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Video Review: Visix AxisTV
Digital Signage System
Airports, sports arenas, and shopping malls: that’s where digital signage belongs, right? Those high profile, glamour locations may be the most visible, but at its core digital signage is more about the simple utilitarian need to efficiently, if not attractively, inform the masses. The trouble is that most digital signage content, as well as most digital signage solutions, caters to those splashy graphic-laden glamour locations. And that often puts them beyond the needs and scope of most houses of worship.
Visix takes a different approach with AxisTV, recognizing the reality of disseminating information on educational campuses, in business offices, and at houses of worship. Ordinary people—volunteers, administrators, secretaries, and interns—do most of the work getting the word out and that’s not likely to change even if those signage locations go digital. Indeed, it’s simply not practicable to hire a graphics firm to layout a placard for every class schedule change, lobby notice, or the list of hymns for a Sunday service.
AxisTV systems come in a variety of configurations, from software-only solutions that can run on existing servers to hardware-software combinations, and are designed to reside on an existing Ethernet network. Intriguingly, the AxisTV software is browser-based, thereby allowing individuals throughout an organization to log on over that network and make changes and updates to digital signs. Differing software license levels, Standard, Professional, and Enterprise, support different feature sets, options, and numbers of signage locations, but all support the wide participation of helpers in a diverse organization (smartly, with varying levels of password-protected access).
The test AxisTV system I reviewed included the AxisTV Software, a Content Manager Server, and two different Channel Players (the Mini Form Factor and the Small Form Factor). My software was the full “Enterprise” level ($17,999) so I could evaluate the full breadth of options, although the “Standard” level software (only $1,449, or $2,449 with the hardware server) would generally have been the more appropriate match for such a small, two-player system.
The “Professional” level ($5,799 software only, or $6,799 server and software) is Visix’s most popular level, starts with support for 10 players, with an optional license for up to 50 (more than 50 and up to 4,000 players is Enterprise level). Player devices cost $1,999-$3,999, depending on size and capabilities, and monitors are needed for each, although they can be any display device, including projectors, CRT, or LCD desktop monitors, a large LED panel, etc.
Power to the People
Of course, if yours is like many volunteer-rich organizations, installing and configuring a “Content Manager” and a bunch of “Channel Players” on a network may already sound a little overwhelming. And there’s no doubt that having someone with some systems administration knowledge will help. Yet Visix understands its customer base and is prepared to help by pre-configuring a system to be up and running at your location very quickly. For example, I merely needed to connect the three devices to my existing network, power them up, and log on. Each automatically polled the network and found its fellow AxisTV devices, then launched the default playlist; that is, started playing pre-loaded content out to the signage monitors.
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Jeff Sauer has covered the professional video and A/V industry for a dozen years and is an independent video producer and consultant in Massachusetts.
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