NEC Solutions Zone

In a highly competitive market, KFC relies on new technologies to stay ahead of the competition. Using NEC displays embedded with Raspberry Pi computing, Digital Menu Boards at the fast food chicken outlet react quickly to changing offers to satisfy its customers’ appetites.

NEC Display Solutions, m&r Kreativ and IT-Haus GmbH delivered a full-service solution to the fast food giant KFC.

In cooperation with the system house IT-Haus GmbH, professional large format displays from NEC were installed in the sales area comprising 48” MultiSync® P484 and 40” MultiSync® P404 models, with integrated Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3.

Thanks to an impressive brightness of 700 cd/m² and the screens’ anti-reflective coating, the range of food on offer is superbly presented, readable even in bright ambient conditions. The modern and slim design fits perfectly into the brand’s modern interior design. Brand recognition is also guaranteed as KFC’s iconic CI colours - white on bright red - are accurately reproduced.

KFC also decided to integrate digital menu boards in cooperation with the advertising agency, m&r Kreativ. „Unlike the analogue alternative, digital menu boards emphasise KFC‘s modern brand presence,“ Lisa Probst, the Head of IT at m&r Kreativ, says. „They enable a mix of flexible product presentation, infotainment and interaction with customers. KFC can provide its customers with better information and positively influence their purchasing patterns“.

„We are more than satisfied with the result. Even at the age of 50, KFC is a young, modern brand and should be perceived as such“ says Dr Thorsk Westphal, Chief Marketing Officer at Yum! Restaurants International, the parent company of KFC. „We now plan to replace all indoor posters gradually with digital options in order to become even more flexible“.

 

Delivery of six InfoBoxes with dual touch monitors 55” installed at Warsaw Chopin Airport devices are IB REACTA 2x55. They were made from epoxy laminate with dedicated software KIOSK BROWSER based on Digital Signage DINE platform.

DS DINE software is an application used for content presentation in client-server architecture. It is dedicated for systems based on large displays as well as touch screens (single and multi-touch), and monitors used in the InfoBoxes and Totems. It guarantees presentation and remote updates various content on multimedia mediums.

DS DINE allows preparation, projection and remote management of the content within respective modules
Specific information, advertisements and messages are directed to exact mediums, at precise time with content fitted to display’s location.

Infoboxes at Warsaw Chopin Airport are part of Platforma Lokalizacji Pasażerów system implemented by company INOVATICA. Our task included design, production and installation of the product. The challenge was not only the high demands for utility of Infoboxes, but also the logistics of the installation. InfoBox in the airport hall is not only functional and modern, but also very stable. Thanks to our project, the device can be also used by the disabled on the wheelchairs. Due to situation that InfoBoxes were not only installed in the land side, but also in the air side, work could be done only at night at the specific hours. Completion of the task confirmed design, production and installation high competences of our employees.

JohnRyan plans, delivers and manages large scale digital signage solutions for leading corporations. We specialize in digital signage for the retail bank branch and for internal employee communications.

We provide an enterprise level CMS and end-to-end skills and services that deliver World Class digital signage programs.  We provide complete support from planning though deployment and ongoing managament; we are essentially an extra member of your team. Our services are modular so you can simply pick and choose the services you need to ensure you have exactly the right level of service support. 

Our solutions are agnostic to media player and content distribution solution affording maximum flexibility and our solutions are designed to  meet the rigorous security requirements of retail banks.

We are differentiated by the exceptional level of upfront and ongoing support we provide our clients, and by our patented monitoring tools that keep our client’s screens from ever going dark. We take complex project requirements and transform these into tailored solutions at scale.

Waapiti, the most intuitive digital signage platform, integrated into the P and V series of NEC

The challenge: Jean Louis David hair salons sector had a problem of not having the flexibility and immediacy to change pricing and promotions in the windows.

The aim: to speed up and provide flexibility to Jean Louis David hair salons franchise when promoting their services in the windows, and attract customers, as well as generating cross-selling.

The solution: In this case, in San Fernando Jean Louis David’s franchise, the problem was solved through the implementation of 55” professional vertical screen in the windows that integrates Waapiti digital signage platform into Raspberry Pi Firmware.

The success: is achieved through a communication consulting service that comes from the Waapiti content department, as well as a customer support & technical maintenance team. The content design service and self-management of each hair salon provide a remarkable value for a franchise brand: adapting two campaign each year, creating templates and managing contents weekly. Projects like this one demonstrate that a digital signage service goes far beyond just equipment.

