How much does an LED Sign or Digital Signage cost?

- Deacon Wardlow

Many people ask how much a Digital Signage solution (LED Sign, interior or exterior LCD/Plasma/etc.) costs. While they mean well, many points are overlooked or not addressed up-front. The sweet smell of a low price is replaced by the lasting bitter taste of a system which underperforms and potentially costs both the dealer and the end user money and reputation. Let’s take a quick look at the basics of what you need to know when looking at the “cost” of a digital signage system.

Objective:
What does the end-user want from the system? Are they looking for a direct ROI (Return On Investment) or ROO (Return On Objective) or perhaps a blend of both? You need to know where you want to end up before you start the process.

Location:
Where is the system being placed? Is there appropriate power? Can communication be setup quickly or are there special site requirements (i.e. an outdoor LED Message Center requiring a hard-wired connection where there are currently no feeds available which will require trenching, a remote connection or wireless integration)?

Content Creation/Management:
Who is creating and managing the content? A Digital Signage solution (LED message Center, interior, etc.) is only as good as the content running on it. Digital signage which remains the same day-in and day-out for weeks on end will quickly lose any appeal for customers and badly created/managed content can negatively brand the business. Over-repetition of “THIS MONTH ONLY!” specials, poor color contrast choices (i.e. blue text on a red background which not only hurts the eyes but is difficult to read), and other poor content creation/management judgement can do more harm than good. Remember, customers are not sitting at that screen for a long time. You have (at most) 5-10 seconds to make an impression. Make it BIG, make it fast and keep it simple.

The Equipment:
These are professional commercial-grade systems. You can’t just go to a store and pick something off the shelf and expect it to perform for you. Just as businesses buy commercial-grade computers (servers) meant to run systems 24/7/365, your Digital Signage solution needs to be commercial grade. While there are many manufacturers who offer a cost-conscious model to meet end-user demand remember the caveat, you get what you pay for.

A ‘source’ vs a ‘RESOURCE’:
Make sure the source you purchase your digital signage from is also a resource (not just someone selling you a system, but actively working with you to ensure you have the right system to meet the site need, end-user requirements and has everything it will require to function properly before and AFTER the sale). While there are many people/businesses out there who will sell you a system to meet your basic needs, where will they be when/if there’s a problem? Will they be there to walk you through issues on setup/installation and if the system fails?

Overall, there are a lot of components to be aware of when figuring the cost of a system. To be truly successful, you need a partnership between the resource/manufacturer, the integrator/dealer and the end-user. Great achievements are rarely made by a single individual, there’s usually a team of people behind that achievement. When pricing a system, don’t go it alone. Work with an experienced dealer/manufacturer so when you get the price, neither you nor the end-user are surprised by the real costs down the road.




*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

The Rugby Scrum - Ideal partnerships push Digital Signage forward

-Deacon Wardlow

Rugby is one of the most brutal, bloody and beautiful sports I’ve experienced. The sport reminds me of what I imagine American Football must’ve been like when it first started out. A bunch of men out in the field with with almost nothing protecting them but their fellow teammates. If you’re unfamiliar with “the scrum” (scrummage) or Rugby, you should checkout the description here. While not necessary to follow this thread, it’s a cool concept overall.

Basically, a scrum is where a group of people (6-8 players) interlink to form a stable force to push forward and take possession of the ball away from the opposing ‘scrum.’ The stronger the scrum, the more stable they are and the more likely they are to achieve their goal. What does this have to do with the ideal partnership? A lot.

Just as the ideal scrum is comprised of various people coming together to form a solid core; your business needs the seemingly disparate elements (product, support, partnership) to come together to be fully supported.

Everywhere you look these days, someone is trying to get your business. This has held true for quite sometime, but with LED message centers (and digital signage overall), where there used to be a few big players and some cheaper options, there are several “big players” and a flood of cheap options and sometimes it’s hard to tell one from the other.

When I first started learning about Digital Signage Solutions, it was all really confusing. I found it difficult to get a straight answer from anyone and of course everyone I spoke to had ‘the solution’ which would best suit ALL my needs. The truth is there is no single solution. In many cases no single vendor will be able to help you on every job out there (sometimes you’ll have to get a special mount or some weird control system from a custom specialist).

