Beyond the Billboard

In addition to the hardware and application, Gimasi's Dilitio solution includes a cloud-hosted content management platform, data analysis, and custom application integration. This turns the humble billboard into an interactive multimedia platform full of possibilities. In schools, they can be used as displays to teach more effectively. In retail stores, they can be integrated with e-beacons for a digital in-store experience. You could order food in a restaurant from digital menus integrated with your smartphone. Picture sitting at a sushi-ya poking at a picture of a teriyaki-tuna maki roll with mango and salmon on your phone and watch it roll down the conveyor belt. Now that’s tasty tech!

Within the Qt application, you can configure content with drag-and-drop controls via a remote web interface. The plugin infrastructure keeps the content dynamic and updated. It also makes it possible to send the QML files to the device via the cloud.

The main reasons why Gimasi decided to build their signage technology with Qt were the flexibility and multi-platform capabilities. The competition in the commercial digital signage sector is fierce, and the ability to port the same code base to several platforms created previously impossible opportunities. In the case of a customer who wanted to downgrade to an Android player, Qt enabled the switch without the need to change anything else.

A Sign of the Future

Gimasi’s focus on new IoT solutions may well change how the digital signage game is played. Imagine a digital ad sign with image recognition software that fulfills two of billboard advertisers’ greatest dreams: To be able to measure how many people looked for how long at a certain ad and to customize the content based on who is standing in front of the screen.

Or remember last time you went into the cinema and you had to wear those goofy 3D-glasses? Gimasi used Qt to integrate a new video codec that enabled a lenticular fiberglass mask with millions of small lenses in front of the monitor to project 3D imagery – no 3D-glasses required.