Signage
by Jeff Dowell

Advice for professional AV integrators wanting to design and install digital signage systems

To understand the explosive growth in demand for digital signage technology we need only look at the transition that is taking place in the signage market. The digital age has also impacted signage, and the printed signage that has been the established method of in-store promotions is being challenged by digital display technology. This is being fueled in part by the pre-dispositions of a shopping public conditioned and receptive to more aggressive in-store marketing. Such marketing is expanding beyond the point-of-purchase domain and now reaches consumers as well as corporate customers wishing to better communicate with employees. Examples of this include not only lobby and lunchroom signs on corporate campuses but also product and promotion-specific messaging found in retail banks and on the aisles of grocery stores. The content being shown on digital signage is rapidly evolving as well. Static graphics and photography are being combined with multimedia elements, including web based graphics programming and digital video. With the recent advances in networking technology, this media rich content can now be created centrally and delivered and updated via the Internet to individual displays or entire in-store display networks.

These fast-moving developments in the digital signage arena today represent what is clearly a "paradigm shift". And it is one that finds system integrators in a new position of now having to be knowledgeable about the entire digital signage solution, including both the physical components (hardware) as well as the content options (software). Most system integrators are familiar with helping customers choose the right visual display technology for their customer's needs. Now, to become expert in this new digital signage industry system integrators must also become well versed in a number of new disciplines, including computer networking, effective content development, content display and management.

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