Set Up a Digital Signage Display

Set Up a Digital Signage Display

Set Up a Digital Signage Display : Multi-thousand tips to make your life easier.

Stores nowadays usually conform to modern norms. Traditional store signage displays are out, and digital signage displays are in. Setting up a digital signage display will require some know-how in setting up large-screen video monitors, which display relevant messages, advertisements, or store names. These can be animated displays, slideshows, or even videos. The important thing is that the digital signage display can convey the message that you want your intended customers—or even the business’ employees—to receive.

A digital signage display can be as simple as a big LCD monitor with a computer, or you can split the signal from one source into multiple displays so that you can provide displays to multiple locations in your building, store, or office.

• Look for the best places to install monitors. These can be wall mounted or set up as kiosks. For best results, go for high-traffic areas in your building. These include entrances and lobbies in malls and retail establishments. For office buildings, these include canteens, hallways, or any place where people converge. If you are installing a digital signage display at an exterior location, consider main avenues or exteriors of buildings for maximum visibility.
• Choose and mount your monitors. Go for big monitors for the biggest display possible. For interior displays, you can choose 42-inch flat LCD panel displays or television sets. These can be easily mounted on a wall for best positioning. Most LCD displays have standard brackets that can be used for bolting onto the wall. You can choose to mount your LCD display horizontally or vertically, depending on the need.
• Connect the display. Use the proper interface for connecting the monitor or television set to the source. If the source will be a computer, you can use a standard VGA cable, or, if the computer supports it, DVI or even HDMI for output. You might have to use long cables if you will be locating several displays but only sourcing the image from one computer. For this purpose, you will need to split the signal, but you also need a signal amplifier, as there will be loss when the signal is split and conveyed over long distances.

  However, if you will be setting up kiosk-type displays, you can set up each kiosk with a computer of its own.

• Choose your control software. Digital signage will require control software running on the host computer or computers so that the display will run even without user intervention. This can be something as simple as Microsoft’s PowerPoint or Apple’s Keynote. However, you can also go for specialized software like Scala or Navori.
• Create the presentation. This will involve images and slides, in which you can combine pictures, text, and even video. Make sure the slides are easy to read and memorable. These should also be easy to understand. Remember that your audience will only have a few seconds to view and read your visual presentation, so make sure it’s memorable and sticky.

Some applications might require interactivity, such as keypresses from the intended audience. For this purpose, you can also use touchscreen devices, like the Apple iPad, with a special casing like the iBracket, so that the user cannot access the “home” button. For this purpose, specialized applications also exist, such as the My Kiosk application, available from the Apple App Store.