We get asked them a lot...

You may think that digital signage is simply advertising on TV screens, a method of displaying a sign in a digital format e.g. a PowerPoint presentation on
an LCD screen or you may have checked Wikipedia and seen that “digital signage is form of electronic display that is installed in public spaces etc. for
instance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_signage . And, it can be just that.
But it can also be much, much more than that. For example, digital signage can be a network if 9,000 interactive touch-screen devices spread around the
world, displaying dynamic rich media content, downloading regular program updates from a complex matrix of secure and resilient servers, linked to live local
information or feeds. And to make it all work, this network also provides detailed reporting of play-out information and enables engineers to see every
single player in real-time. Now that is digital signage Acquire-style.

The company behind Acquire is Working Solutions (Creative I.T.) Ltd. Established in 1998, we are a group of passionate developers, designers, sales, marketing and general administration people. We are based in Leicester, England. We have an office in Miami, Florida and partners all over the rest of the World.

There is no secret origin. But we think it sounds cool.

Acquire is a suite of software programs developed for use on Windows XP, Embedded or Vista. The Acquire Editor program contains:-

• Free-form design page editor
• Script or playlist creator
• Scheduler
• Deployer or content delivery

Whilst the Acquire Player program contains:-

• Content player software
• Sentinel security software

A complete system including hardware and software can cost as little £1,300 (USD and Euro pricing varies due to exchange rates). But contact us today and we will be happy to provide a quotation or price list. You can call +44 (0) 116 231 8921 or email customersales@acquiredigital.com.

Acquire can be a software only and we can provide it as such. But we do ask that you speak to us about the platform that you intend to use before you purchase. We can also provide Acquire as a total hardware and software solution if required. More information

Some digital signage solutions are only ‘template-based’, which means that you are restricted to the type of design for your project. Whilst Acquire can also work with templates, it employs a free-form design method enabling the user to easily place and arrange rich media content anywhere on the page.

This is the term we use to describe how your content, playlists and rules are delivered from your Acquire Editor to your Acquire Player. We employ three
separate methods of deployment;
(a) manually, where your project is stored on a memory device such as a pen-drive or CD – This is useful if you do not have a network or if you want to
change content at an exhibition or trade show. Simply plug in the memory device and Acquire will automatically upload and play the new content
(b) Point2Point (P2P), where the content is sent via a secure 'push' transfer to all of your players in turn directly from your editor over a LAN (Local Area
Network) or over the internet, or
(c) The PLUS! Network, which is an advanced, secure and resilient network of data servers designed specifically to provide you with a high speed method of getting your content to your players, whilst providing many more support and administration features.

What we refer to as our SOLO product. You buy Acquire SOLO and everything you need (apart from the screen and the power socket) to set up your own digital signage system is in the box, with nothing else to buy. But if you DO want to grow your network later, there is no need to throw it away and start again -
Solo can easily be made part of a larger network just by adding the features you want. Acquire SOLO is a mini PC already preconfigured with the operating system, Acquire Player software, Sentinel security software and the Acquire Web Based SOLO Editor.

So far over 15,000 player licences and more than 200 Editor licences.

Acquire was first developed by Working Solutions in 2001. Working Solutions was formed in 1997.

Acquire Premier is our flagship product - a fully featured Editor program which includes everything you need (and more!) to develop and operate both digital
signage and kiosk solutions whereas for smaller networks, we have developed two cut-down versions with specific features for each industry - Acquire KD
contains just Kiosk specific functionality and Acquire DS has features relevant to digital signage.

The short answer is yes. If you want to make your content flow over a number of LCD screens at the side of an escalator or travellator you need look no further.

Acquire has multi-screen functionality built in. But you need to consider exactly what you want to achieve from your content before you make any purchasing decisions. Speak to one of our representatives or drop us a line.

We do offer educational discounts, but if you really want a simple solution too, consider Acquire SOLO. Our SOLO product has been designed for just such an
application. A low cost, entry level, template based solution. More information

Yes we do. Contact us for more details.

Sneakernet is an American English based term used to describe the method of manual deployment. The idea being that you take your deployment and hand-carry it to your player or players. You would of course be wearing sneakers at the time.

