If you like your ‘integrated systems’ you were no doubt at ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) 2013 in the lovely city of Amsterdam last week, maybe in person joining the other 44,151 attendees or getting involved online via social media.
ISE is apparently the world’s best-attended tradeshow for the professional AV and electronic systems industry, so it will come as no surprise that Westbase Technology was there along with our SaaS (software as a service) partner Signagelive to launch the new IAdea range of digital signage products.
IAdea, are the market leaders in digital signage technology and were the first to introduce HTML5 based media players and signboards. So what would 2013 bring at ISE? Not one, two or three…but SEVEN new and exciting digital signage products:
three new media players (XMP-2200 / XMP-2300 / XMP-2400);
three new 10-inch digital signboards (XDS-1060 / XDS-1062 / XDS-1068);
the world’s first open pluggable specification (OPS) player (XOP-2300).
The show stealer from the new IAdea range was definitely the XDS-1068, a 10” digital signboard at the top of their range.
It features a multi-touch panel for audience interaction and embedded webcamera for motion sensing. It operates via PoE (power over ethernet) making it flexible for deployment in different situations. Its enhanced display resolution and viewing angle make it robust for delivering targeted and personalised content in all sectors and industries.
So have you noticed that the Signs are all around us? Well you probably don’t notice how much digital signage is integrated into daily life now.
For example, just think about that walk through a shopping centre. Many of those retailers are using digital signage to entice you to purchase their latest goods or telling you about the latest promotion using flash graphics and videos.
You probably didn’t even recognise that it was a digital signboard with multiple food and drink choices in that restaurant last week or when you were choosing your popcorn when you went to the cinema to see The Hobbit before Christmas.
Now that we all know what Richard III looks like after his skeleton was found under a council car park in Leicester (it’s true, I swear), once that story is enshrined in a local museum there will no doubt be some multimedia interface to explain its historical significance, most likely using a digital signage product.
To sum it up digital signage enables targeted communications across a diverse range of applications…and it works:
It works at engaging audiences;
It works across industries and sectors;
It works with different fixed and cellular technologies;
It works in delivering a clear return on investment.
Of course, the reason we stock and distribute the range of IAdea products is the fact that they are always looking at the future trends in the digital signage industry. For us at Westbase, this is as natural as wanting to adopt 4G (which by the way works very nicely with digital signage). Some of those future shifts are focussed on:
1) Compact and user related signage installations – reaching out to a targeted audience with more dedicated applications, ideally positioned on the shelf or at eye or user level actively capturing more viewers.
2) Personalised approach with multiple content platforms – understanding the audience and what they want, making sure that the messages are specific to them will create a unique customer experience with multiple content options.
3) Embracing new technologies and user interaction – creating an experience and engaging people on their terms, using mobile technologies and smart apps to expand the interface beyond the digital screen.
Systems integrators and resellers alike won’t have long to wait to embrace this future. In March/April 2013 the new XDS-1068 will become available. However, if you want to capture the moment now then just take a look at the features of the XDS-1062 (a 10” digital signboard with integrated infrared for motion sensing and PoE with buttons interface).
We loved our little jaunt to Amsterdam and it was a welcome break from all that snow beforehand, a big thanks to Signagelive for all their hospitality at ISE and we are already looking forward to what ISE 2014 will bring!
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