Something often overlooked in Digital Signage offerings is audio.  DS offers a great way to engage and inform customers but sound is something that can follow the customer as they move around the area, be it a shopping mall, on-hold music or a reception area. CampaignManager 2009 includes a new audio-only player (Dappler*) along side the regular Digital Signage client.  This means that you can now create your own "Radio Station" with music, information or ads playing.  Using Pooling (see below) you can go as far as creating your own Radio Channel.  Pooling allows you to create patterns so that you could (for example) play your company jingle at the top and bottom of each hour and have the intervening slots filled with music and info drawn at random from large "Pools".  This gives the real impression that the customer is listening to an actual live radio station and not just Windows Media Player on "Shuffle".  

Dappler means you can very easily create your own in-store or in-company radio by drag and drop.  The songs will never repeat until the Pool is exhausted and will never play in the same order (unless you want them to!).  Think of it as "You-FM" in a box!

*Dappler will be released with CampaignManager 2009.  If you would like a pre-release copy, please contact us.

It's been an embarrasingly long time since we posted here on the blog.  2008 has been a great year which saw the release of our current version "CampaignManager 2008".  CM 2008 introduced full screen-zoning capability as well as great improvements in the service back-end.  Digital Signage Software is more than getting media from A to B and our long history in working with customer networks large and small has been instrumental in the changes made for our 2008 version. 

For a full list of changes, check out the release notes.

Just around the corner is CampaignManager 2009.  We will release CM 2009 before the end of the year.  There are some really exciting new features and I'd like to take the opportunity to talk about one of them in particular.  Pooling as we've named it introduces an entirely new concept of managing media.  Typically, when creating a new Campaign, one adds media items to a play list and that playlist then loops around.  For many networks, this is all that is required.  However, sometimes there is a need to get a little more complex.  What if you want to have the Campaign play a file at random from a group of files... And what if you wanted that group of files to be different depending on what day it is?  Well, Pooling enables all sorts of scenarios and more.  With Pooling, you create a "Pool" which is basically a group of (usually) related files.  For example, they could be adverts.  You can create an unlimited amount of pools and each pool can have thousands of files within it.  Once the Pool has been created you need to create a "Pool Pattern".  Have a look at the image below:

The horizontal bar represents a block of time.  By default; one hour.  This is our Pool Pattern.  Within the pattern you can see different "Pool Blocks".  These Blocks are references to the Pools you have created.  So, in the example above, we start of the hour with 2 minutes and 25 seconds of content from the "Advertisement" pool.  I could have dozens of advertisements in this pool.  The software will pick them at random and play five items from the pool.  Next, the "Pop Music" pool which is selected in the screen shot.  Note the vertical bars within the blocks above.  Some have one colour, and the second item has two.  This indicates that the block has been split so that the pool it draws from at run time changes depending on the time of day.  Note the "Block Summary" in the lower right of the image.  This particular block has been altered so that between 6:15am and 9:10am it will draw content from the "My Soft Music" pool instead of the "Rock Music".

As you can see, (if you're still with me!) Pooling is a very powerful tool that allows for highly directed content based on time of day.  The great thing is that once you have created a pool pattern and added it to a Campaign, you never have to touch it again; you simply update the contents of the pool and that automatically propegates out to your network.

Not everyone will need Pooling, but for some users with complex schedules, Pooling provides an especially powerful and easy to use tool.

We plan to release a new set of online video tutorials that will demonstrate pooling and all our new features for CampaignManager 2009.  We'll blog very soon on the other features coming down the track for version 2009 such as Multi Player per PC support and Satellite support!

A short post to say we'll be attending the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas next week.  We'll be showcasing our new version of CampaignManager at the Advantech stand and basically checking out the other stands.  If you're going to be in Las Vegas next week so drop by and say hello. 

While I'm posting, check out these two short vids of an interesting deployment we're doing for a major supermarket chain.  It shows how CM can be integrated with Queue Management Systems.

Here's a picture:

and here are some (rather poor in quality I'm afraid) vids:

Some images from our stand at ISE (Integrated Systems Europe).  As you can see, Team Euro played up on Ryarc's heritage :).  At the stand we demonstrated CampaignManager's system integration by showing CM running inside EuroSign, and integrated display and PC and by linking up with Quividi Audience Measuring and analysis system.  Based on the gender of the people in front of the screen, the system can determine males from females and CampaignManager then displays the appropriate ad automatically. 

