Scala Adds New Proprietary Media Players From Its Scala China Factory

September 16, 2020 by Dave Haynes

Some of the reasons STRATACACHE has been building up a presence in China is growing evident outside that country, with subsidiary Scala announcing a series of proprietary digital signage media players coming out of  its Scala China factory.

“With our Scala China factory, we are able to be extremely cost effective for both standalone and SOC-based solutions across the entire spectrum of media player products,” says CEO Chris Riegel in a press statement. The Scala China manufacturing facility was acquired by STRATACACHE in December 2018. 

The new players add to a range of special purpose players that cover the waterfront from entry-level to high-end multi-output 4K UHD.

Says the PR:

The new players support Linux or Windows environments for stable and scalable content presentation in virtually any application in retail, quick service restaurants, banking, transportation, gaming, out-of-home media and additional key digital signage markets.

The new Scala players:

• Scala Media Player-R is an affordable, entry-level single output media player running on Linux, designed for HD content.
• Scala Media Player-R Plus, also running on Linux, has double the memory and storage of the standard version and is capable of 4K video playback.
• Scala Media Player-DX is an enterprise dual 4K UHD output Windows or Linux player that delivers flawless UHD 4K content, perfect for video walls and large format LED applications.
• Scala Media Player-Q, a quad 1080p output player that runs on Windows or Linux and is designed for digital menu board, video wall and multi-screen projects.

“The rapid evolution of Scala media players to support standard Linux operating systems allows us to go toe to toe with competition across all market segments by striking the right balance of supportability, affordability and performance,” says Riegel. “As part of our comprehensive growth strategy, Scala is providing broad and versatile choices for our customers. We’re able to equip them with the solutions that meet their exact requirements.”

Riegel has been steadily making his company vertically integrated, adding capabilities via acquisition and growth. The company has an outdoor LCD display manufacturing line, consulting and analytics companies and its own data center. It’s also retrofitting a mothballed Corning plant in Oregon to manufacture microLED displays.

Building internally, instead of using third parties, realizes at least a couple of things for Riegel: lowered costs by eliminating vendor margins and maybe even reseller margins; and control on both the build and its life-cycle.