Sound and Communications - July 2008 Issue

fiber link between buildings. In this case, look for a solutionthat can handle a 50Mbps stream. This stream canrun over shared fiber links and also run within a premiseon lower-cost 10/100 switches.IP-Based ControlThe last step in creating a high-end digital signagesolution is control. Ideally, you want a solution where theclient can control not only what content is rendered onwhat players and when, but also to which displays thatcontent is finally sent. Again, this is where an IP-basedsolution really shines.A traditional matrix switch at each facility would requirea separate control system to direct it to distributecontent to each display. This would involve programmingfor each location’s switch. In cases where there are facilitiesof varying size, you might have different size matrixswitches, each of which would require its own separateprogramming efforts.With the IP-based solution, it’s possible to have theplayers send network-based commands to the videodistribution network when it starts to play a piece ofscheduled content. For example, when a store opens inthe morning, the players may be scheduled to play thewelcome message; as they start to process this content,they can send a single message that selects all displays,powers on each display and tells the displays to playcontent from signage player one (the player with thewelcome message). An hour after opening, the other playersin the store can start their content and take over apre-selected set of displays.In the IP-based model, this is simple; in a matrix switchmodel, this is a significant programming effort. Figure 4shows the solution once the pieces of video source selection,distribution, quality and control are addressed. Thiscreates a solution that is easily maintainable, flexible foruse with multiple source types and cost effective.ConclusionThe professional digital signage solution has moved farbeyond the days of a single LED or CRT display. Nowthat businesses understand the benefits of implementingdigital signage solutions, the demands on the systemhave gone up commensurately.IP-based video solutions are unique in their abilitiesto meet the demands of high-end signage requirements,such as being fully networkable, fully scalable as large asthe network capacity allows, provide source and displaycontrol, enable source selection and rendered contentdistribution, transcode content from source to displayor player, and full control by any player or applicationon the network.Although there are many other solutions on the market,if you’re building a high-end signage system to fulfillthe requirements of the most demanding environments,this integrated solution is unique in its ability to deliverwhat the market needs.n48 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com