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

  • college student sitting at a laptop writing a college essay

    How Can Schools Manage AI in Admissions?

    Many questions remain around the role of artificial intelligence in admissions as schools navigate the balance between innovation and integrity.  

  • a hobbyist in casual clothes holds a hammer and a toolbox, building a DIY structure that symbolizes an AI model

    Ditch the DIY Approach to AI on Campus

    Institutions that do not adopt AI will quickly fall behind. The question is, how can colleges and universities do this systematically, securely, cost-effectively, and efficiently?

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs AI Content Safeguards into Law

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed off on a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • laptop screen showing Coursera course

    Coursera Introduces New Gen AI Skills Training and Credentials

    Learning platform Coursera is expanding its Generative AI Academy training portfolio with an offering for teams, as well as adding new generative AI courses, specializations, and certificates.