Sony Has Developed Its Own Device Management Toolset For Its Smart Pro Displays
December 8, 2022 by Dave Haynes
Anyone in digital signage or pro AV who has ever had ops in his or her title will know easy and pretty user experiences are nice, but what can really matter in selecting the right software and hardware solution is boring stuff like device management.
Some CMS software companies have always had it, while many of the rest have added on their versions. The big integrator Diversified developed its own excellent software toolset, because much of what the software guys offered was limited or wonky.
Now we’re seeing hardware manufacturers also adding device management – a direct nod to the importance of maximizing screen uptime and minimizing costly field service calls.
Sony just announced its new Device Management Platform (DMP), which is optimized for Sony’s BRAVIA pro displays, and has two components: one which enables remote device management and a second for secure and quick device setup and distribution. By defining a device and required applications for a given project, Sony’s DMP helps Managed Service Providers (MSP) automate the display provisioning process.
Says Sony:
These cloud-based solutions from Sony provide end-users with the ability to automate BRAVIA professional display provisioning, configuration and enrollment processes to significantly reduce time required to deploy at scale, while dramatically improving accuracy for MSP asset management tools. Additionally, the platform offers remote capabilities, making the displays easily manageable on-premises or offsite.
“With the introduction of our powerful Device Management Platform, our professional BRAVIA displays can now be quickly deployed, automated and controlled from virtually anywhere,” said Rich Ventura, Vice President of Professional Display Solutions, Sony Electronics. “This new platform not only substantially reduces installation times, resource demands and complexity for Managed Service Providers, but it helps contribute to users’ sustainability goals by reducing the need for operators, technicians and support personnel to travel on-site which translates to a smaller carbon footprint.”
The professional display DMP can be employed on singular installations or can provide a path for scalable provisioning across large-scale deployments. The Platform’s provisioning tool can be used separately or in conjunction with the remote device management option.
The user-friendly solutions also provide valuable and granular insights such as device location alerts and on/off status, which can reduce the likelihood of, or average resolution time for, potential performance issues. With a robust set of device management tools and open APIs, MSPs can also perform remote software and firmware updates, analysis and issue resolution for Sony’s professional BRAVIAs from the Network Operations Center (NOC).
Sony’s System-on-Chip “smart” displays are slightly different from those of major competitors, in that they run a secure Android TV operating system.
The Device Management Platform, developed by a third-party software firm, is expected to be available in early 2023.
Pretty cool – this is white labelled SignageOS device management