Scala, the leader in digital signage software, and IAdea, the leading digital signage player appliance company, join forces at InfoComm 2009 to significantly lower the entry level costs of digital signage networks.
Scala’s new Content Manager 5 Release 5 will add support for four types of new media appliances: IAdea High Definition Player, IAdea Standard Definition Player, IAdea Digital Signboard (photo frame-type) Player, and IAdea Audio-only Player. These new devices utilize the latest semiconductor technology for high-quality video and/or audio playback and solid-state reliability while keeping the systems’ cost down.
IAdea specializes in media player middleware technology and offers support for the W3C SMIL open standard on integrated multimedia chipsets. The IAdea High Definition Player features 1080p @ 60 fps full HD video playback from solid-state storage while running cool and drawing only 5 watts of power. Supported codecs include MPEG-1/2, H.264, MPEG-4 ASP (DivX), and VC-1 (Windows Media Video 9). The IAdea Standard Definition Player is extremely compact and fits within the screws of a standard 4×4 VESA mount. The IAdea Digital Signboard (photo frame-type) Player combines a 10.4-inch 800 x 600 LCD display and the latest IEEE 802.11n wireless connectivity with an integrated audio/video decoder.
“As digital signage goes mainstream, not all networks need the wide array of features and performance offered by our traditional PC-based media players deployed across their entire network,” says Gerard Bucas, CEO of Scala. “With this exciting new partnership our customers now have a wide array of price and performance choices which can be mixed in the same network, fully integrated and centrally controlled by our market-leading Scala 5 Software platform. The result is a significant reduction in overall cost of ownership, providing a more rapid ROI for our customers.”
“We are ready to ‘cross the chasm’ in digital signage, moving focus from the early visionary users to mainstream customers,” says John C. Wang, CEO of IAdea. “Mainstream customers have been waiting for a rock-solid, field-tested device at an extremely attractive price point, compliant with open standards and integrated with a leading management software solution. We have done it all in partnership with Scala. This joint effort kicks off what we call the ‘Digital Signage 2.0’ generation by allowing system integrators to define new game rules that current competitors are unable to match.”
IAdea powered media players are available immediately from partners that include ViewSonic, Mitsubishi, and Advantech. Visit http://www.IAdea.com/Scala/ for more information and contacts.
About Scala
Driving more than 300,000 screens worldwide, Scala is a leading global provider of digital signage and advertising management solutions. Scala is the world’s first connected signage company, offering the leading platform for content creation, management and distribution in digital signage networks and the first unified platform for advertising management of both traditional and digital signage networks. The company’s digital signage customers include Rabobank, IKEA, Burger King, T-Mobile, Virgin MegaStore, Warner Brothers, The Life Channel, Rikstoto, Repsol, NorgesGruppen and thousands more. Advertising management customers include CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor and Magic Media, among others. Scala is headquartered near Philadelphia, USA, and has subsidiaries in Canada, The Netherlands, France, Norway and Japan, as well as more than 450 partners in more than 60 countries. More information is available at www.scala.com.
About IAdea
Founded in 2000, IAdea is dedicated to the development of leading-edge industrial-grade digital signage systems. IAdea’s media players adopt the XML-based W3C SMIL interface, allowing system integrators to quickly customize and tailor to individual project requirements. IAdea’s device technologies feature in large-scale projects including the China Post Office Media Network and Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport, offering proven robustness and lowered total cost of ownership (TCO). Thousands of digital signage sites worldwide are being powered by IAdea, serving millions of viewers each day. IAdea is an active member of the Digital Standards Committee of POPAI, promoting digital signage standards among major industry players. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, with a North American subsidiary in Los Angeles, IAdea offers distribution and service networks through partners in the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Sweden, U.K., Italy, Turkey, China, Japan and Australia.
Source: Scala
