News

I-O Corp. intros DIY digital signage solution

January 26, 2011

I-O Corp. recently announced the launch of a DIY (do-it-yourself) digital signage solution aimed at providing an inexpensive option for budget-strapped schools, churches, retail locations and small businesses.

The DIY digital signage method allows organizations to use existing IT components and infrastructure to transmit digital signage signals from a single PC to dozens of monitors and screens throughout a building, the company said. The key to the DIY method is via I-O Corp.'s oCAT56 transmitters and receivers.

"Digital Signage does not need to be a budget-busting project," I-O Corporation President Matt Brady said in the announcement. "We are seeing very effective digital signage solutions that consist of dozens of signage screens receiving their content via CAT5/5e/6 cable from a single PC running even a simple power-point presentation."

In educational settings, schools can offset the content creation costs by using students enrolled in multimedia and graphic design courses, the company said. Once installed, this can reduce the operating costs of a signage system to near zero.

Higher education institutions are also benefitting from the oCAT56 transmitters and receivers.

"At Illinois Central College, we needed a signage solution for our Corporate and Community Education facility," said Kenneth Burton, coordinator of Telecommunications and Media Services. "We had only limited connectivity to our monitor locations so we required something scalable, capable and easy to use, yet delivered over a single CAT 6 cable. The oCAT56 boxes have been great. Simple installation and operation is exactly what we got, while retaining a crisp, high quality image. I especially like the receiver's dual output function which saves on the need for additional boxes. I-O Corporation was also very helpful in tailoring a solution that fit our immediate need, but it allows us to grow when we're ready."

I-O's solution simplifies digital signage infrastructure by connecting a single player (or PC) to the oCAT56 6-port Transmitter, and then using CAT5/5e/6 cable, distribute the video and audio to the oCAT56 daisy-chainable receivers, the company said.

According to I-O Corp., the most significant benefits of the I-O oCAT56 receivers include:

• Two-Screen support. This allows two screens to be placed back-to-back in a hallway.
• Splitting of signals. Using the two RJ45 jacks to continue extending video and audio signals can reduce the number of cable runs from the source.
• Skew Corrections. Because the length of each twisted wire pair within a CAT5/5e/6 cable is different, each receiver can adjust the Red, Green. Blue, Focus, and Brightness of each signal – resulting in a crystal clear signal.