Everybody do the all in one hustle

June 19, 2008 by Dave Haynes

Is it just me, or is the all-in-one, digital signage in a box, easy as 1-2-3 thing suddenly popping up here and there and everywhere.

EK3 recently unveiled DigiPost. Wirespring was showing one off at a conference the other day. Mediatile has been peddling that concept since forever. Same with MagicBox. And day one of infoComm saw two more announcements, though I think the latter is a warmed-up re-announcement.

Viewsonic announced the DSM3210 Digital Signage Multimedia display to provide an affordable, user-friendly, PC based communication and entertainment solution for restaurants, schools, hotels and business lobbies. The DSM3210 features a 32-inch multimedia LCD TV exclusive OEM software solution to provide users with an option for brilliant signage that is flexible, easy-to-use and cost effective, replacing expensive traditional print displays.

During this week’s InfoComm 2008 trade show in Las Vegas, the company is showcasing the DSM3210, which features a high-definition multimedia display with full connectivity – including a HDTV tuner, HDMI inputs and VGA connection – along with authoring, packaging and presentation software to create a complete digital signage and multimedia visual entertainment experience. The software is an all-in-one Windows-based tool that allows for easy design and development, time scheduling and content distribution. It also has built-in monitoring diagnostics to ensure seamless 24/7 operation.

Meanwhile, Westinghouse Digital Electronics, one of the leading LCD TV manufacturers in the U.S.*, introduces the world’s first all-included Digital Signage Solution that gives owners of small and medium sized businesses the power to easily create professional-looking digital signs and ads like never before: The M470SWP Digital Signage Solution is an all-in-one system that features a 42″ or 47″ LCD 1080p monitor, a set-top box with digital signage templates for dynamic content creation and management, and a hard drive for media storage.

World’s first in what???

Expect more and more of this to pop up as companies try to tap into all those little guys who are never going to be buying software and panels in the numbers that make enterprise level sales monkeys like me get all twitchy. There’s a lot of onesey-twosey stuff out there. BUT, the more companies who come into this area, the harder it gets to sort out what’s good and what’s crap.

Anyone who does take a poke at it better make it dead-simple, very affordable and compelling. It is one thing to stand out from the software mob by promoting a particular strength or capability. When the whole proposition is simple and easy, there’s not a lot of ways to look different, other than price and pretty packaging.