News

StrandVision Digital Signage adds auto DVD/looping-video playback to media players

May 13, 2014

StrandVision Digital Signage today introduced a new, integrated DVD and USB thumb drive video and digital media content playback capability for its electronic signage networks using StrandVision Linux digital signage players. DVD and local video playback enables subscribers to mix DVD or flash drive-sourced local programming on demand with StrandVision's cloud-based digital signage service, the company said.

This capability is attractive to hoteliers (especially convention hotels) who have their digital signage connected to their in-room cable network head ends, the announcement said. They can rent out the video playback capability for cable and public area viewing for special promotions ranging from short advertisements to longer promotional videos. It is offers a way to use an existing employee digital signage network for training and broadcasts of company-wide announcements. This new free digital signage service supplements StrandVision's cloud-based video services that are available with many of its subscription packages.

StrandVision remotely installs the free digital signage software add-on upon request to enable StrandVision's Linux digital media player to automatically suspend normal digital signage playback when the external video is playing and automatically resume the normal digital signage content playback upon completion. After the remote install, subscribers simply connect their own external flash drive or DVD drive to the player via the USB input.

"This is a powerful and profitable add-on to many of our customers' electronic signage networks," StrandVision founder and CEO Mike Strand said in the announcement. "Several of our hospitality, health care and manufacturing customers are connecting DVD drives to their players so they are ready to stream paid promotions to public areas and feed the cable head ends. They're finding it especially useful for conventions. We anticipate equal enthusiasm from our employee communications customers and we expect uses that we haven’t even thought of in many of the other industries we work with."

The DVD playback capability is available immediately with no additional subscription or installation charge. Subscribers must have a StrandVision Linux digital media player, provide their own external DVD or flash drive and contact StrandVision for installation of the interface software, according to the announcement.