April 18th, 2011 by caltron
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There are many occasions when an OEM or Integrator comes to Catron for special project needs or require a specific component for our current Open Frame Monitor or Touch screen Monitor for their application. Caltron does understand that sometimes there is a need for a specific component that we do not normally carry so we try our best to work with OEM and Integrators to source the components or parts that is required at the most cost effective price. When OEM’s and Integrators can provide us with information about their current project and project potential, it will help Catron to allocate the parts easier since most suppliers do require a minimum order quantity (MOQ) for components or smaller parts that are more difficult to acquire. While, we may not be able to satisfy every single project, we can usually accommodate almost all projects that come our way, whether it is a regular or special project.
For large OEM projects, Caltron can usually help to bear some of the costs and negotiate with our sourcing suppliers to get the parts and components at the most cost effective price. Whether it is a large or small project, we will always help our customers in achieving the lowest prices possible without affecting quality. Caltron will work with OEM’s and Integrators in assistance with prototype development and will be able to provide an acceptable sample unit that will be approved by the OEM or Integrator before proceeding with any long term projects. Caltron will always try our best to ensure that our customers are satisfied with the products that we provide and we will make sure that it is a product that our OEM’s and Integrators are looking for.
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April 4th, 2011 by caltron
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In the recent month, as many may or may not have known yet, one of the greatest natural earthquakes hit off the coast of Japan, which in turn caused a horrific tsunami that devastated the greater northeast region. With so much devastation going on and damage to Japan, this has caused a ripple effect that can be felt through the entire world since Japan is a leading supplier in many electrical components. Not only did production for one of the world’s leading car manufacturers come to a halt, but factories that manufacturer parts for components were also affected and this in turn causes delays for everyone. This in turn can cause a shortage in components as people frantically scramble to procure the necessary parts to complete their products. Caltron has taken into consideration all the adverse effects of the tsunami that Japan has encountered, but there is still a possibility that Caltron’s customers might feel some of the residual effects of the tsunami due to lack of parts or delayed shipments for possibly 2-3 weeks on the following: Open Frame monitors, Touch Screen Monitors, Open Frame Touch Screen Monitors and Digital Signage Players. As many companies frantically struggle to procure parts, Caltron has tried to prepare as best as possible to make sure that the delay in parts will have a minimal effect on our customers, but there is always a possibility in delayed shipments due to unforeseen circumstances.
With a decrease in supply from Japan, the world’s industries have to adjust for the shortage of components for manufacturing until production can resume gradually and get back on their feet. Sometimes there are unforeseen events that take place which can have an adverse effect on the world. Caltron will always try to stay on top of things and take a proactive approach to maintain a level of inventory and components to ensure that our customers are not shorted on any products that they require.
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March 28th, 2011 by caltron
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One of the greatest things that Caltron can do for their customers is to assist in the extension of product life and reduce cost and hassles of product transition.
In 2006, a customer came to Caltron because they were having supply problems with their current supplier. A specific OEM touch screen monitor on their product line was set to have a very near end of life. During which time, the customer had already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to get that unit prototype approved with safety certificates as required by government regulations into the product line. It was fortunate that Caltron was able to source products from the same supplier and continue to supply our now current customer with the same product to keep the supply chain consistent with no interruptions on production and services. About two years ago, Caltron found out that the original engineer manufacturer decided to stop producing this particular open frame monitor so we took the proactive approach in planning to come up with a solution for our customer’s needs. Caltron decided to stock up on as many units as possible to make sure and cover any potential orders for a year time frame. At the same time, we started to discuss with our customer on how to create a sufficient replacement unit on for the unit that was headed towards the end of life. Through much exchanged conversations in order to get the correct unit to be created, our engineers worked vigorously, starting with the mechanical and electrical modifications from Caltron’s existing FBT-1503OTEAR, 5-wire Resistive Open Frame Touch Screen Monitor. Through detailed discussions on parts requirements and selection of certain components and replacement of obsolete components, like speaker assemblies that were no longer available on the market. Idealistically, the speakers and other such components had to pass safety tests to be qualified parts, so we put extra work in trying to meet our customer’s needs for the open frame monitor.
