Digital Signage
Ditto offers a built-in digital signage content management system. Mersive Solstice Pods are primarily wireless presentation technology that allow for digital signage integrations from third parties. Here are the basics for each solution:
Ditto Digital Signage
Design, upload, customize and schedule content from one central place.
- Users customize free, pre-made digital signage templates or upload their own signage
- A built-in content management system allows users to organize and disseminate signage
- Includes emergency alert functionality
Central management, creation and customization tools make Ditto a viable option for a wide range of digital signage applications.
Learn more about Ditto Digital Signage.
Mersive Solstice Digital Signage
The Mersive Solstice Pod is not a digital signage solution on its own, but can display HTML-based digital signage feeds. This is enabled after integrating with paid third-party digital signage and content management systems.
Mersive Solstice Pods can display the following:
- Static images
- Google slides
- Feeds from paid third-party digital signage services
All third-party services must be adopted by your organization separately and manually implemented into Solstice Pods by an administrator. Digital signage is only available for Solstice Pods with Enterprise licenses. Mersive documentation notes that digital signage may be unstable and perform poorly, especially if using resource-intensive content.
Administration
Ditto administration and remote management takes place entirely within the Ditto Account Portal — a web-based application accessible from anywhere that is included with a Ditto subscription.
See what people like you are saying about Ditto here.
Mersive Solstice Pods are managed within the Solstice Dashboard. The Solstice Dashboard is a downloaded Windows-only application capable of managing and configuring Solstice hardware. The Solstice Dashboard is only usable if you’ve purchased enterprise-edition Solstice Pods. The dashboard also has the ability to display usage analytics for enterprise-only Solstice Pods with an active, paid Solstice Subscription. Remote management is not possible without higher-tier enterprise licenses.
See which network ports you need open on your network to use Ditto and Solstice Pods. Get the Ditto vs. Mersive Solstice Pod fast fact sheet here.
Cost
Ditto is priced on a per-receiver basis. The Mersive Solstice Pod uses a tiered pricing and licensing structure on top of an annual subscription fee.
- Ditto: $150 per year per receiver. Requires no additional hardware, subscriptions or licensing fees.
- Mersive Solstice Pod: $1400 per receiver.
- Mersive Solstice Pod, required hardware and highly recommended subscription for one year: $1650+
Power supply units, required cables and an annual Solstice Subscription must be purchased in addition to the hardware unit.
Click here to learn the full five-year cost to own Ditto and Mersive Solstice Pod Gen3 Unlimited Enterprise.
Price breakdown
It's likely that you already have a compatible Ditto receiver and can begin using Ditto today without purchasing any additional technology or equipment. If you do require a wireless receiver, a receiver such as an Apple TV HD (priced at $150) will make the total cost of Ditto $300 for one room.
The Ditto subscription includes free technical support, any and all new features, security and performance updates.
The Mersive Solstice Pod uses both software and several tiers of proprietary, licensed hardware. The tier featured in this article starts at $1400 for one Mersive Solstice Pod.
In addition to purchasing a hardware box ($1400), separately-sold proprietary power supply ($18) and an HDMI cable ($5) for every display, Mersive implements an annual subscription that allows hardware to receive necessary performance and security updates. The first year of a Solstice Subscription is included with the purchase of a Pod, but fees accrue after one year. A third-party vendor prices a Solstice Subscription starting at $238 after initial purchase and a five-year subscription costs $728.
Mersive does not require an active Solstice Subscription to use Mersive Solstice Pods. After canceling a subscription, Mersive Solstice Pods are still functional but will stop receiving new features and performance and security updates. Technical support from Mersive requires an active paid subscription.
Attempting to renew an expired Solstice Subscription requires back-paying subscription fees for the entire time period a subscription was canceled, in addition to current annual fees.
Get the numbers on the five-year cost to own Ditto and Mersive Solstice Pods here.
Summary
Ditto and the Mersive Solstice Pod excel at wireless presentations.
Ditto is simple, easy to use and affordable. It makes enterprise-level screen sharing and digital signage easy to deploy and scale across large or small organizations without adding extra hardware or convoluted licensing costs. Included digital signage makes Ditto a manageable, all-in-one resource for any display in any space. If you’re looking for a truly cross-platform solution where unlimited users can display signage and present nearly any device, go with Ditto.
The Mersive Solstice Pod excels at collaboration features that allow participants and moderators to interact with content on-screen. It is not ideal for digital signage, even if you implement and pay for additional third-party services. If you do not need robust digital signage, and if you require moderation features and have the scaling budget and IT manpower to support hardware devices, licenses and a software subscription, consider a Mersive Solstice Pod.
Download the Ditto vs. Mersive Solstice Pod fast facts sheet full of bonus content. Get tech specs, in-depth cost analysis, reviews and more.
Updated on 12/13/21
