Trilby TV

What is it?

In the entrance/foyer of most schools these days, you will find some form of digital display. At best this will have term dates, maybe some scrolling RSS news feed from the BBC and, if you are lucky, some still photos. Too often, however, they are not even switched on! Schools have invested heavily in digital technology and are creating content on a daily basis, so it makes sense to have some of this content being aired in the foyer for visitors and parents. It helps them get a sense of the school and in turn offers the children a means of audience. Having your animation played on the foyer screen is now a big accolade!

What has hindered these systems in the past has been clunky interfaces and workflows, often with limited file formats, requiring either file conversion or compression. The responsibility for managing this content has often been down to one person and as a result, the updating and refreshing of content could be slow and arduous.

Trilby TV is digital signage reinvented. It is now more of a social and collaborative experience. All the staff in school can easily submit videos which can be added simply via a web browser or app. Schools can designate administrators to curate playlists and in turn, these playlists can be chosen and screened in different areas across the school.

For example, we might have a playlist in the foyer that includes a greeting and some general messaging as well as some examples of students’ work. On the screen close to the PE department there could be match highlights and tips and techniques. Within school and across departments playlists can be organised to present video content that relates only to that subject/learning area.

The playback mechanism is easy; the school’s existing screen will probably suffice. This needs to be attached to a web enabled device. An iPod, iPad, Chromebook, Mac or PC can all stream the Trilby-managed content to the standard TV screen. With the Apple TV, the content is also cached so it doesn’t have an impact on the school’s wifi bandwidth.

Having used Trilby for a couple of months, we have found it to be very easy to get to grips with. Most of the teaching staff contribute. The first screenshot above shows a familiar interface on the iPad allowing access to the camera roll to upload a video. The second screenshot shows us organising playlist for the school foyer. The free app also enables the user to add/manage other users, as well as to create playlists. Trilby TV is an annual subscription service, but we’ve found it to be a third of the price of the system that is has replaced. If you are looking for a digital signage solution this one has been really successful for us!