Product Info/Videos | Page 3 of 4

July 27, 2015

The Juno Hearing Augmentation and Assistance System – A Student Report

What students hear isn’t always clear. Recent studies show that most students miss at least 25% of what their teachers say. So if we want our kids to learn, we have to make it easier for them to listen.

FrontRow Active Learning Systems compensate for these problems, gently amplifying and clarifying teachers’ and students’ voices, essentially giving every student a front row seat.

In this video, Ms. Free’s class demonstrates the use of the Juno system in a practical, day-to-day teaching environment.

Come experience the true clarity of FrontRow.

July 20, 2015

NEC adds 55-inch Ultra-Narrow Bezel Display to Video Wall Portfolio

Commercial LCD display and projector solutions provider NEC Display Solutions of America has announced its X554UNV display, designed to be ideal for indoor video wall applications in control rooms, retail stores and transportation environments.

According to NEC, forward-looking organizations continue to deploy video walls for strategic business advantage. According to market research firm DisplaySearch, the global large-screen display market is expected to grow 27 percent this year to more than 3 million units shipped, and video walls are contributing to that expansion, the company said in the announcement.

The new display launch is in response to those rising market expectations, NEC said. With an ultra-narrow bezel design of just 3.5mm between neighboring displays, commercial-grade brightness and ultra-HD TileMatrix support, the X554UNV delivers a 3840 x 2160 UHD resolution across an entire video wall. Its direct LED-backlighting also delivers improved brightness uniformity, reduced power consumption and mercury-free components, the company said.

In addition, Auto TileMatrix features allow a user to simply set up the size of the video wall on the first display and automatically scale the content through the remaining displays. With the press of a few buttons, the entire video wall is set up. The result is faster installation, which reduces costs and improves the customer experience, NEC Display said.

“Video-wall displays, like the X554UNV, help a variety of organizations not only make bold statements but also deliver on business objectives,” said Keith Yanke, senior director of product marketing for large-screen displays and projectors at NEC Display. “They are just some of the solutions that NEC Display is leveraging to help people and organizations communicate, build relationships, inspire, impart knowledge and improve productivity.”

The X554UNV also supports Intel’s Open Pluggable Specification, the first industry-wide standardization in option slots to simplify digital signage. The OPS option slot allows for easier installation, use and maintenance of digital signage.

Among its other features:

Full commercial build with steel chassis, commercial-grade cooling fans and temperature sensor;
Auto ID feature, which reduces install time in the single press of a button;
Expanded connectivity panel, including DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI and OPS slot support;
Expanded daisy chain options with DisplayPort 1.2, which enables 4K resolution;
Brightness of 500 cd/m² and 4000:1 contrast ratio;
Auto ID/Auto TileMatrix technology for video walls up to 100 displays;
Carbon footprint meter, which calculates and tracks carbon savings;
ENERGY STAR 6.0, which meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy; and
NaViSet Administrator 2, which eases administration and management.

July 14, 2015

Interactive Display Market Worth $15 Billion by 2020

According to a new market research report “Interactive Display Market by Product (Interactive Kiosk, Whiteboard, Table, Video Wall, Monitor), Application (Retail, Education, Healthcare, Entertainment), Panel-Size (17″ – 32″, 32″- 65″, Above 65″), & Geography – Global Forecast to 2020″, published by MarketsandMarkets, the total interactive display market is expected to reach $14,964.5 Million by 2020, at a CAGR of 12% between 2015 and 2020.

The Interactive Display Market is expected to exhibit high growth in the next five years. There is growing adoption of interactive displays in applications such as retail, hospitality, industrial, healthcare, government/corporate, transportation, education, entertainment, and other applications. The other applications such as residential and, military & defense are using interactive displays to train their personnel.

This report provides a detailed analysis of the overall interactive display market and segments the same on the basis of on product, application, panel size, and geography.

The objective of the research study was to analyze the market trends for each of the industries, growth rates of the various applications (retail, hospitality, industrial, healthcare, government/corporate, transportation, education, entertainment, and others) and the demand comparison of the products in the interactive display market such as interactive kiosks, interactive whiteboards, interactive tables, interactive video walls, and interactive monitors.

