Can the question above be answered in a simple Yes or No? (I hope not, otherwise I won’t have a blog post to write…). Seriously speaking, I don’t think that in technology (and especially in digital signage platforms) we have an ultimate solution. Every project is different, every customer is different and surely, solutions differ due to needs, costs, demands, tastes, budget and other aspects.
However, the new SOC displays are really intriguing! SOC (System on Chip) is in many ways the revolution for display and screen in the same way that the disk-on-key changed the storage for the users – it eliminates the need to carry/install a PC/player. The SOC term might be new, but the concept already exists in the last few years (such as Google TV, Android TV and so on).
From that perspective, the SOC screens have huge potential for digital signage. Some digital signage software providers had already responded to this new capability and declared that they are “SOC signage friendly”. In this context, we must emphasize that there is a great importance in verifying which SOC OS (operating system) is supported. The Phillips SOC is Android, which makes it easier (and more natural) for signage software providers to integrate. Tizen OS, (a flavor of Linux, by Samsung), LG WebOS and SSSP for example are a proprietary platforms that complicate the signage software solutions.
Using SOC for signage makes it an all-in-one solution, which everyone obviously likes, but creates some challenges on its own, such as acceptability to the SOC device in case of failure (might require climbing a ladder or other equipment to reach to the SOC itself), but in general, we can see it as advantage – less power socket, no PC, just network communication and a Display and with SOC and proper signage software you are good to go!
The cost of SOC Players is low and it is getting better and stronger as time passes. Still, having a separate player is more flexible and with 30-100$ investment and limited effort, customers can easily move to the latest signage player technologies.
So… getting back to the start – SOC solutions for signage are surly a valid solution and it seems like it will only get better. It would be hard to predict if this would evolve into the ultimate signage solution, but it is safe to say, that especially those SOC solution that are based over the leading standard OS (Windows, Android, iOS) will get a significant market-share, might even increase the Digital Signage market as a whole.
SOC is here to stay as a signage display solution, if not the lead, then certainly a significant player.
Hadar.