Digital signage

[Imogen Bertin]

I'm sure there are plenty of schools out there using digital signage/notices to let everyone know of events taking place at their school or give information messages?

Has anyone managed to do this with Google Slides? I'm trying to figure an extremely cheap way to pull in a calendar of events and semi-automatically create a slide of the day's activities and meetings/which rooms. 

I am thinking cheap or second hand flat-screen with an old laptop locked into a nextdoor cupboard that's been converted to a Chromebook, and therefore Google Slides. I know if you publish to web you can loop Google slides presentations.

Or is this an area where to produce content that changes day by day with minimum effort and time, you really need to go the Office 365 router? [These old laptops are not really upgradeable beyond Vista.]

I would like to intersperse the "What's On" information with advertisement-type slides for upcoming events, photo slides of past events, and giving information about the Wifi available, plus information about registration for adult education classes. And ideally, once every few minutes, show input from the cctv cameras too so that visitors know there is cctv. But that would be in a perfect world.

Be very interested to hear your experiences with digital signage - I think it's worth the hassle...

Best wishes

Imogen

--

Reagrove, Minane Bridge, Co. Cork, Ireland P17 KH32
Tel: +353 87 2655261 Landline: 021 4887300 Email: imo...@ctc.ie 

https://www.techability.ie 

[G P Ashe]

RiseVision

It will pull in Google Slides and Google Calendar

It's FREE

The ChromeOS version of the app is no longer officially supported but it is available to download.

There are Windows and Ubuntu fully supported versions

I have this running on 2 Chromeboxes and 2 Chromebits - trouble-free

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "CESI-list" group.
To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list?hl=en-GB where all messages are archived and are publically available to non members of the list. Messages may also show up in search engines etc.
Visit the web site www.cesi.ie
Attempts to use the list for commercial purposes may result removal from the list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CESI-list" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
G P Ashe

@gpashe

+353 87 234 6850
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[John Hegarty]

I haven't tried this but might be worth a try

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chrome-sign-builder/odjaaghiehpobimgdjjfofmablbaleem

--

[Imogen Bertin]

Excellent suggestions! Love to hear any others too.

I'll report back how we get on and if we managed to intersperse the cctv output as others might find that useful.

I also found (but have not yet tried) Google Sign Builder: https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6180506?hl=en&ref_topic=6228627

Imogen

[G P Ashe]

If your CCTV system has option for a live view URL then that is what you want to embed into a Google Slide. 

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cesi-list+...@googlegroups.com

For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list?hl=en-GB where all messages are archived and are publically available to non members of the list. Messages may also show up in search engines etc.
Visit the web site www.cesi.ie
Attempts to use the list for commercial purposes may result removal from the list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CESI-list" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cesi-list+...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "CESI-list" group.
To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cesi-list+...@googlegroups.com

For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list?hl=en-GB where all messages are archived and are publically available to non members of the list. Messages may also show up in search engines etc.
Visit the web site www.cesi.ie
Attempts to use the list for commercial purposes may result removal from the list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CESI-list" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cesi-list+...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

Reagrove, Minane Bridge, Co. Cork, Ireland P17 KH32
Tel: +353 87 2655261 Landline: 021 4887300 Email: imo...@ctc.ie 

https://www.techability.ie 

--

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "CESI-list" group.
To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cesi-list+...@googlegroups.com

For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list?hl=en-GB where all messages are archived and are publically available to non members of the list. Messages may also show up in search engines etc.
Visit the web site www.cesi.ie
Attempts to use the list for commercial purposes may result removal from the list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CESI-list" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cesi-list+...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

[Niall Hickey]

I've just set up a xibo server. It's free but a little time consuming to set up. 

It can pull in Google calendar using an iframe. I have it running on Intel compute sticks that cost about 100 euros each.

Does all the other things you'd need like news tickers, slideshows etc. 

On 12 Nov 2017 4:06 pm, "Imogen Bertin" <imo...@ctc.ie> wrote:

--

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "CESI-list" group.
To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list?hl=en-GB where all messages are archived and are publically available to non members of the list. Messages may also show up in search engines etc.
Visit the web site www.cesi.ie
Attempts to use the list for commercial purposes may result removal from the list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CESI-list" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

[Danny Murray]

Am using a Google Slideshow on a Raspberry Pi 3 connected via HDMI. Most TVs have a USB to power it too. 