Advantages of Waapiti digital signage platform:

• SaaS platform cloud based

• Linux-based player software

• Total stability: local playback

• co-management & access from different user levels

• Management based on tags

• Dynamic content: smart playlists and HTML templates

• Triggered content

• Sensors integration

Waapiti’s Raspberry Pi firmware developed for digital signage is very advanced in terms of functionality and is a simple and clear way to offer a unique and complete solution of digital signage.

Advantages of working on a integrated hardware on the manufacturer’s display:

• Ease of installation and maintenance

• reduces amount of necessary cabling (power, connectivity, serial control)

About Waapiti - The Waapiti digital signage platform is integrated into the P and V series of NEC large format professional displays. The Waapiti platform has a good track record in the market: over 7 years running and more than 1,000 players installed. Also, being one of the first platforms to use the Raspberry Pi hardware has given Waapiti a lot of experience, which results in great stability in digital signage projects.

Put your customers into the driver’s seat and offer them to control what to see in those digital signage displays you use in your shop window.

Our StoreFrontControl unit can be easily installed and works out-of-the-box with any media player. It offers the user easy control over what is displayed on a display – be it flipping through a newspaper, choosing products from a portfolio or steering any other content.

StoreFrontControl works through single, double or even triple glassing (LowE glass) and installs itself as a HID keyboard through a USB connection. That way it works with any operating system (Windows, Linux, MacOS, Brightsign, Spinetix and many more) and any software platform like browser based content or specialised applications – the software just needs to react to keyboard commands.

Yodeck - Cloud Digital Signage on the Raspberry Pi

Who said that Digital Signage is just about the Display or the Player? Yodeck.com is a complete Digital Signage cloud service that powers thousands of screens around the world and used by big brands, such as Dominos, Pizza Hut, Delta and UPS.

What can you do with Yodeck?

• Manage what gets displayed on public screens, how, and when it gets displayed
• Show combined layouts of Videos/PPT, Images, YouTube, Web, Live Streams, RSS Tickers, Widgets
• Use the same Player for Digital Signage and In-Store Audio
• Super-Easy Central Management Dashboard
• One Yodeck Player Connected to Each Monitor
• Simple & Affordable Pricing: Monthly/Annual Fee per Monitor
• Innovative Features Coming Up

What is unique about Yodeck?

Yodeck combines three characteristics that, together, make it unique:

1. Designed for Low-Cost Player Hardware - currently works with:
   • NEC Vxx4 & Pxx4 series displays, or
   • external Raspberry Pi 3 Player we provide, ready to be used
   • any Raspberry Pi 1, 2, 3, Zero, Compute Module
   • playback is hardware-accelerated on all options, for smooth playback
2. Affordable service pricing - with remote support and software updates included
3. Easy but Powerful Management Dashboard - supports any kind of content you can think of, while still staying simple so that anyone can use it

Why is Yodeck better than others? 

• Unparallel Content Compatibility
  • Typical Media: Images (any format), Videos (any format), Web Sites and HTML ZIP files
  • Documents: PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel
  • Streams: YouTube, Ustream, HLS, UDP, RTP and more
  • Widgets: RSS Tickers (Scrolling Texts), clocks, Weather, and more
• Flexible & Easy Management
  • Intuitive Web User Interface, so that any User or Department (HR, Marketing, etc) can manage content
  • Mass-manage huge number of Media, with folders
  • Create Playlists, with instant transitions between all types of content
  • Define Shows (layouts), arranging Media/Playlists in a drag-and-drop screen layout editor
  • Schedule playback, with a calendar-like view
  • Easily manage thousands of screens using Tags
  • Sub-Playlists and Tag-based Playlists for handling large collections of Media
  • Proof-of-Play (Playback Reports)
• Enhanced Connectivity
  • Ethernet (embedded or USB), WiFi (embedded or USB), 3G/4G/LTE (USB)
  • HTTP Proxies, Web  Filtering Access List, DHCP/StaticIP, and any networking configuration required
  • Works over poor connections, can withstand total Internet outage of up to 30 days.
  • Video-Wall Support (using 1 Player per screen + 1 "Master" Player)
• Increased Security
  • Multiple Users with Permissions
  • Detailed Access Control with "Workspaces", ideal for multiple content managers across different locations
  • Two-Factor Authentication
  • Encrypted Digital Signatures for verifying scheduling authenticity
  • TLS for communication and content authenticity
  • Hardened Player software, Firewalled
  • Single-Sign On using SAML
  • IP Whitelisting for Users
  • Custom Password Policy
• Try Before You Buy
  • Accounts with 1 screen are completely free
  • Signup and evaluate before committing, to ensure product fit
  • Reach out and arrange a demo, no strings attached.

Who is using Yodeck and for what?