Kangaroos need not apply.

Pictured (left to right) are Jan Seutens (Business Development Manager, Ryarc EMEA), Oliver Duizabo (CEO Quividi) , Gert Jan van Engelen (Technical Sales Ryarc EMEA), Stefaan Leroux (Technical Sales Ryarc EMEA) and Hans Vogel (GP Systems).

In the lower right of the picture you can see Radiant Europe's Eurosign product.  An integrated display and PC device that comes with CampaignManager installed.

Wow; has it really been four months since we last posted?  Smack our collective hands! We really must do better.  We do have an excuse though, if you will allow us; we've been very busy!  Ryarc has had an awesome 2007, a year that saw our deployed screens quadruple.  You may have seen some press releases in the run up to the end of the year, covering digital signage software deployments to the FitnessFirst gym network (The World's largest), Permanent TSB Bank in Ireland.  Look out for some press releases in the coming weeks and months for more news on CampaignManager. 

CampaignManager and Product Roadmap

Since August of last year, our team of software designers and developers have been working hard on our next major revision, which we hope to release by the end of Q1 this year.  This has been a long time coming, but we're taking the time we need to get it right.  I'll blog more (promise) on that release closer to the date.  We've got some truly awesome new features in there which we are genuinely excited about.  In Q2 we'll be releasing our Audio system which will allow users to easily and quickly create a "live" radio feel.  This is an addition to CampaignManager, so you'll be able to manage all your visuals and audio from a single robust platform.

Corporate Environmental Responsibility

I blogged some time ago about "Carbon Neutral Software" an idea of an industry association which would help encourage and accredit IT companies who make the (more expensive) switch to energy consumption that favours renewable or carbon neutral sources.  We switched to 100% renewable enegry for our HQ offices back in August of 07.  Fully Carbon Neutral power is not yet an option here Down Under, so our energy is derived from Wind, Solar, Biomass and other (non-fossil) sources.  We're really too small and insignificant to get this rolling but isn't it a little disapointing to see multi-billion dollar software companies sitting on their hands?

Though I better get one in August or I'll start to look lazy!  We have some news to share.  Some of you may noticed an article out last month about FutureMedia's launch of an out of home TV network.  We're delighted to announce that CampaignManager has been selected and is now deployed.  Phase one is 1,000 screens and phase two sees 10,000 screens deployed.  At 10,000 it counts as one of the largest networks deployed anywhere.  FutureMedia's network will extend to the Big Bazaar and Pantaloons shopping malls throughout India reaching a mind boggling 200 million shoppers anually. 

PRESS RELEASE: Ryarc CampaignManager powers one of the largest digital signage deployments to date

21^st August 2007

Ryarc Media Systems has announced their digital signage software will power Future TV, the first move by Future Media towards an in-store advertising channel across their Indian retail network and one of the world’s largest digital signage deployments. A subsidiary of Future Group, Future Media will initially roll out 1,000 screens in over 35 Future Group stores in the top six metros of India as the start of a planned network of 10,000 screens.

CampaignManager, Ryarc’s digital signage software, will be the backbone to Future TV becoming the first branded out-of-home (OOH) TV network across retail outlets in India. The footfall expected across this network is 2 Million people each week. According to Partho Dasgupta, CEO of Future Media, “When you get people to notice your brand or product in store, the intent to buy will always be much higher.”

Ryarc’s CEO, Fergal Ó Ceallaigh, said “Competing with global blue chip brands with large advertising budgets can be difficult, but in the end, it’s the quality of the software and the service you provide to customers that shines through and not the hype.  Future Media needed a solution that was powerful and scalable enough to run a truly huge network and yet, not require a team of IT professionals to run it.   We were delighted when Future Media chose our technology after almost a year of careful research.  The size of this deployment is truly impressive; our technology will deliver content, news and advertising to 100 million viewers annually.  That’s comfortably greater than most national broadcasters and is a testament to the growing reach of out-of-home digital.”

Anup Kotekar, Business Director, Future Media said that “We are pleased with the support rendered to us by Ryarc in terms of flexibility & software customization.”

N. S. Padmanabhan, Product Director, Future Media said that “We are extremely satisfied with CampaignManager’s features, functionality and robustness. Its outstanding user-friendly interface isolates the user from all complexities. Our test runs have all been successful with no software glitches.”