What's nice about this is that if you're using google apps for education you can share the noticeboard just with students on their devices and on your school website. They will be able to see it when they're logged in to their school account but it won't be public. Our students have a noticeboard icon on their iPad homescreen.

-Danny

[Imogen Bertin]

Excellent suggestions! Are most people using TVs or old flat-screen monitors? This one will be wall mounted so I'm trying to get something thin (I'm sorry to say the only space facing the entrance is above the door to the gent's loo - I have worried it might make people think they need to go in there to get to their activities, but plan to add direction arrows on the slides/notices that point to the rooms...)

I would love to use Google apps for education but it's a community centre that does Adult Ed (although once the Wifi is sorted I have plans for a homework club, a maker clinic and other activities aimed at school age-groups in an area with mostly poor broadband). I don't think the Google application procedure for education has a way of coping with multipurpose (though voluntary) spaces as far as I remember? Anyone managed to do it other than producing a school roll number, which this centre does not have (although it was the National School for the area built in 1836)?

Imogen

[Greg Ashe]

Yes to flat screen - if it is mounted high then get a wall bracket that will allow you to tilt it downwards. Be conscious of daylight/artificial light in placement. If you use an Intel stick or Chromebit these will easily mount behind the screen - in conjunction with a wireless keyboard & mouse. In theory you should not have to interact with the hardware platform on a regular basis at all.

Gregory Ashe

IT Manager

Main: +353 61 621010

Direct: +353 61 386443

Mobile: +353 87 2346850

Email: g...@glenstal.com

www.glenstal.com

---

NB Disclaimer Important: ​

Information in this email (including attachments) is confidential. It is intended for receipt and consideration only by the intended recipient. If you are not an addressee or intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution, disclosure, publication or copying of information contained in this email is strictly prohibited. Opinions expressed in this email may be personal to the author and are not necessarily the opinions of Glenstal Abbey or Glenstal Abbey School. If this email has been received by you in error we would be grateful if you could immediately notify the sender, and thereafter delete this e-mail from your system.  

You are requested to carry out your own virus check before opening any attachment. The author, as well as Glenstal Abbey and Glenstal Abbey School, accept no liability for any loss or damage which may be caused by viruses, malware or malicious software.

​

Please consider the environment before printing this email.​

---

[Clare Wallace]

love the idea of the noticeboard icon.........

On Sun, Nov 12, 2017 at 10:27 PM, Danny Murray <dcu...@gmail.com> wrote:

[lorcan ginty]

I use screenly free version on raspberry pi3. Displays jpegs & websites. Connected over the school network and can be accessed by any teacher by inputting ip address.

How to programme the pi is available on you tube. https://youtu.be/L7spUFtFznM
It works ok but is only used to display rte news etc

[Stephen McCullagh]

Using a Raspberry Pi connected to a TV via HDMI.

It's set to display a LibreOffice Presentation which the admin staff have access to via a Samba share.  Once the presentation is updated, the Pi refreshes.

Timer is on the TV in order to turn off at night and at weekends.

Works like clockwork, though I am interested in the Google Slideshow potential now, thanks for the prompt @Danny !

Stephen

Stephen McCullagh

Landline : +353-1-6854323

Mobile : +353-86-8279455

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "CESI-list" group.
To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list?hl=en-GB where all messages are archived and are publically available to non members of the list. Messages may also show up in search engines etc.
Visit the web site www.cesi.ie
Attempts to use the list for commercial purposes may result removal from the list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CESI-list" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send an email to cesi...@googlegroups.com.

[Power]

I've tried and it is pretty cool:

You can divide the screen into four 'zones' with different displays. 

You can manage content on devices through G Suite if you have licences. 

You can schedule content using calendar. 

One annoyance I couldn't figure out;

It runs the sign in a browser window that does not have any menus but the title bar is still there. F11 does not full screen the window and the title bar still shows.

In Chrome OS devices pressing the fullscreen button does disappear the title bar and it looks perfect but I was testing on Windows as some of our displays are using these.