Yodeck is currently serving customers in the following industries:

• Menuboards - from small diners and cafes, incl. big brands like Dominos, Pizza Hut and McDonalds
• Internal Communications - companies of varying size and usage, incl. brands like Delta, Heineken and UPS
• Retail - businesses with physical store in a huge selection of retail industries, incl. brands like Flight Centre and American Express
• Dashboards / KPIs - display any kind of statistics and reports live on screens. incl. Brookhaven National Laboratory  that use Yodeck to display status and statistics from their NSLS II particle accelerator.
• Transportation - from train stations schedule screens, to airports like Perth Airport
• Hospitality - used in tens of Hotels, in reception screens, Hotel channels, even pay-per-view STBs
• Healthcare - clinics, vetinaries, dentists, and more
• Betting - Betting Operators for in-shop live streaming and data feeds
• Education - several school districts, private schools, universities, research labs
• Promotional - countless businesses promoting their own services and activities
• Ad Networks - partners building networks, selling display time

With thousands of customers and more than 120 Partners in 30+ countries around the world, Yodeck can help any business make the best out of their screens.

info-beamer hosted offers a full digital signage platform optimized specifically for the Raspberry Pi. It makes use of all available hardware features of the Pi to deliver perfectly smooth, completely predicable and reliable results. All controlled by a cloud dashboard. Key features include:

• Hardware accelerated playback of FullHD videos.
• Perfectly smooth animations with full hardware support.
• A powerful web dashboard to manage one or thousands of devices.
• Automatic security updates.
• Programmatic control using APIs for complete automation.
• A robust operating system with built-in self-healing.
• Various Video Wall options.

The platform makes it easy to create custom solutions for any use-case thanks to the complete API, documentation and open design: Easily integrate existing infrastructure like content management or point of sale systems. Once a digital signage solution is ready it can be easily and reliably deployed on any number of devices.

Please download the brochure to learn more about the challenges, the solution and the result of the installation @ Harry`s Restaurants.

Draco OPS+ KVM extender

The Draco OPS/OPS+ KVM extender simplifies the installation, operation and management of remote displays in retail signage, passenger information, medical and other applications.

A single module inserted into a standard OPS+ socket delivers HD and 4K video and digital audio connectivity, with full interactivity. Single wire connection – Cat X or fiber enables remote connection to displays up to 140 m / 10 km from the media source.

For hard-to-access and highly secure installations and for better system management the Draco OPS+ KVM extender delivers the ideal solution.

• High performance AV extension – Lossless video to 4K 60Hz, 4:4:4
• Single wire connection – Up to 140 m – 10 Km (Cat X and fiber)
• Safe, secure - Prevents eavesdropping and unauthorized access
• Flexible, instant switching – Matrix switchable, 8 – 576 ports
• Fully interactive – Instant USB 2.0, USB 3.0 data transfer
• Reliable - Built-in redundancy, hardware back-up
• Enhanced management – Monitoring and control of signage systems 
• Ideal for signage applications – Retail, public venues, transport, finance

Compatible 

The Draco OPS+ KVM extender is compatible with every display with an OPS+ slot. Backward compatibility with OPS displays..

Flexible, maintainable and reliable

Allows displays to be located anywhere, with single cable connection and no additional power or network cables..

Interactive

Maintains full interactivity for single/multi-touch and gesture displays.

Source switching: any source to any display 

A KVM matrix switch enables simple connection of any source, of any signal type to any display; ensuring the right content is seen on every screen, whenever it is needed and wherever it is. Through a convenient user control interface or bespoke controller.

Reliability and continuous operation 

By centrally locating source computers, system maintenance and up-time is improved. Controlled switching and enhanced monitoring from a central point raises confidence in the operational integrity of the display network. 

Security in Operation

KVM extenders greatly enhance security by restricting physical access and preventing electrical intrusion. With controlled access to computers and secured access rights, only authorized personnel can reach sensiti​ve and critical source devices.

Context-aware Retail Signage: Clas Ohlson - In the Clas Ohlson flagship store located in the recently opened Mall of Scandinavia in Stockholm, NEC teamed up with SMS/Smart Media Solutions, and Smartsign to create a new digitalized display solution that interacts with customers and shows commercial messages.

First, the screen was prepared with leafengine sensor technology and Smartsign software in the integrated computer - the Slot-in PC located on the back of the screen. Next, the screen was mounted in the custom made and stable stand, created by SMS/Smart Media Solutions. Two sensors were installed – one sensor senses if someone gets closer than one meter to the screen and the other one, a light-sensor, senses when the product is lifted from the shelf at the stand. The sensors were calibrated to be adapted to local light conditions. When the sensors are triggered, new messages appear on the screen. The stand integrates a professional NEC 40” display, leafengine sensor technology, two sensors and Smartsign software, along with the retail products from Kärcher and a product demonstration video. All in all, Clas Ohlson got a new integrated in-store display that engages with customers through a digital visual solution.

