If you are like me and find it hard to remember or distinguish between all the different panel technologies available, you will find these articles helpful.
PC hardware help offers a concise easy to read article that breaks down IPS, VA and TN panel technologies.
PCtech Guide offers similar information, yet with a more technical slant. Check it out here.
Bluebox is a next-generation IFE system, developed to leverage the power of consumer technology into an IFE system that is superior to traditional, proprietary systems. The concept is simple: consumer technology has leapfrogged the once state-of-the-art systems produced by the long-established manufacturers, and it is now mature enough to offer an IFE solution that's more flexible, more powerful and more secure than any proprietary alternatives. And now, with the release of bluebox Ai, on the Apple iPad.
VarTech Systems is a leading manufacturer of an extensive variety of NEMA and IP rated rugged LCD flat panel displays, industrial monitors, workstations and HMI computer solutions for harsh environments and demanding critical applications.
A comprehensive line of NEMA 4 (IP65), NEMA 4X (IP66) and Class 1 /Class 2, Div 1/Div 2 LCD Display Systems, Industrial Computers and Workstations, Industrial Panel PC Computers and High Brightness Sunlight Readable Flat Panels are supported. Sizes range from 6.4" up to 57". A multitude of mechanical configurations and environmental protection is available.
With the rise in digital advertising usage, there is great increase in adopting digital signage as an advertising medium. It has taken the advertising sector by storm, seeing this AllSee has strived to produce unique and ground breaking digital signage solutions.
With this in mind AllSee Technologies launches its 82inch LCD outdoor display, with this break through in outdoor digital signage AllSee is at the forefront of digital signage with this display being a first of its kind.
With a unique display such as this AllSee is breaking through the frontiers of digital signage, the advances in technology have provided the digital signage community a platform to look up to.
With such high standards being set by AllSee, it will be greatly beneficial in ever developing more advanced and feature packed outdoor displays.
By necessity, most equipment used by the armed forces must, at a minimum, be rugged, portable, and lightweight.
As LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays) are much smaller, lighter, and more power efficient than CRTs (Cathode Ray Tubes), they are a natural choice for most military applications. In the confines of a naval vessel, armored combat vehicle, or Army transit cases carried out onto the battlefield, LCD monitors can easily display critical information with a smaller footprint.
LCD monitors in the military.
Joe of General Digital Corporation gives use some requirements of LCD monitors in the military. He says, by necessity, most equipment used by the armed forces must, at a minimum, be rugged, portable, and lightweight. As LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays) are much smaller, lighter, and more power efficient than CRTs (Cathode Ray Tubes), they are a natural choice for most military applications. In the confines of a naval vessel, armored combat vehicle, or Army transit cases carried out onto the battlefield, LCD monitors can easily display critical information with a smaller footprint. Often, the military requires specialized characteristics, such as NVIS (Night Vision Imaging Systems) and NVG (Night Vision Goggles) compatibility, sunlight readability, enclosure ruggedization, or any number of contemporary or legacy video signals all of which GDC develops in their technology. Read the full article here.
BlueStar announced today that it has entered into a distribution agreement with iSIGN Media Solutions Inc.
The agreement allows Bluestar to distribute iSIGN's patent pending interactive software technology. The embedding of iSIGN's software into AOpen's digital engines has created what the company calls the world's first multifunction digital engine/media player, capable of providing content management for digital signage, Bluetooth message broadcasting and data logging of consumers' mobile device responses into a single unit. The iSIGN IMS software will consist of three different solutions, Premium, Deluxe and Ultimate that range in price from $75 to $320 per month at the end-user level, making location-based interactive proximity advertising to mobile devices measurable, accountable, flexible and affordable. Read the full article here.
NEC Display Solutions of America launches 46” and 55” additions to it’s E-series commercial LCD displays.
