Digital signage is one of the effective and innovative solutions for promoting your brand and informing customers and employees in real time. Simple to set up with a low budget, digital signage does not necessarily require the latest equipment. The minimalist computer system Raspberry Pi is perfectly designed for this function, and has numerous advantages for this type of use.
Introducing the Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi is a nanocomputer the size of a credit card, operating in the same way as a conventional computer but reduced to its simplest composition. In fact, it consists of a simple ARM processor card, giving it the advantage of being inexpensive. Far from being limited to expert computer use, the Raspberry Pi is easy to use and lends itself to a range of digital functions.
This miniature computer, marketed since 2012, is particularly functional and effective in providing dynamic display functions. The Raspberry Pi, which has 8 GB of RAM, is in fact an ideal solution for standalone display techniques. As digital signage player, like the one offered by Cenareo, it thus makes it possible to control the distribution of images, videos and animations on several screens, offering companies the possibility of communicating in a modern and powerful way, internally and externally, in order to refine their digital transformation.
Digital signage with Raspberry Pi: operation and technique
Like any computer, the Raspberry Pi has its own operating system licensed by the manufacturer: the Raspberry OS. This system includes an integrated browser that allows the nanocomputer in particular to open a web page. To ensure the digital signage function, the Raspberry Pi must be combined with the “Kiosk” mode. This configuration offers the possibility of a full screen display, without window borders. A feature that is then particularly aimed at business managers who want to integrate digital signage into their communication strategy, at a lower cost.
To set up the Raspberry Pi in Kiosk and standalone mode, the necessary hardware comes down to:
- A protective case for your equipment
- A Raspberry Pi board (3B+ version minimum)
- A 16 Gb SD card
- A screen equipped with an HDMI port
- A keyboard and a mouse to control the Raspberry Pi
- A power supply for Raspberry Pi
- An HDMI cable
The configuration and the implementation are then very simple. After starting Kiosk mode, the mouse cursor no longer appears. You must then configure the settings of the Raspberry Pi by choosing to launch Kiosk mode at startup.
Why use a Raspberry Pi for digital signage?
For a business, the use of Raspberry Pi lends itself perfectly to the implementation of dynamic signage. Inexpensive, easy to set up, set up, and use, the Raspberry Pi is the ideal tool to boost your internal communication with a low budget. This physical box ensuring the connection and control of all screens makes it possible to control the entire communication chain.
Beyond its practical and ergonomic advantages, the Raspberry Pi also has ethical advantages and ecological. It is developed by the English foundation of the same name, a charity whose aim is to facilitate access to technology and education in developing countries. Get a computer Raspberry Pi, so it means participating in this cause and promoting your brand image.
In terms of global energy consumption as a digital signage player, the Raspberry Pi is also an asset. Not very energy-intensive thanks to its ultra-simple composition reduced to the essentials, this nano-computer consumes 10 times less than a conventional reader.
How to manage digital signage with Cenareo software?
The digital signage software Cenareo perfectly complements the use of a Raspberry Pi in dynamic display mode. It allows you to have control over the entire fleet of screens thanks to its simple and intuitive interface. This software specially dedicated to digital signage lends itself to any type of context: points of sale, as a digital workplace, internally within the company, etc. Technology Raspberry Pi is then directly integrated into its player box. Because of its simplicity and its eco-responsible nature, the case Raspberry Pi is thus proving to be the perfect element to put in place at the center of a digital signage system in business.
The Cenareo player with Raspberry Pi connects to the main screen via an HDMI cable and to the entire screen park via a WiFi connection or an Ethernet cable. It broadcasts content in Full HD, in landscape or portrait format according to your needs. It can be programmed to start on its own and guarantees a standalone display without interruption and without a black screen, even in the event of a connection failure.
The Cenareo player also has a special energy-saving feature, which allows all screens to be switched off centrally when the display is not necessary, for example at night and on weekends.
Our eco-responsible and societal commitment
Our player
Our commitments to help you conduct a more sustainable business? Every decision we make about our digital signage solution is guided by the desire to help our customers communicate more easily, more sustainably, while minimizing their carbon footprint.
To do this, we designed a robust solution composed of a SaaS platform and a Raspberry Pi player, a player that consumes very little energy, with a consumption around ten times lower than a traditional digital signage player. Beyond its functional qualities, we chose the Raspberry Pi because it is manufactured by the English Raspberry Pi Foundation. This charitable association aims to provide access to technology and education in developing countries.
We create and assemble these players in our offices in Toulouse. It is made available to our customers free of charge. In the event of a malfunction or at the end of the contract, we recover this equipment and reuse these components to create new players. Player recycling significantly reduces waste and the environmental footprint.
Our partners
Our screen supplier partners act at their level to recycle used screens. As a member of the Digital Media Club, we actively participate in the eco-responsibility commission in order to raise awareness throughout our industry and to take concrete action on our energy footprint. To measure the carbon impact of our projects, we participated in the creation of a Carbon calculator to help screen suppliers measure and reduce their CO2 consumption.
Our data
As providers of cloud-based digital services, we process large volumes of image and video data for our customers and we recognize that we are driving demand for data centers, and therefore energy demand. That's why we called on Microsoft, which achieved carbon neutrality in 2012 and is pursuing the goal of powering its centers with 100% renewable energy.
Always in a logic of optimizing the network and data consumption, Cenareo developed Flex for internal communication. By integrating with existing Digital Workplace tools, this makes it possible to prevent the cost and carbon emissions generated by the implementation of a new tool. Cenareo Flex connects to your existing tool, whatever it may be, and uses existing data for a controlled environmental footprint.
Our features
In addition, we offer an energy-saving feature that allows you to turn off all your digital signage screens at night, centrally. Every day, we strive to improve the sustainability of digital signage, so that businesses can adopt a more creative and engaged communication approach.
Our internal policies
Internally, Cenareo is also committed to a social responsibility policy to participate at its level in building a more sustainable and fair world. To do this, we first choose local and environmentally friendly suppliers. For example, our offices were manufactured by a French start-up from eco-responsible and tailor-made wood. Our goodies are also all reusable in order to reduce our daily consumption by using bottles, reusable cutlery etc. Gender equality in recruitment and remuneration is also at the heart of our human resources policy, with parity respected within our teams and within the Cenareo steering committee.
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