Enchanting the Audience: How Magical Monitors Capture Viewers' Attention

When we think of television, we usually think of it as a form of entertainment that allows us to watch our favorite shows, movies, sports, and news. However, television has also given us a glimpse into a world of magic and fantasy through the use of magical monitors. Magical monitors, as observed on the television, are devices that allow characters to communicate with each other, travel to other dimensions, and even see into the future. These monitors come in various forms and sizes, but their purpose remains the same – to provide a portal into the mystical and unknown. In shows like "Doctor Who," the Doctor's TARDIS is equipped with a monitor that allows him to see what is happening in different time periods and locations. This magical monitor not only entertains the audience but also aids the Doctor in his adventures by providing essential information and warnings.

The project you are about to start is called digital signage.
There are a number of ways to go about this, from the kind of cheap to full blown digital signage.
On the low end you could use an intel stick computer for about $150 USD per screen. This plugs directly into an hdmi port on the TV. It interfaces into your wireless network and runs windows 8.1/bing (note this is not win 8.1 pro). Then load the free Powerpoint viewer on this intel stick. In one of my projects I wrote a vbscript that monitors a ppt on a file share and when the ppt on the file share was updated it would stop and reload the ppt on the display terminal.
You could do the same thing with an intel nuc (dual core celeron) for about $230 USD (nuc+memory+128GB ssd) and then load the full version of windows 7 or 8.1 pro on it and do the same as above.
The next step in digital signage is to use an opensource product like xibo to manage your video campaigns. In this case it is better to convert your PPTs into a video feed to be displayed on a xibo terminal. You can still use PPT to author your content and then just convert it to a video before you upload to xibo. With xibo you get a few more features than with just the ppt viewer. This whole setup is also free for the software.
The next step is to go with a full blown digital signage solution from a company like http://www.digitalsignage.com/ Opens a new window They have a free version and a paid for version with more features. The learning curve with digital signage is a bit steeper since you have to use their content manager to build content, but you get a lot of built in features and a much more dynamic signage solution. You can use any of hte above solutions to make a solid digital signage system. All could be setup to display different content on different screens. Maybe the screen in the lobby has public content (information that can be shared freely with the general public and not "confidential information" as defined by the SEC for publicly traded companies) by the screens in the break room might have private stuff like birthday notices and such. You may want to consider having multiple streams for this reason. [Edit] Added clarity about the term "public content" above [/Edit]

I did initially think to keep it simple and plug a memory stick in each, however the information needs to be regularly updated as much as once a day. You can create multimedia advertisements that effectively present your goods and services by combining text fonts, color schemes, full motion video, images, photos, graphics, and a wide range of animation effects.

This magical monitor not only entertains the audience but also aids the Doctor in his adventures by providing essential information and warnings. In the Harry Potter series, we are introduced to the magical mirror of Erised, which shows the viewer their deepest desires. This enchanted mirror acts as a form of communication between characters and reveals their innermost wishes and ambitions.

How do you display info on your reception area TVs?

The powers that be where I work have decided that we need multiple televisions, in the staff room, reception area, cafeteria and a couple of other places in the same building.

I was just wondering how people set theirs up? I did initially think to keep it simple and plug a memory stick in each, however the information needs to be regularly updated (as much as once a day).

Trying to do it as cheap as possible, mostly the screens will be displaying the same information, however at certain times they will need to display different things. Preferably looking for a way to do it from a central location on a windows/Linux client.

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The project you are about to start is called digital signage.
There are a number of ways to go about this, from the kind of cheap to full blown digital signage.
On the low end you could use an intel stick computer for about $150 USD per screen. This plugs directly into an hdmi port on the TV. It interfaces into your wireless network and runs windows 8.1/bing (note this is not win 8.1 pro). Then load the free Powerpoint viewer on this intel stick. In one of my projects I wrote a vbscript that monitors a ppt on a file share and when the ppt on the file share was updated it would stop and reload the ppt on the display terminal.
You could do the same thing with an intel nuc (dual core celeron) for about $230 USD (nuc+memory+128GB ssd) and then load the full version of windows 7 or 8.1 pro on it and do the same as above.
The next step in digital signage is to use an opensource product like xibo to manage your video campaigns. In this case it is better to convert your PPTs into a video feed to be displayed on a xibo terminal. You can still use PPT to author your content and then just convert it to a video before you upload to xibo. With xibo you get a few more features than with just the ppt viewer. This whole setup is also free for the software.
The next step is to go with a full blown digital signage solution from a company like http://www.digitalsignage.com/ Opens a new window They have a free version and a paid for version with more features. The learning curve with digital signage is a bit steeper since you have to use their content manager to build content, but you get a lot of built in features and a much more dynamic signage solution. You can use any of hte above solutions to make a solid digital signage system. All could be setup to display different content on different screens. Maybe the screen in the lobby has public content (information that can be shared freely with the general public and not "confidential information" as defined by the SEC for publicly traded companies) by the screens in the break room might have private stuff like birthday notices and such. You may want to consider having multiple streams for this reason. [Edit] Added clarity about the term "public content" above [/Edit]

