Digital signage (also called digital signs or a digital display) means playing content, photos, videos, menus, promos, info, on one or more screens, updated remotely, with no reprinting and no on-site trip. It is the digital version of a poster, on a loop and editable in an instant.
What is digital signage used for?
Digital signage catches the eye where a static poster grows stale. In retail it pushes promos and new arrivals; in restaurants the daily menu; in hotels the welcome and activities; in offices internal communication. A moving screen is seen far longer than a poster, and its content changes in seconds.
How does digital signage work?
The principle is simple: a software (in the cloud) stores and schedules your content; a screen with a player (a smart TV, a box, a Raspberry Pi) opens an address and shows that content on a loop; you control everything remotely from a browser. With MisterSignage, the screen shows a pairing code that you enter in your account to link it to a slideshow, and it updates itself afterwards. No USB stick to carry around, no PowerPoint to relaunch by hand.
Digital signage vs static signage?
A static display (poster, banner, chalkboard) is fixed: changing it means a reprint and a trip. A dynamic display updates remotely, rotates several messages, includes video and animation, and can be scheduled by time. In use it costs less in printing and grabs more attention, but it needs a powered screen.
The different types of digital signage
One term covers several uses, depending on the place and the goal:
- Window and store — promos and new arrivals facing the street (retail and storefront);
- Menu board — a restaurant or bar menu that changes at lunch and dinner (digital menu);
- Totem and kiosk — a vertical free-standing screen at reception or in a busy spot (digital totem);
- Video wall — several panels forming one large screen;
- Welcome and internal comms — info, figures and agenda in offices (in business);
- Rooms and wayfinding — room availability, directory and signposting (meeting rooms, lobby directory).
Benefits and limits
Benefits: content editable in an instant and remotely, several messages in rotation, video and animation, time scheduling, zero reprinting. Limits: you need a powered, connected screen, a minimum of discipline on content (otherwise it becomes a frozen loop), and a bright enough screen in a window. Used well, the attention gain far outweighs these constraints.
The vocabulary to know
- Player — the device that opens the screen and plays the content (in detail);
- Pairing — linking a screen to your account via a shown code;
- Scheduling (dayparting) — changing content by time or day;
- Loop — the sequence of content that plays continuously;
- Nits — the brightness unit, decisive in a sunlit window;
- Offline — the screen's ability to keep playing without a network.
What hardware do you need?
No special hardware is required: any screen with a browser works, smart TV, Android box, tablet, PC, Raspberry Pi. With MisterSignage the screen opens an address, shows a code, and you link it to your content from your account. Depending on your device, see digital signage on Smart TV, Android or Raspberry Pi, or how to add a screen.
How much does digital signage cost?
Digital signage software ranges from free to ~$20/screen/month depending on the vendor. MisterSignage offers 1 free screen for life, then from €6/screen/month, see the pricing page and the comparison against Yodeck and OptiSigns.
Real examples
A restaurant menu changing at lunch and dinner, a shop window on sale, a hotel welcome screen, an office info board, a trade-show schedule. See every use case by industry, learn how to set up digital signage in 3 steps, or explore the features. And if budget matters, discover free digital signage.