Digital signage is no stranger to improvement since it’s introduction in the early 1990’s and has branched out to improve markets throughout the industry.
One of the most important factors for businesses using digital signage is choosing the correct digital signage player to meet your needs. Thankfully, whether you need just one screen, an interactive kiosk, or even a video wall, there is a signage player that will fit your requirements.
In the article below, I’ll go over some of the components of a digital signage player and what aspects of digital signage they affect.
Single or Multi-Screen
When you’re first deciding on digital signage, you’ll need to consider just how many screens your business needs. For some businesses, you might only need one. This is most prevalent in break-rooms for employees or a waiting room.
Sometimes however, you’ll need to be able to display content over multiple screens.
For multi-screen digital signage, you’ll need to do research into the media player you purchase to ensure that it can handle the amount of screens you’ll need to use.
Security
Just like any computer, a digital signage player runs on an operating system. This means that they also can fall victim to a cyber attack.
The two avenues that your digital signage can be attacked is either physically or through the internet.
The physical access depends on the location of your signage player. If it’s kept in an easy to access location, then just about anyone will be able to plug directly into the player and mess with your content.
Hackers can also access a digital signage player through a wireless network. If a hacker can get through a firewall and password, it’s important to know your content is safe. A secure operating system that updates regularly is integral to keeping your content safe.
Screen Layout
In digital signage, the content you display can be split up. This essentially means that you can have one half of the screen as a video and the other half as a google slides. These sections are called “zones” and are an essential component of what you can customize in your digital signage.
Some digital signage players can only handle one or two zones while some high-end ones can support even twenty.
Knowing just how many zones you’ll need for your business is imperative. Getting too many or too little will affect your ROI and can negatively impact your investment.
Open Platform
Just like how some cell phones can only be used with certain providers, there are digital signage players that can only run one software. This can cause problems in the future in case the software you use isn’t suitable to your needs and you’ll have to purchase a whole new digital media player.
With an open platform player though, you’ll be able to switch and adjust your software to the needs of your company. This will allow you to use low grade software to start off with and then upgrade to a more advanced software as your needs arise.