[OPLINTECH] [OPLINLIST] Digital signage

[Jessica D. Dooley]

Hi Brenda,

We are using digital signage in each of our locations, mounted on walls or
shelves (depending on the venue), near or behind the circulation desk, where
patrons are most likely to pause and look. Each display is a Vizio TV, which
are not expensive, are perform well in high light environments. We've had
very positive comments from patrons, and a Friends organization sponsored
our most recently added digital sign.

Depending on your goals, different solutions may be the easiest to maintain.
Here are three solutions I've tried:

1. I tested the open source edition of Screenly on a Raspberry Pi model B.
It worked well, and was very easy to install and configure, but at the time
I tested it, I didn't like the display performance - there was a notable
(around 4-6 second) pause on a black screen between each slide of content.
(It may be possible to overcome this by tweaking the code, but I didn't want
to spend the time!) Subsequently, I've seen Screenly running on a very large
HDTV (at Lane Libraries Tech Center), and the pause between slides didn't
seem obnoxious. If you don't mind this pause, an RPi loaded with Screenly is
a light, inexpensive, web-manageable, classy solution. Content can include
videos, images, and webpages. You can buy all the parts needed for an RPi
for about $70. OS: Raspbian (Linux flavor for RPi). Screenly OSE limits
users to managing one display per instance of Screenly.
http://www.screenlyapp.com/ose.html 
2. Currently, we're running digital signs by using the built-in slideshow
feature of the displays, which are Vizio TV sets (various models). Plug in a
USB drive into the TV, loaded with jpg images of display content, and allow
the slideshow feature to display the images. The performance and quality are
very nice, even in high light areas. This is obviously extremely low
maintenance, and very user friendly. Content can include only jpg images.
The downside: each USB drive must be physically accessed and updated with
new images, any time you want to make a change. Cost: a TV that offers a
slideshow feature, and a USB drive. OS: the TV.
3. As soon as I have time, I'm planning to migrate to Xibo, an open source
display CMS that supports multiple displays and very precise content
scheduling. It's a server-client solution: install the server portion on a
computer, and the client portion on computers powering each display. The
displays, content, and scheduling are managed through a web interface. The
huge advantage: all your displays are managed from one CMS, and you can
pre-schedule content to be applied or removed. Content can include a huge
list of video, image, and web formats, including Flash and PowerPoint. This
solution looks extremely promising, but I've only had time to install and
test it briefly, so far. Cost: Xibo is free and open source, but you'll need
a computer for each display. If you have old, retired workstations on hand,
it's a good solution. OS: Windows, Linux. http://xibo.org.uk/ 

A find that's been a great timesaver for me is Canva, a free web app for
quickly designing digital or print media signage of any size, shape, and
content. It's extremely fast, and user friendly. I recommend it for almost
any sign-related need. The brief tutorials are helpful for understanding how
to use the tool efficiently. 

Good luck, and enjoy your signage project!

Jessica D. Dooley
IT Specialist
Adams County Public Library
937-587-2085


-----Original Message-----
From: oplinlist-bounces at lists.oplin.org
[mailto:oplinlist-bounces at lists.oplin.org] On Behalf Of Brenda
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 12:49 PM
To: oplinlist at lists.oplin.org
Subject: [OPLINLIST] Digital signage

Hello!
We are looking to possibly adding digital signage in the library to promote
programming, services, announcements, etc. For the libraries who already use
digital signage, what software are you using, is it user-friendly, number of
monitors you are using and what costs were involved? Actually any infor you
would like to share would be great!

Thanks, all!
Brenda

Brenda Crider
Director
Bucyrus Public Library
200 East Mansfield Street
Bucyrus, Ohio  44820
Phone:  419-562-7327, ext. 102
Fax:  419-562-7437



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