Kinetix Technologies is a leading IT industry, providing services for a variety of businesses, both large and small. Kinetix has a long, yet trustworthy history which includes computer networking and development. Providing different types of solutions from managed IT to creative services, Kinetix strives to ensure your business runs smoothly by eliminating IT related hassles. Along with their premium customer service, this innovative corporation provides digital signage communication throughout their establishment. Communication is important in order to engage and inform both customers and employees. Kinetix helps build customer relationships and promote success.

Summary: Pepperdine University uses digital signage to communicate to students, staff, and visitors on campus.

Challenge: Pepperdine University wanted to install a digital signage system throughout their campus. However, administrators needed to determine if it would become a valuable asset for the campus. Originally the campus was using DVD players to communicate to people on campus; however, it was not very effective. Instead, in order to improve communication to thousands of students, staff, and visitors, a student group proposed a plan in which Pepperdine University would transition from static forms of advertisement (this includes the use of DVD players) to digital signage. It was a challenge making a big change and determining if digital signage would be a useful investment over the upcoming years. Read the entire case study here: Digital Signage Education Case Study

You often hear terms such as bitrates and codecs, but do you know what these terms mean? These terms are often associated with video compression; however, it’s tiresome to keep looking up technological terms and definitions. In order to make your life a little bit easier, we provided a list of common technological terms associated with uploading a video file. In addition, you will learn about the software most recommended for uploading a video file. Click here to learn more about video file compression.

UCView made some updates to the playlist section in Campaigns and Ads. The playlist option allows for you to view the ads you set to play at a particular duration period.  In order to help with your ad experience, UCView introduced the playlist shuffle option. Instead of having to drag and re-position your ads to different spots, the playlist shuffle button allows for your ads to automatically re-position to different areas in your playlist. This is a way of freshening up your display without having to change out your ads. Click on the white and blue button towards the right of each section in order to shuffle ads within your chosen section. For example, the ads you placed in the side banner will only shuffle with other side banner ads. If you would like to shuffle ads within the entire playlist, you can click on the green Shuffle Playlist button. All of your ads will re-position to a different spot.

In addition to the playlist shuffle option, the customer will be able to recognize the type of ads that are playing. For instance, it mentions if the ad playing is Normal, GPS, Cyclic, and others. You can also view the playing status of your ads. It notifies you if your ad is currently playing or pending at the moment. The edit playlist option enables for you to easily manage and keep track of the ads playing in your display.

Have you wondered if your ads were making an impression on your customers? Impressions are the number of ads viewed by your target audience. Many companies can view the number of impressions made on their website, which electronically tracks the number of hits per page. However, how do impressions work with digital signage? Believe it or not, there are actual methods to track the number of people who viewed your ads. A specially installed camera can keep a record of people who viewed your display. Keeping a record of ad impressions are important for businesses because it measures the effectiveness of the ad playing. This is another reason why digital signage is more beneficial than using static forms of advertisements.

In addition to tracking the number of views from your targeted audience, you may also receive a report with the number of times your ads plays on your screen. The Report section in UCView’s web-interface can be very useful in helping you keep track of the number of times an ad plays. Click on Create a Report in order to receive detailed information on your number of impressions. You can separate your report into Groupings, which consists of the following: Campaigns, Ads, Locations, and Displays. This will organize your report into appropriate sections. You can also create restrictions on the date and select the campaigns, sections, and locations in which you would like a fully detailed report.  You may preview the report of impressions and generate a PDF or XLS file for printing. You may also view the number of impressions made only for the day if you access Campaigns and Ads.  It’s essential to keep track of your ads and the number of people who viewed your display. Reports are essential in providing evidence that your ads are effective for your business.

Content creation is the creation and modification of digital content. For instance, the content and images you provide on your website can make a difference on how people perceive your site. The same can go for digital signage. It’s important to get the most out of your digital signage, by displaying what your customers want to view.

Content creation allows for you to create information about your business or organization to attract customers. It allows for you to develop, design, and generate content for your customers to read. Content can be either entertaining, informative, or both. Creating content with digital signage allows for you to communicate in ways that were never thought possible.

Content is key! To gain accurate information, take the time to research your content beforehand. This prevents inaccurate information from being posted. Make sure that the information that you provide is short and to the point. If you don’t need to include it, try not to overwhelm your customers with unnecessary information. You can provide all the details you need in just a few paragraphs.  However, it’s important that your content is also informative and accurate.

