Digital signage is one of those most effective ways to advertise to people as the older static posters have had their day and new digital technology is being used to capture audience’s attention. Let’s look as restaurants and Bars; here is a chance which has been exploited in the United States and Australia but not in the United Kingdom. A digital menu board may either be standalone or a networked solution; they both include advantages and disadvantages, continue reading.
Standalone Digital Menu Board
The standalone menu board Features an LCD screen that is incorporated in to a unit together with a media player that is fed by means of a CF memory card. The media content is dragged and dropped on the memory card together with an xml file that calls up the arrangement of the pictures, audio and video files that should be displayed. Some components include scrolling text and can be set in either portrait or landscape position without needing to reconfigure the media. These come in a range of sizes From 19 all the way up to 55 and are an economical solution for digital signage, starting from as little as 500.The major drawback is the size of the memory card assesses the number of media you can set on the digital screen and limits your creative flare. These also must be manually upgraded normally with a USB connector that is built into the on-board player.
Networked Digital Menu Board
These dynamic advertising Boards have been seen at restaurants like McDonald’s, were they have a set menu throughout their places net and with a single click of a mouse that the content can be upgraded to add advertising items such as Festive meals for Christmas throughout all of the locations. Content can even be scheduled to update when the restaurant is closed or in its quietest period. The menu boards are industrial standard LCD displays which are networked up to a host in a central place where everything is controlled, with sophisticated software to create media content. The Deployment of a network of dynamic menus is not cheap and generally company operators go for the standalone solution before committing to a full blown networked solution. Now if a digital menu board software screen is to go outside, the only real alternative is the LCD enclosure, these can protect the monitor and media player from the elements in addition to potential vandalism. Get ready to see more of these this coming summer with the FIFA World Cup when pubs may wish to keep you spending money.