Carousel

Vorteile

We use all Apple products at our school, Carousel was a clear choice as we are able to deploy the robust signage solution to our Apple TV devices that we already had in every classroom in a matter of minutes.

Nachteile

I would like it noted more that Carousel on Apple TV doesn't support video streaming. This is a limitation of the hardware, not Carousel but would be good to know the Apple TV specs on the site

Vorteile

Carousel is cloud based, making it easy to manage from anywhere and any device. Content is cashed on the displays, so they work when the internet is down and the sign design editor is very easy to use. The newest version even works with ChromeBox, so we can install the free Chrome OS Flex on any device and it is immediately a sign. Lots of media types and external sources can be added. We've been using Carousel for nearly 10 years and we have more than 40 signs over 8 schools and we love it.

Nachteile

Functionally, we couldn't really ask for more. Maybe a way to play Google Slides directly. The only negative I can see, just like most products today, the price is getting higher and schools are struggling with budgets, but the value is there.

Vorteile

The system had a quick response time, it was easy to account for overscan, and it notified when a player was down.

Nachteile

It was difficult for teachers to use with the various zoning options, and it wouldn't properly power on the BrightSign players.

Vorteile

Easy to communicate and Engage with students

Nachteile

I have experienced issues where the speed is too quick for me

Vorteile

Its simple to implement and to use, but also has the options for a more robust system should you need more custom configurations. It's very to learn.

Nachteile

There is not much not to like. It's simple, has a bunch of integrations, and is easy to use.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Gründe für den Wechsel zu Carousel

Vorteile

The web interface allows me to work on the signage from any location. The ability to add start and end dates/times is very helpful - I can set up a bulletin to start and stop when I want and then forget about it. The ability to have calendar feeds based on web sites is also very helpful. Finally, using Apple TVs and JAMF device management software allows me to quickly get a sign up and running, and locks the Apple TV into just the Carousel app so no one can change what's being shown.

Nachteile

Inability to show YouTube videos when using and Apple TV for signage, but that's a limitation put in by Apple itself, not Carousel.

Vorteile

Carousel Digital Signage is a fantastic product with great value for the pricing. It offers an intuitive interface that makes centralized management of multiple signs a breeze. The ability to provide granular access to specific team members responsible for posting content is a standout feature, allowing for smooth collaboration and content control. Getting BrightSigns provisioned and up and running is incredibly easy, saving time and reducing any potential headaches. Overall, the system is reliable and user-friendly, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking to manage digital signage effectively.

Nachteile

My understanding is that you need to purchase additional player licenses in bundles of 5 or 10, which can be limiting if you only need a few more signs. Having the option to add signs on an individual per-sign basis would offer more flexibility and make the product even better.

Vorteile

Carousel meets the needs of our community including user role management, CAP EAS integration, active directory/SAML integration, unlimited user accounts, clean end-user and admin user interface, continual software development and response to user requested features, and integration with various hardware options.

Nachteile

There is not much to dislike. There is some lack of social media integration mostly caused by the platforms themselves continual changes in development. Other minor dislikes have mostly all been addressed by Carousel through feature requests that have been implemented into the UI.

Vorteile

We use Carousel as our Digital signage partner in our enterprise, its very simple to use and our users find it very easily get adapted to the carousel environment in terms of usage

Nachteile

Not much to say about what I like the least, but i like Carousel to get more and more cool features and incorporate some modern templates in terms of content creation.

Vorteile

It is very quick and easy to create bulletins and schedule them with minimum time. However, if you want to really spend time creating content, that is possible too.

Nachteile

I didn't like the look of my channel so when I was helping a colleague set up a new channel and I discovered the default layouts available, I started using them, but updating my templates has been time consuming. It's probably user error on my end but that kind of set-up has been challenging.

Vorteile

For the functionality and flexibility of devices it runs on, Carousel is a win win four our institution. Once it's setup it is easy to add additional devices and display different content on different screens.

Nachteile

The learning curve for how to use the software. It could be more intuitive for sure.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Gründe für den Wechsel zu Carousel

Vorteile

I like that I can do it remotely and that I can have more then one person work on this platform.

Nachteile

More options for scheduling, not being able to make presets for certain types of bulletins, like the default for background for uploaded images.

Vorteile

The ease of use and pre-built templates made setting up the over 100 displays around our operation so much easier. The end-users took to learning it very well even if they weren't normally tech savvy users.

Nachteile

I wish that the design phase offered a drag and drop capability. The current system works well but it would be a bit quicker and easier this way.

Vorteile

Gorgeous displays and can use multiple platforms to create designs as well

Nachteile

A little difficult to get the physical components activated, but lots of help and now running smoothly with little intervention.

Vorteile

It made it easy to produce, distribute, and manage content to 25 different buildings and give them a similar and easy experience

Nachteile

The rigidness of their templates are and how unfriendly it is to be creative with the stock they give you.

