Digital Signage Best Practices

Digital signage is an essential tool for businesses, public spaces, and events. It enables you to communicate with your audience effectively and create engaging experiences. However, for your digital signage to be effective, it’s crucial to follow certain best practices that ensure its performance, security, and ease of management. In this article, we will go over some of the general digital signage best practices that you should consider.

Choosing a High-Performance Digital Signage Player

Choosing a high-performance digital signage player is critical to delivering an optimal viewer experience. The player’s performance determines the quality of playback and the ability to handle more complex and demanding content. Here are some key factors to consider when choosing a digital signage player:

1. Processor: The processor determines the player’s speed and responsiveness. A powerful processor such as an AMD Ryzen can handle high-resolution content and advanced graphics smoothly.
2. Storage: The player’s storage capacity determines how much content you can store on the device. Solid State Drives (SSDs) are faster and more reliable than traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) or SD cards and are a better choice for digital signage players.
3. Connectivity: The player should support various connectivity options such as HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB for seamless integration with your display and peripherals.

More information on SureVue player hardware can be found here : Digital Endpoints

Choose the right CMS

When selecting a CMS to use in your deployment, there are various factors to keep in mind depending on your requirements.

1. Scalability and Flexibility: Look for a CMS that can scale with your growing needs and adapt to different display configurations. Ensure it supports a wide range of media formats, including images, videos, live feeds, and interactive content.
2. User-Friendly Interface: A user-friendly CMS makes it easy to create and schedule content, manage playlists, and update information on the fly. Intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces, template libraries, and WYSIWYG editors can simplify content creation and save valuable time.
3. Integration Capabilities: Consider a CMS that offers integration with third-party applications and services. This allows you to incorporate data feeds, social media, weather updates, and other dynamic content sources to enhance engagement and relevance.
4. Remote Management: Choose a CMS that enables remote management, allowing you to control and monitor your digital signage network from anywhere. Features like real-time monitoring, remote content updates, and scheduling empower you to maintain consistency and address issues promptly.
5. Analytics and Reporting: Opt for a CMS that provides robust analytics and reporting capabilities. These insights help measure the effectiveness of your content, audience engagement, and overall campaign performance, enabling data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.

CMS options include Appspace, Korbyt, Navori & 22Miles  

Security

Ensuring the security of your digital signage player and content is critical to protecting your investment and avoiding any potential breaches. Here are some tips to ensure the security of your digital signage:

1. Avoid using players with SD cards, as they are more vulnerable to tampering and hacking.
2. Regularly install security patches and updates to keep your player and software secure.
3. Choose a player with hardware-based security features such as Trusted Platform Module (TPM) that encrypts sensitive data.
4. Secure your network by using firewalls and limiting access to your digital signage network.

Remote Management

Remote management is a critical feature that allows you to manage your digital signage displays from a centralized location, saving time and resources. Here are some tips to ensure efficient remote management:

1. Choose a digital signage solution with a cloud-based content management system (CMS) that enables remote management.
2. Use a player that supports remote management protocols such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
3. Choose a player that supports over-the-air (OTA) updates, which allow you to update your player’s firmware and software remotely.

OS Updating

Keeping your digital signage player’s operating system (OS) up-to-date is critical to ensuring optimal performance and security. Here are some tips to ensure timely OS updates:

1. Enable automatic OS updates to ensure that your player always has the latest security patches and features.
2. Regularly check for updates manually, especially before any critical events or deployments.
3. Choose a digital signage player that has long-term support and receives regular OS updates.

Power (Electric On-Site)

Ensuring stable and adequate power is essential to the reliable operation of your digital signage player. Here are some tips to ensure optimal power supply:

1. Determine the power requirements of your digital signage player and ensure that your site’s electrical infrastructure can support it.
2. Use a high-quality surge protector to protect your digital signage player from power surges and voltage spikes.
3. Consider using a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to ensure your digital signage player remains operational during power outages or brownouts.

Network Stability

Ensuring stable network connectivity is critical to the reliable operation of your digital signage. Here are some tips to ensure network stability:

1. Use a wired network connection instead of wireless to ensure a stable and reliable connection.
2. Use network switches to distribute network traffic and reduce congestion.
3. Test your network bandwidth to ensure that it can handle the demands of your digital signage.
4. Choose a digital signage solution that supports remote management, which allows you to monitor and troubleshoot your digital signage remotely.

Content

Creating engaging and visually appealing content is essential for the success of your digital signage. Here are some tips to create compelling content:

1. Use high-resolution images and videos that are optimized for your display’s resolution.
2. Consider the viewing distance and environment of your display when creating content. For example, if your display is in a busy environment, it may be best to use larger text and simpler visuals to ensure readability.
3. Use dynamic and eye-catching visuals to grab viewers’ attention and keep them engaged.

Cable Lengths

Cable lengths are another critical factor to consider when setting up your digital signage. Long cable lengths can cause signal loss and degradation, leading to lower quality playback. Here are some tips to ensure optimal cable lengths:

1. Determine the distance between the player and display and choose cables that match that length.
2. Use high-quality cables that have good shielding to reduce signal loss.
3. Avoid using cable extenders as they can introduce additional signal loss and quality issues.