117 Replies

We are looking into the same kind of project. Check out http://www.digitalsignage.com Opens a new window

The project you are about to start is called digital signage.
There are a number of ways to go about this, from the kind of cheap to full blown digital signage.
On the low end you could use an intel stick computer for about $150 USD per screen. This plugs directly into an hdmi port on the TV. It interfaces into your wireless network and runs windows 8.1/bing (note this is not win 8.1 pro). Then load the free Powerpoint viewer on this intel stick. In one of my projects I wrote a vbscript that monitors a ppt on a file share and when the ppt on the file share was updated it would stop and reload the ppt on the display terminal.
You could do the same thing with an intel nuc (dual core celeron) for about $230 USD (nuc+memory+128GB ssd) and then load the full version of windows 7 or 8.1 pro on it and do the same as above.
The next step in digital signage is to use an opensource product like xibo to manage your video campaigns. In this case it is better to convert your PPTs into a video feed to be displayed on a xibo terminal. You can still use PPT to author your content and then just convert it to a video before you upload to xibo. With xibo you get a few more features than with just the ppt viewer. This whole setup is also free for the software.
The next step is to go with a full blown digital signage solution from a company like http://www.digitalsignage.com/ Opens a new window They have a free version and a paid for version with more features. The learning curve with digital signage is a bit steeper since you have to use their content manager to build content, but you get a lot of built in features and a much more dynamic signage solution. You can use any of hte above solutions to make a solid digital signage system. All could be setup to display different content on different screens. Maybe the screen in the lobby has public content (information that can be shared freely with the general public and not "confidential information" as defined by the SEC for publicly traded companies) by the screens in the break room might have private stuff like birthday notices and such. You may want to consider having multiple streams for this reason. [Edit] Added clarity about the term "public content" above [/Edit]

Thanks guys, George, Xibo & the compute stick was the suggestion my co-worker came up with, I like that idea however your additional of using the vb script to monitor the file is great!

If you go the xibo route, there are comparable stick computers that runs andriod OS too at about the same cost. The xibo client for andriod does cost about $15 USD, The advantage here is getting away from windows and its vulnerabilities by moving to a linux (android) platform.
Lots of options you can chose from. The order I laid out is what I would consider phases in your digital signage path. I would start out with PPT since most people know how to author content, and then by updating the master ppt the screens will pick it up and display the new content. IT really isn't involved once its setup (as long as you craft the vbscript well, mainly to manage not being able to reach the network share). My ppt file check time was between 15 and 60 seconds. With xibo you can still use ppt to author the files, convert them to video and then upload the videos to xibo controller. There is a little bit more technical skills required here, but you also have more flexibility on when certain presentations are displayed. And then digital signage requires the most training and learning, but again you get a ton more features too.

There are many companies which offer this. Some supply monitors as well as templates for content. Once a few of these get installed, expect more to follow. Too, a desire for more content will follow (weather, media feeds, time/clock, and the like) which goes beyond PPT. An interesting feature which came up was integrating the ability to push content to and emergency/911 type system. With advanced planning, signs can display a message of choice during an emergency, and, perhaps, display a giant arrow to the nearest emergency exit.
Another digital signage option, http://www.reachmedianetwork.com/digitalsignage.asp Opens a new window

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We still have a TV screen connected to a PC in reception and all the receptionist does is edit a Powerpoint file. However, in our main offices upstairs we have a 2 x TV screen system connected to a "ONELAN" box which in turn is connected to a 4xHDMI splitter. We plan to eventually do this for the Reception TV when we rennovate that area. This is controlled by a webpage with different signons and we can have rotation of images (which we change based on which customer is visiting) and a text box showing a welcome to whoever is visiting. We also have a Generic day to day page which includes a news ticker at the bottom of the screen.

