So you want your own screen somewhere in your department? We can help with that! Here are some starting points when thinking about a digital signage screen.

Cost

The total cost of the system can be as little as $1600 all the way up to $6000 or more, depending on factors such as what equipment you already have, the size of the display you want and where it’s being installed. Here’s a breakdown by category to give you an idea as to how much you’ll need to spend:

Item Price Range Notes
Professional Display $800-1400 We highly recommend getting a professional display (instead of a commercial-grade TV)
Computer $0-1000 Please note you MUST use a computer supplied by ITS Hardware Services.

Minimum specs (as of July, 2022) are:

  • Processor: Intel i5 (7th gen or better)
  • RAM: 4 GB minimum
  • Network: Physical ethernet port required
  • OS: Windows 10 (or 11)
  • HDD: 120gb SSD minimum

Often departments have an extra computer lying around that meets these specs somewhere in their office.

ITS Hardware Services offers small form factor computers that are great as DSS players. They’re easy to install and powerful enough for our needs.

Display Mount $50-250 Used to mount the TV (and possibly other peripherals) to the wall
Software $500 License to use the digital signage software. This is an annual fee.
Electrical Outlets $0-600 You may not need any additional outlets, or you may need up to two (one for TV, one for the PC)
Network Drop $0-$400 You’ll need a network connection for the PC to reach our server. We do not support wireless connections.
Installation $0-$1000 You may need to get a department like the Science Technology Centre to mount/install the TV and PC.

After these initial upfront costs, there is an annual maintenance fee of $500 per year. This fee covers the following:

– Software support by us, and by the manufacturer

– Software upgrades, whenever they are released by the manufacturer

– Preliminary hardware support

– System training, if someone new is involved with the DSS

– Server licensing and maintenance costs

Do you want to share content with others?

Your screen can either be set up as a stand-alone system, or as part of the group of screens we have across campus. There are benefits to each method.

Private Systems  Public Systems
  • Only your content will be shown on your screen.
  • You cannot post content to other screens on campus without paying an additional fee.
  • Both your content and the content of other departments will be displayed on your screen.
  • You can post content to other screens on campus free of charge!

As a standalone system, you’re responsible for all the content on your screen. If you join our group, you’ll be able to reach a much larger audience with your messages!

Generally, we suggest being part of the public system, it means a wider variety of content on your screen, and content that is refreshed more often. Both of these factors attract attention to the screens and reduce content repetition.

Who’s going to create the content?

Someone in your department is going to need to be responsible for creating, posting and managing the content that gets displayed on your screens.

I want to get started!

Great! Simply contact us so we can get the ball rolling!