The PLUS! Network is the secret to our success. A secure and resilient media distribution system, taking the form of a network of servers based in strategically placed data centres throughout the World. The PLUS! Network is responsible for the multicasting of our clients’ content and the retrieval of important logs and play-out data - see the Plus! Network page for more information or contact us to see how the PLUS! Network can benefit you.

There is no practical limit. We have 9,000 players on our largest single network and the system is designed to operate at least 100 times more than that.

The Acquire Player software and the Sentinel security software locally log all events on the digital signage player or kiosk. The Acquire play-out logs can be retrieved locally or, if the PLUS! Network is utilised they can be retrieved using a web interface to our reporting servers. Sentinel, or the more advanced software Watchdog, records data relating to the performance of the player or kiosk e.g. temperature of the processor, space available on the hard drive etc. We are even able to set trigger events. For example, you may have a kiosk containing a printer. Our software Watchdog can be configured to send alerts via email or PLUS! Network to let you know when the printer has run out of paper. There are dozens of such triggers available – contact us for more information.

This is a network based method of deployment (often called 'Push' technology) and works independently of our PLUS! Network.

You can only use deployment methods that are built into the Acquire software, to maintain the security of your content. The included Point2Point has similar
functionality to FTP.

You can but it may not be the best method of controlling your network. Please contact us for more information.

Yes. One of Acquire’s software modules is Site Manager. With this program you are able to view the status of all of your players or kiosks, obtain a
screenshot of what is playing, remotely connect to the device and much more – Please contact us or download a copy to see for yourself.

ACQs are the software plug-ins that work on a page and make Acquire so versatile e.g. TV ACQ enables a live TV feed to be imported into Acquire. Continually being updated and enhanced, these little software gems mean that Acquire never stops evolving. See our Plugins page for more information.

Helpers are little programs which operate independently of the content on the page but they help the page to enhance a specific function. They can often work in conjunction with ACQs. For example, you can easily set up an RSS feed in Acquire but it is the RSS Helper that enables you to control how often you access the RSS feed’s URL. TO give you an idea of the kind of applications we have developed, there are Bluetooth, Weather and GPS Helpers available. Contact us for more information.

Both Acquire and Acquire SOLO use templates to ensure the content is in the same position on all pages (in fact Solo is designed to only use templates). So the answer is yes, Acquire CAN use templates but it is far more flexible in that it presents the user with a method of free form layout design and templates to
choose from.

No. Acquire and SOLO both install the necessary codecs for these standards:
MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-3, MPEG-4, WMV, Quicktime and AVI. If you have a different file format that you would like to try then please contact us.

Acquire inlcudes licensed codecs to playback formats of MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 (DivX), WMV, Quicktime and AVI, Acquire is also compatible with:
JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG, GIF, RSS, XML, MPEG audio, MP3, http, https, RSS, XML, JavaScript, SWF, FLV and FLA. This covers most of the current media formats
available today. However, if you have a different file format that you would like to try then you can always install the Codec yourself, or contact us.

Yes. Acquire has one of the simplest methods of creating an RSS feed that you will ever come across. We also have a Web Based RSS service called
‘My Message’ which enables clients to create their own RSS feed. Contact us for more information.

Yes. One of Acquire’s many plug-ins (or ACQs as we call them) is a TV ACQ.
This enables a digital or analogue TV signal to be displayed on your kiosk or
digital signage player device.

Acquire has the ability to work with any sensor device that you can connect
via USB or RS-232. There are so many possible variations that it may require
the inexpensive development of separate plug-in. This is the kind of development that adds so much value to Acquire.

Yes. Acquire Premier and Acquire KD (Kiosk Designer) versions are both equipped with a plethora of kiosk-style interactive functions.

No, not at all. Acquire uses ‘system variables’ such as $$_time in order to display the correct time. But Acquire can also use non-system variables to make the creation of complex content effects very easy to achieve.

Nothing. A script is the word that we use to describe a playlist. Think of an actor being instructed to do what he/she needs to do and you have the analogy. Our scripts tell our pages when, and in what order, to play.

