Often hailed as “the last mile of a marketing program”, Digital Signage offers more cost-effectiveness, flexibility and control of product and service selection on location. Many retailers such as Nike, McDonald’s, Safeway, Sears, Malls, Theaters, Clubs, Bars, and virtually any marketplace where capturing the attention is like grabbing money out of thin air.

“Build it and they will come” is the motto in New York. With an estimated $149 billion annual investment into advertising, advertising with digital signage is becoming increasingly more popular as pressure to get more results from advertisers continues to grow.

The shear numbers speak for themselves. With a overall rates of $2-6 CPM (cost per thousand) make digital signage an inexpensive media buy. Right now is the best time to get in because products that are profiles are realizing revenue increases of 30% across the board, and ranges form 109% for soft drinks and 319% for a new calling card. Large LCD signage in bank teller lines results in customer inquiries about new services. That being said bargain prices for such advertising is sure to rise significantly.

Use wireless networking for total reliability and zero content loss in performance.

Wireless networking can be effective for digital signage especially in highly obstructive environments. WiFi-Plus Inc. provided reliable, secure and cost effective connectivity for the 80 New York street level LED panels like the one you see above. It was the only option for NYC however it has proven totally reliable with zero content drop performance.

“Cost effective, reliable, fully secure and interactive image transport done wirelessly by satellite has long been used for Interactive Distant Learning and business television applications” said Larry Steinman, President and CEO of BTV+, which is contracted by some of America’s largest organizations to deliver interactive content to more than 13,000 locations in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

For those who are looking to install digital signage networks, remember that “it is imperative that great care be taken by anyone looking to get into this business to ensure that the integrity of the content is impenetrable by outside forces.” said Rex Williams, President of UDN, which installed the New York network of LED displays over 80 of the cities subway entrances.

System security could be inadequate at the network design stage, or be exposed as digital signage systems expand and use multiple media transport providers (ISP – Internet service providers). Of course even the slightest risk is unacceptable. System security must be nearly “bullet proof” as far as hackers go. Those that use automated digital signage networks have to take steps to assure security at the content ingest, play – list management, display monitoring and other vulnerable points are protected from hackers.

Because of the vivid and eye-catching visual effects, digital displays superbly support commerce, public safety and information needs. Having the power to provide information at a point of decision or when information is needed underpins the value of this communications medium for advertisers and public service providers alike.

Print (static) signage locations place a value on retail location space, and revenue measures from stock turns, the margin per square foot show in comparison the “return on space” with digital signage displays provide the highest ROI. Adding benefits of use such as product promotions, branding, better customer relations, liability containment, and so on. Digital display advertising is the wave of the future today.

With stunning graphics this LCD Displays size is second only to it’s massive expression. At an astounding 82″ of diagonal real estate you can enhance an image to new horizons. This professional-grade display delivers big-screen performance and capabilities for your corporate and digital signage applications. I landscape mode it provides an active screen area of almost six feet in width and more than three feet in height. That is sure to capture the attention both near and far. With a full high-definition resolution, lightning-quick response times, the widest possible viewing angles and high brightness/contrast, your images and messages will keep all eyes on the screen. At this level of performance, take advantage of multi screen displays ideal for corporate lobbies and boardrooms, digital signage applications and trade-show/events, leaving positive, lasting impressions.

Features such as high Brightness that helps overcome ambient lighting obstacles for distraction-free viewing. Remarkable (2000:1) contrast provides for staggeringly deep blacks and improved color depth. Includes a fan-based thermal protection technology with internal temperature sensors. It also has an optional protective panel allowing displays outside near high-traffic areas. It has a TileMatrix software built in which allows you to create video walls up to 16 displays in a 4×4 matrix equaling 27ft. diagonal! TileComp works in tandem with TileMatrix to compensate for the bezel width and create a more seamless video wall. With five picture and audio modes you’re ensured the most optimized viewer experience. Plus it has an optional Wall-calibrator video wall calibration solution to make calibrating easier.

The NEC Display Wall Calibrator allows the user to automatically adjust multiple displays used in a video wall so that the color characteristics closely match, thereby creating the visual illusion of a single large display. XtraView+ delivers a wide viewing angle of up to 178 degrees horizontally and vertically up to 89 degrees up, down, left and right with less color shift and without any glare, reflection or distortion suitable for a large monitor stand. AmbiBright automatically adjusts the back-light depending on the brightness of ambient lighting conditions. Also allows the monitor to be set to automatically enter a power-saving mode when the ambient lighting falls below a predetermined value i.e. when office lights are shut off at the end of the day, which can significantly reduce energy expenses.

