The picture above was taken by "Instagram user and MTV Geek contributor Alexander Zalben”. Click here for the DailyDOOH post or here for the original article.
Since a large portion of digital signage players run on Microsoft Windows, we often read about the infamous "blue screen of death". I have personally seen what happens when a Linux based DS player crashes and it's not pretty either.
What makes this event worth mentioning is the technology driving this installation is a Mac, not a Windows or Linux based PC. Never mind it was located in one of the highest profile destinations in the world.
I don't have any hard numbers to back this up but I think it's safe to say most digital signage installations run on some version of Windows or Linux. Macs only make up a tiny portion of this market, probably due to higher deployment costs and lack of DS software options.
The DailyDOOH article speculated on the software running this installation but it's impossible to really tell just by looking at this picture. For all we know, this screen could be running on a custom software application instead of a commercial product.
This isn't about picking one operating system over another. It's about monitoring your players and setting up procedures to deal with crashes because bad things will happen, regardless of the OS running your players. Prepare for the unexpected. Pick a DS solution that monitors your equipment and alerts you in case of a crash.
Don't expect your Android, Linux, Mac or Windows players will run reliably 24/7/365 because in many cases, they won't. Bad things will happen. Power spikes, network outages, bad/misbehaving content, etc... It's your job to know when a crash occurs so you can take immediate action. Better yet, your DS solution should offer automated reboot capabilities in case of a major problem.
If your DS software platform doesn't feature monitoring or watchdog services, investigate third party software and hardware based monitoring. Also, make sure you install a reliable and secure remote control solution on all your players.
Make this part of your New Year's resolutions or you will find out when your player crashed on Twitter or Facebook.
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