Select Page

This post contains affiliate links.

One of modern society’s most prominent innovations that nobody seems to make note of is digital signage. Digital signage is commonly used for various professional means, but technology is also used by hobbyists. Most digital signage users, professional or hobbyists, tend to use multiple displays to showcase their content.

Choosing the right hardware and software is essential for digital signage with multiple displays. This involves picking out digital signage software, media players, wiring, and digital signage displays. There are many different types of digital signage software, media players, wiring, and digital signage displays.

Additionally, you should measure the costs of implementing digital signage with multiple displays before choosing to do so. Continue reading to learn more about digital signage, different types of digital signage software and displays, how to set up digital signage with multiple displays, and how much it costs to do so.

How to Set Up Digital Signage with Multiple Displays

As mentioned in the previous section, you will need the right hardware and software to implement digital signage with multiple displays. The hardware can include anything from digital signage displays to basic wiring. To set up digital signage with multiple displays, you must first ensure that you have all the necessary hardware and software.

Necessary Hardware 

Here is a list of the necessary hardware that you may need to set up digital signage with multiple displays.

  • Media Player
  • Multiple Monitors/Displays
  • HDMI Signal Splitter
  • Wireless Signal Splitter
  • Multiple Smart TVs

Media Player

Regardless of whether or not you are implementing digital signage with a single display or multiple displays, you will need at least one media player for your digital signage content. Computers are generally used as media players for digital signage, but the computer you choose can vary depending on strength, functionality, and price.

Monitors and Displays

Then, to display your digital signage, you will need to purchase multiple monitors or displays. There are several different methods for displaying digital signage, which will be detailed later in the article.

HDMI Signal Splitter

Now, if you have at least one media player and multiple monitors or displays for your digital signage, you can connect the media player to these multiple displays in a couple of ways. The first is an HDMI signal splitter. HDMI signal splitters work by taking in one HDMI input signal and duplicating it to multiple HDMI out ports. This can work for up to 4 ports.

Wireless Signal Splitter

You can also a wireless HDMI signal splitter if you wish to minimize the amount of wiring in your digital signage setup. It will certainly look far better than a wired HDMI signal splitter, but wireless HDMI signal splitters are far more expensive and tend to have limited output resolution, capping out at around 1080p.

Smart TVs

Finally, you can simply use multiple Smart TVs to serve as both the media player and displays for your digital signage. Most Smart TVs can use the digital signage software Signage Tube to stream digital signage content onto its screen. If you are able to purchase multiple Smart TVs, this is the most streamlined method for implementing digital signage with multiple displays.

Once you have chosen one of these methods, the next step is to choose the right digital signage software. The next section will detail the most effective digital signage software on the market.

Digital Signage Software for Multiple Displays

There are a ton of digital signage software options on the market, with a few that stand out among the rest. 

If you are looking to implement digital signage with multiple displays, it is imperative that you choose among the most effective digital signage software options. Here is a list of some of the most effective digital signage software on the market.

  • Rise Vision Digital Signage
  • ScreenCloud Digital Signage
  • OptiSigns
  • Enplug Digital Signage
  • Yodeck
  • Screenly

Now, let’s take a closer look at each digital signage software.

Rise Vision Digital Signage

Rise Vision Digital Signage, founded in 1992, is one of the oldest digital signage software options on the market. The software’s features include social media integrations, customizable templates, a visual editor, and an inbuilt media library. The software also uses cloud-based storage, which means the software is not reliant on the storage capacity of your hardware.

Rise Vision Digital Signage is also one of the more modestly priced digital signage software options on the market. It features four subscription tiers, $11 per month per display, $10 per month per display, $9 per month per display, and $8 per month per display.

ScreenCloud Digital Signage

Although it was founded much later than Rise Vision Digital Signage, ScreenCloud Digital Signage serves roughly the same number of businesses and organizations, making it one of the fastest-growing and most popular digital signage software brands on the market. 

The software’s features include content scheduling, screen grouping, remote content management, and a visual editor.