Looks like Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates may have an evil genius side after all. He is helping to fund an energy start-up that may hold the key to ultra low emission and maintenance mega power production. Intellectual Ventures is the name of the company that is partially funded by Bill Gates and has a unit called TerraPower. TerraPower, run by a former Microsoft Corp. executive, Nathan Myhrvold, is reported to be in preliminary discussions with Toshiba Corp. on developing a small-scale underground nuclear reactor that would make nuclear power safer and cheaper.

A spokesman from Toshiba said the two sides were talking about how they could collaborate on the nuclear technology. He also said that discussions were still in the early stages and that nothing has been decided on investments or development.

These reports come from Japan however TerraPower said it has been meeting with the “nuclear community” and presenting at conferences but declined to comment on whether they met with Toshiba. So it would seem that Toshiba likes the idea more than most perhaps.

TerraPower has been publicly saying that its reactor technology could run for decades on depleted uranium without refueling or removing spent fuel from the device, making it safer and cheaper not to mention more socially acceptable than today’s reactors. Even Bill Gates has described the device in interviews as being able to run buried deep under ground and capable of operating without human intervention, however would take years to develop. Currently the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission doesn’t have a certification process for these type of reactors.

Toshiba on the other hand is developing a reactor that can operate continuously for 30 years. Along with TerraPower a small player in a field of established concerns trying to develop smaller, and safer nuclear reactors. Nuclear and Defense supplier General Atomics said it is working on a smaller nuclear reactor that would run on spent fuel, back in February.

As President Barack Obama is trying to spur new investments in nuclear power with over $8 billion in government loan guarantees announced back in February, Bill Gates’ recent focus on nuclear power is said to be fueled by an interest in developing new power systems for developing countries. He also has made public his interest in combating climate change.

Green home living is nothing new to the Gates household who boasts much of their home in the ground where the climate can be controlled more efficiently. Bill also being a fan of using dual monitors on his desktop, has multiple screens and computer monitors throughout his home. Miles of communication cable, much of which is fiber optic, runs throughout the house, linking computer servers powered by the Windows NT operating system. You can walk through the house while your favorite movie or soundtrack follows you into each room.

Read How Bill Gates rolls in the Office to learn more:)

In a recent blog Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates may have his hands plenty of dough but it doesn’t come easy. In fact he wrote in a recent blog about how he juggles hundred’s of email from colleagues, customers, and partners with a triple monitor display desktop computer. Of course he’s going to be using Outlook 2007 for the job. He says he keeps the Outlook Inbox open on the screen to the left so he can see new messages as they come in. He goes on to say, “I usually have the message or document that I’m currently reading or writing in the center screen. The screen on the right is where I have room to open up a browser or look at a document that someone has sent me in e-mail.”

As one of the- if not the, richest men in the world, Bill seems to use standard Microsoft products to help him meet his productivity goals. He has all voice mail, faxes, and even instant messages sent to his Outlook Inbox using unified communications technology integrated into Office applications. That also means he can always tell at a glance whether a person he needs to get in touch with is available or not.

He says, “Working with other people efficiently and effectively is more important than ever, not just for Microsoft but for any organization. I find that SharePoint, a software program that enables people to easily create internal Websites so they can collaborate on projects, has become indispensable.”

Each year Microsoft will do what’s called ThinkWeek where anybody in the company can submit a paper about an idea they have to change the way the company works or to pursue a new development project. Back in the day when they relied heavily on printed paper documents it was a challenge to keep up with it all. Now on the other hand, with a Thinkweek website he can browse among articles on his triple monitor system with ease.

If you are looking to increase your bottom line with higher levels of productivity then check out www.Multi-Monitor.com for a wide selection of dual monitor stands and multiple monitor accessories, plus multi-monitor computers and turnkey multi monitor solutions for digital signage and more.

Hyundai offers built in navigation screen

As the designer of Futurama, the most popular exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, Bel Geddes promised “you’re grandchildren will snap across the entire continent in 24 hours on a new kind of highway and in a new kind of driver-less car that is controlled by the push of a button.” That was in 1940 and in many ways inspired the construction of the Interstate Highway System. Seventy years later the stuff of science fiction is becoming the things in our reality.

Driver-less cars are now upon us with the help of newer mobile multiple monitor systems already making headway into our lives. Consumers today can buy cars that can steer themselves, accelerate and brake to maintain a safe driving distance from cars ahead, and detect and avoid collisions with other cars on all sides. This new breed of automobiles are already on the market today and will become increasingly available in 2010 and so on.

It’s not unusual to be sriving down the road and notice a SUV or Minivan with two TV’s inside. Even Hyundai Elantra’s will have in-dash navigation screens this year. With some GPS screens and rear view screens, multi LCD screens will be in the cabin of most newer vehicles moving forward.

So how can we justify such selfish indulgences with no regard to safety?

