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Carrollton, TX 75006
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Distributing Digital Signage over RF Coax is Simple and Affordable
Posted on Friday, March 20, 2015
Distributing Digital Signage over RF Coax is Simple and Affordable
Eliminate costs for additional wiring and licenses and choose RF Coax for simple maintenance.

When you think digital signage, the first thought is often “Ethernet” – and you would be correct. But IP isn’t the only way to deliver signage content, especially if you’re broadcasting just a few messages to many destinations.

Ethernet delivery isn’t free. Each drop costs additional wiring and hub connections, as well as software licenses for each player and system maintenance. That’s a lot of expense to deliver the same message to many locations.

The math in digital signage over RF is entirely different. You only need a single player, IP connection and license for playback. The output feeds a QMOD-HDMI 1.5 HD Modulator with hardware scaling that converts the content to an HDTV cable channel. The unit can accept up to two players and can also distribute a the single- or dual-program channel over IP as an MPEG stream.

Why a scaler? PC outputs are not very accurate and the format isn’t always pure 16:9. In addition, TVs will crop the edges of the video. So a scaler has two jobs. First, incoming video (up to 1080p) is formatted into a 1080i/720p 59.94Hz standard the TVs can tune. Then the scaler can zoom, shrink and position the image for edge-to-edge presentation on screen.

The signage channel is then distributed over an existing RF coax system. No added-cost receivers are needed – any TV can tune in.

Need control? Contemporary Research created the Display Express system over 15 years ago. Used to manage TVs in large venues such as the Louisiana Superdome, DX is now in use in corporate sites, colleges, and houses of worship – as well as stadiums, arenas, and sports bars around the country. The secret sauce to DX’s success is it requires no additional wiring – control commands flow through the same RF coax as the TV and signage channels. Web-based software offers easy to use, fill-in-the-blanks system setup, scheduling, and control.

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