Methods for Adaptive Transformation of Content in Hypertext Format on Corporate TV and Information Kiosks of Educational Institutions

Abstract

Purpose of the study: to consider and implement in practice a system for displaying content on screens of different resolutions and orientations in relation to an educational institution, using both a pure Smart TV (built-in browser of modern TV) and a player connected to Digital Signage screens. In system engineering, the main emphasis (and, as a result, the key task) is on the absence of duplication of content for different types of output screens (including interactive touchscreen kiosks), which is especially important because the implemented system will be built on free, open-source technologies and integrated into the current university website, which no other proprietary Digital Signage software system can offer.Materials and methods: the study uses different methods of transformation and output of content, but adaptation methods based on cascading style sheets (CSS) are mainly used. The experience of foreign programmers working with adaptive layouts for the web and operating their own blogs was studied (in the “Reference” section). Compromise methods for displaying graphic images and video materials are considered and proposed based on the experience gained during testing of the prototype system.Results: development of a system for displaying content on multi-format screens, requiring minimal subsequent support and intervention from the administrator responsible for filling it with content. An analysis of some potential solutions and their compatibility was carried out, taking into account browser support for CSS3 and HTML5 standards, and working solutions were selected that can be used in the design of individual templates for displaying content in hypertext format and CSS designs (rules) that work for the purpose of the study. The article compares approaches to designing adaptive templates for displaying web content in HTML (hypertext) format. The basic principles are considered under which content intended primarily for a university website can, without a third-party administrator (and also, in some cases, with minimal intervention) be displayed on corporate TV and touchscreen kiosks of universities thanks to the use of cascading style sheets (CSS) and relative units of measurement (vh, vw, vmin, vmax) and tags introduced in HTML5. The article also discusses how to level out the nuances associated with different resolutions of graphic images and screen orientation.Conclusion: the final paragraphs of the article conclude on the nuances of the functioning of the developed system, the effectiveness of which directly depends on methods of implementation and technologies used, chosen and discussed in the article. The implementation of the system will increase the awareness of students of an educational institution about events (announced or conducted), and will allow the system administrator to increase work efficiency by publishing and administering content only in “one window” (for example, on the university website), and the developed output template and/or CSS rules will display it on the internal screens, maintaining readability and perception of information. The developed and tested methods can be used by programmers, working in educational institutions.