The 21st century will probably be categorized in history textbooks as the “digital age”.
Objects resulting from digital technology are today our daily companions and digital technology has changed our mode of communication. Businesses have already understood and adopted the benefits of digital signage. The technology industry continues to progress, bringing new, cutting-edge, scalable products to the market.
dynamic displays and window screens dethroning traditional static displays to become the essential communication tool for businesses ?
Dynamic display: digital communication of excellence
It is a visual communication tool broadcasting messages on totems and tactile terminals or video walls whose purpose is to communicate dynamic information.
Dynamic display adjusts to the broadcast of internal or external news from a company. It will boost your communication in order to effectively reach a broad audience and deliver a better customer experience.
Paper advertising displays have become obsolete and are giving way to interactive digital displays.
Dynamic display: a display solution to adopt.
It is the essential tool for a relevant communication strategy.
According to studies on memorization by American psychologist Jerome Bruner, the human brain memorizes 20% of information read and 80% of information seen.
It is capable of analyzing an image 60,000 times faster than text. As a result, dynamic display naturally emerges as the most effective means of communication to influence a prospect's purchasing journey.
The visual attracts attention and promotes a company's products and services in a positive way, reinforcing its brand image.
Dynamic signage can also be used for internal information purposes within a company, by broadcasting messages in real time to employees.
Dynamic display: how does it work?
You don't need to be an IT expert to set up your digital signage . It's child's play!
Beforehand, you need:
- a communication support (screen, totem, interactive terminal, tablet, etc.),
- multimedia content playlists,
- of a computer,
- free or paid dynamic display software,
- a player or box, a box for broadcasting your content on your medium.
Then the procedure to follow is simple.
You program the display of content via the software.
You connect the player to your computer and your communication medium. Your multimedia content is broadcast on the video wall.
Dynamic display: which software to choose?
Two solutions are available to you:
- opt for free dynamic display software, distributed as open-source,
- opt for a paid digital display software version, offering wider distribution possibilities.
A selection of 5 versions of free dynamic display software.
The strong points of open-source digital signage software are that it is free and easy to install, requiring only a computer or television screen.
Its weak points are its basic functionalities, limited content distribution as well as the lack of software installation support via the manufacturer.
A free digital signage software version is ideal for merchants or small businesses.
Let's review five versions of free open source digital signage software.
1. DigitalSignage.com
The free Californian software is based on an open-source framework supporting web standards like HTML5, Flash, MRSS, HD videos, weather, live TV, RSS feeds, and much more.
SignageStudio is the creative management system allowing drag-and-drop design of your dynamic poster.
SignagePlayer is the management system allowing the management and sending of displays on the audiovisual communication medium.
The platform is built on GPU processing providing a smooth experience across all devices including Windows , iPad, and Android.
The free version has 1GB of storage in SaaS mode, compatible with Windows , macOS and Linux/Ubuntu
2. Concerto
Although free, it offers a full suite of features for producing impactful digital signage, which can be streamed from a computer and displayed on any connected monitor or TV.
Its operation requires a web server for content distribution that can run Ruby on Rails (ROR) applications and a MySQL or similar database. Concerto has convenient features such as content scheduling to save time and workload, as well as the ability to stream information across multiple screens.
The software is ideal for small businesses, but installation requires some basic experience in server administration.
3. ScreenHub
This free digital display software is compatible with Linux, Windows , MacOS, Android and IOS operating systems.
Its management system allows users to create, modify and control any digital display from any location.
ScreenHub has a special feature, which is content adjustment for outdoor and indoor screens of any size or format.
The template options are varied, content planning is possible as well as social media integration. This LED billboard software is simple and intuitive.
Note that the free version contains 5 GB of storage.
4. Screenly Open Source Edition
Screenly OSE is the open-source version of the digital display software from the Anglo-Saxon company Screenly.
To install Screenly OSE, you must have dedicated Raspberry pi hardware. Familiarity with Linux to properly configure and maintain presentations is recommended.
The interface is intuitive allowing you to upload content, create and schedule playlists on a single advertising screen.
Screenly OSE is ideal for a wide variety of uses, from digitally displaying business metrics on a dashboard to digital menu boards in a restaurant. It can easily handle videos, as well as web pages and images.
5. Xibo
Xibo is a dynamic free Anglo-Saxon software based in SaaS mode. The features of Xibo digital signage software are as follows:
- platform-specific software versions, for example, Xibo for Windows , Xibo for Linux, Xibo for Android, etc.
- Expanded design capabilities with easy-to-use widgets.
- in-depth monitoring of every screen on a digital network with real-time diagnostic information
Xibo's main content management system is a paid subscription service. Interested operators can nevertheless take advantage of a free trial to test the software for 14 days.