On Sunday, 12 November 2017 16:29:27 UTC, John Hegarty wrote:

I haven't tried this but might be worth a try

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chrome-sign-builder/odjaaghiehpobimgdjjfofmablbaleem

On 12 Nov 2017 4:06 pm, "Imogen Bertin" <imo...@ctc.ie> wrote:

I'm sure there are plenty of schools out there using digital signage/notices to let everyone know of events taking place at their school or give information messages?

Has anyone managed to do this with Google Slides? I'm trying to figure an extremely cheap way to pull in a calendar of events and semi-automatically create a slide of the day's activities and meetings/which rooms. 

I am thinking cheap or second hand flat-screen with an old laptop locked into a nextdoor cupboard that's been converted to a Chromebook, and therefore Google Slides. I know if you publish to web you can loop Google slides presentations.

Or is this an area where to produce content that changes day by day with minimum effort and time, you really need to go the Office 365 router? [These old laptops are not really upgradeable beyond Vista.]

I would like to intersperse the "What's On" information with advertisement-type slides for upcoming events, photo slides of past events, and giving information about the Wifi available, plus information about registration for adult education classes. And ideally, once every few minutes, show input from the cctv cameras too so that visitors know there is cctv. But that would be in a perfect world.

Be very interested to hear your experiences with digital signage - I think it's worth the hassle...

Best wishes

Imogen

--

Reagrove, Minane Bridge, Co. Cork, Ireland P17 KH32
Tel: +353 87 2655261 Landline: 021 4887300 Email: imo...@ctc.ie 

https://www.techability.ie 

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "CESI-list" group.
To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cesi-list+...@googlegroups.com

For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list?hl=en-GB where all messages are archived and are publically available to non members of the list. Messages may also show up in search engines etc.
Visit the web site www.cesi.ie
Attempts to use the list for commercial purposes may result removal from the list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CESI-list" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cesi-list+...@googlegroups.com.

[Imogen Bertin]

Pulling up an old thread to report back on cheap digital signs:

RiseVision can't handle one screen that's cable-connected on the free Chrome version. It insists on applying the resolution of the connecting device's screen with Chrome (ie the laptop not the attached larger screen). I realise you could use eg Chromecast devices and TVs, but because of budget constraints that's not the way we're going.

Same issue affects most of the solutions that use Chrome kiosk mode - plus many of those won't do portrait orientation on the digital sign screen (much nicer!)

RiseVision does have a Raspberry Pi version now but this also can't handle portrait orientation digital signs (after reading through several hundred forum messages...) There is a lot of commentary online that people find the Risevision interface hard to get used to which maybe will be an issue for some admin staff to consider.

From reading the forums, it looks like the open source version of Risevision Raspberry Pi for old Pis (2's) is more stable (one person had it going for 14.5 months with no problems) than the current version that's designed for 3s and is still in beta. Most Pi issues are around how to schedule powering down the screen and Pi to save energy overnight. It's possible, but you have to play with it, otherwise it can wreck your SD card over time.

Our old Chromebook can display PowerPoint online version via a Chrome app on the digital screen no problem, but the firewalling between Google and Microsoft means you can't show Outlook calendars, or most videos or websites, that way. So I can report that works and is very cheap if all you want is slides, nothing web or video based. Obviously this would require a lot of admin input for content that needs updating.

There is an excellent free bit of software called Liveslides made by our friends PollEverywhere that can display a live website in a Keynote or Powerpoint presentation (for calendars etc) but it doesn't work on Chrome/Google Slides/Powerpoint online.

Screenly looks good for Raspberry Pi and if you only need to operate one screen it's free - I'm about to have a go with it so thanks Lorcan for that suggestion - have you been able to show videos or does that cause the Pi to overheat (looks like a few people have had to either add heatsinks to keep the temp to 50 degrees or else purchase codec licenses?).

CPC Ireland look to have the best prices for Raspberry Pis. I'm not sure whether the special "approved" HDMI cables are necessary - we already installed a 5m one that works so I don't want to change that if I can avoid it? We're not doing sound so I hope to get away with that.

Thanks again everyone for input - just wanted to let you know what I found out the hard way!

Imogen

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list?hl=en-GB where all messages are archived and are publically available to non members of the list. Messages may also show up in search engines etc.
Visit the web site www.cesi.ie
Attempts to use the list for commercial purposes may result removal from the list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CESI-list" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Greg Ashe]

Fair dinkum Imogen. 

