- Scala Inc. and Hitachi, Ltd. have reached an agreement that will provide Hitachi with an, "Exclusive license to operate and resell Scala’s SignChannel low-cost digital signage software services throughout Japan."
- Hitachi is already one of Scala’s larger customers, having deployed more than 5,000 Scala driven displays throughout Japan. Scala’s software powers Hitachi’s Mediaspace digital signage ASP services, which are used by customers such as barber shops, general retail and convenience stores, shopping malls, train and subway stations, real estate chains, etc.
- Guillaume Proux, General Manager of Scala Japan, added, “It was a natural fit for Hitachi who (using Scala) already has acquired over 50 percent market share of large-scale digital signage deployments in Japan.”
- According to Scala CEO, Gerard Bucas: “The success of Hitachi with Scala in Japan and their new investment in the SignChannel business is validating Scala's strategy of expanding to cover more markets and price points to provide the most versatile solution spectrum for our customers around the world.”
- Scala says that: "SignChannel is an online SaaS service that combines the simplicity of a Web 2.0 application with the power of Scala’s traditional template-based composition system. It integrates all of the modern features of a digital signage system, including creation and editing of playlists, scheduling, composition of messages from templates and more. SignChannel also includes a wealth of ready-to-display licensed content such as general news, sports news, weather information and health advice, which allows anyone to set up a digital signage display without ever having to worry about where to get useful and interesting content to keep their audience engaged."
- SignChannel’s most interesting feature is its ability to use very low-cost media players (basically an appliance) and the resultant lower “total cost of ownership”, ease of installation and ongoing operation. Anyone who can connect an appliance to a WiFi network can install and use SignChannel—nothing else to install.
- Hitachi plans to launch its fully localized SignChannel services with content sourced from local Japanese content providers. Hitachi will also promote the service through its extensive sales network across Japan.
- The companies have also agreed that they will jointly develop various user interface customizations to enhance the commercial potential of the service in Japan. Hitachi plans to deploy SignChannel on its own cloud server technology and will work closely with a number of Japanese manufacturers to enable them to offer SignChannel-compatible hardware devices for sale in Japan and in the rest of the world.
Visit hitachi.com and scala.com/signchannel for more information.