CampaignManager is a complete digital signage software solution with remote management, publishing, monitoring, logging, proof of play and versatile playback capabilities. This user-friendly software allows flexible arrangement of display zones. CampaignManager delivers Flash animation, video, live web content, RSS tickers, images, live video capture and digital (DVB) and analogue TV in a seamless channel.

CampaignManager has been designed from the ground up to be instantly familiar to users of common PC applications. No specialist training or knowledge is required. Combining a user friendly interface with unparalleled scheduling power and flexibility, CampaignManager is the clear choice whether you wish to run a single display, or a global digital signage network.

The technology architecture for Future TV has been managed by Konzern Infotech. The Director of Konzern, Dhruv M. Trivedi, said “The service and support we received from Ryarc was exceptional. I couldn’t have asked for a better software platform or a better team to work with. CampaignManager has exceeded our expectations and delivered a very powerful digital signage network that is very easy to manage.”

Ben Mooney, Sales and Marketing Manager of Ryarc, said “We’re delighted to see CampaignManager headlining one of the largest digital signage deployments to date. This is an exciting project not only for those involved, but for the entire digital signage industry.”

About Ryarc Media Systems (http://www.ryarc.com/)

Ryarc Media Systems is a digital signage software company whose technology powers distributed media applications around the globe. Ryarc’s core product is CampaignManager, an end-to-end Digital Signage management platform.

The Ryarc team has been working on creating the CampaignManager product since 2001. Ryarc has representatives in Australia, New Zealand, India, and The European Union. Each year, Ryarc delivers over a billion impressions worldwide to an impressive blue chip customer base.

About Future Media (www.futuremedia.in)

Future Media India Ltd. is a part of the Future Group, which owns Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar, Central and manages multiple retail formats catering to a wide cross-section of the Indian society, capturing almost the entire consumption basket of the Indian consumers. Future Media was incorporated on 8th March, 2006 and the operations were started from 1st January, 2007.

Future Media will give brands a chance to communicate with the active consumers, who consume through media properties in print, television, radio, and visual signage spaces. The company is expected to rollout different channels across different formats.

I had a response to my previous post from staff at Adobe.  They seem to be aware of the performance issues I was complaining about but there doesn't seem to be any urgency in adressing it.  Taking advantage of ardware acceleration is coming but it will be for "Full Screen" only, meaning it is not going to really help Digital Signage applications.  It will not work where the Flash component is hosted within another application as it would be for Digital Signage Software.  Digitial Signage must represent a tiny fraction of what Flash is used for but it is disapointing nonetheless to hear the long understood problems of flash performance will remain.  This can only increase anticipation of what SilverLight will do (and let's hope they don't repeat the same mistakes)

Wanted to lay out a few of the major changes currently under development.  Some will be out in the next release (within the coming fortnight) and some will be later, forming the release of 2.0. 

1: Persistant, animated, translucent watermarking (Version 1.5)

This feature will allow an animated, semi-transparent watermark to be placed anywhere on screen.  Uniquely, it will work across all media types; Live Video/TV, Video, Images, Flash, Sliverlight, and web content.

2: NodeServer (1.5)

This is an add-on feature to CampaignManager that will allow one player in a group to act as a kind of proxy server.  All meta comms from the players in the node will be direct to the main server.  All 'payload' downloads will be via the nominated node service.  NodeServer will be the first major component to use the .net Framework 2.0 and the new SQL Server engine SQL Server CE or SQL Server Mobile or SQL Server Anywhere (or whatever it gets called next!).  This engine will form the backbone of the 3.0 release.

3. Super Ticker (2.0)

Super Ticker will move from the current GDI technology to DirectX taking full advantage of the graphics acceleration available.  In addition, the new Ticker will support true right to left and animation styles as well as two tickers on screen at the same time and location of the ticker anywhere (not just along the bottom!)

4. Mosaic (2.0)

A much called for feature (though rarely used in practice) is to be able to go beyond the three zones currently acheivable and to be able to split the screen into however many zones you like. 

As always, comments are welcome.

A quick post to introduce our new blog.  This blog will remain the general source of musings and news on Ryarc.  Ben Mooney's marketing blog will focus on the marketing side of things.  Watch out for our dev blog launching soon!

Anyone who's spent any time working on Digital Signage will know two things about the Flash format.  1: it's perfect for digital signage and 2: It sucks. Don't get me wrong; Flash is a great medium for what it was desgined for (small animated graphics) but it has some serious drawbacks. 

Abysmal Performance...