Ideas – It’s important to brainstorm and find out what is the best way to present content. What do you think will be interesting for your audience? Make sure that your information is relevant for your industry. Before uploading content, decide what you want to include first. What you display can make a big impact on how people perceive your company.

How content can be utilized in digital signage – Digital signage can provide you with multiple solutions to help you release content. You can schedule ads, give permission access to certain departments and users, create dynamic content which can be changed in seconds, and release content to be displayed for an extended period of time. In fact, there are apps and widgets which can be installed for free. UCView’s content store has many different apps and widgets available for your use, just click install on any app you would like to use. In just a few seconds, you can provide a variety of news, weather, or more for your audience.

Industries- When displaying content it’s important to display information which is relevant to your industry. This will peak your customer’s interest. For instance, an educational institution can display upcoming events on campus, directions to buildings, information on the library, bookstore events, and more. If you are displaying information for a bank or financial corporation, it’s recommended to display such content as financial news or a stock ticker. Displaying information which relates to your industry can make a positive difference.

Determine where to place your content - To gain responses and get the most out of your digital signage, it’s recommended that content is placed in high traffic zones. High traffic zones are areas where large groups of people gather, such as in shopping centers. It’s important that your target audience can easily view the monitor. If your audiences are customers, then it’s a good idea to place the monitors near the entrance or inside a lobby. This will make it more visible for customers walking into the establishment.

Make sure that the information that you provide is something that would be interesting for your customers. Digital signage can be an important tool for communication, as long as it’s used in the right way.

Many people have tasted a product from Hillshire Brands. Their classic brand name foods have been around for many years. This meat-centric corporation dates back to 1939, yet today it still sells one of the most memorable food products made available in the United States and internationally. Hillshire Brands includes leading brand names such as Jimmy Dean, Ball Park, Hillshire Farms and State Fair. It also includes frozen desserts such as Sara Lee and Chef Pierre pies, as well as gourmet meat corporations which includes Aidells and Gallo Salame. Hillshire Brands is dedicated to providing their consumers with food that not only taste delicious, but has nutritional qualities as well. This meat-centric industry aspires to provide their consumers with home-style like foods which generations of families have enjoyed in the past. Despite being a large corporation, Hillshire Brands provides a family-like atmosphere for their employees. This corporation wanted to advance communication to their large number of employees by installing digital signage and providing them with information on the core values of Hillshire Brands, upcoming events, and more. We are proud to work with Hillshire Brands to help achieve their communication goals! 

We have all seen digital signage at an establishment of some kind, but have you actually paid attention to the content placed on the signage monitor. Digital signage can truly enhance your business; however, it needs to be utilized to its fullest potential. Below are some suggestions on what NOT to display on your digital signage monitor.

1) Do NOT place rotating static images on your digital signage monitor. It might seem okay to show images of trendy clothes within a retail establishment; however, having your customers view consistent rotating images is not the most effective method of attracting their attention.  Digital signage can do much more for your business if you understand how to target your audience and provide them with valuable content that’s useful.

2) Do NOT play your content on repeat. Although it’s easy to just press a button and have the same content running every day, providing your customers with content that repeats will eventually bore them. Even if you have new customers coming in on a daily basis, that is no reason to provide them with the same content on a daily basis. Put some more effort in your digital signage content and provide your audience with a variety of content that may be new and fresh for them.

3) Do NOT place your digital signage monitor up too high or somewhere a customer will have difficulty viewing. What good is having a digital signage monitor if people cannot even view it.  Digital signage is meant to be helpful for your business, so place the signage monitors within the visibility of your customers. For example, place it within eye level or slightly above their heads, where it’s still easily readable.

  4) Do NOT use small text. You shouldn’t expect your customers to put on a pair of glasses to read the monitor. The monitor should still be easily viewable from a couple feet away. Small text will only turn away your customers and any important information you may have included will be left ignored. After installing the monitor, walk a couple feet away and take a look at the font, if you think that it’s too small then change it, chances are that other customers will have the same issue.

5) Do NOT ignore your digital signage monitor. You need to keep it fresh and updated. For instance, what’s the point of including an upcoming event that has expired a month ago. Even if it’s just one content that is outdated, your customers will automatically assume that other content you have displayed is out-of-date as well. Take the time to freshen up your content; your customers will eventually take notice.

