System on Chip (SoC) – What It Is and Why You Might Want It in Your Digital Signage

Signs-With-Smarts-1
It can pack more functionality, use considerably less power and cost only a fraction of a central processing unit (CPU). And it can be found in smartphones, tablets, some laptops, and most commercial displays.

It’s called System on Chip (SoC). And it’s working hard to lower the cost of digital signage deployments.

A digital signage display installation usually requires an external content source such as a PC or other media player to be connected to the display with cables. With SoC displays, however, the playback device and its connecting cables are eliminated. Instead, an integrated circuit puts all the typical components of a computer on a single chip, which is embedded inside the display itself.

By using commercial displays with SoC, signage network operators can eliminate the hardware cost and complexity of a separate media player and its related cables and mounting accessories. SoC streamlines installations by consolidating everything needed for a digital signage network inside the display, requiring just a single power cable connected in the rear and a Wi-Fi connection.

LG and a number of other display manufacturers offer commercial displays with embedded SoC, and hundreds of CMS software companies are offering solutions that fully run on SoC.

LG commercial displays with embedded SoC, running LG’s webOS 3.0 for signage operating system, have the multimedia capabilities and critical management tools to address enterprise-class requirements. The CMS partner eco-system for webOS for signage is growing, with more than a dozen CMS companies in North America and more than 100 globally, adding more and more capabilities to digital signage with SoC.

Beyond providing customized and functional solutions for business owners and systems integrators, webOS for signage offers business owners a host of customer experience upgrades, cloud-based solutions, mobile accessibility, screen control and multi-touch solutions, thanks to LG’s expanded solution partners:

signage-partners

Systems integrators can download useful content and develop customized applications that fit their exact needs, and update it simply and quickly via a smartphone or tablet.

Depending on the application, digital signage with SoC may be the perfect solution. It will save both time and costs, and equip your signage network with attention-grabbing content that is easily created, updated and managed in real time from a central location.

There’s more to know, and Dave Haynes of Sixteen:Nine has written a deep dive into SoC, reflecting his own observations and the opinions of dozens of industry people. It’s an excellent resource to download and keep for reference even if you’re not considering a SoC digital signage deployment just yet.

Click on Dave Haynes’ report above and download it now.