Intel is looking to plug a new “Open Pluggable Specification” in an effort to create an open standard for all digital signage devices. Intel and it’s partners (including Microsoft, NEC, and the Taiwan Digital Signage Special Interest Group) are on board. But is this just Intel trying to corner the market? Here’s the scoop…

The digital signage market is fragmented, apparently, and Intel is seeking to provide a solution that would make installation, maintenance and upgrade of digital signs easier and simpler.

But what is the actual spec? It’s a standardization in the “design and development of digital signs.” The Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) is designed so that digital signage manufacturers can “deploy interchangeable systems faster and in higher volumes, while lowering costs for development and implementation.” Vague, right? It gets better.

Intel demoed a unit early October 2010 at the Digital Signage Expo. The prototype included an Intel Core CPU, Windows Embedded and a fan-less compact box, complete with remote capabilities so IT admins can run and install upgrades on the go.

So it seems to this blogger – based on Intel’s press release – that Intel is alluding to the fact that the whole spec is based on digital signage equipment completely built around Intel’s “architecture,” which according to Intel provides “future-proofing” for your sign investment.

You can read about Intels’ OPS here.

Intel already has a sizable chunk of the chip industry, so is Intel looking to expand that reach even further? More importantly, how does the spec fair with the rest of the digital signage world? Signage VARs speak up.

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