Digital signage technology has emerged as among the fastest-evolving technologies in recent years and has changed the way businesses interact and engage with their audience. A digital signage player is one of the main components that hold the center ground in digital signage technology. Digital signage players are the core of any digital display as they play the content on the signage. In this article, we will discuss digital signage technology trends and the future of digital signage players.

System on Chip (SoC) Displays

System on Chip (SoC) displays are the hottest digital signage technology trend. With SoC technology, the components, including the media player, are embedded in the display. SoCs are easy to install, cost less and are more reliable than ever. The latest SoC displays come with powerful processors that can play 4K content and provide efficient remote management.

SoC displays shine when you have a large network of displays with simple content playback, like in retail stores, where sleek and clutter-free installation and less maintenance is a major requirement. Brands like Samsung and LG offer Tizen and webOS platforms.

Touchless and Interactive Displays

Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has further boosted the already growing touchless digital signage technology. Businesses are rapidly adopting touchless digital interactions to provide better customer experience as well as practice hygiene. Touchless technology allows interaction through QR codes, gesture-based interactions and voice commands.

Interactive digital displays are also a major trend as they enable the audience to interact with the content on the displays. These work in retail and hotel businesses, where interactive kiosks guide customers, provide product information, and improve customer experience.

Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT integration with digital signage is another trend worth watching. With IoT-capable digital signage players, you can gather data from various sensors and analyze them to gain insights into customer behavior and environmental changes. Based on the data, the content can be optimized for better customer engagement.

For example, in a hospital, you can use IoT with digital signage to display information about specific patients and improve overall operation by sending alerts to the concerned staff through digital displays.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

Digital signage players are now more often bundled with advanced content management systems (CMS). With a CMS platform, you can schedule and update content more efficiently, in real-time and remotely. Remote management is extremely helpful if you have a large network of displays, like in franchises and multi-country operations.

CMS are also getting more intuitive and loaded with features like multi-screen sync, interactive content and deep analytics. These improvements enable businesses to run more efficient and engaging digital signage.

Powerful Hardware

There is a constant demand for more powerful digital signage players. Media players like BrightSign Series 5 and SpinetiX HMP100 are capable of playing complex content, including HD videos, animations and data-driven content. These players provide high performance, reliability and energy efficiency, making them suitable for various applications.

Operating Systems

The selection of operating systems for digital signage players is also important. Android digital signage players are in great demand as they are inexpensive and supported by most digital signage software vendors. However, they lack integration and remote management because of the fragmented nature of Android OS.

Windows digital signage players provide better integration and more remote management options and are suitable for more advanced installations. Chrome OS devices are also getting popular for budget-based basic digital signage.

What’s next?

The future of digital signage players is bright, and the trend is slowly moving towards more advanced media players with new features and applications. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are not new to digital signage; however these emerging and mature technologies will play a key role in the development of digital signage in the coming years.

AI can help in delivering more personalized content to the audience. Whereas, ML can help in better operation and maintenance by predicting failures and improving content performance based on data analysis.

Summary

Digital signage is a rapidly evolving technology, and digital signage players are at the core of this technology. System on Chip (SoC) displays, touchless and interactive displays, Internet of Things (IoT), advanced Content Management Systems (CMS), powerful hardware and various operating systems are the digital signage technology trends that will define the future of digital signage players.

Businesses that adapt to these emerging trends will be able to utilize the true potential of digital signage and run more engaging campaigns.