Do you want to learn how to set up touch-screen technology and/or learn how to structure your campaigns? Learn all you need to know by attending one of UCView’s upcoming webinars. In our first webinar session, we will teach you how to structure your campaigns. Learning how to manage your campaigns will help you organize your ads so that it can play at your appropriate spot. You will also learn how to schedule your ads to play at the time and date you desire. UCView’s second webinar session for this month will teach you how to set up and operate touch screen on your display. Touch screen allows for your target audience to interact with the display using only the touch of a finger. In addition, this webinar will teach you how to create wayfinding maps. Wayfinding maps will provide your audience with quick and accurate directions to their destinations. Register for your free webinar session today!

1) Learn how to Structure your Campaigns
Date: April 16th 2013 11:00am – 12:00pm PDT

2) EZBoard: Touch Screen and Wayfinding Map
Date: April 25th 2013 11:00am – 12:00pm PDT

Do you remember what your first computer looked like? Many people reflecting back on their first computer will mention the bulkiness and large size. Throughout the years, many people have seen revolutionary changes in the look and feel of a computer. Computers are now flat, slim, and small, making it more convenient to use on a daily basis. PCs for household use first started to appear in the 1980s, however, the popularity along with the size and power has changed significantly. This same concept can relate to digital signage and its players. Technical advancements enabled for digital signage to take off during the 90s and spark in popularity throughout the 2000s. With the introduction of the Internet being used all across households and the development in software, changes have been made to provide the user with more convenience at a smaller size and cost.

The tiny but revolutionary ARM Caster HD Series, which features Android hardware, is soon to be released to the market. UCView’s newest series is so small it can fit into the palm of your hand. The ARM Caster HD1 and the ARM Caster HD2, like the players shown above, will provide you with high-speed performance. The ARM processor players include an HDMI connector and a USB drive, making the installation process simple. Each of the players will include different CPUs based on the user’s preference and level of complexity. If you were to look at a digital signage player from two years ago compared to today, you will notice a drastic change in the size. A digital signage player from two years ago was bulky and difficult to hide behind a monitor; however, many players have changed to become slimmer and small in size. The small but handy ARM Caster HD Series provides great quality digital signage and is a viable solution for your displays.

As digital signage has grown in popularity, it’s safe to assume that the players will change based on the demands of the public. A palm sized player may be all you need to run a display for hours at a time. UCView’s palm-sized players also include high-quality features and components. In this case, the ARM Caster HD Series will be ideal to use in multiple industries, such as restaurants, corporations, and retail environments. The media players are also economic in cost, providing you with essential benefits at a small price. Although it does not have the same power capability as the larger players, the ARM Caster HD Series still has a lot of benefits. The advantage of using a small system, which can fit into the palm of your hand, is that it can remain hidden away from passersby. This allows for the screen to not only look aesthetically pleasing, but also eliminates the chance of someone tampering with the equipment. In addition, the Android hardware series is robust and durable

With multiple features and a bargain-friendly price tag, the new ARM Caster Series provides your viewers with premium communication. There have been a lot of changes and advancements over time in order to provide customers with more solutions. With advanced power in a smaller size, the new ARM Caster Series takes digital signage to the next level of innovation.

Click here to read the press release. 

A campaign is a library of content that plays on your signage and defines the displays the content will by playing. UCView enables for you to create unlimited number of campaigns which can play on one or more players. Normal campaigns can run in a loop and alternative campaign formats, such as sequential and change of layout, can also be displayed using Campaigns and Ads. Learning how to manage your campaigns can be very useful and allows for you to modify your ads, schedule release times, and more. Learn how to manage and create your campaigns by clicking here.

While viewing digital signage you may have recognized that there are multiple sections that are broken apart on the screen. One section may display a wayfinding map, whereas, the side banner may display news, and the bottom banner may depict a stock ticker. Although showing different content at one time is convenient, it’s important to know where your zones should be placed and how many to insert at a time. Although you can essentially include as many zones as you would like, it’s important to not overwhelm your target customers with too much information. If you would like to include a lot of text in your display, it’s recommended to not place text based content adjacent to one another. For example, if you are displaying the news which has a description in the main media section. It’s not recommended to include a news scroller at the bottom of your screen. Too much information will just be overwhelming to your customers, and they would be less likely to want to view your content. Your zones should be consistent with each layout you create.