It didn’t take long to realize I needed RESOURCES, not just sources for digital signage. I needed partners who would listen to my needs and help me find a solution (sometimes that solution wasn’t their product, but they helped me nonetheless and that’s made a HUGE difference). The scrum is your team of support. It’s the business partner(s) who help you succeed. Sometimes you get the trifecta (great support, awesome product, excellent partner/resource) and sometimes you have to put that mix together yourself.

When looking around at what you need, make sure the business(es) you’ve chosen meets your needs.

I love Digital Signage because it’s constantly shifting, changing, evolving and bringing new opportunities for innovation to the forefront. I would find it really difficult to succeed if it weren’t for the key relationships I’ve chosen through the years which help me find solutions. In the end, the company who sells a cheap product has a place, but it’s not with me. Too many times what I’ve saved in price, I’ve paid for with headaches, troubleshooting and after-service issues with little/no support on the product. I’ve found the ones who are worth it, are the ones who actively work towards the success of their clients.  Ask yourself this one question when looking at your potential options, “What is missing from my scrum?”

*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Silent LED Message Center Killers: Heat

-Deacon Wardlow

Heat kills LEDs. The death knell of a typical Red-Green-Blue (RGB) full color LED display is seen in depreciated light quality, poor color quality and eventually a dim, dying sign. Typical lights dissipate heat by radiating the heat outward from the source. LEDs unfortunately hold the heat in and high temperature slowly breaks down the components causing a multitude of problems. Red LEDs burn out faster and this is usually seen on a message center when  “clean white” turns to a bluish hue because of the lack of strong Red LED components.

Thermal (heat) management is critical to the longevity and continued high-level of performance for a message center. Manufacturers tend to deal with thermal management in a variety of ways:

• Heat sinks (metal spread out and “finned” to allow for heat to draw away from the LED and let passive/active airflow over the fins dissipate heat buildup
• MCPCB (Metal Core Printed Circuit Board) – a rare option due to increased expense
• Separation – a popular method, LEDs are separated from the circuit board using longer “legs” which allows for air flow to draw heat from the LED through the extended legs, unfortunately proper placement/setting of LEDs is difficult and can result in bad contacts which leave “dead pixels” on a sign.

All the above methods serve to draw heat away from the LED source thus keeping the LED relatively cool and ensuring the highest performance and longest life possible. With this in mind, here are LED killers to watch for on an LED module (also known as a driver/board):

1.    ANY type of heavy/dark silicone coating on the back of an LED PCB (Printed Circuit Board: Silicone coatings have the benefit of reducing exposure to condensation which can oxidize metals, but it’s better to use a light conformal PCB coating. Heavy silicone coatings trap heat and don’t leave any place for the heat to be drawn away. Be wary of modules with “heat sinks” as the heat sinks often don’t have trace leads (metal pathways from the LED to the heat sink) and thus do not work to reduce heat on the overall module.

2.    LEDs which have no louvered (shaded) protection: the louvers on a face plate for an LED module act like an umbrella at the beach. They serve a dual purpose of allowing LEDs to shine their brightest in daylight conditions while also giving them some protection from direct overhead sun  exposure. If you see a face plate with exposed silicone, be especially wary. The silicone acts as a sealant to protect the LED module face from weather elements, but an exposed silicone coating is prone to UV (Ultra Violet) solar radiation which will crack the sealant and cause eventual exposure to the elements which will kill the module over time.

3.    LED modules which are “fully enclosed” from the rear: Picture a medieval knight in full armor standing in the summer sun, that knight is likely more than a little warm. While the rear seal plating looks great on an LED module and it sounds good to have a “waterproof” LED module, the plating doesn’t ultimately protect the LED, it harms the LEDs in a module because heat has no source to vent off to. If the manufacturer is using a rear-face module, have them show you a cutaway or internal view to see how they’re drawing heat to the back plate. If they aren’t drawing heat from the LEDs to the back plate, they’re slowly killing your sign.

