Are you looking for a way to help promote your digital signage business?  One suggestion is to talk to local associations and offer to donate the use of one for their events and fundraisers.  Check out your Chamber of Commerce, AIA, Rotary and other business groups.

By partnering with these local groups you are giving them a valuable tool to thank sponsors and promote upcoming events and you are receiving great exposure in the business community.  Just make sure to reserve a small spot in the content design to put your logo and leave a handful of business cards or brochures beside the display.

40" LCD used at a holiday party

Software-as-a-Service Digital Signage Installation

Looking to add some new and fresh content to your digital signage?  Already posting regular updates to your followers on Twitter?

Incorporating Twitter into Digital Signage

Why not integrate the two?

There are dozens of ways to incorporate Twitter feeds into your digital signage.  Two of the most popular are to create an RSS feed and then link that into a ticker or to find one of the many widgets available on the web.  One suggestion is to check out http://twitter.com/badges

Software-as-a-Service Digital Signage Content

32" LCD in a free standing kiosk

Great example of digital signage for retail banks using our Rise Display Network to connect all of their branches together.

Each branch uses a portrait 32″ LCD mounted in a custom, free-standing enclosure.  Behind each LCD is an AOpen media player connected to the internet allowing Bank Financial to centrally control their network.  At the touch of a button they can update their bank rates each each branch or communicate their latest promotions and specials.

To help make the displays engaging the bank has incorporated a stock ticker at the bottom and the latest weather forecast to entertain bank customers while they are standing in line.

Software-as-a-Service Digital Signage Installation

Our newest partner ENTECH SIGNS is focused on providing complete solutions to their clients.  Along with LCD and Plasma screens they also integrate systems using LED wallboards, world time clocks, and outdoor LED signs.

ENTECH SIGNS is a communications equipment company specializing in visual solutions. Their mission is to provide reliable and efficient communication systems with experienced technical support.  ENTECH SIGNS was founded in 1984 in the Dallas, TX area and service signage customers nationwide.

If you want to learn more about the solutions they offer please visit www.alpha-led.com

Software-as-a-Service Rise Network Operator News

Looking to get started selling digital signage?  What should you do first?

LCD in boardroom

My advice – set up a showroom.  And I don’t mean dust off an old PC and go to Costco and buy the cheapest LCD TV.  I am suggesting that you evaluate the vendors you want to partner with and you purchase exactly what you intend to sell your clients.  This way you get familiar with the technology by installing it and when you bring a client in for a demo you are showing them the same quality you intend to sell them.

Users buy what they see, so put on a nice show and learn while you do it.

Software-as-a-Service Reselling Digital Signage

On December 18, 2009 between 4:37 p.m. and 5:12 p.m. EST, the Rise Display Network experienced network connectivity problems.  The issues were a result of a problem where our content servers are hosted, where a router used for peering and backbone connectivity located outside the data center at a peering facility failed. The problem stemmed from a configuration error, which created a routing loop between 2 data centers. Everything is now running optimally and we do not anticipate any further connectivity interruptions. This issue interrupted our customers’ businesses, and for this we apologize.  If you have additional questions. please reach out to us.

Thank you for your continued patronage to the Rise Display Network.

Support

How do you get content to “jump” from display to display?  It is actually easier than you might think.

First – arrange the monitors on your wall (learn more about bezel widths)

Second – build a computer with as many video outputs as you have displays.  If you need more than 2 monitors check out Matrox as they have options that by combining cards you can get up to 16 outputs.

Third – configure windows as you would for multiple monitors or desktops (Microsoft help entry)

Fourth – make sure your digital signage software allows you to select custom resolutions and match that resolution to how you set up the desktops in windows. (for example if you have 3 LCDs side by side by side and they are each capable of a native resolution of 1360×768 set your software to display at 4,080 x 768)

Finally – build content to fit that unique resolution.  Flash is a great tool.  Check out the enclosed picture.

