Samsung ESL Spin-Off Solum Partnering With NDI On Video-Over-IP Large Format Displays
June 6, 2024 by Dave Haynes
A Samsung spin-off company most known for its electronic shelf labels has taken the interesting step of partnering with Sweden’s NDI to develop new large format displays that are based on video-over-IP connectivity.
SOLUM, self-described as the world’s leading provider of Electronic Shelf Label and Digital Signage solutions (not so sure about that second bit, as I’d guess most of the DS community has never heard of SOLUM), has announced a strategic partnership with Stockholm-based NDI to be “the first company to integrate NDI’s software-based capabilities into display solutions for the digital signage market.”
This move, says PR, will allow SOLUM to launch its first range of NDI-ready professional large-format displays. These displays can support 4k resolutions and other high-quality video and audio data. Moreover, they display low latency technology that will enable data transmission at record speeds with minimum delay, making it one of the most digitally advanced signage available in the market.
“At SOLUM, we strive to continuously enhance the overall user experience: with the NDI integration, system design, and deployment will be simplified,” says Tim McCracken, VP Sales at SOLUM America. “The partnership allows us to provide our users with the most advanced digital signage solutions on the market enabling high-quality, low-latency video and audio transmission.”
Integrating NDI technology in SOLUM Digital Signage simplifies display management by eliminating the need for external converters and media players. This will significantly make displays easier to design, reduce the cost of set-up and maintenance expenses, provide more flexibility, and increase scalability.
“NDI is excited to see its capabilities integrated natively into a family of displays, this is something that System integrators have been asking for,” says Matt Lukens, Business Development at NDI. “SOLUM is the first major display company that recognized the power of integrating NDI Native into their displays answering a need in the AV market.”
NDI, which is part of the Norwegian broadcast tech company Vizrt, has a stand next week at InfoComm, in the Central Hall – C10171. MOST of the digital signage/display stuff will be in the West Hall.
This is interesting, but AV-over-IP is by no means new. See Userful, for example. The simplification of display deployments and maintenance is also an argument that SOLUM’s parent Samsung has been making about its smart all-in-one displays for ore than a decade.
I am also puzzled as to why SOLUM is getting into what it calls large format displays, though it is entirely possible it might be large format in the context of ESLs, which are small. So a postcard-sized fact tag might be considered large format.
What is this news again ? Philips Displays (PPDS) or Sony Displays (or Panasonic if you prefer) install the NDI Player APP on it. NDI App in the autostart = done. No need for a big marketing announcement 😉
I’m sure you’re right but not a tech I know a bunch about. And if companies only announced stuff when they were genuinely only the first, there would be about 90% fewer PR announcements 🙂