who is using BrightSign??

[rePete]

Any updated Brightsign users here? worth another look after 3 years? Their authoring software is free!

I have been tasked by our pastor to look into digital signage and so far, for the budget, the Brightsign is winning. Puts out HD, networkable and can be scheduled to show different presentations at different times. Can also be updated by a local webserver or in the cloud. Looks pretty good for around $400!

Any comments

Pete Hanratty
newbie to almost everything video and lighting

[EricE]

I've been looking at several open source solutions:

http://xibo.org.uk/about/
http://www.risevision.com/open-source-digital-signage/
http://www.concerto-signage.org/

The last one looks very interesting. Get a < $300 fanless, embedded PC and rock and roll.... Some of them let you run up to five or six displays from one computer - good for a classroom cluster, series of menu boards, cheap video wall, etc...

[frank]

In my mind there's nothing better for visibility/readability at distance than LED signage, But it's not as flexible as flatscreens and obviously doesn't have the resolution.

That said, I've met with the folks from Rise before and found them to be a good company back when I was in the LED signage industry.

I've got three of BrightSign controllers here at church. One is in use in the Preschool area showing pix of the kids and notes/news for parents. Have two more planned for use, one for a projection system on a wall that'll be showing ongoing current events, pix and videos of church activities, announcements, etc.; and another for a standalone welcome center with a touchscreen (Brightsign and touchscreen running on a UPS) that'll show the church schematic/room layouts and room assignments for the day's events. All three are older models but still very capable (but I'm very much liking the features of the newer models).