NEC Display Solutions of America, a provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, has announced the addition of two new models to its E Series, the 46-inch E461 ($999) and 55-inch E551 ($1499). The new models offer full high-definition 1080p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate setting, increasing the clarity of movement and reducing image blur. Additionally, the E461 and E551 include built-in features, such as an ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, 12W stereo speakers and detachable swivel stand. With power consumption as low as 210W and full connectivity, including 4 HDMI inputs, analog RGB, composite video and S-Video these new E Series models provide professional performance and a sleek appearance to digital signage users in both corporate and specialty environments. Read the press release here.
Digital Signage software company earns $380,000 in first round funding from an incubator program.
Sourced from Screens.tv, ScreenReach, which is developing an XML-based technology to allow mobile phones to control content on screens ranging from TVs and PCs to billboards and kiosks, joined the first 13-week session of The Difference Engine. The Difference Engine is a startup incubator, similar to TechStars in the U.S., which provides seed funding of £20,000 ($30,000) in exchange for an eight percent equity stake, and access to mentorship through 13 intensive weeks. The firm says its technology, ReachXML, will allow “a single person or many thousands to interact in a variety of ways with content including games, instant-purchasing posters, quizzes, polls, interactive media tours [and] real-time voting”. Read the full article here, at Screens.tv.
4 Reasons why digital displays are more beneficial than static displays.
DigitalSignageBlog offers up 4 reasons for a retailer to take digital display over static. Here are the reasons. 1. Printing costs – there are no printing costs involved with digital displays. If done correctly, you don’t even have to spend too much money with design costs as you may already have existing content from your website or marketing material. 2. Resource costs – how much time is spent replacing static images. Wouldn’t it be more effective if your staff was actually serving customers rather than spending time hanging posters? 3. Animation and engaging content – this is used to attract more customer into your store. 4. Live information – e.g news, weather, twitter posts, facebook information, you can’t do this with static display! Read the full article here.
Self-service technology appears to be creating new jobs and increasing productivity.
Missy Baxter of SelfServiceWorld.com. reports on this growing technology. She says, recent reports and studies indicate the self-service industry not only is creating a multitude of highly skilled and higher paying jobs, but that it also is fueling the United States economy through increased productivity and efficiency. "Technological changes often mean job displacement," an ITIF report concluded. "The answer is not to impede these advances but to help workers adapt and learn the skills a changing economy demands." Read the full article here.
IPS vs. VA vs. TN LCD panel technology explained.
PChardwarehelp explains the primary differences between these three LCD technologies. S-IPS/H-IPS panels are generally considered the best all around panel type, but they are more expensive and very few are made. High end, expensive. S-PVA/MVA panels offer better color reproduction and viewing angles than TN panels, have slightly worse response times than TN or S-IPS, offer the best contrast ratios, may suffer from color shifting or input lag and have higher availability than S-IPS panels. Mid range, fair price. TN panels are very cheap and have the fastest response times, but suffer from inferior color reproduction, contrast ratios and viewing angles. Low end, inexpensive. Read the full article here.
Aerva Presto™ brings affordable digital signage with social networking.
Sourced from Aerva Inc.’s wesbite, Aerva Presto™ includes social networking widgets, a full drag-and-drop user interface, and a template-based approach allowing anyone to update or modify signage content in just a few minutes. The new product complements Aerva AerWave, a digital signage product with additional features for the enterprise. Both Presto and AerWave are digital signage products built on top of Aerva’s long-standing, robust, and flexible digital signage platform, AerChannel, now in Version 4.2. Get more information on the software here.
Samsung offering a free digital signage software, MagicInfo/MagicNet.
Dave Haynes of Sixteen:Nine writes of the development of this new software. Although the advanced version does carry a licence fee he says, Samsung has some very nice thin-bezel panels, and tuning the software to support large clusters of them, in different shapes, is smart. Certainly, other software platforms out there (and intermediary boxes) can do this sort of thing. But this software has that magic word tied to it: free. Read Daves full article on the software here.
