Digital Signage Solutions?

[Andrizzle]

I work for a moderately small university, and we have a TV in our cafeteria that shows upcoming events and other things we're trying to advertise. Currently, it's a nightmare to update it with new information. We have to first make the ads in photoshop, save them as a PNG, import those images to power point, make sure the slides are in order, render the powerpoint to an MP4, then repeat that process again for the same set of events minus the most recent event (so we don't have slides for old events showing).

 

Does anyone here have any better solutions? I've brought up a couple solutions that require special hardware and subscription plans, but my boss isn't too keen on spending that much money. If anyone knows a better place to ask this, let me know that, too. This was the only place I could think to ask for help

[imreloadin]

What department are you in?

[Andrizzle]

2 minutes ago, imreloadin said:

What department are you in?

Student Life

[imreloadin]

1 minute ago, Andrizzle said:

Student Life

So does your employer not have a graphics design/marketing team that makes these advertisements? Not having to make those would be the biggest time saver in my opinion.

[jones177]

Hi

 

For that sort of thing I used SCALA

 

https://scala.com/

 

Maybe you could get a student deal.

[Andrizzle]

1 minute ago, imreloadin said:

So does your employer not have a graphics design/marketing team that makes these advertisements? Not having to make those would be the biggest time saver in my opinion.

It's my job to make the ads for the events, and advertise on instagram, facebook, twitter, etc. 

 

Our marketing/design department is more focused on out of school advertisements like billboards and tv ads and whatnot (which im fine with, since that gives me a job, lmao)

[emosun]

windows photo screen saver

put photos in a folder

job done

[Andrizzle]

1 minute ago, emosun said:

windows photo screen saver

put photos in a folder

job done

This isn't a /bad/ suggestion.

 

The only problem with it is that there's not an easy way to change which files are being shown without going in every time there's a change and fixing all the settings again.

 

Still less work than we're currently doing

[emosun]

1 minute ago, Andrizzle said:

The only problem with it is that there's not an easy way to change which files are being shown without going in every time there's a change and fixing all the settings again.

network folder

 

how easy do you want this?

[Andrizzle]

My favorite idea so far is using a chromecast, keeping it on ambient mode, and adding/removing pictures from a google photos album depending on which events are coming or have passed.

 

The biggest problem with this is that It's going in a cafeteria...with college students...and you KNOW they're going to cast stupid videos to the tv. The only way around this problem (that i know of) is having the school set up a whole new wifi network JUST for the chromecast, and I'm not sure if they're gonna do that.

[emosun]

Just now, Andrizzle said:

My favorite idea so far is using a chromecast, keeping it on ambient mode, and adding/removing pictures from a google photos album depending on which events are coming or have passed.

 

The biggest problem with this is that It's going in a cafeteria...with college students...and you KNOW they're going to cast stupid videos to the tv. The only way around this problem (that i know of) is having the school set up a whole new wifi network JUST for the chromecast, and I'm not sure if they're gonna do that.

well you sure are thinking of a lot of ways to make it more complicated than a still image slideshow need be i'll give you that

[Andrizzle]

3 minutes ago, emosun said:

network folder

 

how easy do you want this?

Can't access the network folder from my personal laptop or phone.

 

I'll be honest, I've been working on this all week, and I do have a tendency to overlook the easiest solutions. So, you might be right with the network folder. But I might also be a pick little shit who wants everything perfectly handed to me

[emosun]

1 minute ago, Andrizzle said:

Can't access the network folder from my personal laptop or phone

darn you would need some form of computer that was connected to the same network and have some sort of access to it like..... any machine on the network with a usb port.

alright i'm done

[Andrizzle]

1 minute ago, emosun said:

darn you would need some form of computer that was connected to the same network and have some sort of access to it like..... any machine on the network with a usb port.

alright i'm done

Look, your idea is good and I like it. But I wanted to be able to change things on the fly even if i'm not at school, or not at work at the moment - aka unable to get access to the shared network drive. No one else is going to change these, so it's all on me, and I want to be able to do it right away if I realize there's been a mistake 

[emosun]

yeah someone else can help with that then seeing as remote desktop software might be too simple