Directable Puts Digital Signage On Sony’s Android TVs

July 8, 2015 by Dave Haynes

A Reno, Nevada company called Directable has announced it is now marketing a digital signage solution that has been tested and approved for use with Sony’s new line of Android TVs.

As with some other Android solutions out there, you get moving on this by getting the TVs, connecting them online, and then hitting the Google Play Store to download the Directable Digital Signage application for free. Once installed, there is a complimentary 30 day trial.

“Working with Sony, we can provide a high-end digital signage solution at price point that will be attractive to a business of any size,” says John Norton, Directable’s President. “The new Sony TVs range from 43” to 75” in both HD and 4K Ultra HD. They are available at Amazon and Best Buy, making them very easy for our customers to buy.”

“Directable is a great example of the power of Sony’s Android TV platform,” says Nick Colsey, Vice President of Business Development at Sony. “Our Android TVs are now computing systems that can be employed for many useful business purposes outside of entertainment.”

The company, run by a couple of guys with web hosting backgrounds, sets up its offer as $30/month for up to 4 TVs with players. That fee includes:

• Online slide builder – no software to buy;
• Playlist builder – Create unlimited “shows” that run on TVs;
• Scheduling – Run your playlists at certain times of day;
• Remote control of each Directable TV – Update and run different content per screen;
• System Monitoring and Updates – View connection status and change settings via a Web-based control panel;
• Multi-user Access – Work as a team to keep content current.

Someone, somewhere will know what version of Android this runs, and what the specs are on the processor. But I can’t find anything on the site. Those bits would have a considerable bearing on what this can actually do well, but then again, the offer and the use of TVs points to the small business market and pretty simple messaging. That small to really small business market is probably only going to use TVs instead of far pricier commercial displays, no matter what they get told.

Very interesting to see yet more companies entering the signage space, and this is the first new Android solution we’ve seen in a while.