F.A.Q.

• What is Cignage, and why should I use it?

  Cignage is a hosted solution for Digital Signage.

  You can use Cignage for multiple scenarios, some could be:
  - Screenbased advertising
  - Information/menu-boards
  - Interactive infokiosks
  - Flight/Bus/train-schedules
  …and much more!

• Why is Cignage different from other solution providers?

  We are different in many aspects, but the main reason is that Cignage always prioritizes ease-of-use over advanced functionality. Our goal is that anyone should be able to use Digital Signage. We aim to support those features people actually use, and support them well. This allows us to have a cleaner, more intuitive user-interface which is easy to understand and operate – even for those who haven’t used such software before. After all, why should you pay a technician to set up playlists for your screens? If you can use iTunes, you can use Cignage aswell.

  However, “under the hood” you will find quite strong features, such as active monitoring, queued transfers and other things you expect from a first-class Digital Signage software solution.

  But don’t take our word for it – give us a try – then try the competition, and see which one you like better.

• What versions will be available?

  There will be a basic free version, with certain limitations on number of screens, storage etc. This will allow you to try out the system and even use it at a small scale, free of charge.

  In addition there will be monthly subscriptions with increased levels of storage and additional features. More information on this will be available shortly.

• What is the difference between the free and commercial versions?

  Commercial editions will contain all the functionality of the Free version plus:

  • Tech-support
  • More screens
  • More storage
  • Prioritized and quicker transfers
  • Powerpoint-support
  • White-label functionality - use another logo and name than Cignage (great for resellers)
  • Online content generator - create your own content directly in Cignage
  • Active warnings - receive an e-mail/sms if the a computer goes offline (for the Free version you have to log in and check manually)
  • Extended maintenance component - will monitor things like Windows Update settings, Anti-virus, turn screen on/off etc
  • Extra features scheduled for H1 2009

• When will the commercial editions launch?

  In Q1 2009 we’ll launch the first commercial edition, and more editions with extended functionality and features will follow in Q2 2009. Please apply here for more information, and we'll send you an invitation email once we open for public use.

• What types of multimedia content is supported?

  • Up to HD quality video, with the following:
    - Native MPEG-4 video playback. (.mov, .mp4 and most other containerformats)
    - Support of most other formats via automated conversion (WMV, MPEG-1/2, DivX, etc)
  • Flash Animations, any version
  • Any webpage/http-link content (Webkit html-renderer)
  • RSS 2.0 ticker-feeds
  • Images in most common formats
  • Most audio-formats
  • Powerpoint Slideshows (Premium version only)

• What hardware do I need to use it?

  Cignage is very flexible, and does not require any specialized hardware.
  The minimum requirements are:

  • Screen of your choice
  • Computer running Windows XP/Vista, Mac OSX or Linux(from Q4)
  • Internet connection

  However, depending on the type of content you choose (HD-video in particular) you may need a certain level of hardware performance. You will obtain the best performance with a dual-core processor, HD-capable screen, and a always-on internet connection at 1mbit or better. We also recommend a discrete graphics card from ATI/AMD or nVidia for best possible playback, if you use high resolutions like 1280x720 or higher.

• Do I need to install any other additional software?

  Cignage requires Adobe AIR, but it will be installed automatically during the Cignage install-process.

  For this and any other distributed system we also recommend that you install some kind of a remote control system for maintenance of the computers. There are many solutions available, but we have used www.logmein.com ourselves for quite a while and are very pleased with it. They even have a free version that is very powerful. Please note that we are not affiliated to LogMeIn in any way, please redirect any questions directly to their website.

• Do you support offline mode?

  Yes, all content that is possible to download will be stored locally and played from there in case of network failure and also to preserve bandwidth. The only exception is dynamic and streaming content which changes constantly.

• How much does it cost?

  There will be a basic free version, with certain limitations on number of screens, storage etc. This will allow you to try out the system and use it at a small scale. In addition there will be monthly subscriptions with increased levels of storage and additional features.
  More information will be available shortly.