External frameworks and libraries are an important part in modern software architecture. The using of well-written code not only eases development, it usually also brings a ton of useful functionality to the table. Problems however begin to emerge, if one doesn’t keep an eye on the external codebase. Deprecated functions, new methods, different structures or a new and rewritten version altogether can cause many a headdache for the developer. That’s because oftentimes one needs to rewrite major parts of one’s own code just as well.

That’s what’s currently happening here at Videro. Back in 2007, when we build our new GUI (which is a full blown web application) we investigated different Javascript frameworks, and decided to work with Ext 1.1 as it offered structured and well designed code. In the past almost two years, Ext has seen a lot of major improvements:

• Many speed enhancements and optimizations
• Full Firefox 3.0 support (we had to apply a lot of fixes to Ext 1.1 in order to achieve Firefox 3.0 compatibility in our GUI)
• Enhanced Drag & Drop options especially within different form elements
• Easier and broadened theming options (once again we applied a lot of custom patches in order to get Ext 1.1 to look at most as our layouts)
• Improved Internet Explorer compatibility (Current Videro ‘kinda works’ with IE, but rather the more basic functions)
• A lot of new components and methods which will seriously simplify our development as we’re currently handling these usecases via our own proprietary and oftentimes limited extensions

All in all Ext 2.2 looks like a very solid release. The extended function library aims at releasing a lot of old cruft, the way improved browser support helps in targeting a broader userbase, and the speed improvements are godsend as our extremely sophisticated GUI oftentimes suffers under the gazillion lines of Javascript code.

So we’re currently very busy revising our GUI in order to be able to port it to Ext 2.2. As we’re eager to use as much of the new Ext functionality as possible, we’ve decided to go for a major rewrite instead of more patching. We’re really excited about this revision, as it should dramatically ease the addition of new and enhanced features in future releases.

There’re still a lot of hurdles but we’re slowly gaining ground. This rewrite will come together with other new and major features, so our customers will not only get a faster and more functional GUI but also several interesting new options which have been in development for quite some time. Stay tuned.

When talking to friends, we’re often asked just what exactly we’re doing at VIDERO. We then try to explain the basics of Digital Signage through real-world comparisons. Beginning with the obligatory supermarket example (1), continuing with the mall example (2) and ending with Public Digital Signage (3).

There’s a catch however. These examples depict our day by day jobs as much as “Putting Color on Paper” would describe an advertising agencies business. It’s certainly not wrong, but surely not right. 

That’s because Digital Signage is all about the Digital but hardly about the Signage. 

Our first example (1) explained that fairly well. We, as customers, already had to endure different sorts In-Store TV for decades. As a matter of fact: Stores started placing TV’s in the shop windows quite soon after the TV’s invention. Back when not everybody were prosperous enough to buy a TV, people acquired the habit of standing in front of a shop’s window to watch the news. There’s nothing, absolutely nothing revolutionary about putting a TV somewhere in order to display content (4).

The revolution comes in when you ponder over the second part, the Digital. This is all about the process being used to create, submit and control the content. Traditional means of content production for In-Store TV were usually as follows: Shoot (using amateur hardware) boring content and send it weekly (monthly, yearly) via snail mail (FedEx) as a videotape (dvd) to your stores. This process is tedious, slow and results in sub-par quality.

Digital Signage is the complete opposite: An optimal solution allows you to combine different media into an aesthetically pleasing composition, integrate real-time data like RSS or current price information, and distribute / control these data via always online internet connections.

Now this is where VIDERO sets in. We created a software solution that integrates and streamlines this process to a level, where a seemingly difficult task (5) feels as easy and natural as working with PowerPoint or Apple’s Keynote. This is not to say that our solution gains usability by cutting features. Instead we gained usability by heavily investing in modern Web 2.0, Ajax and Javascript UI solutions just as well as rethinking the whole application from the ground up specifically for Digital Signage. 

Our primary customer target audience range from advertising agencies to small business owners. VIDERO is very much scalable. It fits a small family property store as well as a big corporation as well as the graphics and multimedia department of marketing or public relations agencies.

Most other Digital Signage software solutions are highly modified web content management systems. Think Joomla on ecstasy. Our solution is different: VIDERO is to Digital Signage what Photoshop is to image manipulation. It’s a solution to a particular problem - and not the slapping together of different pieces of software in order to somehow achieve the desired result. This led one of our customers to coin the following spot-on phrase:

“Those who work with VIDERO will always be one step ahead of the competition and one step closer to the customer.”

The next entries on this topic will further elaborate the distinct possibilities VIDERO offers. 

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(1) “Remember those horrible little TV’s in the supermarket that managed to scare customers away through the magnificent combination of amateur video footage and distorted music? We’re NOT doing that.”

(2) “Last time you went shopping, you’ve probably seen all these TV’s in the clothes section, that were displaying advertisements or pictures.”

(3) “Ever been to (London / Tokio / Berlin / NY)?”

(4) Granted, modern big screens offer far more value and persuasive advantage than older tube televisions. But default technological advancements have hardly ever been described revolutionary.

(5) I.e distributing a PDF, a Flash file and the companies newest Web Presence to three Signage Systems in Berlin, New York and Tokio and adding different start times for every system and composition.