How venues ended up with an AV cupboard
Many venues built their screens around getting one source, usually Sky, to lots of TVs. That meant specialist gear, and when signage came along it was bolted on top.
- RF modulators, which turn a video source into a TV channel that every screen has to be tuned to
- HDMI matrix switches and splitters, to route different sources to different screens
- A media player box behind each screen, each needing power, updates and occasional restarts
- Signage software with its own login, templates and training
- An installer on call for when something drops out
Why that’s a problem for staff
When the only person who understands the setup is the installer or the owner, nobody else changes the screens. Specials go stale, last month’s event is still showing, and a retuned TV stays blank until someone gets around to it.
The simple way: every TV opens a web page
Modern smart TVs, and cheap streaming sticks like Chromecast and Fire TV, all have a web browser. That means each TV can show your signage on its own, over Wi-Fi, without tuning, modulators or a matrix. Open one address, type a 6-digit code, done.
Updating is just as simple. Anyone with the dashboard link changes a special from their phone and every TV updates within about a minute.
- No channels to tune and nothing to retune after a power cut
- No player boxes or cabling runs for signage
- Staff can update it from their own phone
- Add a TV in about a minute
Keep your Sky and your sound system
You don’t have to rip anything out. Keep your existing setup for sport, and give signage its own input or streaming stick. Switch a TV between the game and your specials with the remote.