This Week's News

Digital Signage Expo East Opens Registration, Web Portal 2.0

Digital Signage Expo (DSE), where digital signage and interactive technologies are exclusively showcased all in one place, has opened registration for Digital Signage Expo East (DSEE). The opening of registration for the DSE East - a three-day show to run September 16 - 18, 2008 - has a new focus on content, and coincides with the debut of DSE’s new Web Portal 2.0. The site has been designed for easy navigation through robust applications that provide the site visitor not only with complete information on both Digital Signage Expo 2009 and Digital Signage Expo East 2008, but also with a wealth of industry information by category, original how-to articles, and resources such as new product postings, blogs, case studies, white papers and more to help create a nexus for the broad industry conversation.

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Harris Corporation, VBrick Deliver Hybrid Networks

Harris Corporation and VBrick Systems have leveraged the companies’ multimedia expertise to create a powerful, combined solution that delivers digital signage and live streaming video over various communications networks. Customers across the commercial, government, and education markets now have the convenience of using one system to deliver the companies’ combined digital signage and IP video streaming solutions to computer screens and digital signage displays. Harris is an international communications and information technology company, and VBrick Systems is a provider in streaming and online video systems and solutions. The VBrick video appliance and InfoCaster solution can be configured interchangeably into a network, providing a unique value proposition.

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AccuWeather.com, EasyShadow LLC Partner

AccuWeather.com, the “World’s Weather Authority,” and EasyShadow LLC, a provider of indoor/outdoor advertising industry, have announced a partnership to integrate AccuWeather.com’s content into EasyShadow’s digital signage system. The collaboration gives EasyShadow’s customers access to compelling real-time weather and news content delivered into their digital signage networks.  To create a robust signage network, AccuWeather.com and EasyShadow are offering weather and news content modules designed to attract viewers to digital signage screens. The modules feature AccuWeather.com's highly localized, accurate, reliable, and quality-controlled weather forecasts for more than 2.7 million locations worldwide, as well as entertaining AccuWeather broadcast personalities, animated Doppler radars, weather icons and unique weather indices. The high-resolution graphics and videos are available in a variety of customizable formats and multiple delivery methods to accommodate all major display platforms, and are fully licensed for digital signage applications.

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Daktronics To Deploy Ole Miss HD Display

The University of Mississippi has chosen to partner with Daktronics Inc. of Brookings, S.D., to design, manufacture and install a $6 million integrated system featuring a large high definition video display at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field, home of Rebel football. The video display will be the largest true high definition display in the Southeastern Conference. Scheduled to be installed and operational for the home opener on August 30, 2008, the display incorporates the latest high definition technology from Daktronics.

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The “Other Shoe” Has Dropped

In the first quarter 2008 edition of PRI Quarterly Retail Analytics, we advanced two key positions, to wit: that the US economy entered into a recession in October-November of 2007; and that the ensuing recession would not be very deep or very long. We believe that most economists are, in a sense, like politicians. That is, neither is held to atone for their past mistakes. At PRI, we have no such luxury. Regarding our former position, we maintain our stance that the US is in a recession, despite the fact that the current business cycle may not fit that classical definition. Better than expected, yet still weak, first quarter Gross Domestic Product rose 0.6 percent on an annual basis (versus an annual rate of 2.2 percent in 2007, 2.9 percent in 2006, and 3.1 percent in 2005). The personal spending portion of GDP rose 1.0 percent in the quarter, the weakest quarterly increase since 2001. Simply, it cannot be rationally said that the US economy is healthy.