• You tube video (company commercial)
• Employee Profile Slides
• A google calendar that says AIA welcomes (event info)
• Clock
• Weather Widgets

We've been using Rise Vision for one of our clients. Works like a charm. We're using it on a chromebox for now. However Rise Vision is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and even a Raspberry Pi. It's totally free. You should try it out! http://www.risevision.com/ Opens a new window

We have been using Chromboxes that I installed Ubuntu on to do this. We can display welcome signs, video, presentations, or anything that we really want to. It was a very cheap option. Around $150 for an Asus Chromebox.

Roku stick ($29) and Plex media server (free). The Roku has a Plex app that can be installed. Setup Plex on an old PC that is connected to the network, then stream from it to the Roku via wifi. All you need is power at the TV and that's it.

What we do is have a TV connected VIA HDMI to a thin client behind it. The thin client is setup to look at a certain Network Directory and play/loop the newest PowerPoint presentation that is in the folder. So simple. When the display needs to be changed, our receptionist just drops a new PowerPoint into the directory and the program auto starts it. So there is a general "Welcome" presentation with information about the company and pictures that runs 99% of the time. But if we have a big or important visitor/guest coming the presentation is changed to a different one so it will say "Welcome XXX". Once the visitor is gone, our receptionist just goes to the directory, opens the default presentation and just resaves it. This gives it the newest time stamp in the Dir and it is auto launched by the computer. We have the thin client set to auto boot in the bios as long as there is power. The only "hands on" we do is power off the TV on Friday and turn it back on on Monday, and that is done as we are leaving/coming in as the TV is in the entrance hallway so it is no bother at all for us. I forget the name of the program, but it was free and found it on Google. There are a bunch out there that do this.

Samsung now makes a line of TV that comes with / support for "MagicInfo" digital signage software right in the TV. We just bought one and use it now.

For my money the best and simplest solution is PC On A Stick. I mean not only is it cheap, small, runs off USB power and includes WiFi connectivity, it is a full functional windows computer so it integrates perfectly into your AD environment and you can simply script anything you want to have run on it.

Kelly Armitage wrote: Samsung now makes a line of TV that comes with / support for "MagicInfo" digital signage software right in the TV. We just bought one and use it now.

This what we use. We have about 10 TV's throughout our network. Only one of the TV's had a problem. Someone drove a forklift into it. 

We just used a USFF pc, put it in a cupboard under the TV, plugged it into the network and use it to stream BBC News all day.

Former AV designer and project manager here, and I can tell you there are multiple levels to this kind of project. 1. Physical setup, how many displays, how are they going to be wired, what kind of signals do you want to work with (VGA, HDMI, Composite etc)? How many sources are you going to have? Do you truly need different content displayed on all of them? 2. Software - Mostly what are you going to use to display content. Is a simple Powerpoint OK, or are you going to look at doing something more involved via some sort of specialized software? For number 1 you will most likely want to look at some sort of HDMI over CAT6 solution, I recommend you keep it at 1080p or lower to simplify your hardware needs and to keep the price down. Also, forget about passing along HDCP content (think Blu-Ray movies). Then you need to consider your source, what is the image coming from? If you want different content on the displays, then you might need as many computers as you have displays, or at least as many as the number of different images you want to display. For the signal distribution there will be two kinds of AV hardware you might need (ie one or the other), a splitter would take the signal from one HDMI source and run it to each monitor (simplest and cheapest option), a matrix-splitter on the other hand will take multiple sources and allow you to route these to any of the monitors in any combination, these tend to cost quite a bit more than a simple splitter and are usually spec'd in an input x output fashion (eg 2x4 would be 2 inputs to 4 outputs, they can go from there, the largest I ever installed was a 16x16 matrix with audio switching). For number 2, the specialized solutions will generally run you some sort of monthly subscription, but in some cases may preclude the need for complex cabling and/or multiple PCs, or at least make use of some sort of network connected mini-pc directly attached to the display itself. NEC for example has a single board PC you can buy as an option to some of their pro displays that simply slides into the side of the display, you then use their software to centrally manage all the displays you add to your network. All of that said, before you make any decision you should really sit down and clearly define exactly what it is you want to achieve here, what type of content you will display, and really discuss the schedule of content you need on the displays and if you can get away with not having different content on each (this would save a ton of money and complexity). There are about a million different ways you could achieve this type of system, some will be very expensive, some would be quite affordable, but without knowing your exact use case it will be very hard to make sure the solution you go with is the right one for your needs.