Additionally, ScreenCloud is compatible with all operating systems, so you can choose any brand of the media player to run your digital signage. ScreenCloud features just one subscription tier, priced at $24 per month, but there is also a free trial option for its software.

OptiSigns

OptiSigns, like ScreenCloud Digital Signage, was founded fairly recently, in 2016. Although OptiSigns may not possess the quantity of clientele that ScreenCloud or Rise Vision have garnered, the software brand has certainly garnered the attention of Silicon Valley, power players like Uber, Apple, and Amazon.

The digital signage software’s features include content scheduling, multi-user access, and screen grouping, which are fairly common among other leading digital signage software brands. However, OptiSigns does stand out in some regards, specifically its asset management integration and network reporting features.

The software is also very modestly priced, with just two subscription rates offered to their clients. The first is a monthly rate of $10 per month, and the second is a 1-year prepaid rate, which costs $108 but measures out to $9 per month for that year.

Enplug Digital Signage

Enplug Digital Signage is one of the most unique and well-known digital signage software brands on the market, particularly due to its distinguished features and bizarre company culture. Enplug offers features that no other digital signage software brands match, such as social media walls, customizable color themes, and multiple display orientations.

The software company is perhaps more notable for its unique company culture, which was documented by several mainstream publications, including the Wall Street Journal, in 2013. Of Enplug’s 37 employees, 12 of them all live in the same house and perform the majority of their work in this home.

Enplug is certainly not the cheapest digital signage software option on the market. However, its simple, straightforward rate of $32 per month makes it easier to keep track of what you will be paying for the full range of the software’s functionality.

Yodeck

Yodeck is a unique digital signage software brand compared to the previous brands listed because it was developed on Raspberry Pi computers, which are miniature computers commonly used for digital signage. Yodeck does not possess any flashy features, but it possesses everything you need from your digital signage software.

This includes content scheduling, multi-screen support, remote display management, a visual editor, and an inbuilt media library. Yodeck is a web-based digital signage software, which does mean you will need a reliable Wi-Fi connection to use Yodeck for your digital signage needs.

Yodeck’s subscription rates are also fairly modest and straightforward. There are just two subscription rates offered by Yodeck, the standard subscription rate, which costs $7.99 per month per display, and the pro subscription rate, which costs $9.99 per month per display. 

Screenly

Screenly is another digital signage software brand that was developed and integrated with Raspberry Pi computers and is generally considered the most popular of all digital signage software brands that are integrated with Raspberry Pi computers. This is largely due to the open-source version of the software, which is entirely free to use.

However, this version is only applicable to one screen, which renders it useless to those looking to implement digital signage with multiple displays. There is another version of Screenly that can be used for multiple displays, which costs around $29.95 per month. Screenly does not possess any flashy features, but it does possess the necessities that one may come to expect from their digital signage software.

Once you have chosen the right software for your needs, you should begin purchasing the necessary hardware to implement digital signage with multiple displays.

Different Kinds of Digital Signage for Multiple Displays

Digital signage multiple displays
Image via Enplug

One of the most important pieces of hardware in implementing digital signage with multiple displays is the display or the multitude of displays. There are several different types of displays you can use for digital signage. Let’s take a look at each of these displays and determine which option is best suited to your needs.

Digital Posters/LCD Screens

The simplest and most adjustable of all digital signage display options are digital posters, which are essentially just LCD screens with little to no surrounding enclosure. Digital posters are great options for those with a limited amount of space to install their digital signage. 

They tend to be cheaper too, although prices may vary depending on the size and quality of the LCD screen.

Floor Mounted Display 

Floor mounted displays are excessively common in retail stores, particularly due to some notable features that are not typically included in other displays. 

The most notable of these features is interactivity, which allows customers to physically interact with the content on the display. Floor mounted displays tend to be priced over $2,000 unless their screen size is under 40 inches.

Ceiling Mounted Display

Ceiling mounted digital signage is less common in retail stores as it tends to be more information oriented as opposed to sales oriented. 

Ceiling mounted displays are popular in airports or train stations that need flat, simple signs to display information such as destinations and travel times. They tend to be priced under $1000, but this depends on the size of the screen as well.

