Are you considering introducing digital signage in your workplace? Maybe you want to replace your posters or information boards with multimedia material? Or turn an empty window or wall into a space for sharing information?
It almost goes without saying that the use of moving images and video is very effective in communicating, whether for advertising purposes or for employee involvement. Going digital offers a number of practical benefits. For example, updating a screen is faster than printing and installing a poster.
One of the simplest uses of digital signage is the digital billboard, a modernized version of the information board. It may replace the information board in the kitchen or staff room, which is intended to provide information about the company's CSR project, travel days, or local bus routes. In a reception room, it will also provide useful information to visitors and display superb case study videos that will impress them.
In these circumstances, you will probably need one or two screens and you can reuse monitors or televisions that you already have. All you have to do is connect the screen to a solution that will feed your display with ads, press releases, etc. Let's look at what to do next.
Before you can create your digital signage, you need to be familiar with all the elements involved. These elements are as follows: one or more screens, a digital signage player (player) that connects to the screen and transmits the content to it, your content, and a digital signage content management system, which is a platform that allows you to control what content is displayed on your screens, when it is displayed and updated.
If you're creating a digital billboard, you can use a computer and a simple monitor. Your monitor can be used as a display and the computer can run a digital signage player application as well as the content management system. You can make it even easier by creating a slideshow using your computer's photo or presentation application.
However, this configuration is rather restrictive. For one thing, it requires the installation of a computer attached to your monitor, which takes up a lot of space and can be complicated to hide or install if you want a wall-mounted display rather than on a desk or shelf.
If you want to place your display on a wall, an inexpensive option is to attach a smart TV with a USB stick to a stand and then run your content from the USB stick. The smart TV then acts as a player and the USB stick as a content management system, in the sense that it allows you to store your content. However, you need to create one key per screen and physically replace the keys to change the content, which brings you back to some of the constraints associated with using posters.
Can dynamic signage be created independently for a more complex use? If you want to create your own digital signage that can be controlled remotely, you can use a minicomputer.
There are a large number of powerful but compact (comparatively speaking) minicomputers on the market, some of which offer impressive storage capacities, which you can easily install on the back of a television or monitor to put your content online.
These devices allow you to use your screen as a display reader, to which you must associate software to specify what content should be displayed and when. To do this, you can use free digital signage content management platforms, with content stored on an SD card or the reader of your mini-computer, or stored in the cloud.
In which cases can the configuration be carried out independently and when should we rely on professionals? These standalone configuration options make it easy to get started with digital signage, especially when it comes to doing a first try and seeing the results before embarking on a larger project. However, if you are ready to take the next step, you should consider investing in a professional solution.
This recommendation applies when you want to create digital signage with multiple screens, across multiple sites, and when multiple team members are involved. A professional digital signage solution will offer greater storage, security, and support capabilities for you and your content managers/creators.
This configuration also responds to the need to create models from scratch or to get help from the community in case of problems.
Thanks to our team of experts and our experience with companies ranging from start-ups to multinationals, we can support you and offer you scalable solutions. Contact us to find out how we can help you reach your digital signage goals.
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