In the middle of 2010, we sent the final sample for our customer’s approval, and by March 2011 our mass production for the approved unit began. The whole process took about two years, but thanks to both parties providing ample time to create the perfect replacement unit that was satisfactory for both parties, Caltron was able to get the job done correctly, the first time around. There was no additional expenses charged to our customer and there was no need for our customer to waste additional money investing in the molding of a new prototype. The only thing that was needed to be taken care of after the completed process was updating the safety certificates due to some changes in the open frame touch screen monitor. Caltron was happy to be able to help our customer and keep them satisfied.
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March 21st, 2011 by caltron
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Most of the users out there today use a PC, but there is still that percentage that uses a Mac OS and would lie to be able to use Internet Mode with their Macs. With Caltron’s High Definition Players, the MP-1080A, High Definition MPEG Player with VGA +DVI, and the MP-1080H, High Definition MPEG Player with VGA + HDMI being versatile and compatible with not only PC based operating systems, but also Mac operating systems. Caltron has provided a complete user guide on how to set up a Mac to use Internet Mode on the High Definition Digital Signage Players. For any questions or concerns that can’t be answered, please contact a Caltron Representative at sales @caltronind.com or by calling 510-440-1800.
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March 21st, 2011 by caltron
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Given that most users are more equipped with a Window’s based background, there is still that percentage of user’s that like to use a MAC. With that being said, Caltron’s MP-1080A, High Definition MPEG Player with VGA + DVI and MP-1080H, High Definition MPEG Player with VGA + HDMI are compatible with either a windows based OS or Mac OS allowing for the players to be versatile for almost any application. Caltron would like to assist in network setup for the digital signage players, in making it as easy as possible for any user to set up. Since there are more users leaning towards a Mac OS, we have implemented a user guide on how to set up the Mac’s for use with Caltron’s High Definition Digital Signage Players to allow more user’s free range of use with the players. Click on the following link for a quick reference of the Mac user guide or if you need a Windows XP version, then please click on, Windows XP user guide. This guide will help enable a Mac to become a “server” for the Digital Signage Players.
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March 14th, 2011 by caltron
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At DSE 2011 we are honored to be interviewed by DOOH.com editor Tony Hymes on Feb. 24th. DOOH.com is a professional Digital Out of Home portal website. The interview main focus was on Caltron’s new 19 inch wide screen touch computer and CaptaSign’s online digital signage management software.
During the interview, Paul Lau introduced the 19 inch touch screen panel pc with features like fanless design, retractable and detachable frame stand, embedded Wi-Fi, 1080P high definition video supports, powerful Intel Atom D525 1.8GHz CPU and touch screen options. Don Addiss demonstrated CaptaSign’s friendly user interface, and briefly presented the online content management process like content forwarding, scheduling, and others.
We are quite excited about this interview; it will soon be available via YouTube.
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March 7th, 2011 by caltron
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Caltron exhibits at Digital Signage Expo 2011
Another year, another step in technology toward something greater, Digital Signage Expo 2011 was a success. And I have to say, it was great to see all these people who came out to the event. I was fortunate enough to attend the show as an exhibitor with Caltron at booth 1739, from the looks of the traffic in the duration of the event, it gave a glimpse of our slow but steady economy recovering from the recession. One of the main attractions of many exhibitors is 3D technology, from the common 3D TVs to glasses-less 3D technologies to 2D to 3D conversion. Everyone is offering something new and different, whether the 3D trend is here to stay or just a fad, only time will tell. Another trend I saw was big screens that offered a light weight, transparent display for the digital signage world. Such solutions would be perfect for companies that want to display their content while giving their customers a glimpse of what’s inside the store. And the light weight aspect of this technology gives the system integrators an easier solution to mount and transport their equipments, thus reducing costs. Overall DSE 2011 was a great success, I’m eager to see what they will show next year in 2012.
