Non-PC controllers

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Digital signage needs software and programming, as we all know. Roku, however, provide a solution which almost attempts to replace software, as they produce non-PC controllers which are standalone. Their BrightSign digital signage and kiosk controllers offer HD video, image and audio playback, as well as touchscreen interactivity and networking, all without a PC platform, so bringing high reliability and ease of use and affordability to a level that PC solutions would struggle to match without having to compromise on the quality of its features. As a simple plug-and-play platform, their solutions are less complex than PC-based ones.

At the beginning of this year, Roku expanded its BrightSign family of non-PC digital signage and kiosk controllers with the introduction of five new true-HD and compact-sized models. These models are equipped with features especially targeted to meet the needs of the most popular types of digital signage applications, including playlists, customised interactivity, scheduling, synchronisation of multiple displays, zones for multiple impressions on a single screen and networking for remote content delivery. Their line up includes: a competitively priced standalone player that is able to handle HD video and playlists; two new models which incorporate basic or advanced interactivity; and two players with simple or advanced networking for remote content delivery and reporting. These are all things that digital signage commonly relies on complicated programming to provide, not a compact solution which measures only 6.6” x 5.9” with a depth of 1.2”. All of these models offer a full, powerful and reliable solution which is fitted into a compact package, which is around half the size of current BrightSign players, making them unobtrusive and easy to integrate into applications.

The new BrightSign HD110 provides a compact suite of features which allow basic looping of video presentations, either in full-screen mode or by using zones to place multiple content in different windows of the screen, like video, still images or text tickers on a single screen. Content is defined though playlists and can be updated by inserting new content into the player’s SD card slot. BrightSign HD410 and HD810 models create more engaging digital signage through the addition of interactivity along with the zone and playlist functions of the HD110. Interaction is provided via buttons which are fed through general purpose input/output and serial ports. Multiple displays can be synchronised to create video walls also. The incorporation of interactivity through buttons or even touchscreens is certainly an effective way to make digital signage more impactful.

As the company’s founder and CEO Anthony Wood explained, “By creating a product line of five new BrightSign models, we’ve taken our products to a new level. Rather than offering fully loaded models with features that may not be necessary for all applications, we’ve packaged each model with specific software and hardware capabilities that we’ve found are most popular for the wide range of digital signage applications out there.”

Based on a model of only paying for what capabilities and applications you actually need makes Roku’s models a more affordable price, which again brings digital signage as a possibility for smaller retail outlets, although with customers like Bose, Roku are by no means just pitching at the smaller end of the spectrum.

Case Study: Bose

In Bose retail stores across the world, BrightSign is used for in-store demonstrations of Bose speakers and home theatre products. Well-known for audio products, Bose do also do some video players. Multiple demonstrations, using both the BrightSign HD600 and the BrightSign HD200, have been designed and deployed. Currently, nearly 20,000 BrightSign driven demonstrations are used around the world in over ten different countries.

The BrightSign HD600 is used to demonstrate the interactive multi-speaker system, of Companion Series C2, C3 and C5. All three of these products are run from a single BrightSign unit. When no interaction is detected, an attract loop is played, but when a customer does press a button, this triggers demonstrations of the relevant speaker. The demonstration uses video to demonstrate the potential of the speaker, by displaying movie clips or music videos which accompany the audio sounds heard. The touch panel control pad allows 5 buttons for the customer to select which speaker they would like to test. A 1024x768 VGA flat panel display is situated amongst the speaker products to add a visually dynamic element to the set up. Customers are encouraged to interact by selecting the product that they are interested in, so that they do not need the assistance of a member of staff, which of course gives them the peace and quiet sometimes needed to browse!

The BrightSign HD2000 is used to demonstrate the home theatre product arrangement. Again the presentation is interactive through the incorporation of buttons which trigger specific content related to the product the customer is interested in. A remote control can also be used to trigger a demonstration of Bose’s home theatre solution, as well as allowing the user to select various movie clips or music videos for playback. When no interaction is detected, an attract loop is played. All demonstrations are in high definition, using a HDMI connection.

Roku were able to deliver a high quality solution to Bose, which supported multiple USB speakers to allow the demonstration of more than one speaker solution. The simple ‘press the button’ solution added an interactive element to the whole demonstration which immediately makes it more engaging and informative for the customer, while also ensuring that they have quick access to relevant information which will influence their purchasing decision. Because of the very high quality for which Bose is known, it was important that the video should be in high definition, to match the high quality of the products which it supports and promotes. Roku scripted solutions to allow for the interaction and the audio and video demonstrations which followed the interactions. This also meant they had to allow for individual speakers to be controlled by different speaker channels, so things like volume could be matched to the speaker.