Ask the manufacturer how they protect your investment. How do they deal with heat in the message center? If they do any of the three “killers,” be VERY wary of investing your name, brand and reputation with them…




*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Why Digital Display systems fail: 'Creatives' and Content

-Deacon Wardlow

Digital Display systems have immense potential. People point to movies like ‘Minority Report’ and other distopian future films as examples of the potential nightmare of over-pervasive/intrusive advertising, but often fail to look at the benefits of well managed digital display systems. Advertising doesn’t need to be an annoyance; done well a 'creative' can amuse, entertain, educate and develop the brand all at the same time. Unfortunately, there are definite obstacles in the way of conveying your message effectively and these are a few of the many signs of a bad Digital Display system:

An advertising campaign can turn against you:
As Giselle Abramovich of Digiday.com points out on his tumblr account, advertising (print, digital, other) can seriously miss the mark. A bad ad can just as strongly enforce negative branding as much as it was meant to help grow/sell/educate a brand/product.

Get it right the first time:

Aside from spelling errors and misplaced pictures, make sure your content is properly uploaded and (if using templates) make sure the template is filled-in and previewed prior-to pushing it to your display. As you can see from the Fox News example (taken from a live feed), even “big businesses” slip up from time-to-time.

Does the message get to the point or miss it entirely?
I came across a great article on Entrepreur.com which very effectively explains some common mistakes people make with advertising. While getting eyes on the sign is important (using a witty quip/joke) you need to ensure the bigger point (drawing clients to your door) is not missed. Keep the focus on two things: what you’re selling and whom you’re selling to.

Keep track of what works and drop what doesn’t:
While most of us don’t have all the expensive toys/tools to check the success/failure of our advertising, there are some simple steps which can help you track the effectiveness of on-premise advertising. Your exterior LED message center can be used to track message effectiveness by dayparting messages. Dayparting means to push certain messages at certain times during the day. As Jim Meskauskas points out on imediaconnection.com, be sure the message has relevance to the time if you’re partitioning messages by dayparting.

In the morning, push out an ad for a timed special with a requirement the first 20 people to mention the ad get ‘X’ (discounts, a prize, etc.). This draws people in and allows you to track effectiveness of a certain campaign. Please keep in mind, your audience is mobile so you want to keep the message simple and straightforward and don’t have them TEXT/take a picture/or do anything which takes away from their attention to forward movement (walking/driving/cycling). That would be bad, very very bad.

Get the most from your medium:
Use the medium to the max. As some Japanese engineers have shown in Osaka, simple water can be presented in amazing ways to draw interest. A digital display (LED message center, LCD/Plasma/Smartphone/tablet/laptop/other) is limited only by your imagination. There are people doing amazing things with displays. Unleash the creativity, but be sure what’s presented achieves your goals.

Have fun, it’ll shine through:
Overall, engage your customers/clients/focus group in fun and entertaining ways when possible. Emotion is a HUGE driving force in advertising. Harness emotion where you can. Think of the overall impression you want to make with the digital signage and what goal you have in mind. See the system in your mind’s eye, go through how you want someone to view the system, what you want them to experience/feel and what you want to achieve; examples: more clients coming in the door, people calling that phone number, customers sending SMS texts to the display and interacting with your business using the display as the medium. What you can visualize can be actualized.

Keep your objective in mind:
Often too many people focus on the ROI (return on investment) and fail to focus on the ROO (return on objective). ROI gives you financial gain (a good thing) and ROO gives you a gain (i.e. educating your customer base as to why they should use you over the competition) which may not have a direct measurable monetary effect, but will get you farther towards building a relationship with your customer base. The trick is fitting it all into a spot which may only receive 5-10 seconds of attention.

Don't hesitate to reach out for advice if you're feeling stuck. There are loads of people (myself included) who are happy to point you to excellent resources if they can't help you directly. Don't be afraid to stumble a bit on the path to success, but avoid the big mistakes where possible!

*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Counting Colors: The Truth Behind the Numbers

-Deacon Wardlow

What exactly does it mean when an LED message center manufacturer is selling you on millions or billions of color? If the human eye can only perceive 10 million or so colors, what’s the point of more than that? There are important reasons for understanding the numbers and in the game to win your business some manufacturers don’t play fair.

Every color in a digital image is made up of some combination of the three primary colors of light - red, green and blue: It doesn't matter what color you're looking at on your screen. It's being made up of some combination of those three colors. By using multiple shades of red, green and blue you can create a bigger color palette. 

