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Digital Signage – How To Do It Well
Jun 30th
A few recent experiences with digital signage offer some insight into best practices for the content the signs contain.
Let’s start with the commuter train I recently took into the city. Small screens were distributed throughout the train car. They appeared above the seats on either side of the car, with perhaps four or five screens per side. The main focus was a news feed from a national TV network, so I assumed the goal was to keep people occupied while they rode. The screens were visible, but as digital signage goes, this particular network did not fare well:
? The images (e.g. those used in the weather report) were not very clear, perhaps because of the screens or the quality of the images themselves.
? There were video news clips, but no audio, which may make sense in this setting, but it seemed counter-productive to show people talking when viewers couldn’t hear them.
? The ticker that ran across the bottom did not coincide with the video clips and it presented a strange assortment of news. A brief statement about stock market closings was followed by a headline about a celebrity and then a quick sentence about federal politics, followed by some sports and then more business news.
From this viewer’s perspective, the disconnect between information segments was jarring and slightly annoying. Reading the signs became an exercise in frustration, trying to decide whether the information was relevant to me or not. Like the vast majority of the riders I saw, I chose to disregard the signs and focus instead on my newspaper.
Contrast that experience to the subway platform. The signs were visible and offered relevant information in well-defined segments, i.e. business news followed by general headlines followed by entertainment. There was a good amount of local news. The weather and time were presented clearly. This digital signage was ideal for subway riders – it presented small blurbs of useful information that could easily be read during the short wait for the next train.
I found another successful digital signage installation in a food court. The signs were highly visible, even from a great distance. The “blooper” type videos of animals and professional sports were amusing and provided a great distraction for the people there. Children were especially interested. The loops of video did not repeat in the time I was there, clear evidence that the digital signage was designed to hold people’s attention for the duration of a typical food court meal. I noticed the advertising but it was subtle enough that I did not feel overwhelmed by it. This digital signage network had struck the right balance between entertaining and marketing and it worked beautifully.
Lessons to Be Learned
What do these examples show us? In digital signage, as everywhere, content is crucial. Even the latest technology and high-resolution screens will not ensure success. If the content does not resonate with the viewer, or worse, if it annoys the viewer, the digital signage network could diminish the image of the company behind it.
For more information on digital signage, contact a narrowcasting expert at http://www.ek3.com/digital-merchandising-products/digital-signage.htm
Canon Rebel Digital Camera is a Digital Camera Well Worth Looking Into
Apr 30th
Canon cameras are well known in the world for their quality cameras. The Canon Rebel Digital camera was released on August 20th 2003. At this time there were other types of digital cameras on the market. The new features of the Canon Rebel Digital camera make this digital camera well worth looking into.
The various camera experts who have reviewed this Canon camera state that this is a moderately priced digital camera. The $900 and upwards price tag will not be a deterrent for the digital camera enthusiast.
You can also buy the Canon Rebel Digital camera in various other countries. You should be aware of what to ask for when you are asking for the Canon Rebel Digital camera, as there are a few different names that it goes by.
For instance in the United States it goes under the name of the Canon Rebel Digital camera, in Europe under the name of Canon EOS 300D and in Japan you will hear it being referred to as the Kiss Digital.
You will also find that at the time that the Canon Rebel Digital camera was first released it was considered to being less expensive than its predecessor.
For the digital camera enthusiast you will find a Canon Rebel Digital camera kit that can be bought separately from the Rebel Digital camera. This kit contains an EF-S 18-55 mm 3x lens. The price of the entire digital camera kit is only $100 more than the single camera alone.
Inside of the Canon Rebel Digital camera you will find various specifications like a 6 megapixel CMOS sensor and image processor. These are housed in the inexpensive plastic body of the Canon Rebel Digital camera.
There are a host of new features that you can find in the Canon Rebel Digital camera. These features include a contrast, saturation and sharpness settings. The contrast and saturation settings can be adjusted for your various needs. The sharpness setting will clearly define your pictures.
There is also a new default parameter setting on the Canon Rebel Digital camera. This setting is called Parameter 1. The Canon Rebel Digital camera was the first digital camera to support and use a new lens called EF-S. The S in the EF-S stands for short back focus.
This lens however can only be used with the Canon Rebel Digital camera as the other Canon Rebel series cameras were not designed to support this lens. These are just a few of the modifications and changes that you will find when you buy this digital camera.
For the photographer – whether they are experienced or a novice – there are many interesting photographs you can take with a Canon Rebel Digital camera in your possession, and that’s the entire point of owning a camera, to take visually interesting pictures that tells a great story.
Muna wa Wanjiru is a web administrator and has been researching and reporting on internet marketing for years. For more information on Canon Rebel Digital camera, visit his site at CANON REBEL DIGITAL CAMERA