New E-Leaflets Software for Telehealth Kiosks
Kiosks4Business offers us a press release on their new E-Leaflets Software. They say, the touch screen e-leaflet module works in a similar way to an online shopping basket whereby users can view the document and touch a button to add it to their basket. Once they have the various forms and other documentation of interest the user is requested to enter their email address. The e-leaflet module then automatically creates one or more emails with the documents attached which is sent to the user. Read the full press release here.
Global supply of LCD panel components to remain tight in 2H10
According to Digitimes Displays, Global supply of TFT-LCD panel component such as light guide plates (LGPs) and reflective sheets is expected to remain tight in the second half of the year, and may further affect overall shipments of LCD panels, according to Taiwan-based panel makers. Read the full article here.
Digital Signage is a great up-selling tool for Pharmacies.
LCD Enclosure For Outdoor Digital Signage Protection tells us why pharmacies are investing in digital signage. According to the article, this is a brand of customer service where practitioner and patient interactive and occasionally it is of a confidential nature, now chemists are using electronic signage for two very distinct reasons. They will function on two fronts, firstly as an information system and secondly as an opportunity to up sell. When have you been to the doctors for vaccinations for a holiday and you need to purchase some Malaria tablets? The most convenient solution is to call on the pharmacy adjacent to the doctors or near by, to make the relevant purchases. Read Graham’s full article here.
Chimei Innolux recently started shipping LCD’s by air.
Sourced from Digitmes Display, Taiwan-based TFT-LCD panel maker Chimei Innolux (CMI) has recently started to shifting its LCD monitor assembly lines from Shenzhen, southern China, to Chongqing and Wuhan, western China, in line with Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) setting up production bases there, and the company has shipped some LCD monitors to clients by air because the move has caused delays in production and shipment schedules, according to Taiwan-based makers. Read the full article here.
Kiosks4business, the Reading based manufacture of innovative touchscreen products for public services, is pleased to announce the launch of their latest module for their Information Point kiosks.
Information point kiosks are touchscreen systems designed to be used in public spaces such as schools, hospitals, libraries and many others. The information points provide safe and secure access to a range of services designed to assist and provide guidance for parents and youth on issues such as jobs, education and training, drugs and health and much more.
JFK International gets a new digital signage advertising toy, an 8ft by 12ft interactive video wall.
Dave Weinfeld of Digital Signage Insights poses this question: "What do you get when you combine one of the largest technology companies in the world with an alternative out-of-home agency whose installations push the boundaries of technological creativity? Thanks to a collaboration between IBM, Ogilvy & Mather, and Monster Media, the preceding question has been answered in the form of an interactive video wall that measures 8 feet high and 12 feet long. Monster Media, like its leading competitor Inwindow Outdoor, fall into what I like to call the "One Up Category," While I'm sure that each company aims to one up the other, the moniker is primarily based on each organization's continued push to one up itself. Rarely are two Monster Media installations ever alike." Read Daves full article here.
Samar Techologies introduces new all-in-one ad displays.
The LED powered panel offers low power consumption, a longer life cycle and contains no lead or mercury for less impact to the environment. These reliable products are designed to run 24/7. Content loading is user friendly and can be uploaded by SD card, thumb drive or through a network. Customized designs including private labeling and logos will be offered upon request. All of these features will be available at excellent pricing with discounts offered for volume purchases. Read the full press release here.
Virtual receptionist kiosks and virtual queuing.
Kiosks4Business, this week, offers an article about the benefits of a virtual receptionist.
For visitors to make an appointment via the kiosk, the visitor need only send the kiosk a SMS text message containing the date, the member of staffs name and the requested time for the appointment. The kiosk sends a return SMS text message either confirming the appointment or explaining that this appointment is taken and suggests some other possible appointments. The queuing system is updated in real time, so appointments can also be added manually avoiding already taken appointments. Read the full article here.
Runco releases WindowWall, their modular, LCD-based display wall system.
