Digital signage and Raspberry Pi: operation and benefits

Digital signage is one of the most effective and innovative ways to promote your brand and keep your customers and staff informed in real time. Easy to set up on a shoestring budget, digital signage doesn't necessarily require state-of-the-art equipment. The minimalist Raspberry Pi computer system is perfectly designed for this function, and offers numerous advantages for this kind of use.

Introducing the Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card-sized nanocomputer that functions like a conventional computer, albeit reduced to its simplest components. It consists of a simple ARM processor board, giving it the advantage of being inexpensive. Far from being limited to expert computer use, the Raspberry Pi is easy to use and lends itself to a whole range of digital functions.

Marketed since 2012, this miniature computer is particularly functional and efficient for digital signage functions. With 8 GB of RAM, the Raspberry Pi is an ideal solution for stand-alone display techniques. As a digital signage player, like the one offered by Cenareo, it can control the broadcasting of images, videos and animations to multiple screens, giving companies the opportunity to communicate in a modern, impactful way, both internally and externally, to refine their digital transformation.

Digital signage with Raspberry Pi: operation and technology

Like all computers, the Raspberry Pi is equipped with its own operating system, licensed by the manufacturer: the Raspberry OS. This system includes an integrated browser, enabling the nanocomputer to open a web page. For the digital signage function, the Raspberry Pi must be set to "Kiosk" mode. This configuration enables full-screen display, without window borders. This feature is particularly well-suited to business managers wishing to integrate digital signage into their communication strategy, at lower cost.

To configure the Raspberry Pi in Kiosk and stand-alone mode, the hardware required is as follows:

• A protective case for your equipment;
• Raspberry Pi board (Version 3B+ minimum) ;
• 16 Gb SD card;
• Screen with HDMI port;
• A keyboard and mouse to control the Raspberry Pi.
• A power supply for Raspberry Pi ;
• HDMI cable ;

Set-up and installation are very simple. After launching Kiosk mode, the mouse cursor no longer appears. You then need to configure the Raspberry Pi's parameters, choosing to launch Kiosk mode at startup.

Why use a Raspberry Pi for digital signage?

For companies, the Raspberry Pi is the perfect tool for setting up a digital signage system. Inexpensive, easy to set up, configure and use, the Raspberry Pi is the ideal tool for boosting internal communications on a budget. This physical box, which connects and controls all screens, gives you complete control over the entire communication chain.

As well as its practical and ergonomic benefits, the Raspberry Pi also offers ethical and ecological advantages. It has been developed by the English foundation of the same name, a charity whose aim is to facilitate access to technology and education in developing countries. So, by acquiring a Raspberry Pi computer, you're contributing to this cause and enhancing your brand image.

In terms of overall energy consumption as a digital signage player, the Raspberry Pi is also an asset. Thanks to its ultra-simple composition reduced to the essentials, this nanocomputer consumes 10 times less energy than a conventional player.

How to manage digital signage with Cenareo ?

The Cenareo digital signage software is the perfect complement to the use of a Raspberry Pi in digital signage mode. Thanks to its simple, intuitive interface, it gives you control over your entire screen park. This software, specially dedicated to digital signage, lends itself to all kinds of contexts: points of sale, as a digital workplace, in-house, etc. Raspberry Pi technology is directly integrated into the player box. Thanks to its simplicity and eco-friendliness, the Raspberry Pi is the perfect component to place at the heart of a corporate digital signage system.

The Cenareo player with Raspberry Pi connects to the main screen via an HDMI cable, and to all screens via a WiFi connection or Ethernet cable. It broadcasts content in Full HD, in landscape or portrait format, depending on your needs. It can be programmed to start up on its own, guaranteeing uninterrupted, black-screen-free viewing, even in the event of a connection failure.

The Cenareo player also features a special energy-saving function, which allows all screens to be switched off centrally when not needed, for example at night or on weekends.

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Our commitment to eco-responsibility and social responsibility

Our commitment to helping you run a more sustainable business? Every decision we make about our digital signage solution is guided by the desire to help our customers communicate more easily, more sustainably, while minimizing their carbon footprint.
To achieve this, we've designed a robust solution consisting of a SaaS platform and a Raspberry Pi player, a very energy-efficient player, with consumption around ten times lower than a conventional digital signage player. In addition to its functional qualities, we chose the Raspberry Pi because it is manufactured by the British Raspberry Pi Foundation. This charity aims to provide access to technology and education in developing countries.
We create and assemble these players in our Toulouse offices. This is made available to our customers free of charge. In the event of malfunction, or at the end of the contract, we recover this material and reuse the components to create new players. Recycling players significantly reduces waste and our environmental footprint.

Our screen supplier partners do their part to recycle used screens. As a member of the Club du Digital Média, we actively participate in the eco-responsibility commission, with the aim of raising awareness throughout our industry and taking concrete action on our energy footprint. To measure the carbon impact of our projects, we have participated in the creation of a Carbon Calculator to help screen suppliers measure and reduce their CO2 consumption.

As cloud-based digital service providers, we process large volumes of image and video data for our customers, and we are aware that we are driving demand for datacenters, and therefore demand for energy. That's why we turned to Microsoft, which achieved carbon neutrality in 2012 and is pursuing its goal of powering its centers with 100% renewable energy.
Also with a view to optimizing network and data consumption, Cenareo has developed Flex for internal communications. By integrating with existing Digital Workplace tools, it helps prevent the cost and carbon emissions generated by the implementation of a new tool. Cenareo Flex connects to your existing tool, whatever it may be, and uses existing data to keep the environmental footprint under control.

In addition, we offer an energy-saving feature that lets you centrally switch off all your digital signage screens at night. Every day, we strive to improve the sustainability of digital signage, so that companies can adopt a more creative and committed approach to communication.

Internally, Cenareo is also committed to a policy of social responsibility, so that we can play our part in building a more sustainable and just world. To this end, we give priority to local, environmentally-friendly suppliers. For example, our desks are made by a French start-up from eco-friendly, made-to-measure wood. Our goodies are also all reusable, with the aim of reducing our daily consumption by using water bottles, reusable cutlery and so on. Gender equality in recruitment and remuneration is also at the heart of our human resources policy, with parity respected within our teams and on the Cenareo steering committee.