Monday, September 29, 2014

SHUTTLE ANNOUNCES NAVORI PARTNERSHIP

Shuttle Inc. today announces a new partnership with Navori, the global leader in content management software for digital signage, to have Navori certified media players. Navori has over fifteen years of industry expertise and offers player and server software that is robust as it is easy-to-use. Shuttle specializes in small form factor barebones PC hardware for digital signage, interactive kiosk, and vending machine applications in the retail, restaurant, food service, and hospitality industries.
Shuttle’s DS81 media player has undergone a series of tests to ensure compatibility and performance. Since the device is fully capable of running Navori QL player software, it’s easy to install and use in any Navori-based digital signage application. “Attaining Navori certification allows Shuttle to continue in our endeavor to add value to our customers,” says Kathleen Chen, International Sales Director, Shuttle. “The combination of Navori’s low-operation cost and high-efficiency software with Shuttle’s strong processing performance systems makes for a highly valuable offering.”
Jerome Moeri, CEO, Navori states, “The DS81’s exceptionally high processing power, connectivity, and ability to deliver 4K video content make this a strong option for Navori users. We’re excited to add the DS81 to our list of certified media players and look forward to testing more in the future.” Shuttle’s DS81 is a barebones media player made to drive 4th capable of delivering either 4K resolution on one screen or Full HD resolution on two screens. Compact, the 43mm thick media player is VESA mountable and runs quiet and cool in 0-50 0C environments. Whether for restaurant, hotel, retail, transportation, or hospital environments, the DS81 is designed to fit inconspicuously into a variety of digital signage applications so as to not interfere with viewer experience.
“Navori certification ensures a seamless digital signage experience for installers and integrators. Simply install Navori QL Player software, connect to the internet or LAN and the system is ready to begin pushing signage content,” adds Kathleen Chen. Thus far only Shuttle’s DS81 is certified by Navori, however, the future of Shuttle-Navori looks bright as Shuttle aims to certify its ARM-based and triple display media players. Also, for the first time ever,
Shuttle and Navori will be working together at InfoComm MEA on October 13-16. Visitors at the show are invited to come and see Navori powered Shuttle media players firsthand.

About Navori

Navori SA is a leader in digital signage software applications. The Navori QL software platform supports both PCs and Android devices seamlessly. Navori also offers its own Android device with QL Player pre-installed and ready to use. The QL StiX 2400 delivers near broadcast quality content playback at a very affordable price. With over 15 years of experience, Navori is committed to producing the most reliable and user friendly software applications in the industry.

About Shuttle

Established in 1983 in Taiwan, Shuttle is a leading transnational company driven by innovation and Generation Intel® CoreTM i3/i5/i7 processors and is committed to producing quality small form factor computers. Shuttle specializes in small form factor PC hardware for digital signage, point-of-sale (POS) and interactive kiosks in the retail, restaurant, food service and hospitality industries as well as motherboards and bare bones systems.

Monday, July 28, 2014

New video posted: How to configure the NEC OPS-DRD hardware so it can run the Navori Player software

Navori recently posted a new video that explains how you configure the NEC OPS-DRD hardware so it can run the Navori Player software.

Click here to view video.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

AEON selects Navori for retail chain signage project

The AEON retail store chain in Malaysia recently deployed a new Navori QL powered screen network at their Bukit Mertajam location.  AEON plans to expand their store count in 2014 and each new store will be equipped with flat panel displays running on the Navori digital signage software platform.
This digital signage project is being rolled out by Navori authorized reseller, Toshi Electric Sdn Bhd.

WHY DID AEON PICK NAVORI?

AEON’s planning team were looking for a better way to display retail store information, such as business hours, promotions and in-store events.  The company wanted a customer facing system that could also be used for internal communication as this would maximize the potential benefits and increase ROI.  
AEON needed a reliable, centralized system that could be accessed remotely so team members could manage any screen from the company’s headquarters.   Navori’s extensive feature set, renowned ease of use and high reliability made it the perfect choice.  Using Navori QL Manager, AEON team members can update content and schedules from any computer by logging into the system using their web browser.  Navori QL’s web based interface doesn’t require any local software on team member’s PCs which reduces maintenance costs.
Navori QL is also extremely easy to use so AEON team members can quickly become productive.  The software features a built-in template designer so anyone can create graphically rich content with minimal training.
Navori QL Player delivers broadcast TV quality to every screen which was another big advantage for AEON.  

About AEON

AEON CO. (M) BHD. is a leading retailer in Malaysia with a total revenue of RM3.26 billion for the financial year ended 31 December 2012. The Company was incorporated on 15 September 1984. AEON CO. (M) BHD. (AEON or the Company) was set up in response to the Malaysian Government’s invitation to AEON Japan to help modernise the retailing industries in Malaysia. The ‘AEON’ name today is well established among Malaysians as well as foreigners, especially due to its association with the international AEON Group of Companies. AEON has established itself as a leading General Merchandise Store (GMS) chain.

