Scalable digital multimedia broadcasting networks
Scalable business solutions.
The idea of scalable multimedia is analogous to the idea of
scalable business enterprise solutions. You can start small, with very
little network infrastructure support. In fact, a single computer can
serve as both the creative station, and the public playback display
engine. But much more frequently, two computers are used so that the
public display can run continuously while creative work is happening
invisibly in the background from a separate machine.
Starting with just 2 systems.
Such 2-system multimedia setups are hardly a digital multimedia network,
but they can be used to run a single revenue-producing photo-based cable
channel, or feed a public video distribution system where all the
screens are delivering the same, non-targeted messaging. Scala has
installed thousands of such 2-system multimedia networks.
10 to 40 Nearby Playback Sites
When you are ready to target different messages to different
locations, you simply add more Scala player units. These player units
are standard PCs configured according to Scala's specifications for
reliable playback 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. An unlimited number of
Scala player units can be added to an existing large area network (LAN)
or wide area network (WAN), making Scala perfect for employee
communication systems among buildings and offices already wired for
terrestrial networking. At this point, a Scala digital multimedia broadcasting network is usually
scaled up to 10 to 50 nearby locations, and the messaging can be
demographically targeted and scheduled.
Control Hundreds or Thousands of Remote Locations Using Satellite
Many corporations these days are choosing satellite communications
for a wide array of applications including credit card verification and
file transfer. These satellite networks use the new generation of tiny
satellite dishes (VSATs), and are perfect for scaling your multimedia
network up to unlimited numbers of players, over unlimited geographic
locations. In other words, from a single Scala master station, you can
control thousands of remote player sites, each with a plasma screen
delivering professional, high impact multimedia messaging that's easier
to produce than video.
Keeping Truly Large-scale Digital Multimedia Broadcasting Networks
With truly large-scale digital multimedia broadcasting networks comes the formidable tasks of
management, and the delegation of responsibilities. This is where Scala
multimedia software truly shines. With other cobbled together software
solutions, or even other software solutions made specifically for the
dynamic signage industry, you're OK until you get to about 50 sites.
When you grow beyond 50 remote sites is where best of breed multimedia
software components such as Scala truly differentiate themselves by
keeping the network manageable and under control. The industry's most
stable PC multimedia software keeps your displays running, while a host
of back-channel and logging features keep you aware of problems in your
network. And all the work responsibilities get divided up according to
areas of expertise.
Delegating Multimedia Broadcasting Responsibilities
No longer do you need a jack-of-all-trades multimedia expert. Give
the creative tasks to your creative people, and your technical tasks to
your technical people. You can even give daily message updating tasks
to your administrative or marketing staff. They can update prices and
specials inside a template environment, without even entering the
creative areas of the Scala software. This puts them "on rails",
keeping them from altering the impact and flow of the multimedia
program. These administrative message updaters can be located
centrally, or at the individual remote sites, making for the perfect
delegation of responsibilities. For the creative tasks, you can use
your internal staff, or contract one of the many creative agencies that
deal in Scala-based dynamic signage networks.
