New BrightSign PC Class Solid-State Digital Signage Media Players

Last October BrightSign declared its intention to deliver the industry’s first solid-state players to rival PC-based signage solutions. Such PC-based solutions are largely responsible for the digital signage market’s broad acceptance and initial growth; however this same technology that gave birth to the industry many years ago is now one of the market’s greatest limitations in terms of cost and reliability – two areas of critical importance to customers and installers alike.

Solid-state digital signage solutions are the future of the digital signage industry, and BrightSign’s new XD product line boasts a trio of players that offer the features and functionality of PC-based solutions, but with greater cost-savings and reliability than their PC-based counterparts. In addition, BrightSign’s XD players offer a small, slim footprint and emit almost no heat, making them simple to deploy in small and unconventional spaces where other digital signage solutions simply wouldn’t be possible. What’s more, BrightSign’s products have a track record of reliability that far exceeds PC-based solutions – delivering reliable performance with near-zero downtime.

“We envision that 2013 will be a transformative year for the digital signage market as a whole, and I believe our new XD players will set the tone for the year – finally offering a viable and arguably superior alternative to PC-based solutions,” said Jeff Hastings, CEO of BrightSign. “Our customers (and perhaps our competitors’ customers, too) are clamouring for a solution like this and we’re excited to lead the charge and drive the market in a direction where solid-state players will deliver a level of innovation that our industry hasn’t seen in many years.”

Alongside the new XD players, BrightSign will be exhibiting its existing line of HD models at ISE, to give a diverse portfolio of digital signage solutions to suit virtually any installation and customer need. The BrightSign HD players are widely deployed at retail outlets, in restaurants and other settings to inform, engage and persuade prospective customers. The HD models are especially prevalent in point-of-purchase kiosks at top consumer electronics retailers worldwide.

The new XD products are perfectly suited for complex installations, especially where sophisticated video capabilities are required. An advanced video decoding engine delivers up to two 1080p60 signals simultaneously, supports 3D content, and is even capable of displaying Live HDTV content using an ATSC/Clear QAM tuner or HDMI input. All of the new XD models support HTML5, so content creators can use familiar development tools to create engaging content. In addition, BrightSign’s usual touch-screen interactivity is enhanced with the addition of swipe/gesture control – a method of interaction popularised by the dramatic rise in smartphones and tablets.

In addition to ISE, BrightSign will publicly show both its new XD and its established HD players at the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas at the end of February.

BrightSign’s new XD products are now available from the BrightSign Store, and through leading distributors and installers. The MSRP of the XD230, XD1030 and XD1230 digital signage media players are $450, $600 and $700, respectively (distributor pricing is available upon request). The players are backed by a one-year warranty and include BrightSign’s free BrightAuthor software, which simplifies creating, publishing, managing and monitoring digital signage displays.