options for digital signage are screens. But industry experts concerns, especially since
out there. The latest technology say technology to address this digital-signage displays are usu-
will be on display to give you issue – to help quantify ef- ally mounted in public areas.”
ideas and a better picture of fectiveness of digital-signage
what is involved in creating suc- displays – is now available, and LeDs arrive
cessful digital signage.” there are likely to be technol- A major trend at the NAB
digital signage still is not ogy demonstrations in this area Show this year will be the
fully mature in the United at the NAB Show. growing use of LEd displays
States. This is largely because “Advertisers and others built specifically for digital
“there are so many components using digital signage want signage and rapidly replacing
involved when creating digital feedback on the effectiveness conventional display technolo-
signage, including LCd displays, of their messages, so a major gies in this application.
(media players), content-man- new trend is adding audience- “Customers have more
agement software, mounting measurement components to solutions available to them than
hardware, servers, network our digital-signage displays,” ever,” says Todd Stih, East-
connections, content creators says Alan Kaufman, president of ern Region sales manager for
and (the need for professional DynaScan Technology (Booth Mitsubishi Electric’s (Booth
installers),” says Wong. “With SL6724). “These involve cam- SL6510) diamond Vision Sys-
so many essential components, eras hidden inside the displays tems. “These solutions are in-
this makes getting into the with integrated software that creasingly tailored to the unique
digital-signage market chal- can identify and tally the number requirements of the digital-sig-
lenging and difficult.” of eyeballs that are actually nage market. LEd displays built
This room for growth is, trained on the screen.” specifically for digital signage,
potentially, a good thing for He adds that these audience- for example, do not suffer from
the digital-signage market in measurement systems are so the burn that is a concern with
the sense that it is one of the sophisticated, they can even other displays, and often can
precious few display categories differentiate the gender of the provide greater contrast ratios
that can reasonably hope for observers and keep track of for outdoor use.”
improved business prospects how much time they spend look- Mitsubishi Electric-diamond
in the United States in what ing at the display. Vision Systems will be one of
promises to be an economically “We have found the system is the companies illustrating what
challenging 2009. 70 percent to 80 percent reli- is possible in the category of
Still, regardless of how good able, so this will help the whole gigantic indoor LEd billboard
public messaging displays are, digital-signage industry create displays at the NAB Show.
their ultimate success is tied to a basis by which advertisers Attendees will get to see the
attracting and influencing an can track the amount of time company’s 140-in. display moni-
audience. A key element miss- people spend watching their tor, called the Resolia, which is
ing from the digital-signage ads,” Kaufman explains. “Since arriving at its first NAB Show
industry until now has been the the actual images of the viewers after debuting last summer.
ability to quantify the number of are never recorded, we are con- In terms of indoor LCd
people actually watching the fident there will be no privacy continued on page 54

Out-of-Home Media Mobile TV Show Highlights Content Production & Post Broadcast IPTV