DS Integrated Industrial Computers

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How many times have you walked into a retailer and seen the ds switched off or frozen? Whilst the evolution of the screen has been well-documented, little attention is paid to the computer hardware behind it.
 
By Andy Stevens, Embedded Systems Product Manager, Trident.
 
Traditionally, digital signage has consisted of a two box solution – the screen and the computer – networked into a room on-site or hidden in the roof above the display, for example. The computers used were consumer-style ‘cream boxes,’ very similar to the ones you will find under your desk at work or in your study at home. Whilst these very standard machines deliver outstanding performance at a low cost, they were not designed for this purpose, and have a number of drawbacks. First and foremost, each individual platform has a short shelf life, which means that an expanding estate rolled out over six months or more could be implemented on half a dozen different hardware platforms, even with different operating systems. This creates an instant challenge for reliability and maintenance. Secondly, these machines are intended for an environment where there is a human operator to respond to onscreen error messages, and close errant applications.
 
There exists, however, a class of PCs specifically designed to operate unattended, in an environment where stability of design and reliability of operation is of greater importance than raw performance or the inclusion of the latest and greatest features. The industrial control environment has been using PC technology for years in the form of SBCs (Single Board Computers). Designs feature a long production life, and offer features such as a watchdog timer allowing fully programmable detection and logging of specific errors, as well as an automatic reboot.
 
Naturally, these advantages come at a price, and indeed the cost of SBCs manufactured in lower volumes to exacting standards is greater than consumer style PCs. Graphical performance has been another issue. SBCs did not support this in the past, and were more tailored towards industrial applications where graphical performance is less of a prerequisite when choosing a board. Digital signage is concerned with running rich multimedia content, driving pixels at a native resolution of, typically for widescreen (WXGA), 1366 x 768 pixels.
 
There is growing recognition on the part of both SBC manufacturers and digital signage operators that there are benefits in working together. Operators are more aware of the presentational and financial cost of screen downtime, and are recognising the ROI of platforms that are much more reliable but a little more costly. SBC manufacturers, from their side, have started to recognise the incredible growth and opportunities available within the digital signage market, and are now designing and manufacturing boards specifically with high graphical performance.
 
These new platforms offer features such as high definition compatibility and the inclusion of dual independent display capabilities, where two separate images can be run off the same board. This is ideal for kiosk and over-the-counter applications, where the customer may be looking at one screen and the employee, such as a fast food attendant for example, may be looking at a different screen. Examples of the benefits of this are the opportunity for the sales representative to be prompted with questions to upsell or promote other products, or have a traditional single display POS system, driving an additional large format screen displaying advertising material to a wider audience, without the cost of an additional PC.
 
Industrial computing is renowned for its long-term reliability, with SBC manufacturers offering support for up to five years or more, in great contrast to consumer computers which have a very short product life and require frequent replacing. The untold costs of routine maintenance and upgrading of digital signage solutions is minimised through this industrial reliability. The fact that the majority of SBCs are now passively cooled (fanless) not only gives them a longer MTBF but also makes their operation near silent, or, when using solid state, totally silent.
 
Other digital signage-specific features include hardware screen rotation, which enables large screen displays such as NEC’s LCD4020 to be viewed in portrait mode. Chipsets such as VIA’s CX700M2 provide MPEG-2/4 and WMV9 hardware video decoding, allowing the playing of content with minimal CPU load and the support of widescreen ratios to further enhance the viewing experience, all in low-power, fanless solutions.
 
The Single Solution

The integration of the SBC onto the display is fast becoming a necessity for digital signage, from small-scale requirements, such as one or two screens in a high street shop, up to large multi-screen projects such as airports and sports stadiums. Trident’s MMB solution offers a specially designed bracket allowing the encased SBC to fit onto the back of a large screen display. This easy integration results in less cabling, independence and an altogether more secure solution. Many digital signage networks run off different computers and are sometimes daisy-chained to reduce costs. In this instance if an error was to occur with one computer, it may lead to all the screens switching off and a serious reboot of the whole system. With an independent unit, each screen is run by its own SBC. In the event of a technical problem, it becomes quickly obvious which screen is faulty and repair or replacement becomes a much simpler task. The option of cabled and wireless networking gives these ‘one box’ solutions added flexibility.
 
Trident’s IP65-rated MMB unit is ruggedised, enabling it to be used in outdoor applications like garage forecourts. Running a VIA chipset, the 1GHz fanless, solid state compact solution offers all the desirable features and specifications required for a digital signage solution built to an industrial standard which focuses on longevity and reliability. In a recent project, Trident configured the MMB unit to power-on at a specified time set in the system BIOS, increasing the product life of the system, reducing power consumption and ultimately lowering the total cost of ownership of the solution.
 
The future of SBCs in digital signage is without doubt the move towards a true one box solution. The evolution to smaller form factors with increasing performance will enable the SBC to actually sit inside the display and opens up a host of new opportunities in smaller screen digital signage, such as shelf-edge advertising. Embedded boards now support widescreen formats with digital display outputs and there will soon be little requirement for A/D cards. The days of ‘cream-box’ PCs sitting in the ceiling cavity are coming to an end. System integrators are becoming more and more aware of the technology behind digital signage – and not just the large LCD screens. Consumer style features, high quality components and industrial reliability are now prerequisites for embedded computing in this arena.
 
Case Study: Channel4all
 
In the Netherlands, Channel4all, one of the first narrow- casting solutions developers in the country, offers a complete solution to its clients, including equipment development, content production and management. Aware of the fast-changing nature of narrowcasting in these early days, the company operates its own in-house engineering expertise to retain design control and operate responsively at the leading edge.
 
Channel4all conceived their ChannelBox Player as an embedded platform to provide the basic building block for virtually any narrowcasting implementation. “As we sought potential suppliers to support the project, we were encouraged by the ideas and support offered by Abacus Embedded,” said Sjouk Westra, CEO of Channel4all. “They understood our requirement for a robust and reliable, low-profile computing platform, for example, and suggested the self-contained VESA PC with a 1” thin chassis, ready for direct connection to the display panel.”
 
The VESA PC is developed by Trident, a member of the Abacus Group, and features a 1.6GHz VIA Eden processor as well as built-in Gigabit Ethernet and optional wireless LAN. Importantly, for Channel4all, the VESA PC supports fanless operation and Disk On Module (DOM) storage enabling use of solid state disk technology. This is achieved within a ventless, and therefore dust-resistant, enclosure, dramatically reducing cost of ownership by virtually eliminating emergency servicing.
 
The VESA PC supports powerful multimedia features, including MPEG-2/4 hardware acceleration, DVI and S-video interfaces, and industry-standard digital and analogue audio interfaces. With a low overall weight of 2kg, compact dimensions of 180mm x 298mm, and industry-standard VESA mechanical mounting, the unit attached easily to the rear of Channel4all’s chosen monitor with no unsightly cables or enclosures on view. There is also the flexibility to connect to a wide variety of screen sizes and resolutions: the ChannelBox Player has been demonstrated with screens up to 42”.