Why TV Tuner Inputs are Indispensable
There’s been a lot of talk lately regarding entry-level digital signage solutions and how to market to mainstream customers. The articles and thoughts have not just shown up here, but I’ve seen them as a general trend over the last several months across the web. It is only one indication that digital signage is shifting to the total available market. As we transition, there are some features I keep seeing pop-up which will be necessary for companies wishing to target the SMB (small to medium business) sector. In particular, one specific software/hardware feature which will be necessary for the SMB is the TV tuner input card. 
Some think of TV tuners as an additional hardware/software cost when doing an initial price analysis for digital signage. While this is true (this usually ups the initial cost of a deployment anywhere from $100 to $500), we also need to “pull our heads out” and look at the larger picture. In many cases, especially in smaller deployments, TV tuners embedded into a digital signage player can actually act as a cost reduction mechanism. Here why: TV tuners eliminate the need for regular content creation and management. For smaller deployments this is a HUGE. Does the local dry cleaner even care about the Content Strategies Summit? Of course not. He wants to push his own content, but needs a way eliminate possible “clerk burn.” Those unfamiliar with “clerk burn” need to read Lighting Up the Aisle. “Clerk burn” refers to the annoyance of employees caused by a never changing digital signage loop.
Television tuners not only eliminate “clerk burn” by regularly displaying new and enticing content but they also reduce recurring costs. Some may argue that a TV tuner is a hardware issue, I contend that the TV tuner is a content creation issue. Regular content creation for a digital sign network can be a costly proposition–especially for the SMB. In fact, content creation for the SMB is almost always more costly per unit than it is for large signage networks. Why? The SMB cannot take advantage of economies of scale.
Smaller networks cannot spread the cost of a custom template over a network of 100 screens like Wal-Mart or Target. Lack of scalability for small networks means companies doing dynamic media feed subscriptions like Screenfeed will be important for the SMB in the future. Whether content is pulled from a dynamic media feed or a cable/satellite signal, new and refreshing content must needs to be readily available for the small guys. This is the biggest reason TV tuner cards inputted into digital signage players will play an essential role marketing to the total available market (TAM).
In addition, super simple content creation tools like Helius’ MediaAuthor (a PPT to flash converter) and premade templates will be essential in catering digital signage to the SMB. So, if you are still developing your software and haven’t yet given consideration to making a live television feed or dynamic media feeds a feature, think again. It may cause a faster death of your product than you had originally feared.