Most of the products I’ve mentioned above are designed to work for larger screens, for smaller screens, I have not yet seen another company out there that offers the same simple and compact solutions that Caltron offers. This year Caltron was able to have an interactive display show casing a wide variety of products from video synchronization, to our new line of LED backlit open frame monitors to our media players. The open frame design gives the system integrators the freedom to design their own enclosure to customize their own need for their products. And the media players offer a low cost option for standalone and networkable digital signage solutions. We are excited to show case our future products next year at DSE 2012, so be sure to give us a visit next year when you’re at the show.
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February 28th, 2011 by caltron
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Some Digital Signage applications are basic plug-and-play. All the advertiser wants to do is display the content that they have with rarely having to update the content. Sometimes there is a need to update the content so there is new content to display, but the players are in a very hard to access location. The MP-1080A, High Definition MPEG Player with VGA + DVI, and MP-1080H, High Definition MPEG Player with VGA + HDMI, both have the capability to have content updated remotely, as long as the players have an internet connection via hard wire or WiFi (WiFi option available as an add on accessory for the HD digital signage players). Any PC can be used as a “server” to update content for the players. This can be done in both, “Internet mode” (Internet connection required) or “Real-Time” (Local Area Network[LAN] required) Streaming mode. Only a few simple steps are needed to make the players networkable. This can lead to a great time saver when needing to update content remotely. Editing a playlist is quite simple through a text file and the players are designed to check the server every 60 seconds for new content that may have been updated. Please check demonstration videos can be found in media section of two above media players and Internet Mode User Guide PDF file.
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February 21st, 2011 by caltron
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Besides MP-02Z Multi-Zone Digital Signage Player and CAT management software demonstration, Caltron will demo another online digital signage management software. This software allows sign owner manage and schedule contents online via Internet connection. Users are able to monitor each sign’s current status and retrieve reports of each individual player’s play history and commercials play records to charge ad sponsors.
To maximum visitors’ sound-surround ambiance, Caltron will assign a 19 inch Surface Acoustic Wave Touch Open Frame monitor FBT-1904OTEASU as the presentation interface to demonstrate the touch functions, and at the same time, demonstrate the digital signage management software features to visitors. Caltron will also arrange one IPS-2206O 22 inch digital signage touch screen monitor and one 19 inch widescreen touch panel pc as the digital signage players to show visitors real time ad change through management software assignment. Caltron will have sales representatives present and answer visitor’s questions of this demonstration.
The 19 inch fanless touch screen panel pc powered by dual core Intel 1.8 GHz Atom D525 is equipped with Wi-Fi network capability and the wide screen will make it perfect as a digital signage all-in-one display. This 19” panel pc has swappable hard drive for easy maintenances and it excels as a digital signage display, an industrial equipment console control and other commercial applications.
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February 14th, 2011 by caltron
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Caltron has been a LCD display pioneer since 1997, while always conscious on making her products environmental friendly. One big change in LCD display industry lately is transforming the usual backlit source from Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL) to Light-Emitting Diode (LED). Reducing environmental pollution is one main reason, not only that, LED backlit has more optical advantages and other features that CCFL doesn’t have. It has a wider operating and storage temperature range, faster response time, less energy consumption and wider viewing angles.
Last year, Caltron released three different sizes LED backlit products in a total of nine models. They are 8.4 inch, 10.4 inch and 12.1 inch with the capabilities of adopting resistive and SAW touch glass on all three sizes. This year, Caltron will continue to adopt more sizes for the LED backlit open frame monitors for industrial and commercial OEMs and integrators.
We will display all three available LED backlit LCD monitors in DSE 2011, visit us at Booth 1739 and interact with our representatives to get a first-hand experience before making a decision.
