Intel Aims to Streamline Development and Deployment of Intelligent Signs with New Digital Signage Kit

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 5, 2012 – Retailers and advertisers are increasingly turning to digital signage to explore new ways to attract and engage consumers. However, evaluating digital signage solutions involves a costly, time-intensive process of collecting and integrating software and licenses before ever beginning content creation. Addressing this growing need, Intel Corporation today announced the next-generation Digital Signage Evaluation Kit-12 (DSEK-12) designed to streamline the digital signage evaluation process, reduce costs and enable faster deployment across a range of market segments including retail, healthcare and transportation.

The DSEK-12 features technologies from Intel, Kontron* and Microsoft* in a pre-loaded and validated system. The kit includes an OPS-compliant Kontron media player KOPS800 based on 3rd generation Intel^® Core^TM processors as well as a 180-day evaluation copy of Windows Embedded POSReady 7. In addition, demos of Content Creation and Content Management Software (CMS) from Flypaper* and Scala* are included.

"Retailers and advertisers are exploring digital signage as a new avenue to convey their message in enticing and engaging ways for consumers," said Jose Avalos, director of Visual Retail at Intel. "In fact, we believe the global market for digital signage will reach 10 million media players and a corresponding 22 million digital signs by 2015. The new Intel solution helps streamline the development and deployment process of digital signage, allowing companies to spend more time crafting engaging content and less time dealing with software integration."

Additionally, the DSEK-12 comes pre-loaded with Intel^® Audience Impression Metrics (Intel^® AIM Suite), a software solution designed to deliver personalized content to consumers while providing retailers and advertisers with valuable analytics. The software anonymously monitors viewer metrics, such as gender, age bracket and length of attention, and analyzes the data in real-time. The kit also features Intel® vPro™ Technology for easy platform management.

With the incorporation of Windows Embedded POSReady 7, developers can create innovative media experiences, rich interactive applications and compelling user interfaces.

"Working with Intel and Kontron helps us deliver the flexibility of Windows to developers driving innovation across the digital signage environment," said Cuong Pham, product manager for Windows Embedded at Microsoft. "Providing these tools in a cohesive package helps companies enjoy the real-time benefits of intelligent systems while bringing an engaging, targeted experience to customers."

Once software development is completed, the developer can choose to use the entire kit or uncouple the Kontron media player KOPS800 and deploy that portion directly into any Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) compatible monitor. This modular approach enables optimal scalability for different graphics and processing performance needs without sacrificing overall time to market.

"The DSEK-12 enables quicker solution deployments by enabling a simplified, integrated development environment," said Kevin Rhoads, vice president of Embedded Products at Kontron. "With its out-of-the-box support for multiple leading content provider platforms and displays, customers now have a choice for quick digital signage content development and deployment."

The DSEK-12 is available for purchase now from Kontron and through the distribution channels of Avnet and Arrow.

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