Other companies might use the digital signs to provide employee training as well, said Thomas Wyatt, general manager of digital management at Cisco. A bank might use the technology to update customers on services as they wait in line, he added.

Michael Chang, president at Fantasia Coffee and Tea in Cupertino, Calif., started using the Cisco Digital Signage system last week at the checkout counter at one of the company's Milpitas stores to display still pictures of store products.

"Today, it is pictures, and later we could put on video and maybe provide information about the health benefits of tea," Chang said. "So we kind of entertain people while they are in line."

The digital video format allows quicker changes to the information than printing the signs the store needs, Chang said. Data is sent from a Wi-Fi router in the store to the display. Eventually, Chang could send the video data from a central location to five stores. Also in the future, Chang wants to allow nearby stores to advertise on his display, to bring in a small revenue stream to pay for the technology.

The system includes Cisco's Digital Media Manager, a Web-based software application, and its Digital Media Player, a small hardware device that controls playback of video, graphics and text on video displays, Wyatt said. The player is US$1,495, while the Manager is based on a customer's configuration, he said. In September, Cisco announced two Digital Media Encoders to help create the type of media that could be distributed over the digital signage network.