Article

Digital signage media players

It's a deceptively small, yet important piece of hardware. 

December 3, 2007

Digital signage media players are not to be confused with software media players, like Windows Media Player or Real Player that come loaded on your PC — rather, they are outboard hardware boxes. Media players for digital signage are the mechanisms that drive and support the content seen on the flat screens in retail stores, menu boards, billboards and other applications.

Media players are equipped with high-end video cards that store and run digital content. Although the concept for media player seems simple, they can differ greatly. For example, some may run on Linux while others run on XP or Microsoft Embedded operating systems. There also is a difference between solid-state players and those with rotating disk drives. Media players with rotating disk drives require the use of internal fans and must be used in ventilated areas. Consequently, they are considered by some in the industry to be less reliable than solid-state players with no moving parts.

When deciding on a media player to use in a digital signage deployment, Brad Fairman, vice president of AVI, says to ask "What will it do tomorrow?"

"Don't be afraid to ask questions about the media player's performance in the future," Fairman said. "The technology is always changing, so you want to make sure you have adequate performance to handle applications that may come around several years from now."

Second, Fairman says the end-user needs to be informed of the industry and should know what applications might arise in the future. From there he can make an educated investment in technology that will last.

"A lot of companies come into the game too early and only know that they want digital signage, but they still haven't decided how they want it to work for them yet," Fairman said.

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Another consideration many deployers face is how many media players should be present on their network. Let's consider a digital signage deployment at a retail clothing store. The store has several digital signs in the store windows and throughout the retailing area. This scenario has two possible solutions, both with advantages and disadvantages.

One option is to run all of the screens from one central computer containing one media player. In this instance, the media player would contain several video cards that would run different content onto the separate screens.

In this option, deployers only have to worry about the service, repair, maintenance and uptime of one computer and one motherboard. Many media players in this type of deployment have dual processors for extra power, extra RAM for faster performance and a large hard drive for storage space.

There is disadvantage to this strategy: there is one motherboard, one media player, one computer. This means that one problem with that unit can jeopardize the performance of the entire store's network. If the main PC happened to go down or freeze up, as PCs have a tendency to do, then all the digital signs on the network either will be stuck on one screen or have no image at all.

The second option is a solution to that problem, but is not perfect in and of itself. By having multiple computers with multiple media players, there are more points for failure but a better chance of uptime if one happens to go down. If a media player or PC freezes, other screens in the networks still are active. If the main digital sign goes down, content can be routed to the other screens so there is no real downtime where the customer cannot access the information.

Digital signage media players can run anywhere from $500 to $1,500 depending on the features needed in the application. According to Jason Cremins, chief executive of Remote Media, models that hover around $500 usually have SVGA and support MPEG4, Web, Flash and still image playback. Models in the $1,500 range typically provide full 1920x1080 HD video playback and support for live IPTV streaming.

Either way, the media player you choose for your network should be as custom-fit as possible to your unique digital signage application.

Make sure the media player supplier you choose offers an open format media player that will allow you not only sto play different types of media files, but have the option to use content from other companies in the future.

Jeff Cohen, national accounts executive at Chryron Corp., says that choosing the right media player is one of the most important steps in the process of setting up a digital signage network. "There are simple, low cost media players and complex, expensive ones," Cohen said. "But what will it take to keep your audience's attention? It's all about engagement."

Consider the aspects of your deployment and what content you intend to run on the player. Most customers utilize a repeating loop of content, in which case they don't really need a lot of space or bandwidth to be associated with the player.

If the player is intended to play more than just a repeating loop of content, you'll need more media player. That means more memory and more network bandwidth.

This story is excerpted from the free how-to guide "Digital Signage Hardware."