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February 7th, 2011 by caltron
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MP-02Z is a new standard definition digital signage player that offers multi-zone function with 480p video and 720p/1080i still image. Compare with another Caltron standard definition network digital signage player MP-02A, MP-02Z will not only loop playbacks like the MP-02A, but can also generate additional income from sponsored banner ads. MP-02Z can be managed through a variety of ways, from content upload on the computer to scheduling through internet connection for frequent content updates or can be made into a simple standalone media player with multi-zone function without internet connection.
Caltron will demonstrate the MP-02Z at booth 1739 at DSE; it is a player that cannot be missed among various digital media players on the market. MP-02Z is networkable, cost saving, and compact. It comes with a free, complimentary management software able to manage content uploads and scheduling from your own laptop or desktop computer through the internet. It is the best fit for small to medium size digital-out-of-home projects.
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January 31st, 2011 by caltron
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A month away, Caltron will exhibit at the Digital Signage Expo 2011 in Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada on February 23rd and 24th. This will be the 3rd year Caltron participated as an exhibitor at DSE and we believe this year, better economic environment will make the trade show more successful than before. We are looking forward to meet more prospects and customers from around the world during the exhibition.
This year, innovations from our team, we have revamped our display and layout for product demonstration. Visitors will be able to interact with our products and discuss features and specs with us. Caltron plans to exhibit our full line of products, they include Open Frame Monitors and Touch Screen Monitors, Industrial Touch Screen Monitors, High Bright Open Frame Monitor, LED Backlit Open Frame Monitors, Digital Signage Players, All-in-One LCD Digital Signage Displays, Touch Screen Digital Signage Displays, and Touch Screen Panel PC. In next three weeks, we will briefly introduce these new products each week.
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January 24th, 2011 by caltron
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With the recent trend of touch screen monitors moving more towards digital signage, Caltron has released two touch screen displays for digital signage. The 22 inch digital signage touch screen monitor is available in the IPR-2206O, Resistive touch screen display, or IPS-2206O, Surface Acoustic Wave touch screen display, and is a perfect size for any digital signage application. With superior viewing angles and a high resolution, the monitors are well suited to take on many applications. The touch screen monitors are robust and are capable of handling many harsh environments. The screens are spill proof, so there is no worry about water damaging the units.
Touch screen monitors were generally meant for many industrial applications and Kiosks, but as digital signage continues to grow larger and is becoming more interactive, the demand for touch screen monitors grow. Caltron’s 22 inch digital signage touch screen monitor can be used specifically for digital signage applications or for a variety of applications beyond digital signage. Caltron’s 22 inch digital signage touch screen monitors are robust and use parts that will not change the form factor for the lifetime of the monitor so integrators and applications with specially designed enclosures need not worry about component upgrades and replacements. The 22 inch touch screen monitors allows for applications to become more interactive with the user, giving them a greater experience and more complete sense of satisfaction with digital signage.
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January 17th, 2011 by caltron
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At the Beginning of 2011, Caltron will launch a new product category named “Digital Signage Touch Screen Display.” Touch screen displays for the digital signage market has matured a bit more over the recent years. In this past year, there have been many customers who have come to Caltron looking for an out-of-shelf solution. Caltron will soon have a new display for the Digital Signage Touch Screen Displays. The first size to be released will be the 22” wide resistive and surface acoustic wave touch screen displays. These 2 Digital Signage Touch Screen Monitors will be available at Digital Signage Expo 2011 for product demonstration. These two touch screen monitors are built for drop-in designs and best suited for vending machines, gaming, digital signage and Kiosk integrators.
Please stay tuned into our press releases and blog next week or contact Caltron from here.
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January 10th, 2011 by caltron
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In 2010, Caltron’s digital signage players quantity grew above 10% compared with 2009, that is quite encouraging data and proof of Caltron’s continuous investment on providing simple-compact-versatile digital media player hardware to meet customer’s needs.
August 2010, Caltron launched the MP-02Z , standard definition digital signage advertising player that supports multi-zone and provides digital signage resellers or end users flexibility to utilize limited digital display space for promoting more products and service.
