• March 8, 2013, Toronto, Canada. Adputer^™ Player Crystal with Next Generation Unit technology is available. The high-performance and low power Intel Core i3 Dual Core processor and HD4000 graphics supports multi-channel video mixer to display ads and contents in real-time. Included Windows 8 allows large touch screen for interactive digital signage.

• June 26, 2012, Toronto, Canada. Adputer^™ Center/Station that provides Live Digital Signage composition, publishing, and distribution was released today. Supported by Video Mixer and Flash Live Media Server, Adputer Center/Station, like a broadcast station, can mix multi-channel video and advertising in real-time, deliver live streaming HD video through broadband Internet, and display on remote Adputer Player/Streamer. Since the Management is in the central location, Adputer Live for Digital Signage can be easily integrated into the existing IT infrastructure of a corporation. Below is the diagram.

  

• March 16, 2012. Adputer Player HD Crystal is built on AMD's Dual-Core APU (CPU+GPU) with DirectX 11 capability. It can play Blu-ray class 1080p HD video with low power consumption in Windows 7. Its also support Dolby Surround Audio to generate Theata audio effects. Watching 1080p online video is smooth by 10x faster Gigabyte Ethernet and 4x faster SSD. Industry class steel case and long time capacitors support reliable digital applications.

• November 28, 2011. Adputer Station, targets education and interactive media market, builds in Intel Sandy Bridge Quad-Core i5 and 21" Touch Screen was released.

• February 11, 2011. Quad Core Adputer Player HD Sapphire is based on Intel's Core i5 Quad Core, the 2nd generation Core i processor with GPU integrated in one 32nm chip. It can display vivid Full HD 1080p video under Windows 7 and mix four videos in real-time. Flash 1080p video support is a plus.

  <=

• April 29, 2010, Markham, Ontario. Adputer^™ Player shows zone blending video for multiple screen in real-time composition. This is a simple application case of Augmented Reality (AR) for Digital Signage in advertising. Zone Blending of Adputer Player is well suitable for digital signage display on Super-Wide LCD, Christie's MicroTile Screen Wall, and ATI's Eyefinity Multiple Screen. Note: snapshot below is composited by zone blending with three photos in Adputer Player.[Ad Effects]

  

Digital Signage is a technology that replaces traditional printing signs by dynamic signs with LCD screens, Embedded Computer Systems, and Network. Adputer^™ Sign below is a computer system with a LCD display and a stand for Digital Signage Advertising.

1. Why use Digital Signage?

   The Digital Signage System can deliver vivid motion pictures and crystal clean pictures to capature consumers' attention instantly. In addition, advertising can be upgraded, distributed, and expressed effectively through Digital Signage Network.

   Digital Signage is suitable for any companies with a physical offices that can advertise their services and products on site. They can be

   • retail stores, grocery stores, shopping malls, and supermarkets
   • banks
   • resturants and bars
   • hotels, travel agences
   • tradeshows, museums, theaters, casinos, airports
   
   
   
   
   
   Click to play photo slideshow

   Cases of Digital Signage Applications:

   • McDonald's operator makes a splash with digital signage

     Operations manager Wayne Adamczyk who has managed McDonald's stores for more than 30 years, said he wanted to give the signs a Las Vegas feel, with lots of color and motion.

   • Sign of the times: digital signage industry by Laura Bogomolny

     Retailers should use Digital Signage as a strategic tool "to drive consumers into purchasing categories they weren't going to consider, like higher-margin private-label products." For example, Tim Hortons' use of 42-inch plasma screens to promote coffee-and-doughnut combos in the morning and lunch specials at noon.

2. Adputer^™ Solution for Digital Signage

   Adputer^™ Solution for Digital Signage is a HD Stream Media Network. The network can be connected through coax cable, ehternet, wifi, or 3G/4G wireless. The components of Adputer^™ Solution consist of Adputer^™ Player, Display, Network, and Station. Each Adputer Player is linked to a LCD screen.

   Adputer^™ Station works for management of programs, contents and devices, plus video processing and publishing. User can manage Adputer Players remotely. Adputer Station accepts media from multiple sources such as camera, TV, or files and generates attractive advertising video by mixer. Then the video is compressed, transcoded, and stored in media server for publishing. In the case of broadcasting, the stream media is going to be sent directly.

   
   
   Architecture Diagram of Adputer Solution for Digital Signage.
   

   Users can select various LCD Displays. Commercial monitors are expensive but have longer life. Consumer monitors like HDTV are economy. Users can install their LCD displays and Adputer Players on the back of displays with VESA mount.

   One benefit of Adputer Solution is that users can broadcasting their own High-Def contents and ads free without bandwidth charge in their own local area networks. Adputer Station acts as a local broadcasting station.

3. Digital Signage Design

   Unlike TV or web ads, Digital Signage Ads can bring rich visual effects to viewers. For example, Digital Signage focuses more on visual effects instead of sound. A Digital Signage System may have one or multiple large screens, animation text called ticker, and multiple seamless zones. Furthermore, it may have remote wireless or internet access and control.

   
   This picture was snapped from Adputer Player photoshow. Click to enlarge.

   The famous AIDA Formula in the advertising represents Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. Attention is the process of turning one's mind to a particular activity. Media illustration is to obtain interest of viewers. Desire fills a particular need. Action causes the viewer of ads to go ahead. Advertising elements in the Digital Signage are designed around the AIDA formula as well.

   Headline is to gain attention of viewers. It may include product or company name, command, question, superlative, and product advantages. Usually headline uses big font and animation texts.

   Illustration is to obtain interest of viewers. There are video, photograph, drawing, and sketch.

   Copy tries to change wants into needs. It creates desire to buy, look into, or pursue. It is the written part of the ads, explicit and implicit meanings of words.

   Signature leaves the information of who and where as well as product name, trademark, or company logo.