Apart from the market segmentation, the report also covers the Porter’s five forces analysis, the market’s value chain with a detailed process flow diagram, and the market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities in the overall interactive display market.

This report profiles all major companies involved in the interactive display market such as Samsung Display Co., Ltd. (South Korea), LG Display Co., Ltd. (South Korea), NEC Display Solutions Ltd. (Japan), Elo Touch Solutions, Inc. (U.S.), Planar Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Horizon Display (U.S.), GestureTek, Inc. (Canada), GDS Holdings S.r.l. (Italy), Interactive Touchscreen Solutions, Inc. (U.S.), and Crystal Display Systems (England).

MarketsandMarkets also has a new study, detailing how the global digital signage market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.18% between 2015 and 2020, from $14.63 Billion in 2014 to $23.76 Billion in 2020. This report on global market analyzes the digital signage value chain, giving a clear insight into all the major and supporting segments of the industry. The market has been segmented on the basis of type, application, and major geographies (North America, Europe, APAC, and RoW). This report also evaluates market trends and technologies and market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities along with the industry’s challenges.

The global market report profiles some of the key technological developments in the recent times. It also profiles some of the leading players in these markets and analyzes their key strategies. The competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players.

The major players in global digital signage market include, according to these reports, NEC Display Solutions (Japan), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (South Korea), LG Display Co., Ltd. (South Korea), Sharp Corporation (Japan), Sony Corporation (Japan), Panasonic Corporation (Japan), AU Optronics Corp. (Taiwan.), Planar Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Adflow Networks (Canada), and Omnivex Corporation (Canada).

June 29, 2015

HTML5 Ushers in Big Advances in Digital Signage Interactivity

The evolution of digital signage followed quite a linear path to where we are today. We first saw static imagery used for basic signage such as restaurant menus – at the time this was quite a breakthrough. It wasn’t long until video content was part of the mix. Explosive growth of video content was driven by affordable management and authoring tools that were increasingly easy to use. The next step in this evolutionary progression – and we’re already heading down this path — is interactivity.

The single-most important tool driving the next wave of interactive digital signage is HTML5, which opens up near-limitless possibilities for customer engagement. It enables a rich viewing experience that builds on the interactivity popularized by today’s smartphones and tablets. HTML5-authored content takes advantage of touch interactivity, including the ability to tap, swipe, pinch and zoom. This is an important breakthrough, as people are now engaging with signage displays in the same way they interact with their own personal devices. This marks a significant point in the evolution of digital signage. People are no longer viewers of digital signage, they’re participants. The ability of the viewer to self-navigate signage content ensures a highly personalized experience, creating a vital touchpoint between proprietor and customer. They’re engaging directly with the content and as a result their comprehension and retention of the signage increases dramatically. This increased brand engagement is music to marketers’ ears because in most cases deeper brand engagement translates to increased sales.

Beyond the touch interaction described above, HTML5 delivers other extremely rich experiences for applications like the “endless aisle” in retail, powerful wayfinder solutions and real-time social media applications. And what’s especially impressive is that we’ve really just begun to see what HTML5 is capable of. The new generation of media players allows for the use of the flexible HTML5 authoring combined with superior media handling. The new media processors allow for smooth video playback, chroma/luma keying (green screen-type media composition) eliminating the typical “browser” experience with HTML5 video playback. But regardless of what the future holds, it’s clear that HTML5 is changing the way proprietors use digital signage to engage their customers.

June 23, 2015

Meeting Room Conflicts – How to Avoid Them?

In many companies meetings are part of the employee’s daily routine, so meeting room conflicts seem pretty much inevitable. If you worked in such a company, you are already familiar with how impactful double bookings are for productive meetings. Is there a much simpler way around this? There sure is – by hooking your meeting rooms up with mini LED displays, you can provide all the information your employees need to know while they’re on the move!

