Seneca, An Arrow Company: InfoComm Digital Signage Mixer Sponsor Profile

June 7, 2023 by Dave Haynes

InfoComm is next week in Orlando, and one of the key events for the digital signage side of North American pro AV is a networking mixer set for June 13th.

Sixteen:Nine is doing this event with the trade association AVIXA, which owns and runs InfoComm and is, frankly, doing most of the heavy lifting on this social event. For those wanting to go, you need to be registered via InfoComm, and I am sorry to say and stress that the event is VERY sold out – like fingers-crossed that not everyone who registered actually turns up on the night!

So I don’t have a wait list to put you on if you’re not registered, and you won’t be able to just turn up and sweet-talk your way in. Sorry!

Events like this happen because of sponsors, who offset the many hard costs like booze and venue rental. For this mixer, AVIXA has signed on three terrific sponsors. They’ll all get recognized on this site with sponsor profiles this week, with the first up being Seneca, the media player solutions firm based in Syracuse, NY and owned by Denver-based distribution giant Arrow.

What can InfoComm attendees expect when they walk up to the Seneca/Arrow stand this year?

The Seneca booth at InfoComm this year is about highlighting “Innovative experiences at the edge.” We want to show the market some things that can be achieved by combining our video hardware expertise with our partners’ software capabilities. At the booth, we’ll demo:

• Navori’s Aquaji: Learn about Navori’s Aquaji platform. Aquaji is Navori Labs’ AI-enhanced computer vision software that delivers reliable and comparable marketing analytics data to measure visitor foot traffic and behavior in physical spaces to improve customer experience.
• Wayfinding application with 22Miles: Experience a stunning wayfinding application combining 22Miles with Bluefin Powered by Seneca all-in-one displays mounted on a Redyref stand. Witness how Bluefin Powered by Seneca displays deliver the computing power necessary to process state-of-the-art visual developments, assisting InfoComm’s attendees to reach their desired destination on the show floor.
• Broadsign + Quividi: Our lift-and-learn demonstration shows the power of the Seneca Element Media Player when combined with a powerful Content Management System from Broadsign and an intelligent Audience Measurement Platform from Quividi. We’ll showcase our HDs media player, VWC video wall controller, and ChromeOS-certified Element Smart Player with Verizon LTE connectivity. Reach out and touch the product and watch as Quividi’s LiDAR solution recognizes which product was handled and triggers Broadsign’s CMS to play the appropriate content for that product.

What does digital signage represent in Seneca’s overall business? What about for Arrow?

Digital signage is core to Seneca’s business. Seneca is known as an expert in video solutions, specifically focusing on the media player. Separately, Arrow has built a robust business in the display arena, with success in digital signage, healthcare, and industrial applications. Starting at InfoComm this year, you will see greater collaboration between the two groups to provide the best custom and off-the-shelf signage solutions for system builders and OEMs.

Seneca has always been known for high quality, mission critical PCs for media play-out devices. How has that reputation been developed and maintained?

One thing we always hear when people visit our labs is that they are amazed at the amount of testing and development we are doing in our labs. It starts with a focus on the customer’s outcome – what media they are playing, what frame rate and resolution they want, and what CMS they are using – and we then test the latest technology against those workloads. The result is deep insights into what truly drives customer performance, reliability, and results.

You are now working with a display manufacturer, Bluefin, on all-in-one displays. What’s involved and what prompted that product development?

The Bluefin All-in-One powered by Seneca product offerings bring the best of what Seneca does and the best of what Bluefin does together. The solutions include the various display sizes and form factors offered by Bluefin with a Seneca media player that is Windows/Linux compatible, uses high-quality Intel processing, and provides great playback. For Seneca, this has allowed us to provide a more ready-to-go solution for customers looking to buy an all-in-one product.

You are known as a hardware company, but software is now also central to what you do. What’s involved?

Seneca software offerings enhance the overall customer experience with the hardware. Starting with out-of-box experience, we have developed an orchestration tool that quickly optimizes the hardware for the workload and simplifies the installation of the third-party CMS. Customers asked for greater visibility and manageability into the hardware, and we developed our xConnect product to provide health and performance monitoring, manageability, and automation tools. We also offer a BDR solution to simplify support of the products. Everything we do in software is around simplifying and reducing costs for the customer.

For a long time, PCs dominated the digital signage player market. But now there are “smart” displays and special-purpose appliances available. What’s the argument Seneca makes for using PCs?

Customers have good options for digital signage, and there are pros and cons to all of them. Seneca offers a purpose-built appliance that uses high-quality components. The benefit is reliable product life cycles, performance, and better operating system options. These benefits most commonly appeal to customers looking at the overall cost of running and maintaining their digital signage footprint.

Thanks to the 2023 Mixer Sponsors!

2023 Mixer Video Wall Content Providers: