by Pete Deutschman, Chief Buddy

Full disclosure, The Buddy Group works with Western Digital and specifically on the WD TV HD Media player account.

That said, I love this thing!

My wife founded a company called www.boutiquing.com. Among other things, they produce a high-end boutique blowout sale which brings together the best of Orange County boutiques under one roof. Held at the Irvine Company’s “The Village” directly across from the Irvine Spectrum in Orange County, this venue boasted an outdoor and indoor experience which allowed 500 of the most fashionable people in the area to engage with 20 of  Southern California’s most brightest small business entrepreneurs.

Just 24 hours before the event, Boutiquing.com asked how they could utilize the indoor flatpanel screens at The Village to promote the website and upcoming events durring the show.

Enter the WD TV HD Media Player.

In just three steps I was able to convert the screens into dynamic digital billboards for the event.

• Step 1: Load images onto external hard drive. For one screen I used a thumb drive and the other I used my Western Digital Passport.
• Step 2: Connect the hard-drive/thumb drive to the WD TV HD Media Player and plug the player into power.
• Step 3: Connect the player to the monitor. One one screen I used an HDMI cable while the other I used standard RCA cables.

That is it. Within 5 minutes we had digital billboards. Several of Orange County’s small business boutiques inquired about how they could use the WD TV HD Media Player in their store. Of course, I filled their heads with all sorts of ideas.

Have a business and want ideas? Let me know. I am happy to help brainstorm! You can reach me anytime on Twitter: @MyBuddyPeteD

Pete Deutschman Pete is Chief Buddy at The Buddy Group. Twitter @mybuddypeted

This post is the author's opinion and not necessarily that of The Buddy Group™ (unless it's about ice cream - they never disagree about that).