Vorteile

I appreciate that once you have it configured and running, it's very solid. Any outage or downtime has been the result of a hardware player going offline, not Carousel's service being unavailable. Support is friendly, knowledgable and expedient.

Nachteile

Our use case is pretty simple - we have some full screen videos that we display on a number of TVs 24/7. I find that the admin dashboard is overly complicated in the context of how we use Carousel. Zones, channels, hubs, etc., it's all a bit much for me. I'd appreciate a simpler "choose the device you want to config -> choose the content you want to display" admin experience.

Vorteile

I like the ease of use, its easy to understand and has so much good value items

Nachteile

Its not as good as some apps in its category

Vorteile

I feel like we barely scratch the surface of what Carousel can do, but we get some big benefits--we are able to stream live video from our auditorium to viewers in other areas, we have easily adaptable lunch menu options and daily announcements, and we display a variety of content for special occasions. All of our players have highly customized content for the areas where they are used.

Nachteile

The UI is a bit clunky at first. If I use the product regularly, I am able to become more efficient with it.

Vorteile

We went with the Carousel Cloud option and have been happy so far. We use Jamf to manage a fleet of 1:1 iPads in K-12 education so we already had Apple TVs and the management for them. Setting up an Apple TV for Carousel was very simple and they have documentation on how to get everything setup as well. We also recently purchased a CAP system that integrates into Carousel. Which will allow us to send messages in the event of emergencies to all of our TVs running signage. The Carousel system is also being updated with new features once a month. Having the ability to use multiple players is also great, chrome books, Apple TVs, Brightsign.

Nachteile

The only downside we have had to the software so far is teaching users how to manage the signage. There are so many customizations and setting up zones that we find we end up having to setup everything and give them a specific section to edit. Most of our users do not want to take the time to learn all the design aspects and creating zones, schedules, etc.

Vorteile

The software is easy to deploy and generally easy to administrate for someone who is familiar with other similar school technology system. I was also easy to additional content contributors and the training for them can be made quite minimal. I think the Carousel is priced about right for the features and capabilities it offers.

Nachteile

Use of AppleTV creates some frustrating limitation, which are mostly in part to the limitations or restrictions of the AppleTV (e.g. not including a web browser, YouTube videos don't work). The diversity or general lacking when it comes to dynamic content choices is disappointing. It would be nice if there were more widgets/apps that you could utilize and configure (e.g. a single weather display option).

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Gründe für den Wechsel zu Carousel

Vorteile

Fast, stable, and Cloud hosted. No longer have to worry about server hosting, application upgrades, or database management. Features now come automatically, without requiring maintenance windows.

Nachteile

I think that if you would rename Bulletins to Assets, it would make more sense, especially to our Marketing folks who develop the content for our screens.

Vorteile

Carousel Software has all the features we wanted in Digital Signage. The ability to deploy content to hundreds of displays at once is great. The approval feature that allows other users to create slides that are not live until approved by an admin is invaluable. The limitless number of templates and widgets keeps our content fresh and innovative. We can create content now and have it scheduled to play in the future. Can't say enough about how well this platform works in the corporate environment.

Nachteile

Only minor issue that I would like see addressed is the addition of better tutorials. It would be nice if I could hover over a tool or feature and get a video box that describes that feature. Would also be great if Carousel University was available to all for free.

Vorteile

Ease of use. It is very easy to take a photo or video and get it uploaded and running on the system.

Nachteile

I wish it would integrate with the web better. Display webpages better, youtube support.

Vorteile

It is easy to deploy and very easy to use even for inexperienced users. Very effective tool to advertise and be seen by target clients.

Nachteile

The variety of options you have to display your content is the best. It satisfies every company's needs.

Vorteile

The biggest plus is its integration with Jamf Management that allows us to deploy and maintain using our existing Apple TVs. It is also very easy to create new bulletins that we can scope to different buildings as needed.

Nachteile

The startup learning curve was a little challenging but once we got the hang of it we were able to easily train new users to create and manage content.

Vorteile

My district loves that you can customize for screens in different areas (reaching students, parents, or staff). It has given us a great way to communicate our district and campus 'good news' and information. I especially like that we can have a consistent brand, but still have individuality shown on each campus. It is easy to bring new devices online and get them up and running quickly.

Nachteile

There are some features like RSS feeds that are still giving us issues. I wish the training videos were available for longer.

Vorteile

we appreciate the browser-based nature of the product, in addition to the overall stability. using brighsign players, we can deploy and largely forget about the players.

Nachteile

channel setup is clunky and therefore discourages more creative use or frequent updating. lack of deep player controls is frustrating if you must make global changes. the channel preview needs to be updated to include video. speaking of video, our biggest peeve is the lack of seamless video looping. there is always a moment of black on-screen between loops. this prevents us from using the product more widely.

Vorteile

It is cloud based and had pre built templets for Covid.

Nachteile

The setup of playlist and the building of temples and the setup takes a little getting used to. With having to pay more for training it makes it a little more difficult on users.

