Blog-Powered Digital Signage
One of the hottest communication tools around the University these days is digital signage. While digital signage may range in size, cost, and complexity from a single LCD panel to multiple syncronized LCD or plasma panels, all flavors need content and a means to manage that content.
We spent a bit of time in the Brown Science and Engineering Library trying to decide on the best method for keeping the content on our single 32-inch LCD panel regularly updated. We identified a few key characteristics to focus on:
- Dynamic content: Content should be refreshed regularly to keep the viewers interested.
- Simple administration tools: Any content that is going to be updated frequently needs a simple means for inputting and editing so it doesn’t become a burden on the people managing it.
- Consistent and coherent design: Despite the constantly changing content, the presentation should maintain a consistent appearance and brand.
Our solution for managing our digital signage content?… a WordPress blog.
These days, many blogs are offered as free hosted services or as a free downloadable application that you set up and run on your own server. Either one will suffice for this implementation, but setting up your own blog app allows a lot of extra flexibility in layout and styling. The really neat part of this is that you can customize it all and basically treat it like a CMS rather than a blog. That’s exactly what we did with WordPress.
We chose to add a few plug-ins to our WordPress backend to automatically update and rotate content—LibraryThing to display new book lists for our library and Feedo Style to run a constantly cycling RSS feed display. Both plug-ins were free and easy to put together. Once the blog was designed and running, all we had to do was point the display panel’s Opera browser to the blog page (Opera was chosen for its borderless full-screen view).
This blog-based system allows us to manage the overall look and feel while letting somebody else, who doesn’t need to know anything about web programming, handle the content. This setup also saved the library a truckload of money since comparative apps designed for digital signage installations often cost upwards of $1,000 and require rather substantial associated hardware purchases. Our approach provides a very comparable product with very little or no cost and minimal programming effort.
Please stop by the Brown Science and Engineering Library during business hours and see our blog-powered display in action at the main desk.
Wow - very creative. We are a University in Texas using Webpavement’s Lite solution. You can still manage content using the wordpress (which is something we’re now going to consider), but the wordpress URL would simply be a single file in the playlist. You can add PPT, Flash etc to the playlist loop. Their Lite product is reasonably priced and have a free 30-day trial. Thanks for the post.
Our company (C-Scape) makes software for proprietary LED Based Displays and we do a fair amount of business with Universities. We often get asked if we offer software to control LCD/Plasma based Signage; We do not at this time and we are torn between reselling someone else’s software or developing our own… Then after doing some research and seeing the “Blog-Powered Digital Signage” entry, a third idea popped into my head; Why not see if any of the universities with home-brew solutions would be interested in working together to create a solution for the Educational Market?
What the benefits to everyone?
1) Educational facilities would have free use of robust and hopefully feature-rich digital signage software
2) Corporate users would have free use of the software or license it… really a question for the committee that oversees the project and those that contribute to it… Perhaps a not-for-profit organization is formed and profits from the system are re-invested or returned to the educational community somehow?
3) Third parties (such as C-Scape) would be able to provide Universities with a solution for their LCD/Plasma Digital Signage - Much like the Postgresql Database Model, we would sell services to users of the system. For example, we could assist with setup, screen/template programming, etc — the software would be provided free of charge and the Universities IT department would be more than welcome to take on ownership of the entire project themselves.
There are many aspect of the project I envision including:
1) A completely open-source based solution (e.g. Linux Based)
2) Client/Server based with support for balun based systems
3) Web Browser Interface
4) Ability to control Groups of signs
5) Ability to monitor “health” of system components (e.g. Clients, Servers, Applications, etc)
6) Feature-Rich incorporating best features of Scala, Wirespring, Omnivex, ReflectSystems, Symon, Visix, …
Of course, there is a lot to be fleshed out by the controlling committee.
Where I can download the same wordpress theme? Help my please!!!
We used a derivative of the “Vistered little” theme.
Your wordpress theme does look quite good. I was thinking about it for my mobile phone blog that im about to setup. Where do you get it ?
This some impressive stuff. The university of Amsterdam (uva.nl) is currently doing research on this field. You might want to check them out.
What’s the url for any information about U of Amsterdam’s research, or who is doing it there?
Thanks.
Wow - very creative. We are a University in Texas using Webpavement’s Lite solution. You can still manage content using the wordpress (which is something we’re now going to consider), but the wordpress URL would simply be a single file in the playlist. You can add PPT, Flash etc to the playlist loop. Their Lite product is reasonably priced and have a free 30-day trial. Thanks for the post.
Did you know that there’s free digital signage software now available that can be simply downloaded from the internet?
It’s a world first, and has been reviewed independently. Google search “digital recall”.
Operates on your existing internet or LAN, with comprehensive user-manuals provided. You use your won equipment.
It’s already used by quite a few schools & universities world wide.
Why pay?
http://www.digitalrecall.com.au
Big thanks for the article.
Hi, this my frist comment in your fantastic blog!
Compliments, very nice and creative solution. Thanks for the post, but I have some problems to download.
Regards,
Michele
Hi Michele.
I’m not sure if your comment was for me at Digital Recall. If it was, I suggest you go to our website and go to the “Need Help?” section on the Home page.
Send us an email specifying what help you need.
Remember to carefully follow the Manuals & look at the FAQ’s.
Regards,
Michael
treat it like a CMS rather than a blog?
good text thank you
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Hi Michele.
I’m not sure if your comment was for me at Digital Recall
Very informative, very good… - sincerely, phim online. have fun guys/gals.
Fantastic wordpress template, but back onto the subject of digital signage, there are a few companies who supply free digital signage software with no limitations, just search google for “free digital signage software”.
Graham Gallagher
I love Wordpress but I see the trend online is Flash. Most of the big companies have Flash websites. One question since there are so many experienced people here. How do you create user and password protected pages in WORDPRESS.
THANKS A LOT
DAN
Great work! I really enjoyed this article! Hope to read more from you soon!
Thanks for your artcile. Please keep it up!
as us old fogies fade out the newer kids are going to use this type of technology and nothing more.
I love Wordpress as well. It is one of the best ways to get you digital signage out on the web.
Thanks for the article.
By: Asset Management
yeah..!! thanks for the articles..!
good work my friend.. hope someday u`ll publish another good than this
are you willing to visit my blog?
I also used wordpress for bloging and article writing.
Nice post .
Article Directory
That LibraryThing plug-in sounds really interesting! Where can I find more useful plug-ins like that?
Canlı dizi izle
thank you Thanks for the article.
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el delirio Excepcional
I enjoyed this article. Nice new feature with fedostyle that i didn’t know.
Wordpress is my choice also, has a tone of plugins to customize it to your need.