A. REFERENCE AND BACKGROUND:

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1 City Council Agenda: 04/09/12 5I. Consideration of approving purchase of televisions and digital sign software, including the installation of equipment and software, with funding from Cable Commission franchise fee reimbursements (KB/BR/JO) A. REFERENCE AND BACKGROUND: As we ve researched digital signage options for the Cross Performance Team (CPT) to be used by all departments of the City with customer traffic, we found that the number of digital signage options was overwhelming. Because we had very specific goals for this program and a variety of end users of varying capabilities, we knew that it was important to narrow down the options to the ones that would suit our needs and cost expectations. We expectation this digital signage program to display general City messages and site specific messages on TV monitors at various locations, but the message files (or screens) will also be saved in a format to allow it to be played on our FiberNet Monticello video channels. We also plan to use the screens to create flyers, which could be saved as web pages, and for other promotional opportunities. It is important that the screen creation program be easy enough to use so that each department feels comfortable making regular additions to the general City messages or site specific messages for their particular location. The messages on the sign need to be updated regularly so they are fresh, which encourages our customers to watch regularly. We learned that Bill Bruce, the Technical Consultant for the Sherburne-Wright Cable Commission, is a contractor in the digital signage area. Because Kitty Baltos has had so much experience working with Bill Bruce in the City s A/V room, she knew that, not only is he technically knowledgeable, but he clearly understands that the end user might not be technically savvy and will benefit from a user-friendly creation system. We contacted Bill Bruce about assisting us through the jungle of digital signage options and what would work best for us. The community center will utilize four TV monitors to display the video message, one pair outside of City Hall and one pair at their main Guest Service Counter. The Department of Motor Vehicles and the Liquor Store will each have one TV monitor. These sites will utilize the digital software for creating messages. In addition, we will push the general City messages to a FiberNet cable channel. In turn, the FiberNet customer care office and the Public Works office will each use TVs to play the general messages from the FMN cable channel. The community center will recycle its TVs for public works to use. We looked at six different digital signage options through webinars and conference calls, and we all agreed that AVIew would be the best option and meets all of our expectations. AVI is the company that provides AVIew and they are a Minnesota company located in Eden Prairie, MN. We received a full quote from AVI; some of the other companies provided general price estimates at the time we spoke with them. 1

2 City Council Agenda: 04/09/12 This digital signage program will require equipment, wiring, software, technical support, and future costs. They are broken down below. DIGITAL SIGNAGE EQUIPMENT: Digital Media Player 1 - (3) at a cost of $4,195 each $12,585 Predesigned Template Packages for AVIew $ 275 Subscription for RSS Feeds (1-10 screens) $ 725 Dual Content License (2) $ 1,410 TOTAL $14,995 1 Included in the cost of the Digital Media Player is their Managed Services Program for one year which is Content hosting, Watch Dog Remote Monitoring, Extended Hardware, Software Support, Help Desk, Cat 5e, HDMI cables and AVIew License. MONITORS & MOUNTING: AVI RETAIL 2 (Commercial) (online prices) (5) Samsung HE40A 40 LED-LCD TV $1,075 ea $700-$947 ea (Cost is times 5 monitors: 4-MCC & 1-DMV) (1) Samsung HE46A 46 LED-LCD TV 1,450 $1,500 (Liquor Store) Mounting hardware (estimate) 3 $2,500 $2,500 TOTALS $9,325 $8,735 2 Our research showed that the life span differences for a commercial TV monitor and a television is negligible. Specifications indicate between 60,000 to 100,000 hours for each. There are oversized fans on the commercial TV monitors that may extend the life of the monitor considering the continuous numbers of hours the monitors will run, for example the community center will run over 5,650 hours per year. Per Bill Bruce, the larger concern is the power supply differences between commercial and retail. Generally the power supply on a commercial unit will have a longer life. 3 Until we re able to get into ceilings and soffits at the community center, we re unsure what mounting hardware would be needed. There may also be additional equipment needed, such as adaptors. CAT5 or 6 WIRING AND ELECTICAL: Wes Olson Electric MCC $1,230 Wes Olson Electric - DMV & Liquor $ 800 TOTAL $2,030 TOTAL COSTS FOR 2012: AVI $26,350 AVI/RETAIL $25,760 2

3 City Council Agenda: 04/09/12 FUTURE COSTS: Hosted by City of Monticello (Unknown server requirements) Hosted by AVI $695/year $1,195/year A1. Budget Impact: The City intends to use Franchise fees provided to the City to purchase and maintain the equipment. Per Tom Kelly, the balance from the franchise fee reimbursements is $117,639. A2. Staff Workload Impact: Either the Public Works, FiberNet or Community Center staff will need to mount the TV monitors. FiberNet will run the wiring for the DMV and for the Liquor Store. The community center s wiring needs are more complicated requiring a licensed electrician to run cable and wire electrical. Each Department will need to designate individual(s) to keep the digital signage messages fresh on a daily or weekly basis. B. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS: 1. Motion to approve the purchase of AVIew Digital Signage Software, AVI TV monitors, and utilize Wes Olson Electric at the prices listed above. 2. Motion to approve the purchase of AVIew Digital Signage Software, a combination of AVI and retail TV monitors, and utilize Wes Olson Electric at the prices listed above. 3. Motion to deny the purchase of the digital signage software package at this time. C. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: City staff recommends Alternative #2, providing the City with the ability to get the best pricing on TV monitors. It was determined that the life span of commercial versus regular televisions is negligible; therefore purchasing televisions at the most reasonable price is the best option. D. SUPPORTING DATA: AVI Systems quote Current prices from major retailers for televisions (on-line) Quote on wiring from Wes Olson Electric 3

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