Billboard v3 Changes

New URL

• Billboard v3 is now managed from http://billboard.ncsu.edu
• The webXsaver screen saver on each Mac should also be pointed to http://billboard.ncsu.edu

New Areas

• The “Screen Locations” tab creates a directory of all the digital signs managed by Billboard v3 and the contact information for the people who control that Billboard. If a user does not want their digital signs displayed on this list, they can disable it by going to the machines tab of their Billboard slide group. Updates to the Unit Description, Contact E-mail, Homepage, and Remedy Group can be done through the "Edit Unit" tab of any unit that have you listed as an owner.
• The “Community” area creates provides a one stop, easy to use, place to share your Billboard content or use Billboard content others have offered to share. When you upload a slide to the Community not only will it become available to all Billboard users via the Community interface, but an e-mail will also go out to the digitalsignage mailing list announcing that a new slide has been posted. From there, Billboard Group and Unit Owners will be able to add your slide to their Billboard in as few as two clicks. This makes distributing slides easier than ever! Since Community area will be replacing the old eSign repository, all eSign content has been moved into Community.

Changed Administrative Functionality

• The interface for adding slides to your Slide Groups/Unit has been revised. In addition to the previous options available to users, the Group/Unit Slides pane has been revised to allow for easier cloning of slides.
• The Group/Unit Slide interface will now display tool tips for slides with Date and/or Time display options when you mouse over the icons that indicate this status.
• The “Place Before URL” option in the “Edit URL” pane now gives a better indication on the status of slides added to your Slide Group/Unit.
• When possible, thumbnails have been added to the Group/Unit Slide listings
• Revamping of main interfaces to use AJAX and Lightbox technologies when appropriate.

Added Functionality

• Unit Alerts – if you’ve ever watched sports or news on TV, chances are you’ve seen a news ticker. It’s a small, scrolling text bar and now, with Unit Alerts, it’s yours. On a unit level, users will now be able to have their very own ticker that shows any important announcements relevant to that unit. For example, say you’ve got a major event going on today for your unit and want to make sure it’s displaying on your digital signs, but don’t want it to take over your entire digital sign.
• One of the other major features of the Billboard v3 is the integration with NCSU’s emergency alert system. One of current issues with the system is that the loudspeaker announcements heard through campus cannot be heard when a member of the campus community is in a building. In the future, when a campus emergency is issued, a notice will pop up on all Billboard v3 digital signs displaying the WolfAlert logo and the emergency announcement. The WolfAlert logo and announcement will take over the entire screen for approximately 15 seconds, at which point the screen will be returned to its normal content, but with the WolfAlert message appearing on the bottom portion of the screen. WolfAlert messages take precedence over Unit Alerts.