The other benefits of digital signage:
• It reduces printing and paper costs, as well as the waste created by disposing of
out-of-date posters and other static signage.
• You see the results of your efforts immediately—and you can correct mistakes on the fly.
No more unpleasant surprises when receiving collateral back from the printer.
• It's easy to integrate into existing networks with tools and products that enable you
leverage existing IT resources and legacy wiring.
• It's easy to implement with more out-of-the-box solutions technologies that use
easy-to-handle CAT5 wiring, as well as converters and adapters for mixing and matching cabling
types.
• It's easy to expand using newer, modular audio/video cabling systems and multiport
expansion hubs and switches.
• It's getting more affordable as equipment prices fall, more suppliers enter the
marketplace, and more experienced integrators do the work, particularly as as the market for
digital signage grows (possibly as high as $2 billion by 2010).
• You no longer need to convert existing media. Newer content management tools support a
variety of imaging and video file formats (Windows® Media, Apple® QuickTime®,
RealNetworks®, MPEG-2 and -4, Adobe Flash®, and others).
• There are fewer barriers to entry; it's no longer the domain of larger corporations or
institutions. With more small- and mid-sized organizations wanting digital signage, vendors
have complied by developing solutions specifically for them.
• The availability of better reporting and tracking tools means you can more easily
analyze the effectiveness of your signage content and advertising campaigns.
• It can be used beyond your terrestrial infrastructure. Newer Wi-Fi® 802.11
technologies and satellite-delivery services have made integrating signage into wireless
setups a lot easier.
• There's a choice of content-creation tools with ready-made templates that give even
noncreative people the power to develop truly professional-looking presentations.
• It's clearly seen as a worthy investment. Because decision makers see it everywhere
and know it can provide a real ROI, they're now more likely to sign off on its purchase.
• The latest tools make integrating broadcast TV and Internet feeds into your signage a
simple task—without having to fiddle with video codecs or writing complex Javascript.
Updating Web-sourced content can even be automated with dynamic and RSS aggregator technologies.
• There's no longer a learning curve to overcome for non-technical staff. User-friendly
editing tools and menu-based GUIs give everyday staff the ability to update content with little
training.
• More IP-based applications available for refreshing content and issuing alerts via a
browser-based link, and tying remote signage to a central inventory system across a WAN.