BrightSign Announces Significant Advances in Software and Firmware

4K Heads List of Major Updates

LOS GATOS, CA, 19 November 2013 – BrightSign, LLC®, the market leader in digital signage media players, today announced new software and firmware for its BrightSign XD line of solid-state players, bringing significant enhancements including the ability to upscale 1080p video content to 4K, enhanced IP streaming, and some very useful HTML5 support features.

These improvements, found in the official release of BrightAuthor 3.7 software and its companion 4.7 firmware, are available to all existing and future users free of charge. These updates mark significant advances in the feature-set and functionality of the BrightSign XD players – advances that underscore the long-term value of investing in BrightSign equipment that will scale seamlessly as content tools and sources continue to evolve in the years ahead.

Using a pre-release version of the new software, BrightSign customers are already taking advantage of the powerful features.

4K display manufacturer Seiki Digital, Inc. recently demonstrated the impact of BrightSign XD’s powerful video engine paired with the new software features at the IFA trade show in Berlin.

Sung Choi, vice president of marketing for Seiki Digital brand, explained, “BrightSign’s new 4K upscaling feature enabled us to use settings in BrightAuthor to get the best possible resolution 1080p content playing on our new 4K UHD screens. We demonstrated the same 1080p content on a Full HD display side-by-side with one of our new 4K displays. This high-impact demonstration clearly showcased the superior picture quality delivered by BrightSign to our 4K screens.”

Integration partner National Technology Associates is using the enhanced IP streaming features to deliver video over IP to hundreds of displays in Station Casinos, locations in Nevada.

And in-store signage at Batteries Plus locations very effectively use BrightSign’s hardware-accelerated HTML5 engine paired with built-in web server to pull database content from BrightSign Network, taking full advantage of the exceptional new features.

Specific BrightAuthor 3.7 software features are detailed below:

4K Upscaling

• BrightSign XD’s exceptionally powerful video engine paired with the new software features enable customers to use settings in BrightAuthor to get the best possible resolution 1080p content playing at 4K resolution on the stunning new 4K / UHD screens. This means display manufacturers can demonstrate the same 1080p content on a Full HD display and a 4K display side-by-side to clearly showcase the superior picture quality of the new 4K screens.

Enhanced IP Streaming

• BrightSign XD now supports Full HD video streaming including HLS, SHOUTcast, video streaming in HTML, as well as playback from head-end real-time encoders such as Haivision, Exterity, Visionary Solutions, and other devices that provide UDP/RTP/RTSP streaming. Full HD video streams and audio streams are buffered appropriately and play smoothly.
• In addition, the XD players can now act as IP streaming servers for customers who want to stream locally stored content files.

Unequalled HTML5 Support

• Hardware-accelerated HTML5 engine

BrightSign is well known for the superior performance of its hardware-accelerated image decoding and video decoding. This new software update now unleashes the power of hardware-accelerated HTML5 rendering. This means that users can accomplish much more using HTML, without encountering the stuttering effect that is often seen on Android devices and PCs that rely on software-based HTML rendering.

• Modular HTML5 Assets

BrightSign XD allows for HTML assets to exist on the BrightSign canvas as independent packages, as opposed to one flat HTML page. This means that HTML5 can be seamlessly integrated with other content, so that the web’s collection of transparent HTML widgets, like clocks, weather feeds, tickers, etc., can be used easily without the need integrate them into a complete HTML page.

• JavaScript Extensions Enable Interactive Options

BrightSign is introducing JavaScript extensions that allow the full power of the BrightSign engine to be used via HTML and JavaScript. These JavaScript extensions allow access to serial IO, UDP events, GPIO, CEC, TV tuning, and other features. Now, any web developer can access BrightSign’s advanced digital signage engine.

• Built-in Web Server Pulls Database Content

The software update allows users to identify user variables in other databases and pull them into HTML. Using features and settings within BrightSign's web server and on-device database of BrightAuthor user variables, users can display database data in HTML5 within a presentation. For example, the model number of a TV display entered as a user variable can pull all the information about that display into the signage presentation.

• HTML5 Video Rotation

BrightSign’s HTML5 support offers the exclusive ability to rotate any video including locally stored video, HDMI input video and even RF Input video (QAM/ATSC tuner). Our JavaScript can call any of these video assets, rotate them at any angle and play it back flawlessly. The result is a greatly simplified implementation process that yields a remarkable display that combines BrightSign’s powerful video engine and HTML5 capabilities in a way that no other can duplicate.

• Sign Control via Web Browser or Android Devices

Earlier this year, BrightSign announced the free BrightSign iOS App for updating content on locally networked signage. With this new software release, customers who want to control their signage from an Android mobile device or any web browser can do so.

The new BrightAuthor 3.7 software and 4.7 firmware package is free to all BrightSign customers and can be downloaded from the software downloads page on http://support.brightsign.biz/home . More information including tech notes and user guides can be found at http://support.brightsign.biz/entries/314526-brightsign-user-guides-troubleshooting.

About BrightSign

BrightSign, LLC is the market leader in digital signage players. Based in Los Gatos, California, the company develops products, software and networking solutions for digital signage. BrightSign solid-state digital sign controllers set new standards for both stand-alone and networked digital signage applications with their superior video quality, reliability, affordability, ease of use and interactivity. Online information about BrightSign units is available at www.brightsign.biz. For US sales inquiries, please contact sales@brightsign.biz or call +1-408-852-9263. For European sales inquiries, please email Pierre Gillet: pgillet@brightsign.biz or call +44-1223-911842. Follow BrightSign at http://twitter.com/brightsign and http://www.facebook.com/BrightSignLLC.

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BrightSign and the BrightSign logo are registered trademarks of BrightSign, LLC in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Specifications subject to change without notice.

Press Contact:  

Elaine Hodson

Neesham Public Relations

Tel: +44 (0) 1296 628180

Email: elaineh@neesham.co.uk

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