Digital Signage Methods.

Looking to get started with digital signage, but unsure of the best way to get content showing on your displays? There are numerous options to consider when choosing between a DIY job or a cloud-based service. It all comes down to what is most important for your team.

Here, we give an overview of three popular options for digital signage: Cloud-Based, DIY Solutions, and USB Stick.

Cloud Based: Your digital signage company handles all of the technical backend functions including hosting your content, software updates, and security regulations. Cloud-based digital signage allows for simple remote management where you’ll pay a monthly or annual fee for the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provided.

Some SaaS companies will provide a media player to you or give the option to purchase one. Others will only provide the software and you will need to source and maintain your own player.

DIY Solutions: Your IT team or contractor will develop a media player and content management system. Custom solutions typically involve connecting computers or small devices like Raspberry Pi (more on this in the next section) to your screens and creating your own content management system. You’ll need to use your servers to connect your management system with your player.  Open source DIY signage options like Xibo, and Concerto are available for you to to download and customize.

You’ll need to use your servers to connect your management system with your player.  Open source DIY signage options like Xibo, and Concerto are available for you to to download and customize.

USB Stick: Certain displays, including most modern televisions, have the option of playing back content from a USB drive. The specific capabilities will differ from display to display, but the functionality is usually limited to a slideshow of images and videos of specific file types. You don’t need additional hardware or software since your content is stored locally on the player.

We recommend a cloud-based solution for several reasons, but it is understandable why you would consider doing-it-yourself. Some of our own customers tried to go the DIY route before choosing Enplug. For companies who want to DIY but need to power multiple screens across multiple locations, you’ll have to explore more technical DIY signage methods.

If you only need to display simple content like a continuous series of graphics, the USB option is plausible. Since the USB option is so limited, we’re covering DIY signage and cloud-based solutions in more depth.

Here more information.