Mixed-brand display networks

Samsung, LG, and ViewSonic from one console.

Every manufacturer ships software that manages its own brand and nothing else. A display network grows over several years from whichever supplier held the contract at the time, so it usually runs on two or three consoles. Lima manages all of them from one, on infrastructure your organization owns.

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One consoleThree makers, one command

Samsung Tizen LG webOS ViewSonic CDE

No manufacturer console openedOne action, every make on the site Done

Device control

Each brand is driven through its own control interface.

In the on-premises edition, Lima talks to each display over the local network, using the manufacturer's own control protocol: Samsung MDC, LG RS232-over-LAN, and ViewSonic CDE. Nothing is installed on the display for control, and no cloud relay sits in the path. A command travels directly from the server to the panel.

The displays report back as well as obey. LG panels return power, volume, mute, and input source; Samsung panels add model, serial number, and firmware version. Device information is read from the display itself, so nobody maintains an inventory spreadsheet by hand. Device control is a feature of the on-premises edition. The cloud edition manages content, schedules, and status for the same mix of displays, because the control protocols do not reach a customer network from outside.

From one console

The same operations, whatever the brand.

Each of these is done from the same screen, in the same steps, on all three makes. An operator does not need to identify which manufacturer supplied a particular panel.

Panel on and off. For daily operation the panel goes dark while the device and its network connection stay up. A full power-off or a reboot asks for confirmation first.

Standard controls. Volume, mute, input source, and remote-control lock are changed from the same screen, identically on every manufacturer's hardware.

Power scheduling. Displays follow the organization's working hours. The default mode darkens the panel and keeps the device on the network, and a full power mode is available where it is wanted.

Discovery and pairing. Samsung and LG displays across an IP range are scanned and added in bulk. A new display shows a code on its own screen, and once that code is approved in the console the display's IP address is filled in automatically.

Content and reporting

The brand makes no difference to content or reports.

Playlists, zoned layouts, the ticker, and schedules are assigned the same way whatever the make of the display. A group of displays from different manufacturers is managed as one unit and plays the same content in sync. Displays carry tags, so a change reaches every display with the same function, regardless of manufacturer, and a PC, a media stick, or a kiosk joins the same installation through the Web Player.

Proof of play is collected in one place too. The report shows how long each display was reachable and which content never played, across every brand, and it exports as CSV.

Production hallDisplay group

Line 1 entranceSamsung QM55C · Shift board Playing

Line 2 entranceLG 49XS4J · Shift board Playing

CanteenViewSonic CDE4330 · Shift board Playing

Synchronized playback Ticker

Existing hardware

Displays already in the field stay where they are.

The player is written to the constraints of older panels. Displays already mounted come under management without a hardware change, and a display bought from a new supplier joins the same console. The player also fetches its own updates from the server, so a new release does not mean a visit to every display on site, and the maintenance load does not grow with the size of the network.

The approach has one limit. A panel has to keep its manufacturer's control interface enabled and be reachable on the network. Whether a particular display qualifies is established by a site survey, which we carry out before any commitment.

Contact

Evaluate Lima against your own display network.

Send us the makes, models, and quantities of your displays. We will arrange a demonstration on simulated displays and set up an evaluation license, or a 14-day trial workspace in the cloud.

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