Re-formatable digital signage software
February 25, 2007
A recent progress in dedicated (non-PC) digital signage technology is the removal of operating system and media player software from the hard disk drive (HDD) and store in on-board flash memory only. The change drastically lowers total cost of ownership (TCO) for digital signage networks.
Traditional digital signage solutions require storing most of the software on either the HDD or DOM (disk-on-module, or flash disk drives) shared with storage of media files. Since the media files are accessed 24×7 non-stop at duty cycles often exceeding their MTBF specs, the HDDs and DOMs are especially prone to physically failed sectors. Once this happens, the traditional technology requires a field visit by the support personnel to manually re-format the storage and re-install the software. This has been true for all Windows- and Linux-based digital signage systems.
The new technology, announced by IAdea Corporation as a feature of the Adfotain Foundations digital signage operating system, detects such conditions and moves necessary software components on the HDD into on-board flash ROM before it re-formats the HDD, all without human intervention. Once the HDD is repaired, software is automatically restored to make the system functional again. The entire process is done by server-side software without requiring any field visits, thereby saving a great deal of service costs.
On average, a network of 200 nodes incurs an average of one physical HDD failure per month. The new technology saves on-average $36,000 in field service costs for a network of such size. The technology effectively saves $1,800 per screen per year in maintenance costs.
Companies including digiSignage, IAdea Corporation, Digital View and Advantech are making the new technology available in their upcoming digital signage product lines powered by the Adfotain Foundations operating system.
This is Part II of the Categorization for Digital Signage Endpoint Devices article.
Non-PC / MPEG-2
Most non-PC products support MPEG-1/MPEG-2 decoding from a CompactFlash (CF) memory card. A 1 GB memory card stores approximately 30 minutes of MPEG-2 video. These are the simplest form of a digital signage media player available today.
Non-PC / MPEG-4
More advanced non-PC products support MPEG-4/DivX. These have an advantage over the MPEG-2 players in that MPEG-4 files occupy less storage space. A 1 GB memory card usually supports 60 minutes of MPEG-4 video. These are also low cost, but extensive “sneaker net” delivery cost may occur.
Non-PC / Set-top Box
Sometimes called “IPTV” solutions, these are low cost consumer set-top boxes that are used to deliver cable TV to home. They often support MPEG-2 video streaming via Internet without using a local CF card. The benefit of a set-top box is that it solves the problem of relying on the sneaker net. The downside is that most set-top boxes require a live Internet connection with large bandwidth (4 to 8Mbps per channel) to the media server to stream media files, and creates a large server bandwidth requirement that results in great connectivity costs.
Non-PC / Interactive
Some non-PC solutions also support interactive control (touch screen, bar code scanner, etc.) in addition to video playback. They support a restrictive form of kiosk application yet provide superior reliability to PC-based solutions.
Non-PC / HD (High Definition)
The more advanced non-PC solutions support the playback of HD contents and often in multiple zones. These devices perform very closely to PC-based solutions while continue to provide simplicity and reliability. These devices are also usually network controlled by a management software.
The Digital Signage Technologist 