Revenue Recognition

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Revenue Recognition [Line Items]

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Text Block]

3. Revenue Recognition

Under the revenue recognition guidance provided by ASU 2014-09, revenue is recognized when a customer obtains control of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration which the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.  To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that an entity determines are within the scope of this standard, the Company performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.  The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that the entity will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods or services it transfers to the customer.  At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of this standard, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract and determines those that are performance obligations and assesses whether each promised good or service is distinct.  The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.  Sales tax, value added tax and other taxes collected on behalf of third parties are excluded from revenue.

Contracts with customers may contain multiple performance obligations.  For such arrangements, the transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation based on the estimated relative standalone selling prices of the promised products or services underlying each performance obligation.  The Company determines standalone selling prices based on the price at which the performance obligation is sold separately.  If the standalone selling price is not observable through past transactions, the Company estimates the standalone selling price taking into account available information such as market conditions and internally approved pricing guidelines related to the performance obligations.

When determining the transaction price of a contract, an adjustment is made if payment from a customer occurs either significantly before or significantly after performance, resulting in a significant financing component.  Applying the practical expedient in paragraph 606-10-32-18, the Company does not assess whether a significant financing component exists if the period between when the Company performs its obligations under the contract and when the customer pays is one year or less.  None of the Company’s contracts contained a significant financing component as of December 31, 2021.

In March 2016, the FASB issued updated lease accounting guidance ("Topic 842"), as explained further in Note 13 – Leases.  We adopted Topic 842 on January 1, 2020.  Topic 842 is an update to Topic 840, which was the lease accounting standard in place through December 31, 2019.  There were no significant changes to our revenue accounting upon adoption of Topic 842.

We recognize revenue in accordance with two different accounting standards: 1) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606 and 2) ASC Topic 842.  Under Topic 606, revenue from contracts with customers is measured based on the consideration specified in the contract with the customer, and excludes any sales incentives and amounts collected on behalf of third parties.  A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to a customer, and is the unit of account under Topic 606.  Our contracts with customers generally do not include multiple performance obligations.  We recognize revenue when we satisfy a performance obligation by transferring control over a product or service to a customer. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for such products or services.

Disaggregated Revenues

The following table represents a disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, along with the reportable segment for each category:

In thousands	2021		2020
Digital product sales:
Catalog and small       customized products	$	9,418	$	6,823
Large customized       products		-		555
Subtotal		9,418		7,378
Digital product lease and maintenance:
Operating leases		817		936
Maintenance agreements		1,115		1,131
Subtotal		1,932		2,067
Total	$	11,350	$	9,445

Performance Obligations

The Company has two primary revenue streams which are Digital product sales and Digital product lease and maintenance.

Digital Product Sales

The Company recognizes net revenue on digital product sales to its distribution partners and to end users related to digital display solutions and fixed digit scoreboards.  For the Company’s catalog products, revenue is generally recognized when the customer obtains control of the Company’s product, which occurs at a point in time, and may be upon shipment or upon delivery based on the contractual shipping terms of a contract.  For the Company’s customized products, revenue is either recognized at a point in time or over time depending on the size of the contract.  For those customized product contracts that are smaller in size, revenue is generally recognized when the customer obtains control of the Company’s product, which occurs at a point in time, and may be upon shipment or upon delivery based on the contractual shipping terms of a contract.  For those customized product contracts that are larger in size, revenue is recognized over time based on incurred costs as compared to projected costs using the input method, as this best reflects the Company’s progress in transferring control of the customized product to the customer.  The Company may also contract with a customer to perform installation services of digital display products.  Similar to the larger customized products, the Company recognizes the revenue associated with installation services using the input method, whereby the basis is the total contract costs incurred to date compared to the total expected costs to be incurred.

