With the advent of TiVo and other digital television recording devices, television viewers have the power to record their favorite programs, watch them at their leisure, and, of course, fast forward past pesky commercials.

These technologies deprive advertisers of a once-captive audience. But where technological advancement closes one door it opens another.

Developments in data broadcast technology and high-definition televisions have primed the digital signage market for an explosion, allowing advertisers to reach a captive audience when they’re out to eat, as op-posed to when they are lounging on the couch.

OOH (Out Of Home) Vision Networks (ovn), an advertising and marketing firm, has partnered with Helius, Inc., a business-class data broadcasting company, to pump video advertisements into more than 100 retro diners in the Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey areas.

OVN CEO and President Craig Presser doesn’t mince words about the possibilities of this new advertising strategy. “It’s an exploding market, not even an emerging market,” he says. “Whether you’re in casual or quick-service, you’re going to see place-based media on screens.”

The chrome diners, which seat about 200 and are located in affluent areas, have been  outfitted with five liquid crystal display televisions strategically located in order to grab the attention of as many patrons as possible. Four of the screens measure an impressive 42 inches, while the fifth measures 23 inches.

Each screen is divided into three sections: Two-thirds of the screen broadcasts constant video advertisements, typically for local and regional businesses, and share space with the left third of the screen, which is reserved for whatever the diner wants to broadcast. Diner managers can advertise specials or welcome the mayor with three or four shuffling still images, says Mike Tippets, executive vice president for Helius.

At the bottom of the screen, OVN provides a live news ticker, complete with news, sports, weather, stock quotes, and traffic information tailored to the zip code.

Impact studies, Presser says, revealed that the advertisements were better received without volume, so all OVN advertisements are silent. “We want [the advertisements] to be obtrusive but not at a volume that prohibits conversation,” he says.

On the larger portion of the screen, OVN’s digital signage network broadcasts a seven-minute advertising loop. This setup is specifically designed to get the most advertisement impressions from each customer. “In the  diner environment, OVN figured the typical patron stays in the diner for 42 minutes, and we want them to see the advertisements six times,” Tippets says.

Although Presser declined to share the exact number of locations in the OVN Diner network, he says his advertising setup reaches more than 1 million people per month, with 5.8 billion annual advertisement impressions.

This digital signage revolution of sorts should quickly reach the quick-service market. One doesn’t have to look past OVN to find a company looking to work with quick-service chains and franchisees to reach potential customers.