Black Box releases next version of iCOMPEL digital signage platform

PITTSBURGH, USA: Black Box Corp. has announced the release of new software that enhances the management and creative control of digital signage content displayed through the award-winning iCOMPEL platform.

Version 8.0.2, now available for download at blackbox.com, boasts new features that simplify and streamline the process of content design for high-impact, attention-getting digital signage.

“iCOMPEL already had one of the most intuitive content-management interfaces anywhere,” said Keith Kazmer, Digital Signage Product Manager. “Now, we’ve made it better, so it’s even easier to use.”

Digital signage administrators, when adding content into the iCOMPEL playlists and content library, can now drag and drop multiple content files from their desktop directly into the playlists and folders of the iCOMPEL software. Image thumbnails are shown within the playlist and file manager pages.

Also with this update, the iCOMPEL HTML player now supports the latest WebKit open source layout technology used by the Apple Safari and Google Chrome browsers while adding HTML5 and SVG graphics support to the platform.

“With these HTML player improvements, content designers can achieve sophisticated creative effects for their digital signage content,” Kazmer said. “Professional effects can be achieved without the use of expensive professional Flash programmers or HTML and CSS developers. For instance, the background of an HTML page can be set up as a transparent image, and tables within a digital screen can have a transparent border and background—which can make for a really impressive presentation of menu boards, airport information boards, and event schedules.”

The upgrade brings other improvements to the platform, including:

• The ability to quickly back up and restore all media and settings on the iCOMPEL using an external USB disk.
• No restrictions on file naming when using the iCOMPEL Web user interface.
• An improved screen status page that shows connection state, the serial number of the digital display, and the CPU and disk temperature history.
• XML Web services allowing HTML and Flash to access features on the iCOMPEL.
• More customizable “ad-hoc” content-control capabilities, which enable iCOMPEL users located at a remote screen to tailor messaging to a local audience.
• For improved security, a Web interface that uses secure digest authentication instead of the weaker basic authentication.
• A more advanced maintenance menu.

The iCOMPEL family of browser-based, networked players gives businesses and organizations of any size an affordable solution for improving internal and external communications through relevant, dynamic digital signage. With it, users can stream recorded or live video, Flash animation, RSS news and stock ticker feeds, and other Web media.

As an integrated hardware/software solution, iCOMPEL comes preloaded with design tools for assembling and distributing HD-quality multimedia content to digital signs. It includes tools for playing stored and live media in multiple screen zones, and menus for scheduling content distribution by time and location. There are no additional software fees for current iCOMPEL owners.