Industry News

Cisco Counts its DS Customers

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Cisco DS

Cisco says more than 3000 customers use its digital signs technology since its entry in the market in 2007.

Organisations in 85 countries employ Cisco's signage solutions-- from industries including retail, financial services, hospitality, education, health care and entertainment. These include the likes of JW Marriot, France's Crédit Agricole Nord de France and the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CYTA).

Cisco showcased its technology at Digital Signage Expo 2011 -- showing its MXE 3500 media transformation platform (now adding digital signage capabilities), an expanded LCD line and its Digital Media Player 4310 (integrating Cisco Medianet architecture, it automatically configures to a digital signage network at setup).

Go Cisco Reaches 3000-Customer Milestone in Digital Signage

AOpen Forum: It's All About Cooperation—and Scale

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AOpen Forum

The AOpen Forum, held just before ISE in a hotel in central Amsterdam, enters its second annual edition with a bigger and better event.

Bringing together major suppliers of digital signage (Broadsign, friendlyway, C-nario, Prestop, Net Display, MMD (Philips brand), Intel and Microsoft) with its distributor customers, AOpen has created a showcase of digital signage solutions.

Verybox of Spain and Mermaid in Scandinavia added case studies to talks from the suppliers.

It would be easy to dismiss this Forum as just another distributor meeting: but it’s not. The high level of executives in attendance (CEOs and European level executives) is one sign of its significance. The quality of content by itself is another. The fact is that attendees doubled this year and AOpen expects next year to increase to 300 attendees.

Two key themes, both which should resonate to all in this industry, highlight the event’s significance.

First, the fractured nature of digital signage (the lack of standards, the lack of end-to-end solutions, and the large number of different vertical applications) demand collaboration and cooperation from any aspiring supplier.

AOpen, through this Forum and its Digital Engine platform, is hoping to be at the centre of growing cooperation in digital signage—not only in Europe, but globally.

Avatar

IT industry veteran Bernie Tsai, the Steve Jobs of AOpen, opened the forum with a clever analogy to the movie Avatar. In this Hollywood blockbuster, the native humanoid population, the "Na'vi," live in a symbiotic relationship with their planet. Tsai showed several movie clips to illustrate how life on the Avatar planet was impossible with collaboration. The image that sticks in mind is the Na’vi horse: in order to ride the horse, the Nav’i must first physically bond with the animal.

And “bonding” in digital signage takes place with suppliers as well as customers. Both Intel and Microsoft were quite clear about this point: they are rooting for AOpen’s success because both want to see “scale” in the digital signage industry.

“Scale” emerges as the Forum’s second significant theme because the AV industry fails to recognize the IT’s industry “need to speed.” A company like Intel wants suppliers in digital signage that can quickly ramp up the volume to the level that attracts the direct attention of a multi-billion euro chip builder. It’s all about how many units you can move...

Bernie Tsai CEO

Intel sees companies like AOpen as someone who can bring their experience in scaling massive commercial markets into digital signage. And Intel, as well as others in components and software, is willing to “bond” by investing time and money to aid AOpen in achieving mega-status in digital signage.

CEO Bernie Tsai talks about how AOpen has moved from making “hardware” to making “heartware.” That might seem more Japanese in spirit than Taiwanese, if you didn’t understand that PC component suppliers see something that the AV industry doesn’t.

They recognize that the digital signage business (appliances, embedded devices, displays, software) is where the PC business itself is headed. Digital signage, for them, is the new PC business...not an extra market segment. After all, home is where your “heartware” is.

Go AOpen DS

DiSCO Conference at ISE 2011

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DiSCO Conference at ISE 2011

With over 120 delegates registered (20% up on last year), DiSCO (Digital Signage Conference) probably didn’t even realize it was in competition with AOpen’s Forum.

Yet this industry conference served a broader base of business and strategic topics for integrators (examples include: The Passion of Harrods' Shoppers, Helping SMBs to professionalize Digital Signage, How Digital Signage Can Make Brands Memorable, and Content Philosophy from OVAB Europe Content Group.)

Talk at DiSCO centered around how to increase market share from ad agencies, how to use digital signage for a wider range of customers, and open source as a standard.

David Dalzell of Onelan brought up an important point: can the cost of very large networks be reduced by re-engineering existing DLNA TVs to be network-driven (as well as using low cost stream mirrors to bring down costs so all types of businesses can leverage digital signage).

Intel’s Jose Avalos was also there… sharing some Intel research about usage patterns.

While many recognize that the entry of IT giants such as Microsoft and Intel speak to the potential of the digital signage opportunity, his topic (Driving Growth in Digital Signage through Standards and Beyond) echoes the changes that “think big” IT will bring to a sprawling landscape of small and diverse digital signage vendors and distributors. First, we push standards and market understanding. Then, we grow the players who will grow the market.

Go DiSCO

Digital Signage Meets Vertical Markets

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Cayin RFID

Cayin will introduce in-depth digital signage integrations for different vertical markets at ISE 2011.

From the live demo at Cayin’s booth, visitors will experience how their platform can be integrated with external web servers and digital devices in different vertical markets. The following applications will be showcased in the exhibition:

3G, GPS, Google Maps: Cayin’s SMP-WEB series digital signage players can integrate with 3G and GPS technology to provide mobile and place-based solutions. Players installed in moving vehicles can playback content based on location. Administrators can also locate each player on Google Maps and instantly have an idea of overall connection status of all players.

Access Control System: after integration, SMP-WEB series digital signage players can convey both general and individual messages when employees scan the RFID card at the entrance. The screen can even send out warning messages to those who have bad attendance records when CAYIN’s solution integrates with an attendance system.

Bank System: digital signage players can integrate with a bank’s web server to present currency exchange rates, interest rates, and news tickers automatically on screens.

Barcode Scanner: a scenario presents how retailers can utilize a barcode scanner with digital signage to boost sales.

By meeting vertical market requirements, Cayin expects their digital signage solutions to win more projects and tenders for its integrators.

Go Cayin Talks Verticals at ISE

Club Maverick Opens at ISE

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Club Maverick

During Q1 specialist AV distributor Maverick will open in three more European countries. As well as the usual product demonstrations, this year the pan-European distributor aims to show ISE visitors how the Maverick blend of technologies, mixed with VIP treatment makes for the ideal European AV specialist distributor.

Maverick will create a dedicated hospitality area on its stand, and invite existing customers and potential AV resellers to join Club Maverick for a drink and to learn about partnership opportunities in a relaxed atmosphere.

Pre-registering as a VIP gives partners access to a free cloak room service and free drinks in a night club theme setting. The Bar Wizards, from a UK TV talent contest, will perform on the stand throughout the show.

Jon Sidwick, Director Maverick, says: “A selection of our vendors including Vision and Promethean will be available on the stand to give demonstrations of their solutions, while we focus on looking after customers and giving them the VIP treatment anyone dealing with Maverick deserves...”

With over 16 years experience in specialist AV distribution, Maverick is expanding its presence throughout Europe delivering specialist AV distribution combined with the strong logistics, e-commerce and a wide range of financial services from parent Tech Data.

Go Bar Wizards video

Join Club Maverick as a VIP