Randal O’Toole, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute and author of “Gridlock: Why We’re Stuck in Traffic and What to Do About It,” wrote an article published in The Wall Street Journal called “Taking the Driver Out of the Car,” in which he describes that driverless cars would be the most economical solution to many of our costly road upkeep over investments in railways and transit buses which other countries such as France and Japan champion. The average American travels 10 times as many miles on the interstates as the average French or Japanese.

Another idea is that the technology to have cars that drive themselves. This technology has been available to us for a long time now. In today’s advance technoholic realm auto manufacturers are scrambling to be the best. Volkswagen says with their enhanced global positional systems, they can keep cars within two centimeters of their desired location on streets and highways. This summer, the German auto manufacturer will demonstrate its awesome technology by running a driver-less Audi at racing speeds up a twisty mountain peak road and once again, at racing speeds.

Modern cars already have numerous built-in computers that do things like anti-lock braking far more reliable than humans, especially those who are texting or inebriated. Because computer reaction times are faster, a driver-less cars can safely operate more closely together, potentially tripling highway throughput, and could virtually eliminate congestion and reduce the need for new road construction.

So what does that have to do with a multi display unit in your car? If you think about it, there may already at least dual monitors in your cockpit e.g. GPS, TV, rear view monitors, auto diagnostics, etc. . It wouldn’t take long to need an extra computer monitor or two.

For many people who value their privacy, this could be a huge deal. We the people often dole out all kinds of personal information on the Internet that allows identifying your name, your email address, even Social Security number. What many people may not know is that studies show that the typical citizen or consumer is identified far beyond the norm of personal digits, and may be hitting more home personally than ever before.

With services like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr are oceans of personal data e.g. birthdays, photos, videos, and personal gossip. Computer scientists and experts say that such seemingly innocuous bits of self-revelation can increasingly be collected and reassembled by computers to help create a picture of a person’s identity, and that includes obtaining ones Social Security number.

“Technology has rendered the conventional definition of personally identifiable information obsolete,” said Maneesha Mithal, associate director of the Federal Trade Commission’s privacy division. “You can find out who an individual is without it”

It turns out that in a class project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that received some attention last year, Carter Jernigan and Behram Mistree analyzed more than 4,000 Facebook profiles of students, including links to friends. The pair was able to predict, with 78 percent accuracy, whether a profile belonged to a gay male.

Other companies such as Netflix awarded $1 million to a team of statisticians and computer scientists who won a three-year contest to analyze the movie rental history of 500,000 subscribers and improve on predictive accuracy of Netfilx’s recommendation software by at least 10 percent, according to recent article in The New York Times. But have recently shelved the project amidst F.T.C. concerns.

“Personal privacy is no longer an individual thing,” said Harold Abelson, the computer science professor as M.I.T. “In today’s online world, what your mother told you is true, only more so: people really can judge you by your friends.” Collected together, the pool of information about each individual can form a distinctive “social signature,” researchers say.

Both Vitaly Shmatikov, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Texas, and Arvind Narayanan, now a researcher at Stanford University were able to identify more than 30 percent of the users of both Twitter and Flickr, even though the accounts had been stripped of identifying information like account names and e-mail addresses. Shmatikov says “when you link these large data sets together, a small slice of our behavior and the structure of our social networks can be identifying.”

To make matters even worse, two researchers from Canegie Mellon University published a paper last year reporting that they could accurately predict the full, nine-digit Social Security numbers for 8.5 percent pf people born in the United States between 1989 and 2003 – amounting to nearly five million individuals.

Display wall, Computer monitors, dual monitors, multiple LCD displays

APIs (application programming interface) are an interface implemented by a software program to enable interaction with other software, similar to the way a user interface facilitates interaction between humans and computers and in historically, DX10 has been a challenge for game programmers to work with. DX11 is focused on taking the lessons learned from the past and shaped them into a much more efficient API which will demand less system resources while being easier to develop for.

“The specifications alone on the HD5870 is a technological marvel considering it packs all of the rendering potential of ATI’s past flagship card and then some while not being saddled by an inefficient dual processor design. Considering that this new card could effectively double the performance of a HD 4890 just a few months after that card’s release is nothing short of stunning.” says Michael “SKYMTL” Hoeing, a tech reviewer for Hardware Canucks.

Since the release of ATI’s new 5000-series DX11 GPU’s, the world has had a love affair amid a swarm of positive reviews. ATI’s new product showed itself to be one of the best currently on the market while including some great new features as well. It is said that the HD 5850 is making the biggest splash in the GPU market pool than any single chip flagship.

Here’s a look at the current line up of ATI multi head video cards and as you can probably tell by the chart here, all the cards are good performers.

Unlike the past versions of DirectX, DX11 is moving past the purely graphics-based uses of the API and pushing towards being the lynch-pin of an entire processing ecosystem. Beginning with the power which DirectX Compute will bring to the table. Not only does it increase efficiency of physics processing and in-game NPC (non-player character) intelligence by transferring those operations to the GPU but it also be used to accelerate non-3d applications.