Caltron predicts that 2011 will keep the same growth as year 2010. In our plan, more digital signage products will be added and replace some existing models to provide more up-to-date technology.
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December 20th, 2010 by caltron
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While most applications will suffice with an LCD screen, there are always new applications that want to transition over to LED panels. Caltron has just released the latest addition to their LED backlit monitors, the LBT-1212O 12.1 inch LED open frame monitor and associated 12.1 inch LED resistive open frame touch screen monitor and 12.1 inch LED saw open frame touch screen monitor. With the industrial aspect of open frame monitors rapidly changing from one type of LCD panel to the next, quite a few integrators and OEM companies struggle to keep up with the quick and vast change. Caltron’s 12.1” LED backlit monitor is a bit different from the other LED monitors released. Given that the monitor does provide a higher contrast ratio and has less energy consumption to power a brighter screen compared to that of an LCD panel using a CCFL backlight. What makes this 12.1” uniquely special is that the resolution of the panel has increased from the typical 800 x 600 to 1024 x 768, allowing for a better quality display should any application require it. Many integrators yearn for a higher resolution output without the need for a larger screen, with the LBT-1212O that comes with the resolution of 1024 x 768, integrators can now create custom solutions that require a higher resolution without the larger size screen.
Many industrial applications are switching over to LED backlit panels in becoming green and environmentally friendly, so Caltron wants the opportunity to be able to contribute to the companies by offering more available solutions. LED backlit panels are known to have a longer MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) than that of the traditional LCD panels enabling integrators and industrial applications to worry less about having to replace monitors frequently. The LED backlit panel is more robust and inclined to handle a more severe environment. The LBT-1212O is another monitor in the vast series of LCD/LED monitors that are available on the market, but what makes the LBT-1212O more unique and different is that the open frame monitor has a design that will not change so integrators will not have to worry about design changes when designing the monitor into a specific application. Like all of Caltron’s other open frame monitors that have a set and fixed enclosure by design so that when LCD panel manufacturers introduce a new generation of panels that may differ in dimension, Caltron will be sure to design brackets for the panel to ensure that the overall footprint of the open frame monitor will not change so there is no modification needed for any enclosure or application once the monitor is designed in.
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December 13th, 2010 by caltron
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At Conner Prairie Interactive History Park north of Indianapolis, IN, you’ll find five themed historic areas to explore: Lenape Camp, Conner Homestead, 1836 Prairietown, 1859 Balloon Voyage and 1886 Liberty Corner. In each area “look, don’t touch” becomes “look, touch, smell, taste and hear” as you live history first-hand. Explore 200 beautiful, wooded acres, and discover exciting, memorable ways to experience the past with your family. Conner Prairie is a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate museum and welcomes over 120,000 guests each year. For more information, visit our website by clicking on the logo above.
Our newest exhibit, 1859 Balloon Voyage, features a tethered helium balloon that flies 350 feet soaring over the landscape to help tell the story of the first airmail flight in the United States, which occurred in 1859. We thought that having a short video in the queue area for guests to watch as they waited to board the balloon would be a great way to share the history of the event with them. So we purchased a large outdoor TV and a Caltron MP-01 Digital Signage Player to loop the video that told the story of John Wise’s airmail flight from Lafayette, IN.
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December 6th, 2010 by caltron
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When should I choose a CCFL LCD Monitor?
Cold cathode fluorescent Lamps or otherwise known as CCFL is a very common in many LCD monitors today. It is a good way to light up a screen at a cost effective price. CCFL has been around for many years and the technology is very trusted amongst LCD screens. CCFL LCD monitors are pretty much the standard for technology these days compared to the larger bulky CRT monitors. Caltron currently provides the following sizes for LCD panels: 6.5”, 8.4”, 10.4”, 15”, 17”, 19”, 22” 16:9 format and the24”, 16:9 format. The life expectancy is generally 20,000 hours to 50,000 hours which would mean that a screen can be on 24/7 for approximately 1 year up to 3 years. Based on normal usage (8-10 hours a day), a screen generally lasts between 3-12 years depending on environment. Many integrators like to use the CCFL backlit monitors because of the clear and crisp image that it can provide for their applications. This type of screen is perfect for many industrial applications and general applications.