About Toshi Electric Sdn Bhd

Toshi Electric Sdn Bhd is a leading IP based solution provider. The company was founded in 2006 and has quickly become one of the market leaders in managed IT services. Toshi Electric Sdn Bhd has a dedicated digital signage team who manage every aspect of our client’s projects (sales, design and integration).  The company has a strong technical team with over 10 years experience in the field.

About Navori SA

NAVORI has been a leading global producer of digital signage solutions for the past 18 years with deployments in over 90 countries. NAVORI products are commonly used in corporate and public installations such as lobbies, information desks, internal communications and many other applications.  Navori QL is the company’s latest innovation.  The software is delivered with a web-based management platform for ease of use and Navori’s Android based QL-StiX player is truly innovative.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Deploy Navori QL and reduce your OPEX


There are many digital signage solutions on the market however few are engineered to also save you money.

Here is how Navori QL can help reduce your OPEX.

  • Navori QL is extremely easy to use so staff will get up to speed quickly.  Less time wasted = better productivity.
  • The Navori QL Player engine is extremely reliable and designed specifically for 24/7/365 use.  You will experience less downtime with Navori QL.
  • The solution outperforms all first-generation products with its TV broadcast rendering capabilities. 
  • All popular media formats are supported.  Since most multimedia content can be used "as-is", you will save on file conversion costs.
  • The Navori QL software platform is optimized for inexpensive Android devices and entry-level PCs so your acquisition costs will be lower compared to other solutions.
  • The software is so easy to use, non-technical staff can create sophisticated templates that include media and live news feeds with very little effort.  
  • You can add XML data feeds and Navori server hosted feeds to your screens with zero programming required.
  • The Navori QL software is offered in self-hosted (on-premises) or software-as-a-service (SaaS).  Navori has a solution for you, whatever your business model or your budget.
  • QL Server is compatible with cloud servers and virtual machines so you the solution will grow with your needs.  Navori QL is fully scalable.
  • The web-based management interface requires no local software to be installed.  Simply log into your server and go!
For more information, contact your local Navori distributor or visit our web site.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Navori launches new Digital Signage Innovation Center in Lausanne, Switzerland

Navori SA, leader in digital signage software solutions for over 15 years, announces the opening of its new Digital Signage Innovation Center at the company’s global headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Mr. Jerome Moeri, Navori SA Chairman says, "We want our visitors to experience the latest in digital signage technologies and also provide a glimpse of future innovations"

PC/Android Players and Tablets

Navori QL Manager Stations


R&D is very important to Navori and the company invests more in research than most digital signage developers. With the new Innovation Center, Navori goes one step further so visitors can fully experience the results.
Multi-Screen Menuboard with POS integration

Visitors will find tablet oriented digital signage solutions, 4K Android Players, interactive solutions that use Microsoft Kinect sensors, intelligent content triggering, 100% digital menu boards driven by a POS system and more.

4K Screen with Kinnect sensor

These innovative solutions are fully operational so visitors can get hands-on with technologies that are available today and get a glimpse of what’s coming up next.

Digital signage operators, value-added resellers, end-users, consultants and journalists are all welcome to visit.

Contact Navori SA to book your Digital Signage Innovation Center visit.


NAVORI SA
World Trade Center
Avenue Gratta Paille 2
CH-1000 Lausanne
SWITZERLAND
Phone: +41 21 641 19 60
Fax: +41 21 641 19 61

About Navori 

Navori SA is an enterprise committed to delivering the most reliable and user friendly digital signage software on the market. We take pride in being an engineering company first. We work with an innovative software engineering team who refines and enhances our software daily.  This explains why Navori has been a global leader in digital signage since 1997.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

What to look for in a professional digital signage solution



There are many digital signage software products that claim to be easy to use, reliable or cost effective but start using them you'll quickly discover nothing could be further from the truth.  This is why Navori invites you to compare it's software with any CMS on the market.

When selecting your next digital signage CMS software, ask yourself the following questions...