My W2 gig (a small private college) just deployed 10 BrightSign Opens a new window units. Snazzy little boxes that can be configured for stand-alone use or managed across a network (including a subscription-based cloud service that does $Stuff you can't get with the LAN management).
They're self-contained units and aren't terribly expensive.

My wife works for a company that handles digital signage and advertising on-hold. Here's the company link: http://captive-audience.com/ Opens a new window If you decide to go with them, make sure you get set up through Katie. Mention that you heard about them through SW and she'll get you a great deal! :D We don't have any digital signage set up at my work. but I've had it set up at previous employers and seen it with other companies I had applied to before I got this job. It depends on your company - if your company wants to save money, they could just use a Chromecast (or even a RB Pi) linked to a spare computer and have someone update a powerpoint slide every day. However, that means every time the powerpoint presentation needs an update, someone needs to set aside time to redesign the slides and information, and that might not be something your company wants to waste employee time on. If that's the case, I'd say just pay someone for digital signage and rent the equipment, and let them handle updates for you. I personally like the idea of the Chromecast though. I might suggest this to my manager and see what he thinks.

We use a solution by a company called Wyrestorm. Not sure of cost, as I didn't purchase, but basically it comes down to a laptop in our server room, connected to a HDMI splitter which transmits the signal down Cat5, to a receiver behind each TV, that converts it back to HDMI. So you can display the information on any TV that has a network point nearby. Then either someone who has access to our room can update the laptop, or you add designated people to remote desktop users and let them do it.

Kelly Armitage wrote: Samsung now makes a line of TV that comes with / support for "MagicInfo" digital signage software right in the TV. We just bought one and use it now.

This what we use. We have about 10 TV's throughout our network. Only one of the TV's had a problem. Someone drove a forklift into it. 
Did they submit a ticket? "TV stopped working, please fix!"

Then you can use TV as digital signage. You can effectively communicate with your audience using just your television.

It adds a layer of mystery and intrigue to the story, as characters struggle with the temptations and revelations presented by the mirror. Another example of magical monitors in action can be seen in "Stranger Things," where characters use a homemade radio transmitter to communicate with the Upside Down. This parallel dimension is only accessible through these magical monitors, and they serve as a crucial tool in the characters' attempts to understand and navigate the complex and dangerous world they find themselves in. Magical monitors on television serve as a narrative device that allows characters to explore new worlds, communicate across dimensions, and unveil hidden secrets. They provide a means for characters to tap into their inner desires, receive important information, and embark on thrilling adventures. Through these monitors, television transports us into worlds beyond our wildest imaginations and reminds us that magic and wonder can be found on the other side of the screen..

Reviews for "Magical Monitors in Reality TV: Blend of Fantasy and Real-Life Competition"

- John - 2 stars - I really didn't enjoy "Magical monitors as observed on the television". The concept seemed interesting at first, but the execution fell flat. The characters were one-dimensional and the plot was predictable. It also felt like the show was trying too hard to be quirky and unique, but it just came off as forced and unnatural. Overall, I found it to be a forgettable and uninteresting series.

- Sarah - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Magical monitors as observed on the television" based on the positive reviews I had read, but it was a total letdown for me. The pacing was off, with some episodes dragging on while others felt rushed. The storyline lacked depth and the dialogue was cheesy and cringe-worthy. The special effects also looked cheap and poorly done. I was expecting a magical, captivating experience, but instead, I was left bored and disappointed.

- Mark - 1 star - "Magical monitors as observed on the television" was a complete waste of my time. The plot was so convoluted and confusing that I couldn't even follow what was happening. The acting was subpar, with wooden performances and over-the-top delivery. The show also had unnecessary filler episodes that added nothing to the overall story. I regretted watching it and would not recommend it to anyone.

The Magic of Editing: Creating Magical Monitors in Post-Production