If all you had was pure red, pure green, and pure blue, the most you could create would be seven different colors, including white if you mixed all three together.

You also include an eighth color: black, which you would get if you completely removed red, green, and blue. These make up the 8 “bits” or shades of color which make up a “regular” message center palette. Multiply Red 256 x Green 256 x Blue 256 and you get a “pure” white made up of over 16 million colors.

Full-Color Reproducibility for 16.77 Million Colors Using 8-bit RGB Color:

• 8-bit (2^8) = 256 tones
• 256 tones (R) * 256 tones (G) * 256 tones (B) = 16,777,216 colors
• 16,777,216 colors = 16.77 million colors

So if a “regular” color palette is made up of 256 tones/shades of Red/Green/Blue, how can you get billions or more colors? While many control systems are only capable of 8-bits. More advanced systems can achieve 12+ bit color palettes (4,096+ tones per Red, Green and Blue). These more advanced systems can honestly claim billions of colors. Many 8-bit systems will use frame rate control (how the LED pulses to create vibrancy/brightness) to “fake” the additional 4+ bits of color. If a manufacturer of displays can change some component to give the appearance of more colors, what’s the difference?

The higher bit, the better the color depth available on a screen. While the human eye can only perceive 10 million (or so) colors, the color depth of an image is perceived in how “sharp” an image looks with contrasting shadows. True color depth is best achieved with a higher-bit system allowing for clearer, crisper images and better color quality. Manipulating frame rates can lead to refresh rate issues which can cause a message center to look “blurry” with poorly defined lines and image quality.

In an apples-to-apples comparison, high quality systems are defined by true color reporting, not by playing with the numbers to give you a false impression. The next time someone plays a numbers game with you, dig into their system to see what they’re trying to draw attention away from. It’s likely they’re trying to flood you with more information and a “bigger is better” mindset to place themselves in a unique position away from the competition. The next time you see big numbers, check the real value under the engine of the system; find out how many bits their controller really handles. Don’t let people play a numbers game on you.




*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Silent LED Message Center Killers: Power

-Deacon Wardlow

   

Improper power can damage the longevity and performance of your LED message center. Lightning strikes can instantly destroy expensive electronics without warning. In other cases, brown outs, under/over voltage and current spikes caused by excessive power demand can also damage electronics. The electrical grid that delivers power is subject to disturbances and potential failure.

Top 5 Power issues:

· Voltage Spike: An instantaneous increase in voltage from 300 to 6000 volts (normal is 120 Volts) caused by lightning or grid fault

· Over Voltage: a longer-term event caused by a large load instantaneously taken off the grid causing voltage to rise above 138 volts

· Under Voltage (Brownout): Too much load on the power grid resulting in voltage decreases from 120 volts to below 90 volts

· Power Outage: Zero voltage lasting for 2 seconds to several hours

· Voltage Sag: Caused by a large load placed on the grid resulting in delivery of less than 100 volts for up to 2 seconds

All grid disturbances can potentially damage sensitive electronic components. The most common and under-reported grid disturbances are Voltage Sag and under voltage events. In some cases, Voltage Sag occurs 30 to 100 times per year. The Under Voltage event is similar to a Voltage Sag, but last longer – sometimes for hours, days, and weeks or even years before the inevitable long-term damage is visible and the problem isolated to under power on the system. Voltage Spikes can also cause serious damage, including fire, but are less common and damage can usually be avoided with surge suppressors which should be a standard component for a reliable manufacturer of LED message centers.

Under Voltage and Voltage Sag events in the power grid cause the most serious damage because they chip away at the integrity of the equipment with each event and there can be hundreds of events in a year. When a Voltage Sag or Under Voltage event occurs, it is also followed by a current surge or current inrush when the proper voltage is restored. The constant fluctuation of power will shorten the life span and performance of the system.

Protect your business and your investment. Any installation of an LED message center should include power metering which most electricians and LED sign dealers should be able to do. This one time metering will save you lost business when a system fails years early due to consistent under voltage or other power issues which could have been caught at the time of initial installation.

The power company won’t step up and do anything until you have proof positive there’s a problem. By monitoring a new installation over a weekend or (even better) a week, you’ll know if the power is good or if there’s a problem. You can be sure you, your brand and your reputation (along with the investment in the LED message center) will be safe for the long haul.