The only truly 100% secure way of running any software on a computer is to lock it in a box, throw away the key and do not connect it to another computer, a network or the internet. But Acquire comes as standard with a security software module called Sentinel , which is upgradeable to the multi-functional Kiosk Monitor Watchdog.

Sentinel is a software security package which is included when you purchase Acquire Player or SOLO. It locks down the kiosk or digital signage device to prevent malicious attacks and provides logging of key system information e.g. hard drive space and processor temperature for engineers who may be remotely connecting to the kiosk or digital signage player. It can be upgraded to the multi-functional Kiosk Monitor Watchdog product.

Watchdog is the security software upgrade from Sentinel. It is available in two forms; Watchdog and Watchdog Professional. Watchdog is a standalone piece of security software that locks down your kiosk or digital signage player and monitors system activity. If there is a fault on the system then Watchdog sends an email to a designated email recipient e.g. an engineer in the field. Watchdog Professional is purchased in conjunction with Kiosk Monitor, hence the full solution name of Kiosk Monitor Watchdog. In order to utilise the full power of this solution a PLUS! Network account must be purchased. See the Watchdog homepage for more information.

Kiosk Monitor Watchdog is the full solution name given to a combination of; Watchdog Professional, Kiosk Monitor and PLUS! Network. See the Kiosk Monitor Homepagefor more information.

Site Manager Manager is a software program included with Acquire Editor and also available as a seperate package e.g. Acquire Premier, Acquire DS or Acquire
KD that, in conjunction with a PLUS! Network account, enables remote monitoring of a digital signage or kiosk network.

Simply because we believe this to be a much more secure method of licensing. Site licence discounts are available on request.

We would prefer for ‘dongle’ licences to be purchased but for a large enough site it would be possible for a site licence arrangement.

SOLO is a complete digital signage solution in a box. It is comprised of; an Acquire Player licence, Sentinel security software and a web browser based content management system. See the SOLO page
for more information.

No. SOLO is a complete hardware and software based solution. But as a network expands, it is possible to upgrade SOLO to Acquire Premier, Acquire DS or Acquire KD. It is also possible to upgrade Acquire DS and Acquire KD to Acquire Premier. If you would like a software only solution then we can offer Acquire Premier, Acquire DS or Acquire KD.

Yes. SOLO is a total hardware and software solution, and you can also purchase Acquire player or editor pre-loaded and configured with PC hardware from ourselves or our authorised partners.

Why not let us show you? We are more than happy to provide free online demonstrations or ‘webinars’ or demonstrations at our offices or at your offices (if geographically viable).

The Acquire software is available as a free download from our web site. This demo is designed to give you a feel for the potential of Acquire as a powerful
solution. But it will not be until you see one of our demonstrations that you really appreciate how powerful, flexible and easy to use Acquire really is. Why
not contact us to see in a 30-45 minute long webinar how you could use Acquire.

Yes we are always delighted to provide online demonstrations or ‘webinars’. Contact us and you can arrange a convenient time.

Contact us by phone or email and we will be very happy to discuss the best way for us to work together to help you. You can call +44 (0) 116 231 8921 or email customersales@acquiredigital.com

An Acquire partner is someone who might occasionally sell Acquire but is not pro-active in the promotion of digital signage or kiosk solutions. An authorised Acquire partner firstly makes a commitment by investing in a ‘partner/partner pack’ - this is a software and PLUS! Network bundle, that enables our resellers and partners to demonstrate the full power of Acquire to their clients. And secondly, we make a commitment to our authorised partners to help them grow their business, by cooperative marketing communications, technical assistance and sales support. You can call +44 (0) 116 231 8921 or email customersales@acquiredigital.com

This is not part of our company’s policy at this time. But please contact us to discuss your requirements in more detail. After all, policy can always be altered. You can call +44 (0) 116 231 8921 or email customersales@acquiredigital.com

Not at the moment. We sell through a combination of resellers, authorised resellers and partners Worldwide. But we are always happy to talk to any distributors who think that there could be synergy between our two companies.

We provide custom programming, digital content design and management, web site design and remote support for kiosk or digital signage networks. See the Working Solutions Creative Team page for more information.