Utah Valley U Overhauls Digital Signage

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 10/07/09

Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem recently replaced its 15-year-old CRT signage with a new display system consisting of NEC 46-inch LCDs centrally managed with software from Scala.

The university purchased 14 NEC Multeos M46-AV 1080p displays and Scala Content Manager, Scala Player, and Scala Designer.

"We wanted to create interaction with students and visitors by adding three different types of digital signage to a variety of areas on campus, each designed to fit within the environment [where] they are placed," said Travis Tasker, director of the institution's Media Tech Support and Integration team (MTSI). "The purpose of creating this signage network was to deliver commercial-free content to the appropriate targeted crowd. We wanted a way to effectively show both national news and internal UVU messaging, and creating an updated digital network based on our previous CRT signage was the best way to accomplish this."

MTSI sought a solution that would allow it to manage when, where and what was being displayed and to monitor the screens from a remote location, including performing image adjustments and color control. The group also wanted to be able to allow any authorized campus member to update content for a local display, as well as to submit it for approval for campus-wide dissemination.

Depending on location, the digital signage network shows a combination of posters, university commercials, entertainment, national media news, and campus RSS feeds. The content of each display is 40 percent location-specific and 60 percent campus-wide.

Billboard-style signage is installed in high-traffic areas on campus and shows brief commercials shorter than 15 seconds. Entertainment signage is installed in areas where students are congregating or standing in line. These displays play longer clips and include news and sports feeds. Interactive digital signage is placed in campus entrances to show maps and other information pertinent to campus visitors.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • abstract pattern with interconnected blue nodes and lines forming neural network shapes, overlaid with semi-transparent bars and circular data points

    Data, AI Lead Educause Top 10 List for 2025

    Educause recently released its annual Top 10 list of the most important technology issues facing colleges and universities in the coming year, with a familiar trio leading the bunch: data, analytics, and AI. But the report presents these critical technologies through a new lens: restoring trust in higher education.

  • digital brain made of blue circuitry on the left and a shield with a glowing lock on the right, set against a dark background with fading binary code

    AI Dominates Key Technologies and Practices in Cybersecurity and Privacy

    AI governance, AI-enabled workforce expansion, and AI-supported cybersecurity training are three of the six key technologies and practices anticipated to have a significant impact on the future of cybersecurity and privacy in higher education, according to the latest Cybersecurity and Privacy edition of the Educause Horizon Report.

  • Campus Technology Product Award

    Call for Entries: 2024 Campus Technology Product Awards

    The entry period for the 2024 Campus Technology Product Awards is now open.

  • open laptop with screen depicting a glowing, holographic figure surrounded by floating symbols of knowledge like books, equations, and lightbulbs

    Cengage Intros Gen AI Student Assistant Beta

    Ed tech company Cengage has announced the beta launch of Student Assistant, a generative AI tool designed to guide students through the learning process with personalized resources and feedback.