Single Source for HealthCare and Hospitality

Sluys explained the new CMS for Medical and HealthcareNow that the firm has moved hospitality TV (a market that Sluys described as “flat”) into MMD, the company can offer single supplier support for TVs and digital signage in hospitality applications. The company has a new Content Management System (CMS) that supports this. The CMS is available for no charge to Philips customers and is installed on a server. The client displays can then be connected over the internet to the CMS for automatic updating. The updates are downloaded to the display and played back locally from local memory or via USB.

Media can be video, image, audio or websites. The use of websites as content means that content that has been previously developed to look correct on 16:9 displays can be displayed very simply without the need for any processing or re-design and the content is rendered locally.

The same concept has been applied for medical applications (although there are some extra facilities on the medical version). Philips was emphasising that it can support digital signage (including wayfinding), general PC use, clinical review and diagnostic applications – in fact, everything except the operating theatre.

Analyst Comment

Although it could be argued that the Ambilight technology is “gimmicky”, we can see applications where it is a real benefit. Given how close the specifications are for so many of the large format displays that are on the market, the feature could provide an edge, although we’d be surprised to see it have a dramatic effect on sales. The concept of the new CMS seems a good idea and exploits the strength of the Philips brand in multiple segments. (BR)