Helius, a Hughes company, has announced the availability of MediaAuthor 2.0, a software application that works as a plug-in to Microsoft PowerPoint and allows anyone to create compelling digital signage content in minutes and instantly publish to multiple digital signage players. With MediaAuthor 2.0, users can select from digital signage templates, create a video playlist, add text and graphics, insert a current news ticker and local weather feeds, then publish from PowerPoint to display screens for immediate viewing.
According to a 2007 Forrester Research report, some of the challenges facing digital signage implementation have been the price of components, complexity of network integration, and content management. When coupled with the Helius SST-Mi media player (based on the Apple Mac Mini platform), MediaAuthor 2.0 creates a cost-effective and visually appealing digital signage solution that can be managed easily by end users who have a basic understanding of PowerPoint.
“Customers quickly adopted our first version of MediaAuthor because it empowered PowerPoint users with the tools to quickly create digital signage,” said Kevin Lawrence, senior VP of sales for Helius. “Now, with MediaAuthor 2.0, we have expanded our feature set and preserved the ease-of-use that allows anyone from IT personnel to a front-desk receptionist to control content for a digital signage display.”
With MediaAuthor 2.0, content managers simply choose a digital signage template in PowerPoint and easily add content into place on a slide. The software also enables anyone to quickly create and publish digital signage content, making MediaAuthor 2.0 the ideal digital signage solution for applications such as lobby displays, conference rooms, retail signage, event centers, hotel and entertainment venues, and restaurant displays.
“MediaAuthor was built in response to customer demand for a quick and affordable digital signage solution for small and medium businesses. With the original release of MediaAuthor, we addressed that market demand,” said Mike Tippets, president of Helius. “With MediaAuthor 2.0 we have continued to innovate by adding support for video playlists and live sports, news, and weather RSS feeds to further empower our customers to create professional digital signage content easily.”
Helius MediaAuthor is affordably priced at $795 per authoring license with an upgrade option for access to regular product releases. A single license of MediaAuthor can be used to create content for one or many displays. Additionally, the Helius SST-Mi media player is available for $1500. For an enterprise looking to deploy digital signage on a larger scale, Helius created MediaSignage. With MediaAuthor 2.0 and MediaSignage working together, an enterprise can cost effectively manage and disseminate content for their digital signage solution.
For more information on Helius LLC products/services, visit www.helius.com.
