Business Info - issue 139

businessinfomag.uk magazine 24 advice.We’re not here to recommend people’s products, but we can talk about best practice and shared learning. JG: Do you think a lack of education has held back digital signage? SJ: There are a lot of examples of where digital signage is being used incorrectly and where it hasn’t achieved what was wanted. Some people think ‘OK, let’s put up some screens where people can see our adverts’, if they are using them for advertising. They put in the infrastructure but don’t think about the content, about who is responsible for creating and formatting the content. Is it their marketing department or do they have to keep going back to an agency that charges thousands of euros a month to keep content fresh, because if they don’t people will stop looking at their screens? These sorts of things need to be discussed before the customer spends money. So, I think a lack of education has held back the market in some areas. That said, as an industry, we are getting much better at asking the right questions upfront to ensure we don’t deliver the wrong solution. JG: You’ve mentioned the need for end user education: does the trade need educating as well? SJ: Absolutely. This market is moving so fast, particularly with IoT and the extra value that that can bring to a signage network, that people are struggling to keep up. JG: Do you plan to run exhibitions and events? SJ: This is only our first year and we want feedback from members to help set our agenda. So, for now, we will be attending the major events in Europe: we were at ISE; we will probably do something at London Digital Signage Week and there are other events in the calendar that we must come to a decision about. In addition, there will be opportunities for networking, and we will use social media to enable members to talk to each other and share ideas and experiences. www.dso-emea.com Ahead of the curve Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), which took place in Amsterdam on February 5-8, provides a showcase for the latest developments in AV, including displays and digital signage. Here, we present some of the new products that caught our eye INTERVIEW ...continued... Better sharing Lifesize announced enhancements to its Lifesize Share platform, which enables the wireless sharing of media and video content on any connected screen, with optional connectivity to a Lifesize videoconferencing service. These include the ability, with Bluetooth Beacons, to launch Lifesize room systems remotely and join meetings from recognised mobile devices; integration with ScreenCloud digital signage to transform connected screens inside and outside meeting rooms into dynamic, automated content displays; the ability to switch an in-room display from digital signage to a video call automatically, then return to digital signage when the call ends; and support for the Kaptivo whiteboard collaboration system, which enables users to capture content drawn on a physical whiteboard in real time and share it with remote participants. www.lifesize.com/share Lower price point SiliconCore Technology launched the EZ-HD Series of preconfigured LED displays, which give integrators the opportunity to specify a SiliconCore LED display at a previously unavailable price point. The lobby/meeting room HD displays are available in three fixed sizes – 110in, 130in and 165in – and have a brightness specification of 1200-1500 nits.With an easy to assemble frame system that can be attached to any load-bearing wall via standardised brackets, the displays can be installed by two technicians in under three hours. Waterfall effect For sheer WOW factor, it was hard to beat the OLED Falls display at the main entrance to LG’s stand. Made up of 88 flexible Open Frame OLED displays, this highlighted the creative possibilities of wrapping signage around curved surfaces. Another highlight was LG’s Transparent OLED Signage, which, with 38% transparency, enables items behind the display to be seen even when static or moving content is played. LG sees great potential for this in retail, museums and galleries. Transparency is also a feature of LG’s Color Transparent LED Film, which transforms any size of glass surface into digital signage for displaying everything from brand logos to full colour videos. The self-adhesive, removable film has a maximum transparency of 73% and is invisible when not in use. LG was also showing its fine-pitch LAPE series of LED displays, which feature separate power and display modules for an ultra-thin profile, with support for true concave and convex curvature up to 1,000R; the LAA series of bezel-less 130-inch meeting room LED screens with embedded audio for mid- to large-sized conference rooms; an 86in 4K Interactive Digital Board with active pen and a faster response time; and new IP-rated outdoor signage products, including the Model 55XE4F, which is 64% lighter and 37% thinner than LG’s previous 55-inch model. www.LG.com/B2B