We're delighted to report that Ryarc and Advantech have joined forces to offer a combined Player+Software offering for Digital Signage. The Advantech unit is a compact, robust high performance PC unit about the size of a book and will come factory fitted with the CampaignManager software. Here's the press release: http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/14050/
Advantech will now offer CampaignManager as a part of their expanding Digital Signage offerings. See the units here.
It's been a while since we blogged, so I want to share some of what's coming down the track in our next release; 3.0. For a while now, typical DS systems have been either Web applications or GUI applications. The advantages and disadvantages of both types of applications are well know. For web, the benefits are the ability to use the system from anywhere with an internet connection. Whilst this is great, there are some clear downsides to this also. As David Hill has remarked:
The usability of the applications was often much reduced and common
features that the user had grown accustomed to, such as drag-and-drop,
undo-redo, context sensitive help, and so on, were no longer available.
Furthermore, the responsiveness of the application was diminished,
especially for business applications, such as those in customer call
centers, which demanded heavy data entry and navigation across multiple
screens... To summarize, whilst web interfaces have many advantages, they also 'suck' in some ways:
- Security and the inability to host the system yourself
- Inability to take advantage of all the power of your desktop PC
- Managing complex tasks with a web page, even with advanced browser UI can be a frustrating experience
- Managing large files round-tripping to a remote server can be soul destroyingly frustrating
- Being off the air if your ASP's web server is down
On the Application side, there are also some clear disadvantages, namely:
- Requiring a complex install to access your project
- The inability to access your project from anywhere
CampaignManager 2007 (or 3.0; we haven't quite decided) will eliminate these problems associated with a traditional non-web application by using what's called "Smart Client" technology. This means that whilst you will still have all the power and richness of a windows application you will also be able to access your Digital Signage network from anywhere on any Windows machine! In addition, the system will allow you to work off line and always be within the rich and powerful windows environment. We're in the thick of development now but as features come available, I'll blog them here. This new method of access, which brings the CampaignManager product away from project file based management to a relational database opens up a huge range of new features which will make this release a real leap in terms of power. Hence, 1.2 -> 3.0 :)
More to come...
We were "back stage" at Tech.Ed yesterday helping install our demo Embedded System at the Exhibition Centre. Don Kerr (Pictured) is Strategy Manager for Embedded Computing at Microsoft AU and was very nearly as excited (as you can see) as us to see High Definition digital signage running Windows XP embedded.
And it looks like they got their net connectivity issues sorted because as you can see from the image below, the device we installed there is up and running. (The device at Tech.Ed is configured to connect to our lab here on the other side of the City.)
If hits on the website and google referrals are anything to go by, the system is generating some interest. Which is nice. More later. A big thank you to Don and the folks at Microsoft for asking us along :)
We got a phone call a few weeks back from the folks at Microsoft, asking if we'd like to be a part of their embedded device showcase at Tech.Ed 2006. We've been working with Advantech to create some cool "In a box" signage solutions. You'll be able to find us at the Microsoft Embedded Platform stand where you you'll be able to see what our Digital Signage software can do with XP embedded! We'll blog a little more on this closer to the time.
 and  @ 
Here's our press release covering our two year deal with EYE Corp. Ryarc, a leading Digital Signage Software company whose product is CampaignManager, will deliver one half billion full screen ads this year for EYE alone!
Ryarc enters into Digital Signage Software agreement with EYE Corp.
An EYE Prestige Digital Sign powered by Ryarc's CampaignManager software suite.
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Ryarc Media Systems today announced the commencement of two year deal with leading Out-of-Home media operator, Eye, to provide the software component for Eye's expanding portfolio of digital media assets in airports and shopping centres across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Europe.
Ryarc's digital signage software, called CampaignManager, will power Eye's expanding international network of Eye's digital media screens in a deal announced this week.
Fergal Ó Ceallaigh, founder and CEO of media software specialists, Ryarc said, "Eye needed a solution that was not only reliable and manageable, but also one of sizeable scale. It needed to keep pace with EYE's rapid expansion plans. Campaign Manager allows EYE to easily manage hundreds of sites across multiple time zones and continents from a single desktop."
Eye Group Manager - Design and Innovation, Stephen Rubie commented: "We were impressed with the system's efficiency and reliability. Ryarc's software consumed less than one fifth of the processing power of our previous solution. This is crucial, because stressed PCs are prone to heat and hardware failures. In Digital Signage, these can be very expensive."
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Ryarc's CampaignManager ensures that software does not become the limiting factor in EYE's international plans, which now uses CampaignManager to deliver digital signage content to over 180 million passengers, CBD workers and shoppers annually in offices, airports, and shopping centres around the world.
Ryarc's CampaignManager is capable of handling all modern formats including HD video, Live RSS feeds and even digital HDTV. One of the key benefits of CampaignManager is its ability to seamlessly support EYE’s products as they evolve over time.
"In the coming year, CampaignManager will help EYE to deliver over 500 million full screen high definition advertisements. Ryarc's advanced digital signage technology proves that you don't need expensive satellite or "broadband everywhere" installations to deliver high quality content world wide with reliability and ease." added Mr. Ó Ceallaigh.
Digital Signage continues its rapid uptake becoming the most effective method of transmitting a dynamic and engaging message to viewers that are becoming increasingly difficult to reach with traditional methods. With advertising spend on digital products predicted to enjoy considerable growth in the coming years, Ryarc is helping companies make the transition to digital in a highly cost effective manner. |
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As part of our Zusa! showcase, we're delighted to announce Equiline Zusa! channel for those interested in the Equine scene down under. Equiline is an online publication of Equestrian news and information that provides effective, dynamic and constant communications between volunteers, spectators and riders using the world premiering software – ZUSA!
Zusa allows Equiline to present information in the widest variety of multi-media available today. As you can see Equiline plays
- Club content – as HTML pages
- News from around the world – as a scrolling ticker bar fed with Live RSS
- Promotional material – as flash animation
- HD video that is presented in full screen!
Step 1: Install Zusa! (requires Windows XP SP2 and .net Framework 1.1)
Step 2: Tune to the Equiline Channel by
a) right clicking here and choosing save target as...
b) choose your desktop
c) once downloaded, simply double click to tune in... | |
I thought I'd better get at least one entry in for July! We've been busy the last couple of weeks finishing Zusa! You can have a look here: http://www.ryarc.com/download/zusa!.msi. When it sets up, you'll be 'tuned' to our demo channel. Let us know what you think.
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