The Runco WindowWall extends imaginative options in a room’s design and it offers a gamut of applications, from digital ambience to home entertainment, to sophisticated home office applications, such as video conferencing. The WindowWall can also become a virtual window changing the mood for any room by displaying snow falling on the mountains or the view of Manhattan from a skyscraper. Perfect for sports enthusiasts, the WindowWall can become an enormous screen showing a game or multiple games at once. Read the full article here.
Delphi Display System's outdoor digital signage.
Delphi designs and manufactures digital displays that sit atop gas pump dispensers or are installed to one of the posts in the forecourt area. Content is ultimately determined by the customer and can range from advertising national brands, promoting products in the adjacent convenience store, or showing local news, weather and traffic. Read the full article here.
Waiting room kiosks are interactive touch screen self-service kiosks with waiting room and virtual reception software. The waiting room kiosk can be used in any waiting area, and the applications can be changed to suit the needs of an individual waiting room. With a Kiosk operating your waiting area, you will find that the visitors will experience less time in the waiting room due to more efficient management. Not only can the kiosk manage the waiting room, but it is also multifunctional being able to also provide information to the visitors and when not in use it behaves as a digital sign.
Managing the waiting room.
When a visitor arrives they go to the kiosk to notify their arrival. The kiosks might then ask them to take a seat, or let them know where to hang their coat, or direct them to where they can get themselves a drink.
The IMS Entertainment group provides entertainment and communications solutions for the air and ground transportation industries--serving planes, trains and automobiles as the market leader in portable entertainment, wireless communications and content management services. IMS has one of the largest and most compelling customer bases of 20+ airline customers around the globe and growing, including continued follow-on orders from current, happy airline customers.
In very simple terms Telehealth is the delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunications technologies. Such telecommunications technologies as kiosk, internet or website, SMS text messages, television or radio. Telehealth offers the health and medical professions a means to make health information available to a wider audience on a range of telecommunication media devices.
Beaverton, OR – June 3, 2010 – Runco®, the leading brand in luxury video solutions, has announced the addition of two new flat panel outdoor LCD displays to its Climate Portfolio™ weatherproof series: the CP-42HD and CP-52HD. Both HD displays offer legendary Runco video performance housed inside a sleek, weatherproof cabinet that is finished with the same clean, elegant look and style that distinguishes all Runco flat panels, with optional Runco ColourPalette™ custom finish options. Installation possibilities are only limited by the imagination as the Climate Portfolio series makes a great addition to any outdoor space, enhancing the outdoor living room, outdoor kitchen, backyard pool, tennis court or other outdoor living space.
Runco’s Climate Portfolio CP-42HD and CP-52HD are full-high-definition widescreen flat panel displays that utilize Runco’s advanced LCD technology in an enclosure designed to withstand the elements. The 42- and 52-inch displays have native 1080p resolution and integrate reflection-rejection glass for easy viewing outdoors. Offering exceptional video quality, features, flexibility and connectivity to achieve the ultimate custom outdoor viewing experience, both flat panel displays feature an amazing 176-degree viewing angle, making it easy for a large number of viewers with widely dispersed seating positions to enjoy the display in an outdoor living space.
Delphi Display Systems is the Leading Manufacturer of Outdoor LCD-Based Display Systems for digital signage applications. Applications include Drive-thru Order Confirmation Systems, Outdoor Digital Merchandising Solutions, and Gas Pump Top Video Display Systems. The Company provides turnkey site preparation and installation services nationwide and 24/7 customer service.
The Runco WindowWall extends imaginative options in a room’s design and it offers a gamut of applications, from digital ambience to home entertainment, to sophisticated home office applications, such as video conferencing. The WindowWall can also become a virtual window changing the mood for any room by displaying snow falling on the mountains or the view of Manhattan from a skyscraper. Perfect for sports enthusiasts, the WindowWall can become an enormous screen showing a game or multiple games at once. As a digital display system, the Runco WindowWall can easily be used for any application at any given time. When combined with a home automation system and architectural speakers, an enormous array of lifestyle options are enabled. With the WindowWall, Runco authorized dealers can expand their business beyond the traditional home theater setting.