Do I need an LED monitor?
Another technology out is the light-emitting diode or LED backlit displays. Very similar to that of the LCD panels except that the display is a bit more clear and bright and uses less energy than that of an LCD panel. Caltron currently offers the following sizes with an LED option: The 8.4”, 10.4” and the soon to be arriving 12.1”. There are constantly new sizes being added as the demand for LED monitors increase. LED monitors do provide a slightly higher brightness than that of LCD panels. Some differences that the LED backlit panel has a faster response time. LED backlit panels also offer a higher operating temperature range in both the colder and hotter range and also more environmentally friendly because it contains no mercury. As of right now, LCD’s will be around for a long time and is pretty much the industry standard, but the newest trend is also leaning towards LED monitors. The average life expectancy of an LED backlit panel is usually around 50,000 hours. The costs associated with this type of display are generally a bit more costly than that of LCD displays. Sometimes, users would prefer a screen that can provide a slightly higher brightness and a more clear display for specific applications or possibly signage displays, this is where an LED backlit display would prove more effective.
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November 29th, 2010 by caltron
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PC Setting:
Let’s go over some of the things that need to be done for Internet mode. We begin by creating a folder on the server in the root folder. For example, the root folder on my C: drive is wwwroot so that is where I would create my folder for the MP player. I would then enable sharing on the folder. Also, depending on which server is used, a user ID and password may be required.
Make sure files and playlist are located inside folder.
To test on intranet mode, make sure that IIS is turned on (Administrative Tools under control panel and services, look for IIS [admin] or internet information services. Right click and start), then go into IIS and go into the local computer file and the web sites folder, expand and go into Default website and change IP address via right click.
Player Side:
Change mode to internet mode in server tab Change IP to the correct one to be used and folder name to one on server.
I have done everything, but it still does not work!
Apache on your PC might have some settings rerouted or changed. Virtual host settings can be affected. No IIS settings turned on. Internet connection can be unstable. Perform a ping test on the player in the tab to check and see if there is a stable connection. Make sure a blank/ formatted CF card is in the player. CF card has to be inserted before player is turned on. If player is turned on and CF card is inserted then the player must be reset by turning the player off and on. If content still does not play, then double check settings one more time to make sure, IP address, folder and port numbers are correct.
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November 22nd, 2010 by caltron
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CF cards and SD cards are widely use in the market
Caltron’s Digital Signage Players accepts different brands of Compact Flash (CF) cards and Secure Digital (SD) cards from the market. CF card is one of the earliest Solid State memory cards offering comparable capacity and read/write speed. Even with more competitions, CF card still have strength on some market, especially in digital signage area that need faster transferring speed like 30MB/sec. SD card is another popular storage device widely used in hand-held electronic devices. SDHC (High-capacity SD) card extend maximum storage capacity up to 64GB and can currently read/write speed up to 30MB/sec.
Memory Card Compatibility
Caltron is unable to test all CF cards and SD/SDHC cards from the market, theoretically, faster labeled cards are better. There are many free speed test programs you can download from the Internet, programs such as HD_Speed that tells you the read and write speed. Various manufactures produces cards that are unique to their own. The best way to make sure if you have selected the right card is to get an evaluation card from the supplier and perform a test run in one of Caltron’s player with the idea contents playing continuous for 10 to 20 days. Current Caltron players support up to 8GB on both CF and SD cards.
USB Port
All of Caltron’s digital signage players have USB port; however, Caltron does not recommend play contents from the USB drive. It’s due to the USB transfer speed being lower than the SD and CF cards. Displaying still images or lower bit rate videos maybe fine, but not recommend for the bit rate files over 1MB/sec. The main function of the USB port on the players is for transferring files to CF or SD card to update contents.
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