Number of venues being installed
Number of different screen sizes you'll be using	1 2 3 Size Mount Type # per Venue Touch screen
Will each screen in a venue show unique content?	Yes No How many media players will your network need?	what is this?
How will you remotely manage the players?	I don't need remote management From the cloud (software-as-a-service or SaaS) From servers I host and manage myself	what is this?
What are your cabling needs?	Venues have existing power/connectivity Venues require new power runs Venues require new connectivity runs Venues require new power and connectivity runs
Will you perform site surveys?	Yes, we'll do them ourselves Yes, we'll outsource them No	what is this?
How will the players be connected?	Existing Internet connection (Ethernet, wifi) New cable/DSL connection New T1/fiber connection New cellular connection None (walk-up management)
Do you need to support 4k content?	No Yes	what is this?
How will you manage the project deployment?	We'll do it ourselves We'll outsource it

Remote management options

If you plan to manage more than a screen or two, you will probably need some way of accessing them and changing their content remotely. There are two popular ways to do this. First is by using a subscription-based service (called software-as-a-service, SaaS or cloud-based signage), where you own no infrastructure and pay a company a monthly, quarterly or annual fee for access to all the technology needed to manage your signs, usually via a web-based portal you would access with a web browser. Alternatively, you might prefer to purchase the server software and hardware and manage the system yourself. This is commonly referred to as using a self-hosted or premise server solution.

Do you need dedicated media players?

Generally speaking, if you want every screen in a given venue to show different content, you will need one dedicated media player per screen. If you plan to install multiple screens that show the same content in a given venue, you may be able to use only a single player, and use video distribution equipment to split and distribute the same signal to multiple screens. Note that we haven't included the cost of any distribution equipment in this estimate calculator.

What is a site survey?

Site surveys are usually performed by the company you contract with to do your screen installations. A technician will go to each site, study the floorplan, note the location of required power and connectivity sources, and take notes and photos to attach to the installation plan. Generally speaking, if you don't own or operate the venues you will be installing into, you should perform site surveys a few weeks before your planned installation date.

What is 4k content?

Whereas normal high-definition (HD) content is either 720 pixels tall (720p) or 1080 pixels tall (1080p), ultra high-definition or UHD content has about four times as much data, with a typical resolution of 3840 x 2160. It's often called 4k, either because of the nearly 4,000 pixels width of resolution, or because it's about 4 times the data of a conventional 1080p stream. While 4k content can be exceptionally sharp, it requires a very large amount of storage space, uses a large amount of transfer bandwidth between the player and its central server, and needs more expensive high-speed hardware and UHD-capable displays. The vast majority of digital signage applications do not benefit from using 4k content. Note that smaller screens are generally not available in 4k resolutions, so we ignore those in the estimator.