Displays

All displays and video projectors with VGA and DVI/HDMI connection can be used as displays with the FirstView system. The displays can be installed horizontally or vertically. FirstView system automatically rotates the material on displays. Instead of home-TV's and commercial displays we recommend professional displays that are suitable for digital signage purposes. FirstSign displays are designed to stay on 24/7, have a low use of electricity, and can keep the images bright even in direct sunlight (e.g. in a store window).

Operating the displays and presentations

The content shown on displays is operated with the web browser (Internet). The upcoming presentations can be timed in advance with the simple calendar tool. There's no need to install any programs into the users' PC. Only an Internet connection is needed.

The displays can be operated separately or shared into groups of multiple displays. Thanks to this and the centralized operation even a nationwide system can be operated easily and divide the operation for example into brands or areas.

The languages available in FirstView are Finnish, English, Swedish, Russian, Italian, German, French and Danish.

Installing the system and operating the content

It is possible to show same content on multiple displays or independent content on each separate display. One kind of content always comes from one media player (MediaCube). A media player is attached to every display for example in guidance system cases. In this case an independent content can be shown on displays, like the events of the day and location based guidance arrows.

One media player can be divided to a several displays with a signal divider if the same content is wanted to be shown on all screen, for example in a restaurant. MediaCube can be installed on a longer distance from the display for example with CAT exterders, that enables image and audio transfer up to 100 metres.

The MediaCube can also be installed into the antenna network of the building. The InfoTV is modulated into RF frequency and the content is shown as a normal TV channel. This is a working model in for example hospitals and schools.

The MediaCubes are connected via network (Internet) to the SaaS-server.

Maintenance

FirstView is a secure and stabile system that doesn't demand maintenance. It recovers independently from network errors and power cuts. With the SaaS operating model our customers always get the latest FirstView software versions. Updates can be done remotely without expensive service visits. Our customers also get up to date information from the UI (FirstView Manager) of possible errors.

Media players

The intelligence of FirstView system is integrated into a small-sized media player, MediaCube. The player is attached to a display (or group of displays) with a VGA or DVI/HDMI cable. The player gets its power from its own power source. The use of electricity and heat production is low. The player doesn't contain any moving parts.

The media player fetches the playlist (content on displays) from the server every few minutes and downloads the added material into its own memory. The load on the netqork is minimal and there's no need for changes in the customers firewall. If the network goes down the MediaCube continues playing the content that it has downloaded to its own memory. After the connection is back on the player checks from the server if any changes have been made to the playlists and downloads the possible new material. This way the displays won't go black as long as there's electricity. There are no services shown outside from the player and the data traffic is SSL encrypted. The system has a high security level and the load on the network is low.

• MediaCube Tech Specs (pdf) 
• Quick guide for creating content