Meeting Room Management Solution

The first thing you will need to improve room facilitation is to install a meeting room management solution. There are unlimited options in the marketspace, but the team at Vision One strongly recommends utilising one of the market leaders: Evoko. This is the best way to ensure optimal customer support and also provides you with access to large quantities of information and data sheets to ensure you get the most out of your system.

Meeting Room Displays

Schedules tend to be confusing, so you definitely want to make things easier for your employees. The best way to do that is to install displays in front of every meeting room in your office building. All you’ll need is a device operating within your existing integrated Microsoft Outlook.

Evoko

The most complete mobile meeting room management system on the market today is Evoko. With their Room Management solution, you will not only receive a complete solution for managing your conference room’s schedule, but also a neat touch-screen device you can use to display information in front of your meeting room.

Conclusion

Although meeting room conflicts cause numerous headaches, they can easily be avoided with the help of meeting room management solutions like Evoko by providing easily accessible information about the schedule.

June 16, 2015

Rise of the Network Video Wall

Video walls are becoming increasingly visible in our world. They make big statements, capture attention and promote brands in a unique fashion. Sales and installations of video walls are experiencing record growth as customers seek a new, high-impact approach to digital signage.

This is driving companies to seek video wall solutions that are more powerful, more flexible and yet, like everyone else in the world, they don’t want to break the bank. Unfortunately, the current video wall market is hampered with costly and complicated solutions that all too often turn out to be limited in functionality. It’s time for new approaches to bring simplicity, flexibility and affordability to the video wall market.

The answer to this problem is leveraging standardized PC hardware instead of specialized AV hardware, and taking advantage of networks to simplify delivery. Deploying video walls using PC and LAN infrastructure means less specialized knowledge is required for setup, while also reducing the hardware and support staff needed to deploy large-scale video walls.

There are three different approaches to using the network to stream content to multiple displays within a video wall. The first way is to deliver the entire image to every display on the video wall and then have each display output only the appropriate cropped portion of the content. For example, with a 25-display video wall, all displays receive the entire image, but the player device located at each display crops and outputs only 1/25 of the total image. This approach works well for 1080p and lower resolution, but is not ideal for 4K and higher content because of its high-data requirements.

The second approach lets users pre-split and separately upload the cropped portions of the video. Player devices on each display talk to each other in order to maintain image synchronization. However, this method makes it time-consuming for customers to create content and upload portions to the video wall. It also eliminates many capabilities such as interactive content or real-time feeds.

The third approach to network video wall deployment involves content that is split, cropped, rotated, scaled at the server location. The server only sends the required section of the image to each display. It also uses network bandwidth much more efficiently, while also creating a high-performance and flexible video wall. This way, content is pre-split in real time and customers don’t have to waste valuable time preparing their video wall content.

More and more people are switching to network video walls, not only for cost-savings, but also for the flexibility benefits. Using the network allows for the PC or server to be placed anywhere in the building. Most other solutions require the server to be located right at the video wall, making it difficult to manage in high-traffic areas or hard-to-reach places.

Small zero-client devices can be placed at each display to connect over the network to significantly reduce downtime and allow the server to be located almost anywhere. Customers can even have displays in high-heat or greasy areas such as quick-service restaurants, without worrying about ruining the server.

Utilizing the network to power digital signage enables anyone to centralize the CPU and GPU processing. Previous approaches with network delivery required video walls to maximize the computing power at each display in order to support content and proper image synchronization. When done correctly, network-delivered video walls are more efficient and require much less hardware when computing power is centralized to one PC or server. The server connects to the client devices at each display, meaning all processing is centralized and easily supports stunning 4K content in a low-cost way.

Connecting video walls over the network provides a great range of capabilities for customers, while still remaining simple to manage and deploy. The amazing visual impact video walls have is undeniable. For those seeking simpler, more cost-effective video walls, the rise of solutions that leverage PCs and utilize the network is a very welcome improvement.

Userful Corp. is an industry provider of centralised, interactive display and virtualised desktop software designed to make it simple and affordable for organisations to implement and centrally manage interactive display infrastructure in the post-PC era.

