The "lite and easy" software field gets more crowded with Scala joining the mob

February 2, 2010 by Dave Haynes

Scala announced at ISE today that it now has its own version of an simplified software solution for small digital signage networks. Anyone left who doesn’t???

Well, yes, but man there are a lot of them now. Off the top of my head:

Nanonation, Wirespring, BroadSign, EK3, and Scala (there are others, but that would involve thinking) that join platforms that started as easy and are sold that way, like RedPost, ScreenScape, SceneStudio, BrightSign and probably several others who started with a simple proposition and don’t do industrial strength work. Then there are all the guys with more sophisticated stuff that isn’t too terribly hard to learn.

So … coming to the market with something that’s easy out of the box is hardly compelling, the one difference with Scala being they have a PILE of resellers who have undoubtedly been asking for this … and maybe this will keep them looking elsewhere.

Says the release: 

Scala, a provider of end-to-end software solutions for digital signage and advertising management, has announced Scala QuickStart at Integrated Systems Europe 2010. Built on the basis of Scala’s SaaS offering, Scala QuickStart provides Scala digital signage software for companies seeking a solution for a few single-channel media players.

Targeted for end-users who want an easily managed digital signage network with minimal setup time, Scala QuickStart is designed for corporate reception areas, educational institutions, independent retailers and many other users who do not want to be concerned with complex network management, without compromising on content quality and delivery reliability.

Scala QuickStart supports the following features:

• Simple, straightforward graphics user interface

• Scheduling of content to single output player device

• All major Scala supported content types; including video, images, Flash, interactive content and Scala scripts

• RSS, metadata and message templates

• User levels and concurrent multi-user support

• Landscape and portrait orientation

• Multi-language support

“Scala QuickStart delivers best in class digital signage with great looking digital content to customers with limited marketing resources and budgets” said Robert Koolen, president of Scala. “Scala QuickStart is designed to empower organizations around the world through the benefits of digital signage by providing an easy-to-use interface, a number of ready-to-use templates, as well as a portal where users can obtain high-quality content.”