Qualcomm IoT Chipset based Networked Content Distribution Solutions

Digital signage as a communication tool has made it possible to broadcast multimedia content in real-time over long distances to remote display devices. It smartens up the old concept of static content with added interactivity and connectivity. The content can range from simple text and still images, to ultra-high definition videos with or without audio. Digital signage offers a lot of advantages like secured content, contextual content updates, an integrated set of communication channels and dynamic features enabled by artificial intelligence (AI). The basic elements of a product to drive digital signage use-cases will include:

• Network Connectivity: High resolution content including images and video have to be routed to remote displays and received back. Available connectivity options on our products are described in a technical article on edge connectivity posted here.
• A Powerful core: An integrated core with good amount of performance to ensure that concurrent streams of high resolution content are processed in real time without lag.
• Content Management System (CMS): System software that can manage data that is collected and stored. This storage can either be on the edge device itself or on a remote cloud server, or on both.

Penguin Edge has been creating connected embedded computing solutions and platforms based on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, covering a wide range of IoT applications. Qualcomm Snapdragon processors are known for high core performance, integrated connectivity and advanced encode and decode technologies. These features are well suited for transmission of networked content distribution in signage or conference room devices, powering enhanced audio and 4K Ultra HD video. [caption id="attachment_2839" align="aligncenter" width="1372"] Click on the image to enlarge[/caption] The infographic shown above puts together the different aspects of a system that should coalesce seamlessly to enable this use-case. The ability to stream multiple large files fast and concurrently with industrial grade connectivity is a necessity. This is enabled through integrated connectivity comprising of 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.x and Giga bit Ethernet. Hardware enabled security such as what is provided by Qualcomm is essential to drive networked video content distribution in an optimized, reliable and secure digital environment. The system should provision on-board storage of high resolution video content that can run into tens of gigabytes to reduce cloud dependency. Interactive kiosks is another popular application in this space and that needs on-device machine learning that is enabled through Qualcomm’s AI Engine for executing AI use cases including face detection, face recognition etc.

Penguin Edge’s next product launch, the Inforce 6720™ Application Ready Platform is designed exclusively to drive networked video content distribution to suit applications like digital signage or video conferencing.

This product’s features include:

• Powered by the Snapdragon 845 processor that integrates Qualcomm^® Kryo™ 385 CPU, Adreno™ 630 GPU, Hexagon™ 685 DSP, Qualcomm^®’s 3rd gen AI Engine and the Spectra™ 280 camera Image Signal Processor (ISP).
• Dual concurrent rendering of independent 4K@60 fps content together with HDMI Input at 4K@60 fps
• USB Type-C and USB 3.1 ports.
• An RJ45 gigabit Ethernet port that enables Power over Ethernet (PoE) supporting 802.3at complaint PD configuration. This interface provides an option to stream video content from IP cameras too.
• Ample internal storage including a M.2-2280 SSD slot.