*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Driving Innovation with LED Message Centers

-Deacon Wardlow

Are you getting the most out of your Digital Display system (whether exterior LED message center or interior Digital Signage)? Are you innovating with your display and starting a conversation or pushing content? What’s the difference? Here’s a quick look at some innovative approaches to interactivity with LED displays:

2007 - Fishtisch experiments with LED displays which were capable of “sensing” objects and lighting LEDs in response. They came out with some cool furniture concepts which (unfortunately) didn’t go very far, but broke ground for other innovators. Over in Oslo a designer came up with a wall (for a subway) which interacted with passer-bys, creating a “light shadow.” The Dobpler(tm) interactive LED system showed people LEDs didn’t have to be passive light sources. In a society where digital display systems are becoming more pervasive, they're blending into the background. They don't stand out as much as they used to as they're becoming the "norm." Interactive approaches which have systems react to outside forces (i.e. someone walking by) can be set in such a way as to make people want to interact with the system and pay attention. Forever 21 thought of just this approach with their display in Times Square.

2010 -  Forever 21 came out with an “interactive LED display” billboard in Times square. Check out the video and you’ll note how it gets people actively looking at and waving (interacting) with the display. This makes LED display content “come alive” and connects the viewer to the system.

Work like this innovates how LED display technology is applied in the market. I came across an interesting idea on utilizing feedback systems (like the Kinect) to make 3 dimensional LED displays which track physical body position and allow people to interact with the system via game or general track motion following. Thinking outside of the "flat box" format drives innovation and creativity leads to more eye-catching moments to grab your audience.

While these ideas seem “out there” for the typical LED Message Center/Digital Signage owner, the concepts are solid. Digital Signage can do more than push information to your potential client-base. Digital Signage can engage them, draw them into a “conversation” about your product/message. Instead of pushing, pull. Draw people in. Look at the innovative ways others are using their Digital Display systems (from exterior LED message centers to interior LCD/Plasma displays) and see how they’re changing the way they speak with their customers. Why “talk at” someone when you can talk with them?


Vantage LED is hard at work developing new LED Message Center Technologies which will not only disrupt how content is created and managed, but will lead the way for a paradigm shift in how exterior LED message centers are used by businesses and communities. The days when Digital Signage had a huge "wow" factor just by their presence alone are disappearing. The technology itself is a delivery channel, how that channel is used makes the difference between an "experience" and a "view."


Definitely let me know what you come across and I’ll put the feedback in the blog. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Trends in LED Message Center Technology part 3 of 3

-Deacon Wardlow

Improvements in LED component quality/cost, IPC advancements, application of new technologies in the production process and telecommunications are all areas where major developments are changing the face of LED displays.

LED Component Quality/Cost: LEDs are becoming more resilient with lower power draws and higher output available. Previously the sole domain of a select few manufacturers, key patent rights (some covering LED technology, others on firmware controls which have gone open source) are now available and the technologies streamlined enough to allow for greater competition in the market which drives down overall costs and creates a competitive market which drives up overall quality. The improved performance of LEDs translates into lower power draws, higher light outputs and overall better quality options without having to come from only one or two specific suppliers.

IPC Advancements: IPCs are becoming more prevalent in the market and there are increasingly more manufacturers focusing on development of high-end industrial computing solutions. This is driving the market to create smaller, faster, better computing systems which are more resistant to extreme temperature and harsh environments. These advancements in the IPC market lead to better controls available in LED message centers with increased reliability and performance from computing solutions which take up less real estate within the display cabinet and allow for vastly improved controls and modifications on the systems.

Application of New Technologies: Manufacturers are integrating product lines which weren’t available a few years ago. As opposed to powder coating, new non-VOC (volatile organic compound) coatings are available which allow for faster curing times, easier application and more resilient, stronger surface coating to protect the LED message center cabinets. Advances in material composition and construction also allow for lighter weight materials to be used in manufacture of large cabinet structures where previously steel was the preferred option.

