14 DAY TRIAL // Canonical announced that it partnered with NEC Display Solutions Europe to collaborate on a new digital signage platform powered by the Ubuntu Core operating system for embedded and IoT devices.
NEC is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of display solutions and technology services aimed at mass audiences and professional environments. Today's partnership with Canonical, the company behind the popular Ubuntu Linux operating system and Screenly, the leading digital signage software solution that leverages the Raspberry Pi single-board computer aims to facilitate the development of an upcoming, innovative digital signage solution.
"Digital signage platforms are now an increasing must-have feature for businesses all around the world. By partnering with the brightest minds in the industry, we can continue to develop enterprise and embedded IoT uses for Ubuntu Core," said Mike Bell, EVP of IoT and Devices at Canonical. "NEC’s large format displays with their support for Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 running Ubuntu Core, offers a compelling and fully-integrated solution."
Will use Raspberry Pi CM3 and NEC’s P and V Series 40–55-inch displays
Targeted at professional audio/video apps, the digital signage solution that both NEC and Canonical will work on for the months to come will use the modular Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 (CM3) platform running the latest version of the Ubuntu Core operating system, which uses Canonical's Snappy technologies to provide transactional updates, as well as NEC’s P and V Series 40–55-inch large-format displays.
The idea is to deliver a digital signage platform for high-impact visual content that's secure and reliable. While the platform's security will be provided by Ubuntu Core, it's reliability and modularity will be handled by Raspberry Pi CM3, which is powered by a BCM2837 processor running at 1.2GHz, 1GB RAM and 4GB on-module eMMC flash storage. The Screenly software stack will bring versatility to NEC's upcoming digital signage platform.