The most basic layout should have a maximum of 4 to 5 zones, ideally it will have the company logo, the main media, two side banners, and a ticker at the bottom. The traditional layout can show live TV in the main media section and the sides can show text, images, or apps. The bottom banner will likely display either a stock ticker or RSS feed. It’s important to also use a color which is not too bright and use larger text so your audience can read the information from a distance. Multi-zone displays can be very useful to display, however, less can be more when your main audience are passers-by. You may also install pre-made layout templates by accessing our content store. Using a pre-made template will remove the trouble of making your own layout. Since many customers take several seconds to view digital signage, it’s essential that the information you can include is simple, yet concise.

While monitoring your digital signage display your playlist can be a very important tool to use; each campaign you create will list your ads into a playlist. These ads will show up on screen for your audience. Learning how to manage your playlist is imperative, for example, suppose your ad does not display at a specific time, you may use the playlist to find out at what time the ad is supposed to display. Changes can be made by directly clicking on the ad, which is underlined and in bold, and making modifications.

The playlist is broken down into different sections, such as main media, side banner, bottom banner, and top banner. The playlist will also list the dates, times, and the duration period an ad will be playing. On the left side of each ad, you will notice green arrows. By clicking on the green arrows, you can drag each ad to its desired spot. If you decided to sync two ads together, the playlist will display a gray circle with rotating arrows to the left of your ad. This means that the ad has been synced and if were to click on the gray circle, it will display your synchronized ads on the bottom of the playlist. In order to better manage your ads, any additional changes made to your ads will be displayed in a different color. For example, an ad on your list will show up in bright green if you decided to include a Change of Layout option on your playlist. This specific ad will also display a clickable link to view the ads that are listed in Change of Layout. The Change of Layout ads, which will also be displayed in green, may be dragged to different spots in the playlist and adjusted to your liking. You may return back to your main playlist by clicking on Main Layout.  Once any changes have been made, click on the Save button on the bottom of your playlist. To make sure your content is up to date, it’s important to review your playlist regularly and make changes when necessary. You may view a step-by-step guide on managing your playlist by clicking here.

List of Items allows for you to create menu items for restaurants, provide a list of scheduled events, and more using EZBoard. List of Items can be very reliable to use and is efficient in helping you organize your information in one particular area. From the drop down menu next to “Field Type,” select “List of Items,” in Group, select either “None” or “New,” and then click “Save.” You may make multiple fields of this type to create multiple lists. The “Group” tab allows for you to organize your items in particular sections. For instance, you can have items placed under “List 1,” “List 2,” and “List 3.” You may also create your own title for each group. By placing each item into a group, this further expedites the process of making modifications.

Once you have created your List of Items you can modify the information as much as you would like. Instead of having to go through the hassle of uploading content, all of the changes can take place by accessing List of Items in EZBoard and changing the item title or description. By clicking “Save” towards the bottom and “Apply Pending Updates” your modifications will automatically display on your screen. In addition to creating a list of items, the operator may provide images for each item. This is useful if you have a menu item and would like to display an image which complements that menu item.  You may select an image by check marking the small box to the right of your item. A blue circle with an upwards arrow will appear. Simply click on this button and select an image from your file.  You may also select a date and time you would like to display each item. Towards the right side, you may click on Add for each item and arrange a Time or Date you would like for that item to show up on your screen. If you want your list of items to appear every day, you may select all days. You may also add unlimited amounts of items by clicking on the “Add a New Item” button listed next to each group.  List of Items simplifies and accelerates the process of displaying items on your screen.

Touch screen kiosk functionality is an important tool for many establishments today. By just installing a kiosk machine, your users can immediately have access to wayfinding maps, directories, news, class schedules, and more. Touch screen kiosks provide many important features which are user-friendly and applicable for all age groups. Kiosks are very easy to navigate with and it can drastically speed up the process of ordering items, making payments, looking up personal information, and more.

Interactive kiosks are a valuable tool in many companies and can cut down on the amount of interactions between employees and customers, generally saving more time. EZBoard enables touch screen functionality, and this tool allows for your customers to smoothly navigate using just their fingertip. Kiosks can be extremely useful for crowded areas, such as universities, grocery stores, and retail environments. With the ability to support multiple languages, the kiosk functionality can be used by people from a variety of backgrounds.

Interactive Kiosks allow for the following formats:

1) Drop down menus allow for customization without any programming required.
2) Applications can be installed or removed or changed at any time.
3) Create menus and sub menus, using drag and drop function.
4) Includes Remote management tools
5) Includes real time reporting
6) Enables directories and wayfinding maps
6) Supports multiple languages