COMPARE WIRELESS COLLABORATION SOLUTIONS

This comprehensive guide compares Ditto and Vivi. While both solutions offer screen mirroring and digital signage, their core purposes are very different.

Quickly assess each solution’s features, pricing and technical specifications. Use this guide to make an informed decision for your school. Download the comparison PDF for even more critical info, like five-year cost of ownership, real testing experiences and more.

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Key Points

• Ditto is a digital signage and screen mirroring software solution used in schools and businesses. Vivi is a classroom management solution with screen sharing and signage features.
• Ditto costs $99-$175. Vivi does not publicly provide price information. See the cost section for more.
• Ditto runs on Apple TVs and Windows devices while Vivi runs on a proprietary hardware box.

Software vs. Hardware

Ditto is an all-in-one software solution. The Ditto screen mirroring receiver and digital signage software runs on existing hardware devices and media players connected to TVs and monitors, such as Apple TVs and Windows devices. Vivi software runs on the company's proprietary hardware boxes deployed throughout an organization.

Compatible Screen Mirroring and Digital Signage Hardware

Admins must connect the following devices to TVs and monitors to display signage and allow users to screen mirror. You may already own a device that supports Ditto screen mirroring and signage.

Screen Mirroring

Both Ditto and Vivi allow students, teachers and guests to wirelessly mirror device screens to larger displays with end-user applications.

Wireless Screen Mirroring — Compatible Devices

Ditto and Vivi allow numerous device types to wirelessly screen share to larger displays.

How Connections Work

Ditto users connect and share their screens using the Ditto Connect app. The user experience and interface are the same across all device types. A Ditto-enabled display shows a room code. Ditto users enter the room code in the Ditto Connect app and Ditto automatically connects their device to the correct display.

Desktop users can connect via a web browser if they don’t want to download an app.

To share screens with Vivi, users must enter appropriate credentials into the Vivi app, type in the school name, and scroll through lists to select both the correct location and room names before entering a room code to connect.

Screen Mirroring Features

Digital Signage

Ditto and Vivi both offer digital signage capabilities on their connected displays in addition to wireless screen mirroring. Digital signage is a valuable EdTech tool that improves communication, engagement and information recall in K12 classrooms. Ditto and Vivi displays can transition from signage to screen mirroring and back again as needed.

Since Ditto runs on devices many organizations already own (like Windows devices and Apple TVs), Ditto cuts startup costs and deployment time. Vivi requires a proprietary hardware box for every display. See the hardware list above for devices that can display both mirrored screens and digital signage.

Digital Signage Features

Ditto contains a library of pre-designed digital signage templates, removing the need for admins and content creators to have advanced graphic design skills. Both solutions support multiple file types for displaying media.

Ditto continually releases new templates inside the web-based Ditto content management system (CMS). This gives organizations more options to display content and cut down on signage design and creation time.

Other Features

Vivi recently introduced a web-based platform for teachers to create lesson plans, assign tasks and provide remote instruction to students in distance learning settings.

Vivi users can annotate media files as well as a simulated blank whiteboard on the primary classroom display. Both Ditto and Vivi users can annotate certain Microsoft Office documents and files using the built-in tools in various Office 365 applications.

Teachers can initiate student polls and surveys within the Vivi app. These include student wellbeing assessments or custom questions and answers.

Teachers can distribute links to students within the Vivi app, allowing students to navigate to web pages on their own devices.

Administration and Scalability

Both Ditto and Vivi offer web-based applications that allow admins to manage receiver hardware, user applications, digital signage and track usage metrics.

The Ditto Account Portal is accessible from anywhere and allows you to remotely manage digital signage, screen mirroring and administration. Administrators can scale Ditto throughout an organization using Jamf Pro, Jamf School, Cisco Meraki or other preferred MDMs. This includes the ability to zero-touch deploy and configure Ditto from one central place.

Average Ditto setup time with hardware already deployed: 2-5 minutes per media player.

Vivi admins can manage signage, users and hardware boxes inside the Vivi Central platform and administer user apps with select MDMs.

Vivi requires numerous open network ports to run, while Ditto can securely cross VLANS and doesn’t need multiple open network ports to work.

Cost

Ditto is an all-in-one solution priced on a per receiver/media player basis: $99-$175 per year per receiver.

Vivi does not share pricing information for their product. We made numerous attempts to contact and obtain pricing information from Vivi. Vivi did not respond to any request.

Price breakdown

Ditto saves businesses and schools setup and deployment costs because common devices can run Ditto software. It's likely that you already have a compatible Ditto recevier/media player and won't have to purchase any additional equipment. If you do require a receiver/media player, a device such as an Apple TV HD (priced at $150) will make the total cost of Ditto $249-$325 for one display.

Ditto includes a free, 30-day trial that is full-featured and allows users and admins to use signage, screen mirroring and administration features. Vivi trials are not readily available.

Final Thoughts

Ditto and Vivi both offer screen mirroring and digital signage services. Vivi focuses on classroom management features, while Ditto maximizes the use of every display an organization owns.

Vivi prioritizes in-class student and instructor device use, allowing teachers to conduct polls, share links, plan lessons and display content on the primary TV or monitor in the room. Digital signage can be uploaded and play on displays as needed. If you need a classroom management system that lets teachers plan and create course content in addition to some wireless presentation and digital signage capabilities, go with Vivi.

Ditto focuses on maximizing the value of an organization’s devices with both digital signage and screen mirroring. Ditto’s digital signage editor contains numerous, professionally designed templates that can be easily customized. New signage templates are added to Ditto on a continual basis and included with a Ditto subscription. Multiple users can wirelessly share content and collaborate simultaneously.

Any display in an organization can become a digital sign, a collaboration hub with screen mirroring, or both. Ditto prioritizes scalability and administration with its robust account portal and support for multiple MDM platforms. If you’re looking for a solution that makes the most of your spaces and displays, go with Ditto.

Updated on 12/13/21