Jeff Hastings | Brightsign

Digital signage installations are becoming increasingly gigantic and require a lot of power. 2022 saw a leap in performance for media players. With the power now available, Jeff Hastings, CEO of Brightsign, is looking forward to even more spectacular experiences in 2023 in the invidis Annual Commentary.

In Europe, as globally, the digital signage industry has emerged from Covid 19 in very good shape. The unprecedented levels of adaptability the pandemic demanded from organizations of all kinds led to a surge in investment into powerful and flexible communication systems for customer engagement and safety communication.

Digital signage Has Made its Mark

Now that life has more or less returned to normal in many parts of the world, this enthusiasm shows no signs of abating. As more companies have had a taste of what can be achieved with digital experiences and the impact that they can have, spectacular displays combining multiple, high-definition video channels with audio and other content are becoming more and more prevalent. While it’s true that many customers are still using our players to power traditional digital signage, we also see a growing number of organizations exploring less conventional, more innovative applications.

Current Trend: Immersive and Interactive

For example, there has been a groundswell of interactive installations in Europe, fueled by a growing need for exciting, immersive experiences and personalized and customized content. Interactivity allows people to control how they connect with a brand, turning them from a viewer into an engaged user and greatly deepening the impact of the encounter. This is an increasingly compelling prospect for businesses as they compete for consumer mindshare in a crowded marketplace.

One of the key trends of 2022 has been the demand for previously unheard of levels of power from media players to meet the demands of today’s ever more dazzling displays. Throughout the year, our top-of-the-line player was also our biggest seller. These days, system integrators are using every ounce of power that our players offer and are asking for more. We’ve listened to them and responded by introducing our most potent solid state media player, the XC5.

Brightsigns first players supporting 8K

Available in two models which both support 8K output, the XC5 incorporates our most powerful HTML5/graphics engine to date. With ten times the graphics capacity of its predecessors, it represents an exponential leap in performance that simply can’t be matched by competitive offerings. The XC2055 version offers dual HDMI-out (up to two 4K or one 8K) while the XC4055 provides quad HDMI-out (up to four 4K or one 8K). These new Series5 models represent an upward expansion of Brightsign’s media player portfolio, as the LS, HD, XD and XT models will continue to be sold into the channel.

The full line up of our Series 5 products will be shipping in Q1 of 2023. This includes our recently announced XD5 players that have an upgraded 4K HTML engine and are suitable for any enterprise level digital signage application. Together, The XC5 and XD5 ranges represent the most complete and the most powerful family of media players Brightsign has ever offered.

A solid-state media player is built with a single purpose in mind: to give system integrators the performance and capability they need to fully realize their creative vision. But being powerful alone isn’t enough. Developers and integrators alike need useable power that they can harness to deliver stellar experiences, not just on the development bench or when the installation is commissioned, but day in day out, for months or years to come, delighting the millionth visitor just as much as the first. Our players are truly dependable. They can self-heal, fixing most issues without any intervention, so they rarely (if ever) require the attention of a field service engineer.

2023 will be a creative year

This level of reliability is a top priority for our CMS partners, too. We work closely with them to understand the performance and useability features they most value and feed that into our design process. In this way, we can be confident our new players will be embraced by our partners around the world.

Our industry has always been synonymous with innovation and excitement and it’s invigorating to see it continue to go from strength to strength. What is particularly gratifying for me, however, is to see Brightsign players used again and again in installations that push the boundaries of what’s possible to create ever more awe-inspiring digital experiences. I look forward with great interest and excitement to see what our customers will achieve in 2023 with the levels of performance now at their disposal.