  • Does the software support multiple operating systems?
    • Navori QL Manager is web-based and no software needs to be installed.
    • Navori QL Player is available in Windows and Android versions.
  • Is the CMS really easy to use?  Can non-technical staff use it effectively?
    • Navori QL Manager is one of the easiest CMS software on the market.  QL Manager can be accessed using most web browsers and staff can be trained in hours, not days.
    • Users can create sophisticated template layouts and include real-time data from RSS feeds and XML sources without any programming.  No scripting or programming is required.
    • Data can also be stored in Navori QL's own database and non-technical users can make changes and add more information using a familiar "spreadsheet" format.
  • Can anyone create content using this software?
    • Navori QL Manager features a template and a ticker designer so users can create rich content.  Templates and tickers feature geographic shapes (rectangle, circle), the current time, the current date, content zones, playlist zones, background images (templates only) and real-time data (RSS, XML, server hosted).
    • Tickers can be dressed up with logos, shapes, time and date including real-time data feeds.
  • Does the software support large-scale deployments or deployments across vast distances?
    • Navori QL can support player deployments in excess of 50,000 Players.  The software is built on a Microsoft foundation and uses SQL Server and Microsoft IIS.
    • Players across large geographic areas can communicate via the Internet.  LAN and WAN is also supported.
  • Does the software allow for multi-tenant installations?
    • System Administrators can restrict users access to specific groups of Players ensuring users can only access their own players, content and scheduling.
    • Network operators can delegate some administrative duties to their customers as required.  Group Administrators can create and manage their own user accounts without affecting other users on the system.
    • Each tenant can be given their own user and Player profiles (self-hosted version) ensuring corporate standards are enforced.  For example, a company's logo can be displayed on screen when there is nothing scheduled for playback.  Screens can be turned on or off according to a customer's hours of operation.
  • Is the software reliable?  Can I set it up and forget it?
    • Navori QL Player was designed from the ground up for 24/7/365.  The software also reports back to the Server at regular intervals so you always know the status of all your Players at a glance in the Navori QL Manager interface.
    • Navori QL Player features a watchdog that oversees the application and ensures the PC or Android device is always operating optimally.
    • Navori QL Player is one of the most reliable application of its kind, but don't take our word for it.  Contact your nearest Navori sales office for a list of references or check out the Navori web site for more information.
  • I have never heard of Navori?  Are they a new company?
    • Navori is based in Lausanne, Switzerland with sales offices in North America, South America and in the Middle East.
    • The company has been developing digital signage software solutions for over 15 years.
    • Navori has a dedicated team of engineers who continuously refine the company's flagship product, Navori QL.
    • Navori QL is the company's second generation digital signage platform that incorporates all the latest technologies like a web-based user interface, multi-group/sub-groups, hybrid player support (Windows and Android), support for external data, triggered content (fire/evacuation alarms, RFID, motion sensors, Kinect, etc...)  
The Navori QL software is available for testing on the company's SaaS server for a period of 10 days and a trial copy of Navori QL's self-hosted version is also available for those who require it.

Contact Navori for details.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Interview with Mr. Jerome Moeri, Chairman of Navori SA (Part 2 of 2)


I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Jerome Moeri, Chairman and Founder of Swiss-based Navori SA about his thoughts on the future of digital signage.

Here is the second part of our conversation.

Q. How do you see the industry evolve over the next year?

A. The digital signage market has been experiencing 30 to 40% growth during the past 10 years.  This growth varying from one region to another.

Given the current state of the industry, we can make the following predictions:

1. The number of software publishers will decrease (consolidation): Research and development costs associated with the development and maintenance of professional software applications have increased at a rate of 30% per year. Organizations that lack a global presence are increasingly marginalized because their sales volume is to low.  They lack the financial resources to support continuous research.  They are simply left behind.  

Take player software, for example.  In the past couple of years we have seen Android taking an increasingly larger piece of the market and this created the need for software compatible with that operating system.  However there is still a need for Windows software too so now we’re getting into hybrid applications.  This is having a big impact on smaller, less established publishers because they simply cannot afford to develop and maintain software in two totally different operating systems.  These companies will either be absorbed by their competitors or simply disappear altogether.

2. The network operator and reseller market is divided into 3 distinct segments:
a. First, we have people reselling basic products that are designed for small deployments.  These usually require entry-level products such as the ones offered by Samsung and other screen manufacturers. We expect demand for these products to increase because they are inexpensive and easy to deploy. These types of products are usually marketed by A/V resellers who focus on display sales.

Navori already caters to this market with our QL StiX Android Player. It’s a plug and play device that communicates with our own SaaS. It is extremely easy to deploy and use and it is very affordable.  We think many independent software vendors (ISVs) in this segment will gradually lose ground because the display manufacturers will aggressively promote their own solution.

b. Next we have people who specialize in corporate and professional organizations. Their  customers need a good content management solution that is a little more elaborate that what’s available from entry-level products.  Customers who fit this profile require multiple user accounts and products that offer dynamic content management. These software solutions are usually resold by stakeholders who have more product knowledge and better technical expertise folks who simply resell screens. In these cases, we see software taking up a bigger share of the total budget than we would in the first segment.

c. Finally we have network operators and integrators that are looking for professional solutions that can manage larger networks of hundreds or even thousands of players.  Navori has several year’s experience in this field and we market our software to this segment under various licensing models.

Now, let’s take a minute to talk about the role of digital signage network operators.

