INDUSTRIES WE SERVE: RETAIL

HOW DOES BDS CREATE HOME AUTOMATION DISPLAYS THAT ARE NOT RELIANT ON IN-STORE WIRELESS NETWORKS?

Home automation displays don’t work when they have to rely on in-store networks to connect to the cloud, resulting in intermittent functionality and excessive downtime. Black Diamond can reconfigure the hardware inside many home automation systems to demonstrate its functionality without the need for the Cloud or any network. This results in an in-store demonstration that shows the consumer how a Cloud-based system would work in their home without the difficulty of establishing a persistent connection to the Cloud.


WHAT IS AN INTELLIGENT TOUCH BUTTON? 

Black Diamond Solutions’ Intelligent Touch Buttons for input devices are touch-sensitive buttons with brains. Just like a computer touchscreen, a touch-sensitive button senses the presence of the user’s finger. Most applications use either one, four, or eight buttons, but – theoretically – there’s no limit to the amount of touch-sensitive buttons that can be used in one device. Intelligent Touch Buttons can be any shape or size, providing the graphic artist with complete control over the look of the interface. Our touch buttons easily integrate with your graphics and can be illuminated with a more modern look than standard, control panel round pushbuttons.


HOW DOES BDS RESOLVE THE ISSUE OF USING CONSUMER ELECTRONICS CONTROL SYSTEMS IN RETAIL SETTINGS? 

Despite the availability of infrared remote codes, consumer electronics control (CEC) technology, and extended display identification data, controlling home entertainment products in the retail environment is very different than using electronics at home. Because systems such as CEC were designed to work only in a home environment, a host of issues can crop up but we have the technology to resolve these problems. Using our CEC technology, you can control multiple TVs and multiple audio devices, not just one device; change the volume of a soundbar display without a TV attached; send a CEC command to one specific component, without other components responding to the command; and set a default volume to the desired level. 


WHICH BLACK DIAMOND AUDIO PLAYER SHOULD I USE TO PLAY SOUND FROM ONE PRODUCT IN A RETAIL DISPLAY?

Symphony Mini II™ from Black Diamond Solutions is the market’s simplest audio player for one product. It has interactive audio capabilities, looping audio capabilities, and its functions and buttons include play/stop, play/next, as well as fixed or adjustable volumes. The Symphony Mini II™ also includes built-in memory or SD card content/updating as well as set default, and minimum/maximum volume levels. 


CAN I CONNECT HEADPHONES TO THE SYMPHONY MINI II AUDIO PLAYER?

Yes. The Symphony Mini II, which is controlled by up to three pushbuttons or proximity touch buttons and is designed for merchandising applications, supports headphones, sound docks, or speaker line outputs.


WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED BLACK DIAMOND AUDIO PLAYER TO USE THAT PROVIDES HIGH-RESOLUTION SOUND AND MULTIPLE AUDIO OUTPUTS?

Symphony-Duet™ is a high-resolution audio player with features that include optical audio output, four analogue audio outputs, and lossless audio formats. It also has high-resolution audio playback, extended (20Hz – 40kHz) range, and comes with a pushbutton or touch button interface. 


USING THE SYMPHONY-DUET™, CAN I INPUT SOUND FROM ANY MEDIA DEVICE? 

Yes. The Symphony-Duet includes an optional auxiliary input for playing your customer’s own audio. 


DOES BLACK DIAMOND HAVE A SOLUTION FOR CONTROLLING MULTIPLE SOUND BARS IN A RETAIL SETTING?

Yes. Black Diamond’s Optical Switcher is a multiple sound bar solution that supports up to four products and is designed specifically for merchandising applications. It’s available in optical and coaxial outputs, and includes a keep awake feature and has customizable functionality. 


IS THERE A WAY TO CONTROL MORE THAN FOUR PRODUCTS USING OPTICAL SWITCHER? 

Yes. One Optical Switcher can support up to four products and it can be chained together to support even more products. Optical Switcher also features pushbutton or proximity touch button control as well as programmable product timeout.