Paul Jackman
Digital Signage is the coming new world of presentation technology. Digital displays and projections in High-Def and even 3D are being place outside the home in the corporate world, the retail environment, the service industries, academic communities and class rooms.

I can remember when Stereo Radio was first presented. Two local radio stations got together and announced a stereophonic program at 2:00 pm. If you had two radios you could experience a stereophonic demonstration. one station would broadcast the left speaker sound and the other would broadcast the right speaker sound.The people talking on the radio sounded as if they were in the room with us. As a young boy, I remember the awesome feeling I had when we cranked the volume up when they broadcasted the sound of a low flying jet passing over head. I was so amazed by it I ran out the front door to see which way the plane went! We called neighbors and friends and invited them over to hear the next broadcast for themselves at 8:00, and within a year "Stereo" was a household word.

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It's not main stream yet. But 2010 will be the year of an explosion curve over the next 5-10 years, as the industry gets more creative and fully comprehends the depth of the market.

The first attempts have been to hang video monitors or flat panel displays at "in store" high traffic areas and repurpose TV commercials. This is not very effective when the viewer is a moving target, and most likely a individual on a retail mission and won't take the time to watch a TV commercial along their route through the store. Some early installations of in store digital signage have actually been scrapped as not being effective. We have all created the ability to blank out commercials and use them to cue more important functions like navigating from point A to B. Even if it is on a real nice 52" plasma screen in HD, to most shoppers it's still just TV commercials one right after the other, and never switching to a featured program

Effective Digital Signage are not TV commercials or Infomercials taken out of the home and placed in the marketplace. If we think of it as business as usual just in a different place then we have sorely missed the opportunity to make a mark in the industry. Jackman Media has a brighter idea!

Jackman Media™ - Imagine a new and different concept of presentation that maximizes the hardware, the screens, the software, and most of all, the content. Jackman Media™ uses new screen aspect ratios, perspective/view angles, size, shape, rear projection,Digital grey SharkScreen™, black background, wall screens, any many more new concepts of presentation.

The most versatile systems for Jackman Media™ Digital Signage uses video projector/s. The down side of projection is ambient light issues that effect the brightness of the image at the screen, however we operate right to the very edge of those limits and employ new techniques to enhance brightness and contrast to create jaw dropping visuals that will draw, engage, and call the viewer to action. The ambiance and indirect lighting schemes in today's retail environment are a perfect fit for projected digital signage.The content can also be viewed on multiple LCD and Plasma screens without the issue of ambient light.

Most of the content for Digital Signage is location based and whenever possible should be designed for the venue it is displayed in. Screen location should fit the environment. Jackman Media™ is establishing standards for multi- screen interactive content so that it is consistent. The exact image should be reproduced when networked whether it is viewed in Chicago, London, or Sidney.

The screen should be unobstructed. the bottom of the screen should be within view without having to look around someone's head in front of you . Ideal height= 7ft 6in at the bottom of the screen. The screens should be located inside the area where you want to draw the viewer to optimize their experience.

Visual interaction;When you want someone on the screen to interact with people in other screens, or in the crowd, and then interact with the viewer directly, content should be proportionately sized and in correct perspective with reference to the set being displayed. Close attention should be paid to matching the camera angle and the angle of the eye of the viewer toward the screen (which are one in the same). All these considerations are used in order to Draw and Engage the viewer from anywhere within the viewing range.

The end result is the viewer feels like they are part of the environment. No matter where the viewer is standing or walking in the viewing area they will know when the person on screen is interacting with the person to your left or right or even behind the viewer, but more importantly you will know when you are being engaged directly. You can draw, engage, and hold a viewer well beyond the time threshold for branding. Multiple engagements can occur in a 15 second clip, especially when channeled area sound is employed.

When perspective is used in conjunction with multi- screen interaction,regarding screen location vs viewing angle it becomes a whole new viewing experience.