A staple product in AV deployments across facilities and campuses, the mighty digital signage player has seen a flurry of innovation in recent years. In addition to boosted performance to handle today’s demanding video formats and resolutions, the latest breed of devices boast features to make tech managers’ lives easier, too.
The following is a collection of the latest models from leading manufacturers.
Related: The Technology Manager's Guide to the New Era of Digital Signage
BrightSign XT Series
BrightSign’s XT media players are designed for enterprise applications demanding high performance and state-of-the-art technology. With a 4K video engine, BrightSign’s fastest HTML and graphics engine, and the company’s most powerful CPU, BrightSign XT is well suited for leading-edge digital signage installations involving H.264 and H.265 decoding, Dolby Vision and HDR10 media profiles, and 1080p and 4K playback including Mosaic Mode.
BrightSign’s XT media players are powered by a hardware-accelerated HTML5 rendering engine that enables playback of multiple modular HTML5 assets including Javascript, CSS animations, WebGL, and even swipe/gesture interactivity. All BrightSign XT models feature gigabit Ethernet, dual 4K video decoding, 4K full resolution graphics, PoE+, and HDMI In for Live TV playback. BrightSign’s XT media players deliver near-zero downtime with high performance at a competitive price.
Elo Backpack
The Elo Backpack is engineered to transform standard digital signage into an interactive experience. The Android compute engine enables users to run audio and video content, interactive HTML webpages, and/or Android-based apps. It features the flexibility and functionality of Google Play Services, enabling apps to take advantage of the latest Google-powered features. The Elo Backpack also features EloView, Elo’s Android MDM, streamlining the deployment and management process. With integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and expansive I/O options, Backpack helps facilitate the creation of unique interactive signage solutions.
Built on Elo’s Unified Architecture, users can scale across sizes and form factors from 7 to 65 inches, creating a consistent, cost-effective deployment optimized for commercial use.
Enplug Digital Signage Player
Enplug’s High-Performance Digital Signage Player is designed to drive content to any digital signage endpoint within the Enplug ecosystem. The player is tested against top industry standards for reliability, broad compatibility, and 4K support. Enplug users can connect the player to any HD display in portrait or landscape orientation to deliver content with 1080p and 4K video playback at 60 frames per second.
Content is updated via Wi-Fi or Ethernet and stored locally on the device for uninterrupted operation, even if the internet is temporarily disconnected. Once the internet connection is restored, the player automatically re-connects and updates any content.
Kramer VIA GO²
VIA GO² gives iOS, Android, Chromebook, PC, and Mac users wireless connectivity with 4K advanced presentation capabilities. The product features content streaming with mirrored images and video playback and includes iOS, Windows, and Android mirroring. VIA GO² is compact (7x7cm) and flexible to install with both built-in Wi-Fi and LAN connectivity and includes 1024-bit encryption for secure use on the internal network. VIA GO², when it isn’t actively presenting, acts as an interactive display signage tool. Its small form factor makes it easy to conceal behind the display for a sleek profile.
MuxLab 4K Digital Signage Player
MuxLab’s DigiSign Plus CMS Software and 4K Digital Signage Player are engineered with robust features and user-friendly operation. MuxLab DigiSign Plus CMS works with its 4K Digital Signage Player Plus (model 500789) and allows users to create, arrange, manage, and schedule video, images, audio, and HTML content from a variety of sources, including content streaming via an H.264/H.265 codec over a local Ethernet network, the internet, via internal memory and external USB 3.0 memory devices.
The system supports numerous widgets including RSS and Instagram feeds, text tickers, clocks, stocks, exchanges, weather info, and maps. The system supports multiview layouts, including picture-in-picture (PIP) and the ability to create a schedule of up to 1 year or more of content in advance. The user can then publish the signage content and schedule to the 4K Digital Signage Players distributed throughout a network and displayed on the connected TVs.
PureLink MPX100 II
PureLink’s MPX100 II Wireless Digital Signage solution includes the MPX Content Management Suite, offering comprehensive digital signage program creation including on-demand touchscreen programming and a full range of scheduling tools. Complete diagnostics and metrics are available from any player throughout an MPX system where users can create anywhere from one to hundreds of players spanning different states, and manage them all from one location. It also enables the creation of many different access roles to allow content creators, administrators, and others access the system anywhere, anytime.
