Know-How Exchange : Other

I've already got some 'real world' experience doing what you want to do.

Six years ago I set up a small hotel with a DVD based system. We used some of those 'make your own DVD slideshow' programs to build the content and burned DVD's. I would photoshop images, add to the DVD slideshow program, set transitions between slides, birn and load into the DVD player, onto the screen. Well, that was then.

Yes, you can use a LCD tv. Check the input feed system and make sure you can run a typical VGA connection. If you can, also look for RCA jacks, S-video, HDMI if you have a video card to support it. Large computer monitors just don't cut it. Flat screens work much better, and look better. I used two 40 inch Viewsonic flat screens I picked up at Costco for one of my recent installs. See the installation at www.digitalsignsource.com (web site still under construction).

Power Point is a good tool, but this whoile idea of 'playing' the slideshow or burning to DVD is old technology. To start the slide show from powerpoint, you need to ave someone fire up the computer, start powerpoint, select the file, view slideshow. Tedious. Burning to DVD and then 'automatically' starting up is better, but not totally reliable.

Let's talk about building content. Power point is an easy to use tool, but because of the points I mention above, well, displaying content is going to be an issue. Using photoshop and creating content raises the bar with design and computer skills, but again, displaying content is an issue.

Flash and AVI movies are actually the format used in digital advertising (AKA Out of Home or OOH). So you need to create content in Flash, or Maya. Again, this means increasec computer and design skills. Normally most businesses don't have people with those skills on staff (thus the attraction to powerpoint).

I have been researching the entire Out of Home industry for years. You can buy software and systems to network signs, but it starts at around 7 grand for content serving software, and one screen. Adding screens adds about another 1,000 to 2,000 per screen on your 'network'. So of course the power point and a 'lower end' system should be out there for small businesses. Well, yes, and no.

No, the off the shelf gear just doesn;t come close to the real digital signage technology.

Yes, I can host your ads on my server because I bought the software that would host your ad. For a reasonable monthly fee, you can have access to the real deal and do the job right.

I did find some software you can buy for a reasonable amount of money. It runs off a regular PC (windows xp), but the ads must be flash or SWF files. Building content may be more difficult, but its a perfect alternative that would enable a small business to run a stand alone single screen digital sign system. The cost is reasonable. Hardware and software (complete system) is less than 2,000. I'll be offering systems for sale as soon as I complete building my web site. Feel free to contact me via my profile here at Marketing Profs if you are interested.

Darcy Moen