DSO’s initially consisted mainly of pure network plays but this is slowly changing. Currently, the share of "brick and mortar" operators is on the rise. We now see DSOs that are telephone operators, specialized industries or verticals looking to extend their skills to digital signage

3. Display manufacturers who offer a range of professional products. The trend in Western countries is to embed the player hardware into the screen in order to make the integrator’s job easier and increase productivity.  From a practical point of view, this type of bundling is more successful in the West and in other countries where labor tends to be expensive.

I think the use of separate players and displays is more flexible.  The integrator or network operator is free to select the best display for the current project while standardizing the Player hardware across an entire deployment.  Also, it’s often less expensive to repair or upgrade individual Player hardware while you keep the same display.  Take for example our Navori QL StiX with built-in HDMI-CEC support which can be matched to any consumer or professional grade display.


Q. What about digital signage hardware manufacturers?

A. We see this business split into three separate groups.

At the high-end we find companies like NEC who have been integrating the PC Player hardware inside the display frame (OPS style).  By the way, NEC has just introduced a very powerful OPS Android player.  This small form factor device is designed for single screen applications and it has the advantage of costing a lot less than a typical Windows based PC and the overall performance is roughly equivalent.  We find these devices offer better stability and cost less to deploy than competitive solutions.  The cost of commercial-grade OPS devices is higher that consumer-grade devices but you benefit from a much higher ROI over the lifespan of the device.

In the middle and at the lower end of the scale we find products from display manufacturers like LG and SAMSUNG who offer entry-level software applications designed to run exclusively on their hardware.  These companies are mainly interested in promoting their own “pseudo-OS” rather than go with Android, resulting in unrefined products that offer limited features and reduced playback quality.  Contrary to Android, these proprietary operating systems aren’t compatible with other devices such as tablets or mobile devices.  It’s like going back in time.

Then we have the Chinese hardware manufacturers who offer a veritable constellation of Android based products such as tablets, displays that feature built-in Android players, mobile devices, hardware media players of various shapes and sizes, etc...  Their advantage?  Network operators and hardware integrators can order private labeled devices and products designed for specific vertical markets.  These products are both reliable and affordable.  

However, there are a few disadvantages.  For example, you need local knowledge and an understanding of local customs.  You must also be prepared to place large orders since you’re dealing directly with manufacturers.  You should be prepared to deal in quantities of 500 units or more depending on the product and the manufacturer.

Q. How do determine the success of your R&D efforts?

A. Throughout the R&D process, we look for 3 things:

  1. What triggers the most positive impact on the audience... (Is it the new features, better communication, simplified interactivity, smarter software or the feature’s relevance to the task).
  2. Are we simplifying back-end processes and making the system more accessible.  Each innovation should always result in a reduction of complexity and help us simplify deployments.
  3. Are we reducing OPEX and CAPEX.

We feel innovation can only be effective if makes the product simpler to use and accessible to all.

Q. What does HDMI-CEC bring to digital signage?

A. You can only be sure a screen displays content if you’re in control of the screen. HDMI-CEC is an electronic device standard that lets a device control a screen by sending commands via a HDMI cable.  It’s important to note most deployments lack true screen control and it’s unfortunate as this feature can double the lifespan of the displays.  It’s also critical for network operators and end-users to know the screens are actually turned on and displaying content.  

RS232 has been around for 10 years but it requires a serial port on the PC and the screen plus a serial cable.  You also need to know which codes to send to the screen and codes vary from one manufacturer to another.  Using RS232 to control your screens can be quite complex and expensive.  This explains why so few people actually use this feature.

This is why our Android based QL StiX players now feature HDMI-CEC.  This technology lets users schedule any screen’s on/off settings using the Navori QL software.  There is no coding or other steps required.  Best of all, users are kept informed on the status of each screen so they can take action if there is a problem.

Innovation = making things simpler and more accessible to everyone.

Q. What about Android and 1080p support?

A. Current Android solutions are built on mobile technologies.  These devices are optimized for 720p (meaning a resolution of 1280x720 pixels).  A few of these devices will offer a 1080p setting but in fact they are upscaling their native 720p content to 1080p at the display.  It’s quite easy to test for this.  Simply launch the web browser on your Android device and load any web site.  Then, do the same on a PC configured at 1080p and you will see the difference.

Android is an operating system that is pre-loaded on each device by the manufacturers.  In most cases the manufacturer has no idea how these devices will be used.  They don’t know if they are destined to become digital signage players or perform some other function so the devices are not optimized for any specific task.

This is why Navori markets it’s own Android device.  The QL StiX 3400 was designed with digital signage in mind.  The device supports a native resolution of 1080p (1920x1080 pixels).  By specifying this resolution, we ensure the playback quality matches what you can get from a PC and this is great news!

The device can be ordered from our online store, from our branch offices or from one of our distributors worldwide.