Vorteile

Integrated easily with Apple TV. No additional software needed to create content and pushes out quickly!

Nachteile

Cannot live stream from YouTube with out purchasing another 3rd party product & the cost!

Vorteile

This product is AMAZING! First, the implementation and deployment was as easy as it could be. We used AppleTVs as our media player and because we use JAMF as our MDM, it is so simple to deploy a new player. Next, with the help of Carousel's implementation team, we got a set of templates rolling in just a few days and had our first full implementation deployed and displaying in less than a week. The simplicity and robustness of the back end is phenomenal. We couldn't be happier.

Nachteile

We love the ability to easily mix channels on a given player (from single zone to multi-zone), but that is a minor inconvenience.

Vorteile

The primary reason I invested in this product is the implementation via AppleTV and the integration with JAMF.
This made deployment and ongoing management inexpensive and simple.

Nachteile

I would like to be able to clear or set all days in the scheduling in one go but that is a pretty minor issue.

Vorteile

Carousel is one of the most comprehensive digital signage solution that helps us in a quite efficient way.

Nachteile

Carousel's publishing and content management features could be developed in a more advance way.

Vorteile

Carousel has assisted greatly in the ability to convey information in an organized and easy way to hundreds of people on a daily basis. Use is easy, the product is well developed, and its effectiveness is very apparent.

Nachteile

Difficulty getting movie clips inserted into carousel.

Vorteile

The easy of the install, the ability to use an apple tv as the media player. The cost was right, and the simplicity of use for the average user.

Nachteile

sometimes its a little slow to update ( login general use, tab to tab...etc)

Vorteile

Simple to use. Just like the On-Prem version, with less hassles.

Nachteile

Would have been nice to get a free hat... Other than that, no complaints

Vorteile

Mariemont has used Carousel all school year at our four school buildings. Administrators have loved how easy screens are to use and the design displaying for students and parents.

Nachteile

I wish the custom designs were easier to make without having to use the Carousel experts.

Vorteile

It's a breeze to implement the software across our whole campus. The learning curve is also easy even for the average user, and we don't have to fear that we'll mess up the system because it's easy to navigate. Adding photos and videos is also seamless, and we can even group them together according to our target audience.

Nachteile

It seems that we can't play Youtube videos in it unless we subscribe to another app. Otherwise, it's already a fully functional tool that integrates well with our campus-wide broadcast system.

Vorteile

I liked that Carousel was incredibly easy to set up and configure to serve as our digital signage.

Nachteile

In our use case as digital signage, there is not a feature I have run into that I wish had been implemented!

Vorteile

Carousel makes the maintenance of a sophisticated sign network easy. We run nearly 20 monitors in two locations with four different channels based on location and time of day. We have given access to 7 people who can easily update content and keep material fresh.

Nachteile

Our biggest challenge was learning how to design the channels and zones. However, it's not that had to learn for someone with web design skills using the helpful tutorials.

Vorteile

We like how easy it is to deploy, edit, and change signages and visuals across our whole building. The interface is user-friendly and easy to grasp. It also works well with a lot of media players that we currently use.

Nachteile

Organizing assets should be improved because it can be cluttered over time. We're also looking for more integrations so that we can directly deploy materials imported to the software itself without having to use other third-party apps.

Vorteile

I think this software is incredibly user friendly and so easy to implement. I love that we can easily edit and share information across our business quickly, rather than taking unnecessary time with posting, etc. It is literally so easy to use and share information.

Nachteile

Honestly, not much. Sometimes I wish it had higher capabilities, but in the same breath, they arent always needed.

Vorteile

It is so easy to get a digital display up and running. We have Apple TV’s and it barely takes us anytime at all to get a new digital display looking sharp.

Nachteile

Getting used to the interface takes a bit of time since we were using a different company before. So other than a learning curve, as we were used to doing things a certain way, the software is easy to use.

Vorteile

Easily distribute news and other information to students. We can easily showcase what some classes are doing and student engagement is great with it. Also really cool to use the alert during fire drills or any drills of the sort.

Nachteile

It's very lack-luster becoming a new user too this software. Confusing channels, inability to customize templates, No proper photo library.

Vorteile

Identifications, versatile application, capacity to have the feed on our intranet, simplicity of administrator reports, making identifications, refreshing the site back office, and simply the general look of the stage. It was not difficult to execute and our representatives love it.

Nachteile

There is a lot of screens to navigate just to post once. Additionally, it has a choice to show a picture each X number of times, however, it doesn't appear to work.

Vorteile

Carousel is easy to use, update and is very versatile. We've used it for daily communication as well as special events. Easy to customize what content is showed where and at what time.

Nachteile

I wish there were ways to include streaming other external content, but the ability is pretty robust already.

Vorteile

Simple platform easy deployment and management. We rolled this out to the school district last year and are working with carousel to design the implementation with our informacast system

Nachteile

It is not as easy to implements the emergency broadcast system as originally stated.