Digital Kiosks

Digital kiosks can overlap with floor-mounted displays, but digital kiosks are almost entirely interactive. Digital kiosks can also be built into the walls of the building or be floor mounted. This mode of digital signage tends to cost more than $2,000 due to its interactive abilities, which is also what makes this display one of the most popular displays on the market.

Mobile Displays

A mobile digital signage display is essentially just an LCD screen that features a surrounding enclosure with wheels on its base. Mobile displays are typically used for non-digital signage, but if you aren’t set on a location for your signage, a mobile display may be your best bet. Mobile displays tend to be expensive, as they are typically built into floor-mounted displays.

Outdoor Displays

Finally, there is an outdoor digital signage, which tends to be the most expensive digital signage display option. Outdoor digital signage can be anything from the massive electronic billboards in Times Square to an informative city map in your town square. 

These displays must be built to be weather-resistant, which means the enclosure surrounding the screen tends to be larger.

How are Multiple Displays Used in Digital Signage?

Now, you probably already have a good idea of what digital signage is, but you may not be aware of its myriad of uses in modern society. Let’s take a closer look at what digital signage actually is and how you may wish to use it.

Digital signage is something that we all frequently encounter, so often that it tends to blend in within the everchanging landscape of modern cities. The best way to define digital signage is to first define its parent terms, electronic signage, and signage. 

First, let’s define signage. Signage refers to any signs or symbols which are used to convey a message. In the 20th century, signage began to mold into something new, as wooden and brick signs were replaced by neon and fluorescent signs. This new form of signage is known as electronic signage. 

Electronic signage refers to any signs that use illuminant means to display their content. This can include things such as fluorescent signs, incandescent signs, high-intensity displays, LED signs, and neon signs. Among these examples is a subsect of electronic signage known as digital signage. 

Digital signage uses projection, LED, or LCD technology to display content that generally could not be displayed on static signs. Electronic signage can still be static signage, which is what distinguishes digital signage from electronic signage.

Now, let’s take a look at the ways in which digital signage is commonly implemented in modern society.

Where are Multiple Displays Most Useful?

Digital signage multiple displays

Digital signage has become a mainstay in modern societies due to its increased usefulness over static signage. Digital signage is able to display dynamic modes of content like video, graphics, and interactive media that static signage is simply incapable of.

Digital signage can also use these modes of content for a variety of different reasons. Let’s take a look at how digital signage is implemented in modern society.

  • Airports: Examples of digital signage being used in airports can include arrivals/departures information, flight information, and in-airport advertising or promotional information.
  • Corporate Communication: Examples of digital signage being used in corporate offices can include conference room booking, meeting information, and training modules or assistance.
  • Educational Purposes: Examples of digital signage being used for educational purposes can include interactive and visual demonstrations or lessons taught by the teacher or by a third party.
  • Marketing and Advertising: Examples of digital signage being used for advertising can include videos, digital images, video walls, scrolling pages, or interactive advertisements.
  • Public Services: Examples of digital signage being used as public services can include local information related to weather, news, traffic, and even maps services.
  • Restaurants: Examples of digital signage being used in restaurants can include self-serving and self-ordering kiosks, digital menus, and digital entertainment within the restaurant.
  • Retail Promotions or Assistance: Examples of digital signage being used in or for retail businesses can include self-serving kiosks, advertisements, visual displays, and interactive displays.
  • Stadiums: Examples of digital signage being used in stadiums can include live video displays of game footage, replay footage, box score graphics, supplemental design, and advertising or in-stadium promotions.
  • Tourism: Examples of digital signage being used for tourism can include interactive maps, information regarding popular tourist destinations, and information regarding the city or country in general.

Although these are all the purposes of digital signage fulfills in the professional world, you can also use digital signage as a hobbyist. In this case, only your imagination limits what you can perform with digital signage.

Final Thoughts

At the end of this article, you should know a bit more about digital signage, different types of digital signage software and displays, how to set up digital signage with multiple displays, and how much it costs to do so. Ultimately, if you choose any of the hardware and software listed above, you will be satisfied with your digital signage.