IAdea Joins Scala to Develop Digital Signage Products Based on Open Architecture

Feb. 26, 2009 - PRLog -- IAdea, the leading maker of open-standard digital signage media players, announces at the Digital Signage Expo an initiative to develop the world’s first RISC-based digital signage media player for Scala’s PC-based management system based on open architecture. The joint solution offers high-quality, economical video playback combined with sophisticated network management.

RISC-based digital signage technology are known for its reliability and cost effectiveness by harnessing high-performance dedicated video chips. However, these systems are also magnitudes more difficult to program, causing longer development cycle and greater project risks. In this joint work, IAdea takes a paradigm-setting approach by creating a layer of XML-based API and communication infrastructure defined by the W3C (World-Wide Web Consortium) SMIL specification. SMIL does for digital signage what the HTML has done for the WWW by providing a neutral platform so developers can quickly create digital signage solutions that run across different device technologies.

The Scala Content Manager is recognized by the digital signage industry as the leading network management platform. One report states that over 35% of the digital signage systems deployed are using Scala as the management software. The joint development will enable the user to manage not just the existing PC-based Scala Player software, but also the hardware-based IAdea media players, all within one integrated Scala Content Manager system. By integrating Scala’s server system and IAdea’s media players, the two companies are giving users the best of both worlds.

IAdea will offer a complete line of media players in the first half of 2009 to work with the Scala Content Manager. The XMP-300 Full-HD Open API media player is available now, followed by the entry-level XMP-107 480p standard-definition media player, and an integrated 8” digital signage display system. For more information, please visit http://www.IAdea.com.

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Founded in 2000, IAdea is dedicated to the development of leading-edge industrial-grade digital signage systems. IAdea’s media players adopt the XML-based W3C SMIL interface, allowing system integrators to quickly customize and tailor to individual project requirements. IAdea’s device technologies feature in large-scale projects including the China Post Office Media Network and Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport, offering proven robustness and lowered total cost of ownership (TCO). Thousands of digital signage sites worldwide are being powered by IAdea, serving millions of viewers each day. IAdea is an active member of the Digital Standards Committee of POPAI, promoting digital signage standards among major industry players. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan with North American support office in Montreal, Canada, IAdea offers distribution and service networks in the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Sweden, U.K., Italy, Turkey, China, Japan, and Australia. http://www.IAdea.com.