June 1, 2015

The Rise of Targeted Content Delivery on Connected Digital Signage Displays

Over the last few months Berg Insight has been looking closely at the market for Digital Signage. This is a category of connected devices that each one of us is in contact with almost daily and includes a broad range of solutions as diverse as traffic signs, menu boards and in-flight entertainment displays. The first connected digital signage solutions were commercially launched almost three decades ago. Since then, digital signage solutions have found their way into nearly every possible vertical market and a wide variety of application areas. The untapped market potential is still vast and growth is showing no signs of slowing down. Berg Insight forecasts that global shipments of display screens for digital signage will grow from 7.3 million units in 2014 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.7 percent to reach 17.2 million units by 2019. The number of digital signage displays in active use will at the same time grow at a CAGR of 20.2 percent during the next five years from 25.4 million units in 2014 to 63.8 million units in 2019.

One of the most exciting new growth opportunities for the digital signage industry during the next decade is targeted delivery of marketing content, i.e. displaying the most relevant marketing messages to the people closest to a specific digital sign. This concept has been discussed in the industry for years. However, targeted content delivery has thus far largely stayed in the experimental phase, in part due to that the targeting mechanisms generally have relied on imprecise technologies such as facial recognition software to estimate variables such as age and gender. Consequently, while retailers and brands have adopted digital signs of all forms and sizes, the marketing messages that are displayed are still today in most cases the same regardless of who is watching.

The opportunity for targeted content delivery on digital signs has evolved substantially in the last couple of years, due to the proliferation of smartphones and the advances that have been made in indoor location sensing solutions. In particular, Bluetooth beacons and NFC make very precise real-time positioning possible and widespread rollout of these technologies at retailers is imminent. Bluetooth beacons are for instance being integrated in lighting fixtures, electronic shelf labels and POS terminals. When the digital signage system is integrated with other IT systems – such as a customer loyalty program or a mobile wallet service – retailers and brands have the opportunity to deliver targeted content based on a broad range of parameters. In other words, the adverts that are displayed on digital signs in consumer electronics stores, supermarkets or department stores can be selected to match the profile of the persons located nearest to a specific screen with unprecedented accuracy. Berg Insight anticipates that this will be one of the key underlying factors that will propel digital signage to become one of the major platforms for digital marketing in the next ten years.

May 25, 2015

Epson Interactive Projectors now with SMART Notebook® Collaborative Learning Software in Australia and New Zealand

Epson Australia have announced that educators in Australia and New Zealand now have more options for delivering lessons with interactive capabilities for effective learning as their interactive projectors can now be used with SMART Notebook software, the world’s leading collaborative learning software.

Under this arrangement, Epson will sell SMART Notebook software through its reseller network, either when purchased with an Epson interactive projector or for existing interactive projector customers, allowing educators to easily select the industry-leading collaborative learning software. Both Epson and SMART will provide customer support for their respective products, giving educators full confidence as they bring more interactivity into classrooms and other learning spaces.

This is an addition to existing agreements in the U.S and Europe, where SMART has granted distribution rights for its proprietary collaborative learning software to Epson as part of the company’s software accessibility strategy.

“This collaboration in ANZ underscores Epson’s commitment to delivering technology tools to teachers that will enhance and transform the education process,” said Craig Heckenberg, Epson Australia’s Business Division General Manager. “The combination of SMART Notebook software and Epson’s interactive projectors provides educators with the flexibility to create high-impact lessons that bring learning to life.”

“With our ongoing commitment to educational software, including developments for both desktop and cloud-based options, we are enabling more natural and effective learning anywhere, anytime on any device both inside and outside the classroom,” says Greg Estell, President, Solutions, for SMART Technologies. “SMART’s strategy is to make the world’s most popular collaborative learning software available to more schools, teachers and students around the world and we are excited to be working with Epson, and its leading line of projectors, as a step towards realising this goal.”

Award-winning SMART Notebook software is intuitive and easy to use, allowing students to learn naturally, without the technology becoming a distraction. Educators can quickly create and add relevant and customisable content to their lessons, making them engaging and impactful. Supported by the SMART Exchange™ website, teachers can find resources, share lesson material and exchange tips and success stories about using SMART products in the classroom. With over 65,000 digital resources available in 23 languages, teachers have access to images, videos, and pre-created SMART Notebook files and lesson activities correlated to curriculum standards.

