What Is Digital Signage? A Beginner's Guide for Restaurants, Shops and Clinics

Say "digital sign" and many people picture a red LED ticker in a shop window or an illuminated board above a door. Digital signage is something different: images and videos shown on a screen and managed remotely through software. This guide explains what it is, what it does for different kinds of business and how to get started without buying anything exotic.

In short: Digital signage is a system that shows images, video and announcements on a screen, such as a TV, monitor or tablet, and lets you manage the content over the internet. Digital signage software is the dashboard that decides which content plays on which screen and when. Unlike an LED ticker, every screen shows full-colour images and video.

Digital signage vs an LED scrolling sign

The two get mixed up often, so it helps to separate them first.

• LED ticker or illuminated sign: Usually a fixed-size board that shows text in one or a few colours. You change the message with a small controller or program, and showing photos or video is mostly not possible.
• Digital signage: Runs on an ordinary TV, monitor or tablet. It shows photos, video, price lists and announcements in full colour, and you manage it from one dashboard over the internet.

Put simply, an LED sign is a board, while digital signage is a screen system run by software. To change the content you do not walk up to the screen, plug in a USB stick or order a new print.

What is a digital signage system made of?

There are three parts:

1. The screen: An existing TV or monitor is fine. You do not have to buy special displays.
2. The player: The software that shows the content on the screen. In many products it is simply a page that opens in the screen's browser.
3. The dashboard: The web interface where you upload media and decide what plays on which screen.

The flow is simple: you upload images and videos to the dashboard, arrange them in a playlist and assign the playlist to a screen. The screen downloads the playlist and plays it in a loop.

What does it do for different businesses?

Restaurants and cafes

The most common use is the menu board. When a price changes, you update it in the dashboard instead of reprinting a paper menu, and breakfast, lunch and dinner menus switch on a schedule. See our restaurant menu board solution for details, or follow the step-by-step guide on how to set up a digital menu board.

Retail

A screen in the window or by the till runs promotions and discounts. When a campaign ends, removing it takes minutes, with no poster to peel off. To set campaign dates in advance and report how often each item played, see retail advertising screens.

Clinics and waiting rooms

A waiting room screen can show your services, opening hours, hygiene reminders and announcements. Time passes more pleasantly for the people waiting, and your information stays consistent. More at clinic waiting room TV.

Hotels, schools and offices

Welcome screens in the lobby (hotel lobby screens) and notice boards in the office (corporate announcement screens) work on the same principle.

The practical benefits

• Speed: Make a change in one place and it reaches every screen.
• No printing costs: Fewer posters, menus and leaflets to print.
• Scheduling: Content changes by day and time on its own.
• Consistency: A promotion goes live at the same moment in every branch.

What to think about before you start

Screen and placement

Put the screen where customers naturally look, slightly above eye level and away from direct sunlight. 1920×1080 (Full HD) in landscape (16:9) is enough for most uses, while portrait (9:16) suits narrow corridors.

Content

Good signage content is short and legible. A few rules of thumb:

• Use few words per screen and avoid long paragraphs.
• Make text large enough to read from a few metres away.
• Choose strong contrast: light text on a dark background, or the reverse.
• Show each image for roughly five to fifteen seconds and keep videos short.

Internet connection

Many owners ask, "Does the screen go black if the internet drops?" With OmrarCast the screen keeps playing the last playlist it downloaded, and updates when the connection returns.

How does it work with OmrarCast?

OmrarCast runs on any screen that can open a web browser: TV, monitor, tablet or kiosk (see supported devices for device details). You open an address on the screen, a code appears, and you enter that code in the dashboard to pair the screen. Then you upload your media, build a playlist and assign it to a screen or a group of screens. Day and time scheduling, bulk actions, remote refresh commands and proof-of-play reports are all in the dashboard; the features page lists them.

Pricing is $120 per screen per year, or $14 per screen per month if you pay monthly. The first 30 days are free for up to 2 screens, and no credit card is required.

Conclusion

Unlike an LED ticker, digital signage is a screen system run by software that supports images and video. Even for a small business, a television you already own is enough to start. Begin with one screen, keep the content simple, see the results and then add screens. To see the process step by step, look at how it works; to choose the right product, read the checklist on how to choose digital signage software, or start your 30-day free trial right away.