Isenzo launches digital signage software to suit changing market

Isenzo has announced the release of version 1.1 of Mediacaster, a flexible and cost-effective software product that makes it easy to create and manage a variety of out-of-home TV networks such as Digital Signage, Retail Television and Public Information Displays.

The recently launched Isenzo focuses on developing software and solutions for broadcast multimedia. Explaining the relevance to advertisers and the industry at large, Peter Robson, CEO of Isenzo, says “Forward-looking advertisers are aware that the traditional mass-media landscape is fragmenting into many vertical markets. As the one-to-many model declines, targeted one-to-one communication is emerging as a key strategy for the future”.

Robson continues “Highly targeted channels like out-of-home networks and retail television are proving to be extremely effective at communicating the brand proposition directly to the consumer at the point of purchase, however costs have being a decisive obstacle to-date.”

Acknowledging set-up and running costs as major barriers to entry, Isenzo has developed Mediacaster which allows users to create and manage a variety of digital media channels including retail TV, digital signage, public information displays, electronic billboards and other captive audience networks.

Mediacaster is a modular software suite that has been designed to take advantage of broadband networks and compressed HD media formats. Its backbone is a robust communication component that is optimised for bandwidth efficiency and network resilience, ideally suited to broadband infrastructure. On top of this backbone, sits a comprehensive database component that allows users to create and manage highly complex channel infrastructures.

Having tested the communications components in the field for almost a year, Isenzo is confident that the product is extremely stable and able to cope with disconnects, power failures and limited bandwidth. In addition to this the database that controls the system has been carefully designed for scalability, allowing users to quickly expand their network, adding new channels and playout points without any downtime.

“Additionally, our modular approach allows us to quickly develop and implement new features for the software. Many exciting modules are planned for release later this year and users can look forward to regular updates,” explained Peter Scholtz, CTO of Isenzo.

Digital media networks are growing at a phenomenal rate in the US and Europe with projected annual growth of nearly 50%. Cap Ventures forecast that the digital signage industry alone will be worth $2 billion by 2009. Retailers, Hospitality Chains, Corporates and Government Departments are all discovering that targeted communication is an efficient and effective method of delivering their message. However, the high price of entry has excluded many entities that would benefit from these new technologies.

The three main cost centers in any network are the video displays, the communication infrastructure and the channel management software. Prices of displays are plummeting; a large format flat screen costs less than half of what it did 18 months ago. Broadband too is getting cheaper as competition increases.

However, channel management software still comes at a heavy premium. High prices, yearly license fees and hidden costs for support and upgrades prevents wider adoption of this effective new method of communication.