Epson’s award-winning range of short-throw and ultra short-throw interactive projectors offer advanced connectivity options to project onto any existing whiteboard, wall or other smooth, light-coloured, hard surface. Epson interactive projectors offer finger-touch² as well as multi-pen support and built-in annotation technology that allows teachers and students to instantly interact directly with a projected image from a variety of sources beyond the PC, including tablets, smartphones, document cameras, Blu-ray players and more. These cost-effective projectors models deliver a large interactive learning area with variable image sizes from 60 to 100-inches diagonal (WXGA), depending on model and include HDMI connectivity.

Shipments of Epson interactive projectors with SMART Notebook software licenses will commence on 2 May 2015 in Australia, with New Zealand to follow shortly thereafter. SMART Notebook software licences will be available for existing Epson customers through Epson and SMART resellers.

April 27, 2015

NEC introduces new laser projectors for digital signage installs

Commercial LCD display and projector solutions provider NEC Display Solutions of America has announced two new laser phosphor projectors to its professional installation lineup. The technology behind the lampless projectors gives professional installers new applications to target and potential new revenue streams, the company said.

The NEC PH1201QL projector delivers a native 4K (4096×2160) resolution, while the NEC PH1202HL model delivers full-HD 1080p as its native resolution. The three-chip DLP laser projectors each emit 12,000 lumens of brightness, and maintain 2000:1 and 10,000:1 contrast ratios, respectively.

The lampless projectors use blue laser with yellow phosphor as their light sources and are designed to emit consistent light output over their lifetimes. That means mercury-free components, no more lamp replacements and 20,000 hours of projector life at maximum brightness, according to NEC. The eco-friendly projectors are designed to be virtually maintenance free, which should translate to lower labor costs and less filter cleaning, the company said.

The PH1201HL offers NEC’s heat exchanger, a patent-pending system designed to cool the engine while creating a sealed barrier for both the optical and laser engines, thereby minimizing dust and other particles from entering the laser and optical path. The barrier helps reduce maintenance requirements while maintaining image quality and brightness, the company said.

The projectors are intended to operate in a 24×7 environment, which should open up a range of new applications in digital signage, simulation, training facilities, control rooms and high-traffic environments, giving professional installers new opportunities, NEC said.

“Laser is the future light source for the projector industry,” said Richard McPherson, senior product manager of projectors at NEC Display. “Laser phosphor projectors bring the best possible brightness uniformity and image quality over a longer period of time compared to lamp-based projectors. The laser technology eliminates the need for lamp replacement, bringing a significant cost savings over time. It’s exciting to see the new opportunities NEC’s PH Series laser projectors bring to professional installations.”

The self-contained projection system of the PH1202HL projector includes an Open Pluggable Specification option slot, the standard designed to simplify installation, use and maintenance while offering input flexibility for HD/SD-SDI and OPS accessory cards. The projector’s wide range of installation features is intended to suit any professional environment and minimize installation costs for digital signage.

NEC Display says it is the only visual technologies manufacturer delivering 4K and ultra-HD resolution products across its entire portfolio of projectors, desktop and large-screen displays.

Among the other benefits of the two laser phosphor projectors:

quick-start capabilities;
extensive input panel, including HDMI, DisplayPort and HDBaseT (PH1202HL);
tilt-free (360°) and portrait-mode capabilities;
3D – HDMI;
adjustable light source;
Stacking Correction Tool (PH1202HL);
geometric correction;
hardware and software edge blending;
interchangeable bayonet lenses; and
power lens controls

April 20, 2015

Technology in Education: A Future Classroom

We’ve all come to learn how impactful technology is on the classroom. Often, when teachers are willing to make the transition, students can develop engaging and responsive habits from learning with technologies.

The above video expresses the imagination of its content creator, pointing to a classroom of the future. And believe it or not, this fictitious environment is really not all that far away as you may think!

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