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We see those signs all over the place, and they seem easy to do, but how much do they cost? What is the software like?
There are quite a few applications out there, but after playing around with many of them, there are only 2 that I think are worth mentioning.
The software
What I looked for when choosing a display software
- Free
- Integrated with Google Apps
- Easy to use
- Webbased (can be built while on a Chromebook)
Chrome Si gn Builder App:
Used best when: You have a single TV, and want to just play a Google Slide Show
- This is a very simple app, that allows you to schedule a webpage (which could be a calendar, or google slideshow), to show up at certain times. Then you can use the built in Kiosk mode to display that site.
- Once you are finished, you can export the settings, then upload them to the Google Dashboard.
- Each TV would be managed individually.
- Schedule changes require a new config file to be uploaded.
RiseVision:
Used best when: You might have more than one TV eventually, and you want to display multiple pieces of content (Calendar, weather, bulletins, YouTube, slideshows), on the screen at once.
- RiseVision is a full featured digital signage solution. Their platform is free, but will charge for some Gadgets or file storage.
- This can handle multiple TV's, schedules, and presentations under one interface. You can have multiple users with different levels of rights.
- It can be set up to pull data from Google Documents, and calendars so that the end-users don't even need to log in.
- Gadgets can be added on to show weather, or highly customized displays that pull data directly from a Google Spreadsheet.
- Fair Haven Union High School chose to go with RiseVision, after testing several other solutions.
The Hardware
In both of the apps, the signage is a Chrome App, which can be set to run as a kiosk in ChromeOS.
What hardware you need:
- TV display (with hdmi)
- ChromeOS device, (Chromebox, or ChromeBit)
What you need to do:
- Set up Kiosk mode on a Chromebook: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/3134673?hl=en