Their services and solutions are designed around you and your needs.
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To meet the increasing demand for LED backlighting in the industrial LCD market, Optrex America, Inc., has developed one of the broadest lines in the industry of TFT LCDs with white LED backlights.
These displays feature longer lifetimes (an average of 60,000 hours), with front of screen brightness levels ranging from 400 cd/m2 to 700 cd/m2 for indoor use and 800 cd/m2 to 1500 cd/m2 for outdoor applications. Additional features include wide viewing angles up to 160º, high contrast ratios up to 1000:1, and wide operating and storage temperature ranges. Available display sizes include 2.0”, 3.0”, 3.5”, 4.3”, 5.0”, 5.7”, 6.5”, 8.4”, 10.4”, 12.1” and 15.0” diagonal, with a variety of resolutions to choose from.
Updated on Thursday, October 7, 2010 by
Kiosks4Business
Virtual reception kiosks are computer terminals which allow a reception to be unmanned whilst still fully operational. The virtual reception kiosk can receive your visitors, answer telephone calls and manage the reception area. The obvious benefits of having a virtual reception kiosk to maintain your reception area is that it is highly cost effective whilst providing a great customer service.
How a Virtual Reception Kiosk works
The kiosk running the virtual reception software needs to be located in an area that the visitor will walk by and notice the kiosk. This might be the foyer of your office block or in an obvious corner of the waiting or reception area. The kiosk will display a page inviting the new visitor to use it. The kiosk provides a friendly and professional virtual receptionist service which gives your business a professional persona.
King Jim, a Japanse stationary maker, launches Pitrec, a new hand held for digitizing business cards.
Sourced from CrunchGear, "the Pitrec isn’t cheap ($310 isn’t really a bargain for a single purpose device), but it looks quite useful. All that users need to do is to put the card into a slot that’s running along the side of the device and press the shutter button to take a quick snap. The data is then stored on microSD (16GB are enough for about 10,000 cards). King Jim says OCR makes sure the Pitrec detects details such as name and title of the contact, company name, phone number etc. All contacts can be listed up in a specific order, starred, tagged, and viewed on the Pitrec’s 3.5-inch TFT screen (400×240 resolution)." Read the full article here, at Crunchgear.
Looking for the best time to install a digital signage package? How about right from the start.
DigitalSignageBlog delivers 5 good reasons why renovating your retail space is the best time to implement digital signage. There first case being, cost savings for running cables and power. If planned correctly then during the electrical fitout, you can install and run cables (this includes audio, video, and data) to the various screens locations before the walls are put up. Trust me, it’s must cheaper than having to install these at a later stage. Read the other reasons here.
Samar Technologies Announces Upgraded All-in-one Ad Display product line in 7” to 15” sizes available in July 2010.
The LED powered panel offers low power consumption, a longer life cycle and contains no lead or mercury for less impact to the environment. These reliable products are designed to run 24/7. Content loading is user friendly and can be uploaded by SD card, thumb drive or through a network. Customized designs including private labeling and logos will be offered upon request. All of these features will be available at excellent pricing with discounts offered for volume purchases. Read the full press release here.
A useful comparison between LED and CCFL technologies.
The brains at General Digital serve up a great article about the distinctions between these two technologies. While each technology has its own distinct advantages, LED backlit displays tend to be superior to CCFL displays in terms of longevity (50,000 hours minimum), much greater resistance against shock and vibration, reduced power consumption, brighter intensity and precise control of the intensity, among several other attributes. Due to their solid-state design, they do not require an inverter as they typically require only 5 Vdc of power to operate, though they can be configured to run with 12 Vdc. Read the full analysis here.