Matrox Graphics releases MuraControl 2.0 for Windows — a video wall management software for Mura-based video walls. New features include transparency and color-keying effects, the addition of local inputs and control, plus source touring and scheduling functionality:

Transparency and color keying* — Blending videos and images with the desktop, a background image, or another video is now possible by setting transparency levels for one or more windows. Source and destination color keying can also be used to enable interesting special effects, such as applying a graphic skin to a logo, or playing a video through it.

Flypaper Studio‘s latest version of its CMS now includes everything from content creation to scheduled delivery. 

Flypaper CMS resides in the Cloud, so it can be accessed through any standard web browser without the need to install or maintain expensive servers or infrastructure. 

It enables users to manage, schedule and monitor multiple digital display screens and networks from a single workstation.

Flypaper CMS consists of a three parts:

•  Scheduler lets you specify when, where and which of your content will appear. It does all the scheduling and can be prioritized for specified periods of time, allowing short-term promotions to take precedence over regularly scheduled content.
•  The Dashboard is “control central.” From a single screen, you can control all your displays in a unified manner. You can also instantly see if any screens are experiencing abnormal conditions such as a loss of Internet connectivity or low disk space.
• FlyPlayer is installed on each of your screens and processes information sent from the scheduler. If the display loses its Internet connection, the player will continue to run the current content until the connection is restored. Then it will automatically check for updated schedules and content. The FlyPlayer is available in single or dual-screen format.

Go The New Flypaper CMS

WireLoad is a software developer with a taste for Raspberry Pi, the tiny credit card-sized computer capable of displaying full 1080p videos and images. Their website tells their story:

“When we analyzed this market we noticed most of the products fell into one of two buckets:

• Bloated and overpriced embedded solutions with decent functionality.
• Home-made solutions (that were often buggy and reliant on Adobe Flash).

What we wanted was an affordable, modern and lightweight solution, but there weren’t any around. When the Raspberry Pi was announced, we had an ‘aha’ moment. This was what was needed to reinvent the industry. At only $35 it was accessible for everyone. Not only that, the hardware was powerful enough to support full-HD playback.

After spending a few months on the waitlist, we got our Rasperry Pi last summer and got busy cranking out a prototype. The result is a product that we call Screenly – a turn-key digital signage solution. All you need to manage it is your web-browser.”

That’s their story or at least the beginning of it. They’ve developed two versions. Screenly OSE is Open Source (Raspbian, a Debian-derived Linux) so anyone can install, modify and use it free of charge. 

All you need to install Screenly OSE is a Raspberry Pi and a TV. Screenly OSE works only for a stand-alone setup. 

Screenly Pro is their commercial solution designed for users who want to manage multiple nodes (or screens). It runs on the same hardware as Screenly OSE, but it provides you with a central interface. Screenly Pro also provides other benefits such as system hardening, node alarm/health and more. 

Screenly Pro is in Beta. And wireless is not supported yet on either version (users need a wired DHCP Internet connection). So there’s more work to be done.

Will low-cost hardware and a per month SaaS service cause the market disruption that makes your eyes water? 

You can practically hear the chuckles from the incumbents. Big players in the industry will hardly notice Screenly. For the same reasons big business shunned Macintosh computers for decades. The Screenly revolution, if there is one, will come from the usual hotbeds of Open Source: education, non-profits, community organizations and wily small business.

Their competition for this grass roots business will be low cost Android solutions in this entry-level market. No matter which wins—both will funnel growth into the bottom tier of the user base. As those users get more sophisticated, they will want to move up to the next tier, creating a bigger and bigger sales pyramid that represents the digital signage marketplace.

Go Screenly

IntuiFace - the new name for IntuiFace Presentation - has already established itself as a digital signage and presentation software option for those who wishes to create interactive experiences without writing one line of code

More than 200 customers in more than 45 countries use this software to build multi-touch, remote gesture and input tag-driven applications for the tablet, kiosk, table-top and wall-mounted device.

For the boardroom and the classroom, the tradeshow and the showroom, the museum, the store, and even the sales call …Version 4.0 capabilities include:

Works with external data: Connect visual elements in your IntuiFace experience with ever-changing cloud-based data. Always display the latest graphics and info. Make content changes without requiring a restart.