Virtually any standard TV with HDMI can be used as a digital signage display unit when using the BrightSign players. At Scotch we run a number of different models, but recently in the Middle School we have begun a trial of touch screen TVs supported by our BrightSign player.

Digital Signage Player – Across the College we have selected the Brightsign XD1132 player, which gives us a Networked Multi-Control Interactive and Live TV Player. The link below provides additional information relating to the units capabilities. 

Software – It is important to understand that the critical part of this choice in digital signage is not the hardware but the software.  BrightSign provide windows-based software that allows you to create very simple or advanced workflows you can push to your players. 

The most important part of our Digital Signage is, of course, the content, much of which we obtain from the College community. Without great content and mediums to obtain that content, the signage itself becomes static and therefore no better than putting up a poster.

At Scotch, the library is responsible for the approval and display of all material shown on the signage. These are uploaded into a system pending approval and made into slide shows which are then sent to the signage system for display. In addition to this, all notices/posters that are produced are also sent through to the library systems to be placed on the signage across the College.

It is important to change this content as often as possible to ensure that when our students walk past it, they are likely to see something new. Unlike many public signage applications displaying to passing trade, we have a captive audience each day, meaning that a message that runs for a week can get old pretty quickly.

In 2015 the introduction of touch screens to our digital signage has called for a fundamentally different approach to the creation of signage. As we work our way through this it will be important to complete further training to ensure we design with this new interactive medium in mind.

In addition to content in formats such as images and video the system allows us to direct stream websites and other interactive content. At present Scotch has integrated into the system scripting that pulls weather, period times, notices, week information along with time and date.

Below is a explanation of our current signage and how it operates.