Software-as-a-Service Digital Signage Content

Everyone asks for a scrolling ticker on the bottom of their digital signage.  Scrollers are great for showing headline news, stock quotes, or sports scores.  This is a great way to create some eye catching movement on the display, but it is your least effective area of screen to communicate with your client.  Most digital signage is “drive by” or “walk by” traffic.  You only have a few seconds to attract their attention and give them your message.  A ticker is too hard to pass that message because what happens if they walk by half way through the message.

LCD Content Example

Enclosed is an example showing a bar posting announcements and messages – the design works ok because the messages are short bursts but it still isn’t as effective as what you see at the top with nice graphics and a short message next to it that stays positioned on the screen so it is very easy to read on a quick pass by.

As you work with clients to come up with creative designs for their content always question the scrolling ticker.  Let clients know it is certainly possible but if their message is important they may want to consider using a more page based format.

Digital Signage Software Digital Signage Software

Alliant Energy Center’s Expo Center powers up with digital signage.

Visitors to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, expect the best—in sporting events, concerts, and consumer and trade shows. Minutes from downtown Madison, the 150,000-square-foot Expo Hall can accommodate up to 600 exhibition booths, while the Veterans Memorial Coliseum is home to hundreds of major events each year. To satisfy its guests even further, Alliant opted to install digital signage that would be both creative and useful, and turned to AutoComm Inc. and Rise Vision to make this vision a reality.

Alliant Energy Center installed by Autocomm

AutoComm Inc., a Wisconsin-based digital communications firm, has been a Rise Vision private network operator for more than two years. After learning its client’s objectives, project manager Alex Bernier immediately recognized the benefits that Rise Vision software could provide to Alliant Energy Center.

“Rise Vision has a great way of communicating to audiences,” says Bernier. “The software provides a lot of different features to give control over signage. Integrating split screening, web pages, streaming video content, pictures, and even scrolling text messages on the display is very easy.”

AutoComm assisted with every step of the digital signage installation process, from ordering and testing parts to providing initial content for the monitors and free training for Alliant’s programmers. Fortunately, because of Rise Vision’s ease of use, much of the training was achieved during a one-hour in-person session and follow-up webinar.

“After a week, you get pretty good at managing content,” says Bernier. “It’s pretty simple because of the way Rise sets it up.”

The project was completed in early October, just in time for the World Dairy Expo, an impressive five-day event showcasing the latest technologies and techniques for the industry. Guests were amazed by the six 52-inch monitors, four of which are in the Expo Center and two in the Coliseum. The high-definition monitors are independently controlled and feature 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Of the four monitors in the Expo, two hang 19 feet from the ceiling. They provide way-finding, facility information, event lineups, sponsors, guest welcomes, and more. The Coliseum monitors also offer way-finding, as well as ATM and restroom locations, a welcome to organizations attending a show, and information for the facilities and future events.

As a finishing touch for the World Dairy Expo, AutoComm hooked up a live feed TV through an HTML page, which allowed Expo visitors to see events occurring in real time in the Coliseum. And, thanks to Rise Vision’s web-based system, Alliant’s head programmer can log into her account from any location to change playlists and upload videos, pictures, text, web pages, and more.

The project was so successful that discussions for a Phase II are underway, which could include adding monitors to the other side of the double-sided mounts.

If you would like to learn more about Autocomm and the complete display solution they offer visit their website at www.acdisplays.com

Software-as-a-Service Digital Signage Installation

Video brings your business to life.  According to a video marketing survey conducted in November of 2008 by Kelsey Group Study: 52% of viewers take action after watching, 30% of viewers visit a store, 30% increase in clicks for more information, and nearly a 20% increase in phone calls.

Our partner Digimax Systems is dedicated to a customized approach with each of their clients to ensure the digital signage they provide meets the business need using custom video.

Visit their website if you are interested in a consultation to create a partnership where they will research, plan, develop, and implement a digital signage solution that will cater to your organizations unique needs.

Software-as-a-Service Rise Network Operator News