With all this GPU power it will be nothing less than spectacular views especially when using ATI’s CrossFireX in conjunction with the Hydravision multi-monitor management software that enables you to more efficiently use the screen space available to your PC, and customize your PC desktop space to the way you work or play. Organize multiple applications across dual monitors.

If you want to utilize the very best that today’s top graphic card technology has to offer, check out Super PC at www.multi-monitors.com for a wide selection of multi-monitor LCD Display accessories including dual monitor adapters and multiple monitor stands. Have any questions? Feel free to use their live chat or just give em a call.

]]> http://multiple-monitor.info/2010/03/graphics-technology-for-your-computers-screen/feed/ 0 http://multiple-monitor.info/2010/03/the-adam-vs-the-ipad/ http://multiple-monitor.info/2010/03/the-adam-vs-the-ipad/#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:18:14 +0000 admin http://multiple-monitor.info/?p=210 If you ever need to break away from the office and still maintain your computing necessities, you might already be wondering about a tablet PC.

If you think the iPad is something that you might consider buying, then you may want to consider its main rival competition. Introducing the Notions Ink “Adam” tablet an Android-based device using the latest-gen NVidia Tegra chipset and an innovative low-power consuming display from a company called Pixel Qi’s. So how might this new contender hold up against its favored opponent the iPad?

From all known accounts, it looks like a good chance iPad has met it’s match. Everything from size to functionality seems to be improved on the Adam.

One particular quality to mention in the Adam is the battery life, 16 to 160 hours! 160 hours of course isn’t with the backlight mode on but still that’s pretty good compared to the iPad which has up to 10 hours of surfing on the web.

The screen size for the iPad is 9.7 inches and the Adam boasts a 10″ inch Transflective LCD which is remarkably clear even in the sunlight. Several videos are now available and the Transflective screen really does wonders in the sunlight. Also Adam is capable of outputting to a dual monitor with 1080p HD video whereas the iPad maxes out at 576p/480p via its optional component cable. This may be somewhat bizarre considering though the iPad has a little bit of an advantage with the on board display being 1024 x 768 vs. Adams’ 1024 x 600.

Another very cool feature about the Adam is that it houses a 3MP Autofocus camera that can pivot 180 degrees to face the front or rear of the device. The camera allows you to video (say for live presentation or class) and take notes simultaneously. The iPad for whatever reason doesn’t have a camera and some other tablets either don’t have one or may even have two, one for the front and another for the rear.

On the back side of the Adam it has a track pad much like the touch pad on your laptop however it’s in a position where your fingers are naturally located when holding the tablet. This makes it easy to use when surfing in browser that may require you to click links and so forth without having to bring your hand around to tap the screen for every link.

Over all the Adam looks pretty nice. Some things like the track pad being located on the back roughly where your left hand would be. Maybe they’ll come out with a special one for slower right handed people:)

For more information on dual monitors, computer monitors, LCD Displays, and multiple monitors on your computer, visit multi-monitors.com:)

9 screen video wall

Most people still seem quite unaware of the unique possibilities for tailoring displayed content according to Lars-Ingemar Lundstrom author of “Digital Signage Broadcasting: Content Management and Distribution Techniques.” Digital signage has completely new ways of combining information from different sources, and getting an understanding of how the visual message in digital signage systems is put together is described in detail in his book.

Now there are video wall solutions for clients who believe that large displays are a must to show their presence in the competitive market. With an iVu multi-screen controller, Plasma and LCD monitors can be connected together to display a single image as a video wall at a fraction of the price comparable to traditional formats, and this can operate without a PC.

Multi-screen display technology and video wall controller solutions enable a wade variety of highly demanding applications and the applications are as diverse as the many users that employ them. Such industries as medical imagery, satellite imagery, billboard displays and other digital signage as well as a multitude of industry and executive command stations.

A Video/Data wall enables a view of all your important information on a virtually large high resolution display comprising of many “smaller” screen using LCD, Plasma, Projectors, and even those abundant CRT Monitors. With the entire video/data wall will acting as one large Windows desktop, applications can be launched and placed onto any singular or combination of screens (when not fully maximized).

“applications can be launched and placed onto any singular or combination of screens”

The Super PC iVu4 video wall/Multi-Screen controller helps in combining 4 (2×2) LCD displays to produce a large video wall.

iVu4 Pro - Stand Alone Video Wall | Multi-Screen Controller

The ultra-high-resolution video controller iVu9 Pro also available from Super PC, successfully maintains an 8 megapixel input to 8 megapixel output data flow without any loss of image quality.

iVu9 Pro - Stand Alone Video Wall | Multi-Monitor Controller