Telecommunications: Improved telecommunication lines offering higher bandwidth DSL (digital subscriber line) and FiOS (fiber optic service) as well as 3G and 4G wireless technologies allow more connection options than have existed before. This allows various LED message centers to be on an integrated network over a vast territory; seamlessly allowing for updates of large file formats where previously satellite or other expensive technologies were required. These low cost options give large franchises, partnered companies and independent end-users more options in how to utilize their LED message centers as centrally controlled and integrated system.

In the next year, the market will see manufacturers coming out with options which would have previously not been available (due to poor telecommunications options available, high component cost and low availability of quality, low-cost IPC options). 2012 and 2013 will see some major advances in the market and some surprises from the innovative manufacturers who will deliver change in the industry.


Over the course of the coming year+ I'll be digging deeper into the points raised in the three initial posts (Trends in LED Message Center Technology parts 1-3). Please comment, email me, and develop this conversation as I love to hear and share what others are doing to drive innovation in LED Message Center technologies forward.

*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Trends in LED Message Center Technology Part 2 of 3

-Deacon Wardlow

Businesses are changing from traditional advertising to on-premise message centers:
Though this is somewhat of an oversimplification, I see the increase in Electronic Message Centers (EMCs) use in business as twofold: Changes in advertising venue and advances in technology.

Changes in advertising venue: The customer base is no longer focused in a particular set of areas available to advertising. People don’t listen to the car radio as much as they have streaming audio from specialized music vendors and/or use of their phones. Television is changing over to programming which is off a schedule and on-demand. Newspapers have lost millions of readers to online media. There are too many places to advertise with little chance of a high return. On-premise advertising is becoming the major focus and EMCs offer greater flexibility and an opportunity for businesses to get their message directly to their potential market.

Advances in technology and manufacturing are lowering costs. EMCs which used to cost $100,000 or more can now be purchased for less than $30,000. This is a minimal investment when business owners look at the vast amount of money funneled into advertising venues which no longer offer the same level of performance and return as on-premise advertising.

Points for entry into the EMC market:
Resellers/Dealers looking to enter the market need to be sure they have a strong and solid PARTNER not a vendor. Anyone can go out to the market and find hundreds of EMC manufacturers who are willing to sell at a rock bottom price. The old saying is still true, “You get what you pay for.” The overall value comes from the service, support and availability of that partner to be there years later for the buyer to ensure replacement parts are available, issues are quickly resolved and the software/hardware for the system is routinely updated WITH backwards compatibility kept in line for support of older systems.

Overall there are a few things to look for with any vendor:

1. Quality of the components: What is the brightness level of the message center and how does the manufacturer achieve that? Do they use an IPC for the controller or embedded technologies? What is their warranty and (on average) how many calls a week does their service/support center receive?

2. Software: Is it easy to use? You wouldn’t buy a car without driving it, so test out the software and see how hard or easy it will be for end-users to use on a daily/weekly basis? Could a restaurant manager put up quality looking content on their LED message center within 5 minutes with the software?

3. Service/Support: Will the vendor be there for you when you need them? How long have they been in business? Do they have good references? What is their 5 year roadmap? (If a vendor doesn’t have a 5 year plan, be cautious as they might not be looking to be in business five years down the road.)

Some applications for EMC technology:
EMC technologies are being applied in many venues now. They were mainly used in entertainment, however they are an excellent medium for on-premise advertising for small, mid-sized and large businesses. Chains see the immediate value in reaching their direct market customers at the various locations and the integration of telecommunications and IPC technologies allow them to centrally control and manage large numbers of displays over vast territories. EMCs allow small and mid-sized businesses to have a cost-effective means of advertising directly to their potential customer base.

With the improvements in software and hardware, it’s easy for even the non tech-savvy end-user to put out high quality content on their message center which drives business and has a proven history of 10-15% increase in business*. Originally the majority of EMCs were capable of only basically communicating time and temperature; now they are being used to integrate with amber alerts, send community messages and allow businesses to communicate with their customers directly.  Current technology allows for integrated social networking as EMCs utilize SMS (text) interactivity and the option for the communities and businesses to have immediate information pushed to the public. As the number of EMCs increases in a community, the options for use improve and overall everybody wins.

*Statistic drawn from a 3 year poll of 40 small-mid sized businesses from various industries in the New England area.

**Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

***Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Trends in LED Message Center Technology part 1 of 3

-Deacon Wardlow

Four big immediate trends are apparent in the industry: simplified robust software, higher performance systems at lower costs, RMM (remote management monitoring) and standardization across platforms.

Simplified Robust Software: Originally, software for LED message centers came in two flavors, incredibly simple text-based software and incredibly complex content creation and management software. A middle ground is emerging where software now allows for previously complex functions to be simplified to the point where an “average” end-user with little computer proficiency can create and schedule content quickly and easily with little assistance. This trend is carried forward in the software industry overall where interfaces HAVE to be more intuitive for the end-users. There are still niche markets for the simple text software and the more complex controls for something like a billboard or sports venue, but the middle market is where the largest amount of traction is taking place and this dictates the move.

Higher Performance Systems at Lower Costs: Asia had a stranglehold on the market, not just because of lower labor costs, but because of large capital investments the governments are making to increase manufacturing. With improved automation in the factories, the labor cost equation is going away and driving down overall cost to production while improving overall output and quality. This allows for some manufacturing to return to the United States and a market where the LED message centers coming out now are of much higher quality than before while costing less (especially as the component costs themselves are being driven down with reduced prices on LEDs as they are becoming a commodity product and less of a specialized manufactured item).

RMM (remote management monitoring): While this is really only available in higher-end systems, many of the low-end and middle-grade systems now offer the option to remote-in to a controller and add low-cost monitoring solutions to the LED message centers. Previously, this wasn’t possible because the message centers utilized embedded controller technologies which weren’t easily modified by manufacturers and end-users. Now many manufacturers are moving over to IPC (industrial power computing) controller solutions as they allow more flexibility in monitoring and management. An IPC allows manufacturers to add remote connectivity software for management and monitoring of the message centers and this “add functionality” is also available to the end-user should they opt to modify a controller to fit into their specific network security protocols.

Standardization Across Platforms: As technology improves and different manufacturers refine their processes, the LED message centers start to become somewhat standardized. While there are still significant differences from one build to the next, the components used to produce, run and manage/maintain the LED message center is becoming somewhat standard. Power supplies, control systems, “sender cards,” “receiver cards,” and other components are increasingly becoming standard. The naming conventions vary greatly, but the components themselves carry the same or similar functionality. Ultimately, the differentiator between quality manufacturers will not be the build itself but rather the value of services, support and software options available.

*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Welcome Deacon Wardlow to the Dealer Support Team.

Attention Dealers! 
This is guy you want on your team. A wealth of resource. 

The man who invented Q & A. Be ready for comprehensive support.

Vantage LED announces the appointment of Deacon Wardlow as LED Technology Specialist. Deacon joined the dealer sales team March 1, 2012 and will be the lead on a new partner program for the company. In his new position, Deacon will be responsible for establishing and maintaining effective relationships and developing the partner program to promote and sell the renowned Vantage LED product line to valued resellers. 

"There's a strong synergy Deacon brings to the company; we're building a "perfect storm" team for 2012 to launch new programs to strengthen the ties to our current partners and extend opportunities for new partners to succeed in the Digital Signage market," said Chris Ma, CEO and Founder of Vantage LED.

Deacon brings over 15 years of High Technology/Digital Signage and business experience to his new position. Previous positions include: CTO/CIO of Barlo Signs International, Inc., a technology consultant in Asia where he facilitated team projects developing custom technology solutions for Asian manufacturers and establishing supply chain logistics for international trade business. As a NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional and Digital Signage Certified Expert, Deacon brings a strong background in technology and business solutions to Vantage LED and their customers. He's highly committed to strong Dealer support and developing long-standing quality solutions for partners. 

Regarding Deacon’s experience so far with Vantage LED, he states, “The first time I met with Vantage while sourcing a potential partner for sign companies, I was immediately impressed with their professionalism, the large team of experienced LED Display industry experts and the high level of enthusiasm everyone exhibited. Since I joined the team, I continue to be inspired by how everyone works together to put out the best system possible for each and every build.”

BUT, if you feel the support is lacking, well, he could be climbing a mountain...but he might have his cell phone with him.

OFFICIAL PRWEB RELEASE

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/4/prweb9394239.htm

Never An Ordinary Experience