It’s not easy running a small business today. It’s even harder if your business relies on serving the public. Bar and restaurant owners have had it very rough the last few years, to be sure. I think we all remember when they weren’t even allowed to be open and how that felt. Sure, those times are over, but how can a bar or restaurant owner make up some of that lost time?
Owning and operating a bar or restaurant means being an expert multitasker. It’s not just about putting some memorabilia up on the wall and having some bottles on the shelf. You need to deal with suppliers, inspectors, and of course the public. Then, to make everything harder you’re supposed to be an expert in the kind of complex technology it takes to run 25 televisions and all the different sporting events. The cherry on top is that you know you won’t be there 24/7, and you’ll need to train other people on that tech too.
That’s where we come in.
Signal Connect, the full-service arm of Solid Signal, has partnered with Sports Bar World to provide custom, easy-to-use solutions for bars and restaurants. We can help you with solutions that make it simple to manage the screens you have. It will be so easy that you’ll even be able to show your people how to do it. Here’s what I’m talking about.
Basic solutions: HDMI distribution
How easy is it to use the TVs in your bar or restaurant? If you started out with the simplest, least-expensive option, you probably have a satellite TV receiver behind every TV. That works most of the time but it means your people have to know how to use their satellite TV receivers. It also takes a lot of maintenance if there’s a problem. There’s another problem, too – what if you want to show bar games, specials, or something else on that TV? It can be hard or impossible to do it.
Our team can design a system where all your satellite receivers, digital signage, and other video can be put in a central rack. From there, we have options as to how to distribute. You may be able to use some of that existing satellite TV cabling, or we can often use network cable which is both easier and cheaper to deal with.
The simplest solution is using a modulated HDMI to Coax solution. All your devices feed into one central device called a modulator. From there, it all goes out to your TVs. In order to change channels on a TV, you just go up to it with a remote and change channels. One channel is set aside for each of the sports feeds you want, plus one for every signage product or bar game. If your staff can change the channels on their TV at home, they’ll know how to do it at work, too.
Here’s a quick explainer on what modulators do:
More powerful solution: Matrix switchers
Walking up to each TV to change the channel works if you only do it now and again. It makes sense if you have so many TVs that you’re rarely changing channels. But, if you want to be able to make channel changes easy, you’ll want a matrix switcher.
The idea of a matrix switcher (also called a matrix switch) is that all your devices feed into it, and then cables go out to each individual TV. These can be HDMI cables for short runs, or we can use network cables for longer runs if needed. You can then use one front panel or a web-page interface to tell the system what content goes on what TV.
It’s ultimate flexibility. You can set up groups of TVs so that one button changes channels on all of them. You can make these changes from anywhere in the bar using practically any device.
We have options for any size system, whether you want something simple or something that can scale to virtually any size. Check out our options here.
Here’s a quick explainer on matrix switchers and what they do.
Top of the line: TV Control Systems
A true sports bar needs to be able to make quick changes to what’s on screen. Games run long, events crop up quickly, and sometimes a game you weren’t watching before gets very exciting.
You can have the ultimate in power and control with a TV Control System. We can custom design something for you with tablets, wall-mounted panels, and PC control that is exactly what you need. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. No matter how many things you want to control, it can all be available in the palm of your hand or on a centrally-mounted panel.
Control systems of this type are always created custom with your needs in mind. When you work with us at Signal Connect, we’ll learn exactly what your needs are and how to best handle them. We’re experts at customer satisfaction.
Find out more … book some time with Signal Connect
You shouldn’t need to be a tech wizard to run a bar. That’s where Signal Connect comes in. We’ll help you in every possible way, from choosing TV services to designing a custom system, to making sure the installation is done right. We can even help you with things like cell phone boosters which will help you get better cell service indoors. There’s practically no limit to what we are able to help with. Let us make the tech experience easy. That’s what we specialize in.
Signal Connect’s reps are available and ready to listen. When you’re ready to take the tech problems off your plate, call the experts. We’re here to work with you! We ask that the first contact be during East Coast business hours so we can get you to the right person. After that, your rep will let you know when they’re available, and it’s generally going to be almost all the time.
Want to know more? Call us at 888-233-7563 or fill out the form below. It’s time to get started at getting simple!
