Equinox Network Edition is a digital signage and digital broadcasting platform that can be used for display types such as LED / LCD displays, projectors, video walls, etc. to remotely distribute programs and schedules over the network. You can deliver video information, programmed digitized posters, real-time news and reports, animation, and various business-specific content to multiple display units located in different parts of the building or across multiple cities from a single central location.

The process of Equinox Network Edition is to place text, graphics, video, and other media files and content onto a dynamic display positioned in a venue area that helps reach your targeted audience at the right time with the right message in almost any location. By using Equinox Network Edition in your network, businesses can manage their digital signage network at a lower cost and with greater efficiency.

Features

Equinox Server System
Allows you to:
Upload media, text files, and web resources into a central media content library
Build a multi-zoned screen layout
Manage the creation of playlists
Distribute content to the right zone(s), to play your content on a specific date or during a particular time range

Pro-Active Network Reporting
Equinox includes system logging functions for monitoring the digital signage network health. You can check your digital signage network for information, warnings, and errors via the web.

Security
Equinox only allows authorized users to access the network.

Equinox Network Player
Equinox Network Player provides dynamic and reliable playback for various popular types of digital contents that are managed and delivered by Equinox Network Server. Equinox Network Player continuously synchronizes media files, playlists, schedules and remote control commands with its server in real-time and sends back check-in statuses for monitoring purposes.
Support from any single screen resolution to multiple screens with single media player
Support both landscape mode and portrait mode
Play back a huge selection of digital media contents stored locally or from streaming resources
Synchronize only the necessary contents, modified playlist/layout/schedules within seconds to ensure the players up-to-date
Ability to run even without network connections using the previously stored media contents, playlists and schedules
Log back the players’ internal/external IP and last active time to Equinox server
Support remote player controls, e.g.: volume adjusting, automatic player reboot, RS232 display controls

Media Files Management
Ability to upload and search media assets for use on network. The system is built to support all common PC based media formats, including:
Video (MPEG 1/2/3/4, DIVX 1/2/3/5, AVI, WMV, MOV, FLV, MP4)
Flash (SWF)
Audio files (MP3, WMA, MIDI, WAV)
Web Pages (both local and web-based URL's)
Still Images (GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP)
Video Streaming (RTSP, MMS, RTP/UDP)
RSS feeds
Plain Text (with transparent background)
Large and small media files can easily be added to your space. Also, streaming media files can also be uploaded by specifying the target URL.
Equinox also supports FTP upload function by using third party software.

Playlist Creator
Create a sequence clip of media contents that can be scheduled by date and time for inclusion in a layout zone. The playlist creator also allows media preview in a thumbnail when you click each clip.

Layout Creator
Enables the user to design and save multi-zone layouts based on any resolution. The layouts can contain one zone or multiple zones that are populated by playlists created and scheduled from the media files. Familiar drag-and-drop function can easily create layout(s) to use. Also, Equinox supports overlayer function which means each zone can be overlaid on top of the other.

Schedule Creator
Preset one or more playlists on a specific date or time range such as by day, week, month, etc. Each playlist may contain different contents in a sequential order. You can upload selected contents to your targeted audience through the upload function.
The multi-zone layout can be fully scheduled as a whole and also allows each sub-zone or single zones to have a nested schedule by a common calendar interface.
Equinox includes a failsafe mode. If there are no more playlists defined for the current time, the Player will loop the Default Playlist.
Equinox offers a layout sequence. That defines the layout that plays in the exact order specified. This function allows you to have layout follow one after the others.

Equinox Controller (RS232)
Equinox supports remotely controlled devices through a serial port which allows the user to run pre-defined commands. The user can also customize devices and command codes. This feature works with any A/V product that has RS232 command support including plasmas, LCDs, projectors, and more. Functions that can be controlled by a PC are:
Run RS232 command code
Customizing command code
Scheduling when to send command code
(Some models may need customization work, please contact your sales person for more details.)

Player Management
Allows you to control the media to any digital display device by assigned schedule. It allows you to schedule players by groups of players. For example, you may wish to segment your network by geography (e.g. Northwest Locations). Player management will be responsible for tracking the status from each player, and monitoring groups of players.

Email Alert
Equinox supports email alert function. It will notify you through email when there is a warning on the network status (e.g. Player Offline Alert).

Outgoing Mail Server Setup
Equinox provides outgoing mail server setup function. It can deliver mail messages directly to email recipients.

Minimum System Requirements

Equinox Digital Signage Administrator PC
Equinox Software can be assessed from any computer via Synergy’s secure portal.

Equinox Network Edition:
Sun Java™ Runtime Environment, version 1.5 or later

Equinox Digital Signage Player PC
Dual Core CPU
1GB RAM if running Microsoft® Windows XP Pro/Home
2GB RAM or higher if running Microsoft® Windows 7 Pro/Home or Vista
80GB HDD
Internet connection (ADSL/LAN or faster)
TV tuner card (if live video signal is required)
(Standalone Edition does not require an Internet connection)