COMPARE WIRELESS COLLABORATION SOLUTIONS

What's better for your organization — Ditto or Mersive Solstice Pods? That's for you to decide, and we're here to help. This article gives you an overview of Ditto and the Solstice Pod Unlimited.

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Key Takeaways

• Both Ditto and Solstice Pod deliver in-person wireless presentation and digital signage capabilities in meeting spaces, classrooms and other collaborative spaces.
• Ditto is an entirely software-based solution that runs on existing hardware that's connected via HDMI to larger displays; Solstice Pod Unlimited is a proprietary hardware box connected via HDMI to larger displays .
• Ditto costs $99-$175 while the Mersive Solstice Pod starts at $1,549.
• Ditto users share content wirelessly via the Ditto Connect app or webpage; Solstice Pod users share content wirelessly via desktop apps, web browsers or native mirroring protocols such as AirPlay and Miracast depending on the device type.
• Both Ditto and Solstice Pod Unlimited include digital signage capabilities; Ditto is a full digital signage CMS, enabling users to create, store and manage signage remotely; Solstice Pod Unlimited plays HTML-based signage and relies primarily on integrations with third-party signage platforms such as Appspace, Carousel and TriplePlay for signage creation.

Overview - software vs hardware 

Ditto and Mersive Solstice both deliver wireless screen mirroring and digital signage, but they accomplish it in different ways.

How Ditto works

Ditto is an entirely software-based solution. Ditto receiver software runs on familiar hardware such as Apple TV and Windows devices. Those receiver devices are connected via HDMI to TVs, projectors, interactive whiteboards, etc. Ditto enables organizations to use these screens as endpoints for digital signage, wireless content sharing and on-screen alerts. 

Ditto end users share content to displays wirelessly via the Ditto Connect app or webpage. They enter the room code shown on the screen they are trying to share to, as shown in the image below. The end-user connection method is consistent across different device types.

Ditto admins manage Ditto receivers via the web-based account portal. 

How Solstice Pod Unlimited works

The Solstice Pod Unlimited is a device made by Mersive. The Pod is connected via HDMI to TVs and other displays. 

There are several ways to share screens to a Mersive Solstice Pod via a web browser, app or native mirroring protocols. The Mersive screen mirroring connection process utilizes screen keys, display names, IP addresses and native protocols depending on how a user is trying to connect and how pods are configured on the network. Feature availability varies by connection method.

Note that organizations will either need to enable UDP broadcast/Bonjour network traffic or use a Solstice AirPlay discovery proxy to support native protocol screen sharing. 

Solstice Pods are managed via the Solstice Dashboard and Solstice Cloud.

Tech tip

Make the connection process as consistent and easy as possible for your end users. A complicated connection process will steepen the learning curve and harm user adoption throughout your organization. This creates a need for more support materials and training time.

Digital Signage

Both Ditto and Solstice Pod Unlimited include digital signage functionality as well as the ability to send emergency alerts/messaging to screens. 

Ditto digital signage

Create digital signage via uploaded media assets, customizable signage templates, web URLs, Canva or Google Slides. Ditto has a full web-based content management system (CMS) to create a schedule signage remotely. Account admins customize when signage runs on their displays, choosing specific days, time periods, intervals and locations.

Mersive digital signage 

The Mersive Solstice Pod Unlimited is not a robust digital signage solution on its own. Solstice Pod does not store or provide ways to create signage assets. Rather, it relies heavily on paid third-party integrations with signage platforms such as Appspace, Carousel and TriplePlay for signage creation. It displays web pages, Google Slides or signage feeds from third parties that are accessible via a web URL.

Mersive signage is managed through the web-based Mersive Cloud service, but it does not include all of the standard scheduling capabilities of a full CMS. Amins can only customize the "Start After" time, which is the amount of time after a meeting or collaboration session ends before the on-screen signage feed resumes. The Solstice Pod does not offer more granular scheduling capabilities. 

Total Cost - One Year

Ditto offers three subscription plans — Basic, Premium and Elite — ranging from $99-$175. A Ditto receiver such as Apple TV costs $130 if needed.

Mersive Solstice Pod Unlimited costs $1,549 along with an $18 power supply. A $280/year subscription plan (free for first year) is required for full functionality and updates.

• Ditto: $99-$325: Price range for the Ditto subscription and a Ditto receiver (Apple TV)
• Mersive Solstice Pod: $1,567-1847: Price range for hardware, power and subscription fees.

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.

Updated on 6/28/2024