Being authorised resellers of the Cayin product, we want to take this opportunity to review their latest product – the SMP-WEB4.
The unit itself looks completely different from the predecessor. Rather than just being a rectangle box the WEB4 looks more robust and has a fancy design. The other noticeable differences are:
1. S-Video input – the previous model had a Composite input so you’ll notice some better quality for your video input (this can be an external camera, DVD player, set top box or anything that has S-Video output)
2. Power – this is something we mentioned to Cayin several years ago and they actually listened. The end of the power cable can be twisted to the power socket – this means no further accidental power disconnections.
3. Two COM ports – and they are enabled so you can connect an external device and use an RS232 cable. You will now be able to remotely send commands to a screen or device that uses RS232.
4. DVI and VGA port – yes this means you will be able to connect two screens to this player. The same content will be played on the screens (the term used for this is called CLONE). If you are looking to display different content by using the same player then we recommend you use the SMP-DUO. The SMP-DUO has two DVI ports and one VGA port so you can configure this as an extended screen.
5. Software – there’s so many additional features that have been included in the WEB4. Some include the ability to add RS232 commands in the playlist, the ability to create local schedules, the ability to use the skin editor and add this to the playlist (for those who have used the SMP-PRO, it basically means they have combined the PRO features in the WEB). How awesome is that!!!!
6. Performance – it’s basically faster! It has a faster CPU, more memory and has a bigger HHD. To top it off it also has a 1Gbps LAN port to speed the process of copying files.
7. CPU Monitoring – One of the other great features is that the there is a CPU temperature sensor to help monitoring player’s operation status.
The SMP-WEB4 is one of the many digital signage fanless players we stock. It is also one of the most comprehensive and innovative products we’ve used and deployed in corporate and retail organisations. By integrating this player with the Cayin Content Management Server it becomes one of the most powerful digital signage solutions in the market.