Replace the DVD Player In Your Business

If you’re a business owner with a TV in your business, it goes without saying that at some point in time you sat down to consider what to have playing on it. Whether it’s basic cable, a DVD player or Netflix, an Amazon Firestick, or even a regular old USB drive with pictures and a slideshow, sometimes it’s time to revisit old tech and consider newer alternatives.

People say “Don’t fix what isn’t broken.” And this is true – no one should fritter away money on a whim. But at the same time, there’s a risk in the comfort of long standing familiarity. People who are happy with what they have seldom consider alternatives – less out of alternatives being better and more out of avoiding the hassle of change.

Out With The Old

It’s not unusual to want to get the most mileage out something, but it’s also important to recognize when something is worth revisiting. Even if it isn’t necessarily old. DVD players, services like Netflix, and external devices such as Amazon Firestick and USB Drives have broadened the options for ways you can put things on your TV.

DVD Players Are Outdated For Businesses

DVD players are great – at home. When it comes to DVD players in businesses, two common uses rise to the surface: DVDs, and looping slideshows. Regarding the former, playing a commercially available DVD, like a movie or TV show can result in a heavy fine. The reason is that even though you own the copy of the DVD, you don’t own the license to play it in public. The following article delves deeper into the risks involved when choosing to display content in your business without the rights: “Using Netflix in your Business, Don’t Put your Business at Risk!”

Legality aside, throwing a movie or the latest Disney Pixar flick up on the TV still isn’t that great of a solution. Feature-length movies can be as long as 90-120 minutes – built around characters and storytelling. Unless you’re waiting for a car to be serviced, there are few instances where putting something like a movie on for the enjoyment of visitors is going to be relevant. People don’t have the same focus to devote to a movie in a waiting room, restaurant or retailer as they do at home – and there’s no guarantee that people won’t arrive in the middle of story, or walk in on spoilers of a movie they were waiting to see. It just isn’t a good fit for businesses, and it carries the risk of disappointing visitors.

Movies aren’t the only thing that a DVD player is good for. Business owners who know that it’s illegal to show unlicensed videos, or don’t believe in playing videos in general, lean towards another option when it comes to what’s on their TVs – and that’s custom DVDs.

Custom DVDs & Slideshows Get Old Quick

It’s not uncommon for business owners to put together personal videos or collections of pictures for their TVs. While this alternative is certainly cheaper than basic cable, it isn’t without its flaws.

Custom videos loop constantly. Unless the business owner has a dedicated staff member with a lot of free time on their hands to put together a large library of content, people visiting are likely going to see the same things again and again. This can get boring, and depending on the setting in which people are waiting, the comfort of your visitors can have a large impact on their satisfaction and overall opinion of your business.

DVDs and USBs packed with videos and pictures plugged into your Smart TV lack a crutial level of customization. In order to update or make changes to either of those platforms, the devices need to be manually removed – and in the case of DVDs, new ones need to be made or switched out by hand. This is inconvenient, and in an age of innovative technology, shouldn’t be an option you have to settle for.

Another heavy loss at the cost of using custom DVDs or slideshows is the lack of live intergrations onto your TV. Features such as the local news, weather updates, and even recent posts from social media, aren’t able to be streamed and put where people are going to see it. So what else is there?

It’s Relevant TV is the Next Generation, Here Today

It’s Relevant TV is a custom TV service made for businesses. It gives you access to a vast library of short-form content to be played alongside your own videos to get people interested, and engaged. All of the content is licensed for public display, so you can avoid legal issues of playing commercial DVDs. Everything is divided into set categories for you to pick and choose from to keep the programming “relevant”.

The platform is easy to use and fully customizable – you can easily upload videos and images from your phone or computer straight to your TV. And best of all, it’s always fresh. Without you doing a thing, IRTV constantly changes the programming to keep it all interesting for your visitors.

Do away with the old, and embrace the new. It’s Relevant TV will provide your business with so much more than a DVD player can. IRTV is constantly evolving and provides business owners with the control they desire.

Business Owners: Top 3 Ways To Put Custom Videos on the TV

So you’ve got a business, and you’ve got a TV in that business – what’s more, you have an important descision to make; choosing what goes on your TV. Far too often people get a TV and throw cable on it without so much as a second thought – and that’s understandable. Cable is the norm, it’s what we’re used to. “TV goes on the TV” – plain and simple. While that may be all well and good for your home, what about your business?

When it comes to business settings, basic cable fills in a blank screen and does little else than stick you with costly cable bills. Unless it’s a sports bar, people aren’t coming to your business to watch TV – so why bog yourself down with the cost of a cable subscription when there are less expensive, and more suitable alternatives? Alternatives geared towards benefiting you, and your business.

If you’re willing and innovative you might consider putting together some videos of your own, featuring highlights of your business to fill in that blank TV screen. You may even create a scrolling slideshow of pictures to showcase things you want visitors to see. Both are certainly less expensive than cable, but where do you begin?

We’ve got the top 3 easiest ways of getting videos on your TV, along with the pros and cons of each.

#3 – USB/Thumb Drive

A USB drive is possibly the most common means of uploading custom videos to modern TVs. It is certainly one that is fairly easy to use/learn. Not all TVs support video playback from a USB drive – if your TV does, then it’s a great and easy way to loop photos or videos on your TV. Most TVs that support USBs will require that your video be in MP4 Format. From there – it’s just a simple matter of:

+ Plugging the USB into the TV.

+ Accessing your TV’s menu.

+ Selecting a playback mode that suits you.

PROS: USBs are cheap and fairly easy to update. You’re able to upload your custom videos and set them to play accordingly for the benefit and enjoyment of your visitors.

CONS: USBs lack versatility, and they can become boring and repetitive. Additionally, USBs can’t be updated from afar – requiring the device to be removed and updated manually on each TV.

#2 – Computer Hookup

Perhaps less common, but no less useful, is streaming videos and slideshows directly from a computer hooked up to your TV. This method works just about the same as using a USB drive, except the equipment is larger and harder to hide.

PROS: Using a computer has the added benefit of being able to manage your videos on the device it’s being directly streamed from. Computers are more powerful than USB drives and generally more flexible.

CONS: If you don’t have a computer laying around to stream your videos, going out and getting one can be expensive. There’s also the issue of having an unsightly computer in view of your TV. If there isn’t a tech closet to store it in, a computer can easily turn into an eyesore.

#1 – It’s Relevant TV

Last but not least, there’s It’s Relevant TV. IRTV combines television programming with digital messaging that’s easy to use and updates automatically. It takes the best of the first 2 options, adding flexibility and control while bringing in outside content that is attractive to customers.

PROS: It’s Relevant TV provides over half a million licensed TV episodes straight to your TV. All of the content is family friendly, updated hourly, and arranged into categories for you to choose from. It’s Relevant gives you the ability to mix in your own content with interesting TV programs, making it more appealing and engaging to visitors. The service is easy to use, with a set it and forget it kind of feel. Everything can be controlled and uploaded from your phone through our It’s Relevant TV app – making it a unique service unlike anything else out there.

CONS: It’s Relevant TV is a service with a monthly fee – however it is intended to be less expensive than what it costs to run basic cable. It’s designed to bring a real ROI to your business through your TV. IRTV has put together an ROI Calculator that you can use to calculate how much of a return they might expect to see from using the service.