First and foremost of these is the actual technical architecture of the Flash display engine.  Flash works great in a small window but scale it up to full screen and the performance can be utterly abysmal.  A flash file with large bitmaps and some groovy fading effects etc will bring the most powerful machines to it's knees.  CPU usage for flash increases exponentially when you increase the size of the canvas.  It just wasn't designed to go fulll screen.  The most surprising thing is, is that Macromedia/Adobe have had a good many years to think about this problem but have declined in their wisdom to do something about it.  Just how bad is the problem?  Well, a 500mb HD Video playing full screen uses less CPU than a 50kb Flash file playing full screen.  It's not entirely flash's fault, as the processing load for vector graphics falls on the CPU and not the GPU but still... It has been many years...

Instability

Flash also freezes occasionally and carelessly authored content leaks memory.  The problem for Digital Signage is that leaks are really really really bad news.  Because 99.9999% (or there abouts) of flash files live for 30 seconds in a browser page and do nothing else, its understandable why these bugs haven't been front and center for the developers in the Flash team; but they're heartbreakers for Digital Signage.

Programmability

Flash is programmed using ActionScript.  People have written incredible applications with ActionScript but compared to most modern languages, the development tools are poor, the debugging tools poorer, the language is a little underdeveloped and capabilities for interacting with other system components are severely limited.

Enter the light...
Enter SilverLight, Microsoft's new vector graphics based format.  Or as Microsoft succinctly put it, "Microsoft® Silverlight™ is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of .NET based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web."   We aren't 100% certain that the guys in Redmond have nailed these flash problems with SilverLight but we're going to find out soon because...

Ryarc CampaignManager will support SliverLight for Advertising Animation and Kiosk Interactivity

What's really cool about SilverLight is that interactivity and programmability can be done in .net meaning a nice smooth interoperability with existing applications and a much larger talent pool available for the development of interactive content.  Anyway, we'll blog more on this exciting new technology and we expect to offer a version of CampaignManager Digital Signage Software which supports SilverLight in the coming months....

Example of SilverLight in action...

Just a quick note to introduce our new website:

We hope the redesign and new navigation work well... Next job is integrating the forums and this blog into the look and feel.  The support forums were offline briefly due to the Web Site Switch over but will be back online later today.

Thanks for tuning in. Bit of news on the Digital Signage Software CampaignManager product road-map I'd like to share with you. We have been talking this year about our new version "3.0". This came as a surprise to some given that we are currently on rev 1.x. Well, the features talked about in 3.0 are all still intact and being worked on. However, we are going to do an intermediary release (2.0 no less) which will add some long requested features to the product. These will be:

• Multiple Splits of the Window
• Multiple Items per side pane
• Double Tickers
• Local Node Server (so one machine can act as a slave server for a bunch of locally connected players)
• Security integration with Microsoft Windows Active Directory
• Better Support for Audio
• Support for DirectX 10 and new DirectX 10 Tickers

2.0 will ship within in the third quarter and 3.0 will ship in Q4. 

Santos Corporation recently completed a move to their new HQ which involved a multi million dollar audio visual install.  Santos required a cinema like experience in the lobby showcasing the company's values and history and a mix of smaller screens with touch screen capability achieved this using Panasonic's gigantic new 103" LCD TV.  The lobbies of the new building have been fitted out with smaller screens which are capable of displaying the same content which can be dismissed with a touch to access an interactive directory.  Ryarc's CampaignManager digital signage software was used to power all the displays.  Some pictures:

Santos Reception showing a 103" LCD screen being run by CampaignManager Digital Signage Software.

The lift lobbies of the building showing the smaller touch screen device.

A Close up of the smaller screen inviting the user to touch the screen to access the interactive directory.

The Ryarc team would like to send a warm welcome to Ben Mooney who has recently joined the team as our new Sales & Marketing Manager. Ben comes from a recent stint in the advertising world after returning from two years working in marketing and sales in London. Ben has experience across the tourism, film, mobile and advertising industries, as well as a B. Commerce (Marketing & Finance Majors) degree.  You can contact Ben directly by mailing benm ([at]) ryarc.com

Ben Mooney

Neptune reports are an add-on to CampaignManager that allow you to create reports based on Campaign, Media or Channel (RDD).  It's extremely simple to use and setup and replaces the old 'raw xml' reporting that was present up till now.  We'll be posting a download link in the coming days, but here are two screen shots in the mean time!

We'll get 1.3 out the door in the next few days.  Here are some of the issues fixed and features added: