Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Will the software run on Microsoft Vista?
Yes, for the PC that connects to the noticeboard screen, ensure your graphics card has certified Vista drivers.
Q: Can I just buy the software without an NDD unit?
Yes, the software is available as a separate item and will run on any modern PC. Software solutions that include an editor, controller and player (NDD1 software) start at £265 + VAT. The NDD1 software will run happily on a windows XP PC with as little as 128MB of memory. For the Vista operating system you will need 1GB of memory. We do not supply the software for multi screen NDD units as a separate item.
Our NDD1 units offer an off the shelf, very low power consumption (typically 30 Watts), very small footprint and quick to install solution with all the software preinstalled.
Q: Can I drive more than one screen from a single NDD unit
Yes. You will need a standard monitor splitter. This can split the signal into 2, 4 or 8 signals and can normally be daisy chained together to create more outputs. The cable run between these splitter units and the screen will need to be less than 10 metres unless you use very expensive multi core screened cable. If you require greater distance you will need a CAT5 extender set that will allow over a 100 metre length connection. If you want different information on different screens, you will need our Multiscreen NDD units. See the Multi Screen link on the left.
Q: Can more than one controller be used to set up display carousels
Yes. The system supports up to six Page Server controllers all controlling the same electronic noticeboard displays. Each controller is able to see the display lists created by any of the other controllers.
Q: Can more than one editor be used at the same time.
Yes. Editors can load and save pages to a central server. This way different departments can see and share the existing pages and images etc created by others.
Q: I want to put the NDD unit in my computer room. How long can the cable be between this unit and the screen
A: This depends to a certain extent on the resolution that the system is operating at and the size of the on screen fonts. The higher the resolution the greater the required bandwidth. As resolution goes up then the cable length must become shorter or needs to be better quality. If you are able to solder, you can make <20 foot VGA extension leads from CAT5 cable.
Standard off the shelf cables are available in lengths up to 45mtrs. If you want longer cable runs then you will need VGA extender sets that will give you 100mtrs or more. An extender set is shown in the photograph and comprises a transmitter and receiver. The two units are connected together with standard CAT5 cable. Note that this cannot be your existing LAN cable as the signals are different and you would probably damage your hubs/routers if you connected the extenders into it.
Q: Can the NDD unit be near the display screens
Yes. The system is designed to operate in this way. You will need to provide a network connection for the NDD unit.
Q: Should I use an LCD or Plasma Display
Modern LCD televisions make ideal display panels as they have no delicate glass front and don't suffer from screen burn. All modern ones now have a PC input connector for connecting to your noticeboard PC or our NDD1 unit. You can use plasma if you want to, just make sure it has a PC input and don't be surprised to see burnt in images on the screen in a very short space of time!
With all screens, if you want to mount them on the wall check that the screen has a wall mounting option as some of the very cheap ones may not. Also make sure that the bracket has the capacity to support the weight of the TV, and consider using a locking bracket to prevent the TV getting stolen!
Q: Can the system correctly drive wide screen panels
NDD units support most wide screen display modes including full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution. They can can also drive the screen in portrait mode so you can use them as a digital poster.
Q: Can I use display screens in portrait mode
Yes.See above. Our WYSIWYG editor can produce pages for portrait displays.
Q: Can I use an LCD television set as a display
A: Yes, Pretty much all LCD televisions now have a PC input connection. Before buying one for the task, you should confirm that the unit has a PC input and wall mount points as some of the cheaper ones have these features missing.
Q: Can I get the NDD to include pages held on our Intranet webserver?
Yes. The WYSIWYG editor has a special page creation option that creates a special page to pull in a page from your webserver or the Internet. You could for example link to a diary page written in php, asp, asp.net that resides on your server. The page will be displayed on the noticeboard screen just like an other.
Q: Can I use Power Point to create display pages
Yes. You should save the individual slides as a GIF or JPG image or html pages/slides. We have further information of using PP. Please ask us.
Q: Do you supply TVs and Brackets etc
No, these are mass market items best supplied by online suppliers such as ebuyer.
Q: Do you provide a web interface for the system
Yes, we have written a complete control system that incorporates a WYSIWYG page editing system. This has been written in Adobe Flash, so all you need is a web browser to access the system.
The system can operate on a local network or you can have your NDD1 units collect their information via the Internet.
We also have new NDD1 player software that allows you to split the noticeboard screen up into nine different display zones. Each zone is in effect a self contained noticeboard player that will show carousels (slide shows) of pages and also supports scheduled pages. Zone layout is controlled via a simple XML file or by using our WYSIWYG layout manager.
Graphic images or a web page can be used as the background that the zones 'sit on' allowing you to make very appealing displays. This is not yet on our website, but if you fill in the form on the downloads section of the site you will get a link to more information.
Please also see the What do I Need section to help you select the items that you require