I have been running RV on Chromebox or Chromebit so have not encountered this issue. 

I have run it with dual screens but with matched resolutions. 

I presume the limiting factor is the max resolution of your laptop!  

The Chromebit is a nice option as it is so small. You can attach it with Velcro to the back of the screen. You do need WiFi as no ethernet port. Admittedly £108 from Amazon but if that is your only outlay...

G

Greg Ashe

IT Manager

Glenstal Abbey School | Murroe | Co Limerick | IRELAND

+353 61 621000 | g...@glenstal.com

[Rob]

We're using Raspberry Pi on a flat screen. It's been up and running for almost two years hassle free. TV is on a timer and R Pi is powered through TV.
We display front page search ofthe school website, upcoming events, word of the week/idiom of the fortnight (or the like) and slideshows - slideshows are MP4 (yhe only format that works I believe) vudeos made in Movie Maker/MS Photos. We've had no overheating issues.
As mentioned previously, it's easily accessible through a browser, "assets" are easily uploaded and can be given a start and end date. Restart after uploading asset to get it to display.

Rob

[Imogen Bertin]

Are you using Screenly as well Rob? 

My current concern about this is it wants port 80 opened to install the screen. Which is of course off on most routers for good reason. Do you happen to know if you have to keep port 80 open to use Screenly? Their support seems to have gone on Christmas holidays already. Or can you just open it temporarily for the installation?

Thanks for any info

Imogen

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "CESI-list" group.
To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list?hl=en-GB where all messages are archived and are publically available to non members of the list. Messages may also show up in search engines etc.
Visit the web site www.cesi.ie
Attempts to use the list for commercial purposes may result removal from the list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CESI-list" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send an email to cesi...@googlegroups.com.

Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Rob]

Hi Imogen,

Our screenly is on port 8080.  I can't remember initial setup but knowing me, I would have selected the default so I'm not sure why yours wants port 80.

Rob

[Imogen Bertin]

Thanks for that reply Rob. 

I had a very unlucky first Raspberry Pi experience - two simultaneous faults, a corrupted NOOBs card and a dodgy power supply connection (but it is Christmas, when many forms of manufacturing show worse quality issues due to high volume). 

My troubleshooting was also thrown off by that blessed port 80 message which was erroneous. It only wants outbound port 80 access, and it had that... 

Once I had the Pi replaced, I found Screenly to be brilliant - it accepts MP4 videos, URLs and images as content assets, and is free for up to two screens and a limit of 10 assets. I would definitely recommend it as THE solution for small digital signage applications. The website's easy to use, the scheduling options are excellent, it can rotate for portrait signs, and if you are a design-oriented person like me, it works very easily with Mac Keynote though also PCs. 

I'm also very pleased with the cheap metal case I bought for the Pi: https://www.kksb-cases.com/kksb-raspberry-pi-metal-case-model-3.html

Still struggling with the limits of easy automated refreshing of data from Office 365 Calendar though. Looks like I'll have to have the calendar published, then set up a cron job to re-import that data each morning into Google Calendar and from Google Calendar, create the URLs for the sign from that. Yet another reason not to go for Office 365 if you can possibly avoid it... Just my 2 cents. 

So if you don't need videos or self-refreshing calendars, and don't want your signs to be portrait orientation, Rise Vision will be your man particularly if you have an abundance of unused Chrome laptops. 

If you care about design, and don't mind using Raspberry Pis, go for Screenly is my verdict. 

Thanks again everyone and I'm very happy to help anyone off list who decides to try digital signage.

Imogen

--

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "CESI-list" group.
To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list?hl=en-GB where all messages are archived and are publically available to non members of the list. Messages may also show up in search engines etc.
Visit the web site www.cesi.ie
Attempts to use the list for commercial purposes may result removal from the list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CESI-list" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cesi-list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to cesi...@googlegroups.com.

Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/cesi-list.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Imogen Bertin]

So sad I can't make it to the CESI conference this weekend, but here is my contribution - a blog with pics, shopping list, on how to do a digital sign for around €200 thanks to contributions from this mailing list.

http://www.ctc.ie/2018/03/a-cheap-and-pretty-digital-sign-for.html

Best wishes - I hope you all have fun!

Imogen