A Wider Net

Symon Communications announced a new SDA line of small network appliances for digital signage. Designed to be small, low maintenance, and low cost - these little boxes can transform any display into part of a powerful digital signage network. They can support the native resolutions of most any LCD or Plasma display, providing the highest possible image quality. Their software makes it easy to add content to the sign network from any location, and remote managers can view a “snapshot” of what’s on display at any location in the network.

This is an impressive new offering since signage networks this robust have historically required a full-blown computer at each sign location. Now, if you’re trying to set up a network of informational signs in your enterprise, a series of promotional displays at a venue, or a network of signs in retail stores, these appliances will make the process simpler, the network more reliable, and the total cost of ownership lower.

I’m a big fan of digital signage (when they’re done well). The industry is growing rapidly. In fact, for the past several years InfoComm has been completely packed with signage displays and software applications all aimed at making it easier to manage content. I especially like solutions like Symon’s where you can design displays that utilize real time data automatically. Real time data solutions allow you to provide content based on a variety of criterion - time of day, sign location, current special offers (retail), scheduling information, stock prices, weather, current sales volumes, customer service call wait times, etc. So, in addition to displaying critical daily information that is entered manually, the signs can provide a wealth of valuable data automatically.

I’m not a big fan, however, of digital signage done for the sake of digital signage. At the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, for example, one of their restaurants uses a large LCD display to showcase their menu. The problem is - you have to stand there and wait while the menu slowly changes from page to page. If they had simply tacked their menu to the wall, I could zero in on what I was looking for (breakfast) and be on my way. Instead, they blew $10K on a sign that represented an inferior replacement for a laminated piece of paper.

The true test of a sign is whether the content owner would use it. If you’re creating content for a sign or sign network, and you can’t say without a doubt that you would stop and view/read/experience the sign content, then it probably has no business being there.