NEC leafengine - Making digital signage interactive with leafengine, a unified sensor - software connectivity that enables access to a broad catalogue of sensors, including gender and age classification, proximity detection, NFC, QR-Codes and many others.

At the University of West of Scotland (UWS), a new technology-rich reception area has been created at the entrance to the Paisley campus named as “The Atrium”

The centre-piece of which is a single monolith, digital display wall:

• comprising of 32 off NEC X463UN 46” video wall displays in an 8x4 array
• overall size of the whole combine display is approx. 8.36 x 2.48M

Control is provided by a PIPView BlackBIRD video wall controller:

• managing a digital canvas of 32 displays each @ 1920x1080
• total native resolution of 15,360 x 4,320 available
• input of 16 channels – with 12 of these at 4K with stereo audio

There is a further video wall which is located behind the reception desk, control again is via another PIPView BlackBIRD unit:

• this is in a 3x3 array with the same 46” video wall display units
• total native resolution is 5,760 x 3,240
• with 4 off 4K inputs

For ease of operation, the system uses pre-set layout templates, easily selectable from a touch panel in reception.

With both video walls; to maintain quality across the whole digital canvas from the various input sources, all screens are driven at native HD resolution with the ability to display any input, any size, in any position (PIP picture in picture).

Jim O’Donnell, CIO at UWS commented “the new display area is incredible, it has been a huge hit with our students and staff alike. The technology will allow students to share digital output, bringing to life a key element of our DREAM-BELIEVE-ACHIEVE focus”

Located in Glasgow, Scotland the installation was completed in Spring 2016

The new facility was officially opened by H.R.H. the Princess Royal during a visit to the Campus on 12th February.

BroadSign is the leading ad tech company providing secure and reliable automated digital signage software to media owners and operators across the globe. Enabling the effective management of dynamic content across complex global networks, BroadSign powers over 120,000 displays in venues such as airports, shopping malls, health clinics and cinemas.

BroadSign’s software suite includes BroadSign Core for content distribution, playback and proof of performance, BroadSign Serv Direct for sales inventory availability and proposal generation, and BroadSign Serv SSP for exposure to new buyers through a customized programmatic digital out-of-home solution.

Tiny Hardware, Huge Impact
It doesn't take much to set up a new Screenly display. Take a TV, add a cost effective, tiny Raspberry Pi and display full HD quality moving imagery, web content and static images in moments.

Manage a Media Empire from Home
Whether you have a single screen in your store, or a thousand screens nationwide, manage them all within a single powerful web interface.

Set and Forget
Store your assets in the Screenly cloud for reliable long term storage. We take care of video encoding and local caching.

Automatic Updates
Ensure optimal uptime for your displays through automatic security updates and Screenly's central software management.

Monitor the Health of your Displays
Check up on the status of your display nodes in Screenly's web interface, including node uptime and connectivity status and what's currently showing.

Fast Setup
Roll out a new display in just 4 steps. We've solved all the tricky technical problems for you so that you can focus on getting the best content in front of your audience today.

The TeamViewer Host for Raspberry Pi is a system service that allows for the unattended access of Raspberry Pi devices so that they can be maintained, controlled, or managed with theindustry-leading TeamViewer solution, familiar to millions of users around the world.

Benefits:

• Remote Proof of Play on the NEC display
• Remotely adapt device options and see changes in real time
• Transfer Files easily to your displays
• Remote Access from desktop, laptop and mobile
• Easy, Fast, Secure

HYDRAstor - Scale-out Grid Storage Platform

High Performance Capacity-optimized Storage for Long-term Data

Data utilized during daily business comes with the risk of exposed to hardware failures and disasters. To protect data from such risks and ensure business continuity, a secure data backup solution is necessary. In addition, and also from a compliance perspective, long-term data storage is a mandatory demand.

HYDRAstor is a scale-out grid storage platform built on top of a scalable back-end object storage with inline global deduplication, solving present and future challenges for long-term data.

Key Benefits of HYDRAstor:

• ONE Unified Platform
• Consolidates Multiple Applications
• Simplified IT Operations
• Investment Protection
• Cost Effective

Key Uses of HYDRAstor:

• Prevent disaster and loss of data
• Preserve data over long-term
• Align practices with regulations
• Reduce primary storage capacity and cost
• Optimize data access on secondary storage
• Boost global collaboration and data sharing