BulletProof Signs Sales Page
After 5 years dealing flakey, finicky digital signs, I built a new Digital Sign System, focused on reliability.Updated 6 years ago
The Power
The power of BulletProof Signs system is it runs locally, yet can be remotely updated in a simple interface, and propagated to multiple screens.It smoothly transitions ("fades") between images, and videos in your slide shows.
But the real crowning-glory is its engineered reliability.
Unreliable Network? -- It Happens
BulletProof Signs does NOT require a network connection, it just uses one when it is available.If the network goes down, no big deal, it updates on the schedule you select. As often, or as rarely as you'd like.
Don't Have Amazing Bandwidth? -- No Problem.
Few people have access to broadband connection able to handle a dozen of screens constantly downloading high-resolution Youtube videos.BulletProof Signs doesn't STREAM videos. It downloads them ONCE and stores them locally.
It then loops until whenever you tell it to trigger an update.
Even in 4K Video is possible (as explained below under "Hardware Requirements").
Big Files? -- No Problem.
When you first power on the system, it connects to the remote server you indicated, and downloads all your files.Just be patient, you will only have to do this once (or when you change your content).
Do You Want Hour-upon-Hours of High-Def Video? -- No Problem
You can pre-load as many files as you want onto a SD / USB Card, BulletProof Signs will just check they are the same as the remote ones on your server, and skip their downloading.You'll be up and running in minutes.
Don't Have a Remote Server Handy? -- We've Covered that.
You can Program your BulletProof Sign right in the field, using the exact same interface you may have setup on your server.- Make small changes
- Point it at a different remote server
- Change the update schedule
- Turn off the updates and just run it locally.
Accidently Delete all your Slides? -- We've Thought of That.
No matter what, your BulletProof Sign will show something.Either our Splash screen, or your own custom one.
Accidently Delete a Single Slide? -- No Problemo.
If anything goes wrong, BulletProof Signs justs skips over it, and shows your content that does work.You will receive a notification that something went wrong. (Most likely one of your files is missing or damaged).
Only Slightly - Techy? -- Cool.
Our 5 stage setup process will help you install everything you need. If you know what a "Command Prompt" or "Terminal" is, you should do fine.Low Confort with Technology? -- Setup your Slideshow online, and We Will Mail it to You.
We will mail you an SD Card / USB Swap Drive for your Tinkerbox / RaspberryPi / Computer of Choice.Just slide it in -- We've handled all its configuration.
Hardware Requirements:
BulletProof Signs works on almost any system -- All it needs to run is PHP.We recommend Linux as it uses the least amount of Memory (RAM), is reliable, and well supported -- Did we mention Linux is Free?
(Obviously), the performance and "smoothness" of your slideshow depends on the hardware you install it on.
If flawless video-quality / Performance is Important to you, do not cheap out on the hardware.
You can even run an image-only slideshow on your dusty old computer from the 1990s, but most people want more.
Here are some of the most common set ups we've tested it on, and the performance you can expect:
The Original RaspberryPi
Cost: $25Performance: Works great for images, and low-quality video. OK Transitions.
The Asus Tinkerbox
Cost: $65Running the Regular Tinkerbox RaspberryPi Operating Ssytem. Performance: Works with 1080p, and images. Beautiful Transitions. CPU Overheating is a problem without a large heat sync.
A Modern (Full) Computer
Cost: $600Something with a dedicated video card, like a home computer.
Performance: 1080p Video, Images, even 4K Video.
A Cheap Suggestion
Cost: $300 USDExpected Performance: 1080p Video, Images, even 4K Video.
A clever work around:
The Asus Tinkerbox does work with 4k video, as claimed on the box.However the standard RaspberryPi Operating System uses most of its (2GB) memory.
A work around we have used is with a barebones-operating system called "Kodi", which uses much way less memory.
It connects to your networks (either wifi or Ethernet).
It runs 4K video Smoothly.
You can still update your files remotely usings "Samba" a Network file sharing tool.
Kodi doesn't have a web browser, and Cannot run PHP, so cannot run our slideshow-creation software.
More slightly-technical details:
- Our entire software package is Tiny (Only 354KB!). So if your chosen hardware plays video in your browser, you can expect the same quality from your BulletProof Sign.
- 4K Video is challenging for a computer. As explained Here
- RaspberryPi's do not like Heat, and you will likely have to update your heat sink if running video.
The problem with mis-representation of the ASUS Tinkerboard, in my opinion is:
It is the best RaspberryPi-compatible board by farIt does do 4K video
But the RaspberrryPi Community hasn't built a low-requirement Operation System yet.
It is either Kodi, or No-4K.