Samsung S-Box
Samsung’s SNOW-JMU S-Box for indoor, direct-view LED displays, such as Samsung’s The Wall, allows businesses of all sizes to deliver visual content with a fast processor and enhanced image quality. Additionally equipped with Samsung’s MagicINFO software for content management, the S-Box offers memory and connectivity options, making it well suited for usability across a variety of industries including education, corporate, healthcare, retail, dining, and more. Further, users can update and manage the content remotely, allowing for the connected displays to showcase up-to-the-minute content. For organizations and businesses looking to manage content in highly sensitive environments, the S-Box is fully supported by Tizen 4.0, Samsung’s secure, custom operating system.
Shuttle DH470
Shuttle’s new DH470 is designed to provide high performance from a tiny footprint. Featuring a compact and rugged design with low-temp operation, the digital signage player offers up to 10 cores for multitasking and smooth video. At 43mm in height, the DH470 has enough room to add a 2.5-inch hard drive as well as dual M.2 expansion cards and support up to 64GB of DDR4 memory. Input/output options include up to eight USB and two serial ports as well as built-in HDMI 2.0a and DisplayPort ports, with two RS-232 interfaces as well as an SDXC card reader. The platform also supports integrated UHD graphics and PCIe controllers, and its industrial capacitors meet demanding environmental conditions, operable in 32–122 degrees F (0–50 degrees C) temperatures.
SpinetiX HMP400
Designed for digital signage, the SpinetiX solution featuring the new HMP400 player combines commercial-grade hardware with a purpose-built operating system for operation in a variety of applications. Together with the preinstalled DSOS by SpinetiX operating system, the player supports three modes of use on top of the built-in SpinetiX ARYA cloud-based service. These modes enable users to deliver interactive, data-driven digital signage content that integrates with third-party technology like sensors, cameras, smart buildings, queue management systems, and more.
Engineered in Switzerland and made in Germany, the HMP400’s powerful hardware is capable of reliably delivering 4K60 video in 24/7 operation for a decade. It features an Intel Atom processor, passive heat dissipation, and Power over Ethernet (PoE). A Wi-Fi version is also available.
ViewSonic NMP520-W
The ViewSonic NMP520-W network media player is engineered to deliver reliable 4K multimedia playback and messaging to large-format displays. Equipped with the latest Rockchip RK3368 Octa Core Cortex-A53 64-bit SoC chipset, the NMP520-W offers high-performance functionality in a small package. The compact profile and VESA-compatible design make it well suited for out-of-site installation behind digital signage displays, while the industrial casing make it durable for commercial environments.
With 16GB of built-in memory, the NMP520-W can store and playback hours of high-definition content, and because it is based on an Android 8.1 operating system, it is compatible with standard digital signage industry software. The NMP520-W comes with connectivity options including HDMI 2.0, USB 2.0, wired Gigabit and wireless LAN, Bluetooth, audio out, and an SD card reader.
Visix Nano
The Visix Nano is purpose-built to provide reliable 1080p playback for digital signs in the smallest package available, measuring just 2.75 inches square. The Nano is Visix’s smallest player yet, and is designed to fit anywhere, including ceilings and other tight spaces where compact footprint is a requirement. The player is well suited for less video-intensive applications that still demand highly reliable performance from a compact, economical digital signage player.
The Nano player integrates features including 64GB eMMC storage, 4GB LPDDR4 memory, and support for wired and wireless networking. It is powered by the Intel Apollo Lake Celeron N3350 Processor, and comes with a Kensington security port.
VITEC EZ TV EP5+
VITEC’s IPTV and Digital Signage Platform, called EZ TV, manages IP video content across any network to enhance communication for military, enterprise, and sports venues. Designed to scale to meet the requirements of any size deployment, it is managed from a centralized server, and the Digital Signage module is robust enough to support the most advanced signage workflows.
The EZ TV platform uses hardware-based endpoints to deliver IP video in HD or 4K, and will work on mobile devices and PC browsers connected on the network. The new EZ TV EP5+ player is a 4K enabled, multi-display device that can send four HDMI signals for a single image to span any 4x screen configuration. This single-device solution is engineered to replace the need for a video wall processor or multiple discreet devices, enabling small-scale video wall deployments that reduce both cost and complexity.
