Times are changing, and digital signage technology keeps on evolving. New additions are pretty fascinating, and this is the way to enhanced efficiency. Traditionally, digital signage involved installing a display and a separate media player connected to it to facilitate communication with the server and play media content. The introduction of SoC (System on chip) is changing the whole idea of digital signage.
What is SoC (System on Chip)?
SoC is a powerful multi-core processor mounted inside commercial-grade displays replacing the traditional playback device and its cables. They are the latest trend capturing the attention of many organizations and businesses that use digital signage. They have become popular for small and large digital signage deployments and are provided by market-leading display manufacturers, such as Samsung with Tizen OS on board, LG with its Web OS, Philips and Sony with Android TV platform inside.
These SoC displays are available in different sizes, brightness levels and can be used in indoor and outdoor spaces. Likewise, they differ in operating services with the available options, including 16/7h and 24/7h models. The duration of the operation is quite essential to note before making any purchase, especially if you want your digital signage solution to work round the clock.
So, why are SoCs gaining so much popularity? Why are they poised to become the future of digital signage? Take a look!
Benefits of SoC (System on Chip)
SoC digital signage comes with several benefits including:
An all-in-one solution
One of the most significant reasons why System on Chip is such a sensation is because it is an all-in-one digital signage solution. It can be used to display content without having an external digital signage media player plugged into the display. It helps in reducing the overall hardware that would otherwise be used in the traditional setup.
Cost-efficiency
You might be wondering how comes SoC displays are cost-effective, considering they cost significantly higher than a standard screen. Well, here is how; the overall cost of installing a professional SoC display is usually lower than that of a traditional setup. So along with reducing the complexity of the whole installation, you don't have to pay for a separate device. Your future maintenance will be more comfortable, and you get to save a great deal of energy.
If you get your SoC displays from the market-leading manufacturers, you can rest assured they will be energy-efficient. You also don’t have additional hardware consuming more power.
Sleeky and tidy installation
The good thing with SoC is that it provides a smaller footprint since you don’t require a separate playback device, additional cables or metalwork. When you have so much to install, you are bound to make a mess of the layout. You will have many cables and hardware to account for, which in most cases is not esthetically appealing. However, the installation of SoC displays tends to look often tidier since only a single power cable is required for the display.
Outstanding performance and excellent quality
Some people could argue that SoC displays are not as robust or reliable as a standalone media player. Well, they may have a case, but that only applies to the very first generations of SoC that go way back to around 2013. However, the newest generations of SoC displays are everyone’s dream for their digital signage network. They offer the best performance and excellent quality that anyone would wish for.
The latest displays come with quad-core processors and can run 4K content. Likewise, they are pretty reliable and made with fantastic durability. The reliability of SoC when you use the market-leading displays is pretty high. What is even better, the failure rate is relatively low, standing at less than 0.5%.
Time-saving
One of the most remarkable features of SoC displays is that you don't have to install, mount and configure a media player. As such, the installation of your SoC-based digital signage should not cost a lot of your precious time. Likewise, since you integrate the media player with the display and have everything together, the market-leading manufacturers have built some robust remote controls. These allow you to remotely adjust settings and see real-time data on the display’s temperature. You can also monitor the CPU usage and others from a distance. Having remote control over your digital signage displays is quite convenient and time-saving since you don’t have to be physically around to know what is going on.
Reliability
SoC solutions are pretty sleek in design. They remove the potential failure points that are associated with a dedicated media player and cables. When you have several hardware parts, it becomes a massive challenge to ensure they are in peak condition. The same applies here. Luckily, when you have fewer components and parts, you can rest assured there will be fewer points of failure. Sometimes, less is better, and that's what SoC displays are all about. As long as they are well maintained, they will operate flawlessly.
It is clear now more than ever that SoC technology is here to stay and will continue to improve. While some areas need improvement, it is always like that for all new technologies. With improving technology and display manufacturers seeing SoC technology as a non-negotiable characteristic of their product lines, it is nearly impossible to argue that SoC is not the future of digital signage.
Remember, the system on chip is most often about web technologies. We are in that digital age where a browser is becoming a universal platform, and its languages are becoming more dominant than ever. Likewise, most of the new software is written primarily to be used for the browser. You might have also realized that the hardware is becoming smaller and smaller yet much faster with each passing day. So, what does this mean for SoC? Well, it is small in size but quite big on power. It represents everything that future technology stands for. Since digital signage is all about technology and visuals, you can bet the system on chip is one for the future and an excellent solution for taking displays to the next level.