Revenue on sales to distribution partners are recorded net of prompt-pay discounts, if offered, and other deductions.  To the extent the transaction price includes variable consideration, the Company estimates the amount of variable consideration that should be included in the transaction price utilizing the most likely amount method to which the Company expects to be entitled.  In the case of prompt-pay discounts, there are only two possible outcomes: either the customer pays on-time or does not.  Variable consideration is included in the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue under the contract will not occur.  Determination of whether to include estimated amounts in the transaction price are based largely on an assessment of the Company’s anticipated performance and all information (historical, current and forecasted) that is reasonably available.  The Company believes that the estimates it has established are reasonable based upon current facts and circumstances.  Applying different judgments to the same facts and circumstances could result in the estimated amounts to vary.  The Company offers an assurance-type warranty that the digital display products will conform to the published specifications.  Returns may only be made subject to this warranty and not for convenience.

Digital Product Lease and Maintenance

Lease and maintenance contracts generally run for periods of one month to 10 years.  A contract entered into by the Company with a customer may contain both lease and maintenance services (either or both services may be agreed upon based on the individual customer contract).  Maintenance services may consist of providing labor, parts and software maintenance as may be required to maintain the customer’s equipment in proper operating condition at the customer’s service location.  The Company concluded the lease and maintenance services represent a series of distinct services and the most representative method for measuring progress towards satisfying the performance obligation of these services is the input method.  Additionally, maintenance services require the Company to “stand ready” to provide support to the customer when and if needed.  As there is no discernable pattern of efforts other than evenly over the lease and maintenance terms, the Company will recognize revenue straight-line over the lease and maintenance terms of service.

The Company has an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date, as evidenced by the requirement that the customer pay upfront for each month of services. Lease and maintenance service amounts billed ahead of revenue recognition are recorded in deferred revenue and are included in Accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Contract Balances with Customers

Contract assets primarily relate to rights to consideration for goods or services transferred to the customer when the right is conditional on something other than the passage of time.  The contract assets are transferred to the receivables when the rights become unconditional.  As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had no contract assets.  The contract liabilities primarily relate to the advance consideration received from customers for contracts prior to the transfer of control to the customer and therefore revenue is recognized on completion of delivery.  Contract liabilities are classified as deferred revenue and included in Accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The following table presents the balances in the Company’s receivables and contract liabilities with customers as of December 31, 2021 and 2020:

In thousands	2021		2020
Gross receivables	$	2,572	$	2,042
Allowance for bad debts		423		660
Net receivables		2,149		1,382
Contract liabilities		2,011		618

During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company recognized bad debt expense of $64,000 and $123,000, respectively.

During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company recognized the following revenues as a result of changes in the contract asset and the contract liability balances in the period:

In thousands	2021			2020
Revenue recognized in the period from:
Amounts included in the contract liability   at the beginning of the period	$	484	$	82
Performance obligations satisfied in    previous periods (for example, due to    changes in transaction price)		-		-

Transaction Price Allocated to Future Performance Obligations – alternative more qualitative presentation

Remaining performance obligations represent the transaction price of contracts for which work has not been performed (or has been partially performed).  The guidance provides certain practical expedients that limit this requirement and, therefore, the Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (i) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (ii) contracts for which revenue is recognized at the amount to which the Company has the right to invoice for services performed.  As of December 31, 2021, the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations for digital product sales was $7.5 million and digital product lease and maintenance was $2.5 million.

The Company expects to recognize revenue on approximately 86%, 8% and 6% of the remaining performance obligations over the next 12 months, 13 to 36 months and 37 or more months, respectively.

Costs to Obtain or Fulfill a Customer Contract

The Company capitalizes incremental costs of obtaining customer contracts.  Capitalized commissions are amortized based on the transfer of the products or services to which the assets relate.  Applying the practical expedient, the Company recognizes the incremental costs of obtaining contracts as an expense when incurred if the amortization period of the assets that the Company otherwise would have recognized is one year or less.  These costs are included in General and administrative expenses.

The Company accounts for shipping and handling activities related to contracts with customers as costs to fulfill the promise to transfer the associated products.  When shipping and handling costs are incurred after a customer obtains control of the products, the Company also has elected to account for these as costs to fulfill the promise and not as a separate performance obligation.  Shipping and handling costs associated with the distribution of finished products to customers are recorded in costs of goods sold and are recognized when the related finished product is shipped to the customer.