Hardware vs. Software for Digital Signage Solutions
Author: Bill Gerba on 2004-06-13 12:16:00
While talking with a prospective client recently, I was surprised to hear that he was weighing a digital signage solution powered by our
FireCast digital signage software and generic white box computer hardware versus a proprietary hardware-software combination from
Sony. The hardware in question, Sony's
newly announced NSP-1, a device which replaces their often touted but woefully anemic
NSP-100 signage controller, released about 2 years ago. I won't get into the actual nuts and bolts of the system, nor do I want to do a product comparison against FireCast or any of our competitors' software solutions. More to the point of things, really, is the notion of purchasing a hardware solution versus a software one. I obviously have a bias towards software systems, but that's because I am a true believer in them. Hardware-based systems cause vendor lock-in, which force a customer to rely on that vendor for everything. If you like the hardware (form factor, overall function, etc.), but hate the software, you're stuck, because they can't be separated from each other. If you want to upgrade to add a new video codec, peripheral device, or anything else, you won't be able to. If you want to add in some additional RAM or a faster CPU to be able to handle bigger and better file types, you can't, because for all intents and purposes, the device is welded shut. At
WireSpring, you'll notice that we do in fact sell a hardware device, called the
FireCast Media Appliance, which is nothing more than a ruggedized industrial PC running our FireCast OS software. We're quick to tell new customers that the software can be run on practically any hardware, but for those who insist on single-sourcing deals, we're happy to sell Media Appliances. There can be certain economies from purchasing your hardware and software from the same vendor (not the least of which is that there's only one place to complain if something breaks), however I make a huge distinction between a computer, which can be upgraded or even repurposed entirely, and an "appliance," which will need to be replaced as new features are introduced, and are basically good for nothing other than their given task.
Subscribe to comments for this article
|
Trackback
Previous Article: FireCast Digital Signs at InfoCommNext Article: E-Voting Still Not Ready for Prime-Time
Front page of Digital Signage Insider Blog
LEGAL STUFF: The Digital Signage Insider is written by multiple authors. The author of each article is clearly identified at the start of the article. The opinions expressed in each article are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official opinions of WireSpring Technologies, Inc. All articles are copyright © 2004-2012 by their respective author. All content besides the actual article text, e.g. surrounding branding and informational content, is copyright © 2000-2012 WireSpring Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as provided in WireSpring's
Republishing and Syndication Policy, no articles may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without WireSpring's express written consent.
