Westinghouse panel guys re-brand software offer as "neon"

October 9, 2008 by Dave Haynes

Is it just me, or is calling a product aimed at driving advertising on LCD screens “neon” an odd, confusing choice?

But it beats the tar out of what they were calling it: M470SWP Digital Signage Solution. Rolls off your tongue, doesn’t it?

From SignWeb:

Westinghouse Digital Electronics (Santa Fe Springs, CA), an LCD TV manufacturer, is introducing neonSource™, neonNow™ and neonPlayer™ products. Created for the hospitality education, food service, retail and POS industries, the neonSource and neonNow software solutions and the neonPlayer give businesses more content-design options for digital signs.

NeonSource showcases ads on any size flat-panel display while customers watch selected programming. Offered for displays in landscape mode, the customizable digital-signage solution allows users to create their own content. Westinghouse’s proprietary MosaicView technology displays multiple images simultaneously on one screen. The technology can convert a display that currently shows TV or video to one that advertises product solutions, informational messages, daily specials and promotional launches throughout the day on a timed rotation. Ads are inserted around the featured content, on the sides, top and bottom of the screen, to prevent programming interruptions. 

Westinghouse Digital is among a healthy list of consumer electronics guys trying to sell panels into this space by bundling softwarer and a “player” – often referred to as a PC. This is a bit of a re-announcement, in that Westinghouse was humping the essentials of this back in June, sans the “neon” handle. 

The neonPlayer, by the way, is just a PC, judging by the specs.