Types of Protection For Digital Signage

Digital signage is the use of TV systems for out of home advertising. More-often-than not standard commercial televisions are used as many digital signage campaigns are run in indoor locations such as retail units or stores.

However, as more and more people begin to take advantage of this relatively low cost method of advertising, more and more digital systems are being taken outdoors or to other areas where they are in need of protection.

Outdoor signage is perhaps the fastest growing sector of this new market with perhaps good reason. The potential audience for an outdoor signage campaign is many times greater than the number of people that will walk through a store in a day. For this reason there has been a huge rise in the number of digital screens being erected in outdoor locations.

But commercial plasmas and LCD TVs are designed for use in indoor areas such as living and bedrooms and cannot cope with the outside elements. Waterproof LCD TVs are a solution for many outdoor locations but the high costs of these outdoor TVs is often difficult to justify especially when the return on investment of digital signage is so hard to calculate.

However, outdoor LCD enclosures are manufactured to allow standard commercial TV sets to be used in outdoor locations. The protective cabinet of the LCD enclosure surrounds the TV system and ensures no water or other weather elements permeate the enclosure.

Other types of protection for outdoor digital signage have to be considered too. TV screens are not only vulnerable to direct sunlight which can cause hotspots that can damage the screen but direct sunlight can also make screens difficult to read. Anti-glare glass and coverings for the LCD screen will ensure maximum readability in bright sunlight whilst an air curtain - a flow of air over the screen - will prevent hotspots.

Industrial Digital Signage is another application that requires protection. Industrial areas are even more hostile for the use of plasma and LCDs. Not only do industrial areas often contain water they also contain other liquids, some of which can be corrosive. Dust is also another concern for the safe operation of signage in industrial locations as are heavy impacts and extreme temperatures.

Fortunately an LCD enclosure can also protect digital signage systems in industrial areas. Manufactured to NEMA 4 (IP65) they not offer waterproof protection and can prevent all liquids fro permeating the enclosure but they are also act as a dust tight LCD enclosure and containing heating and cooling systems for hot or cold areas as well as being able to withstand heavy impacts.

Richard N Williams is a technical author and a specialist in the digital signage industry helping to develop outdoor digital signage and protection for plasmas. Please visit us for more information about LCD Enclosures or other digital signage solutions.

Sunlight and Outdoor Digital Signage

The use of digital signage in outdoor locations has increased rapidly over the last few years. The falling price of commercial LCD and plasma TVs combined with the growth of protective outdoor LCD enclosures has meant that placing a TV outside for the purposes of digital advertising is neither expensive nor difficult to do.

Waterproof LCD enclosures are cabinets that allow standard commercial televisions to be used in outdoor locations. They prevent water from seeping into the enclosure and damaging the LCD or plasma TV but still allow air to flow inside the enclosure to ensure the TV remains cool.

However, there are more considerations to think about than just protecting outdoor digital signage from the rain. There are other concerns that if overlooked, can have an effect on how successful an outdoor digital signage campaign is.

Direct and bright sunlight can have several effects on a digital advertising screen. Firstly, as you may have encountered in your living room at home, if sunlight is beaming directly on to the LCD TV screen then the picture can become difficult to see.

There are different methods to ensure sunlight doesn't effect the brightness of the screen but they mostly include using a type of anti-glare glass of covering that protects the screen. These work quite well by preventing the reflection issues caused by the sun.

However, visibility is not the only problem caused by direct sunlight. If constant sunshine, especially in areas that receive high levels of sunlight, is hitting a screen for a prolonged period of time, the screen itself can become hot, or develop hotspots. Often this excessive heat on a small area of the screen can permanently damage the LCD (or plasma which can suffer this effect even worse than LCDs).

Preventing sunlight from damaging the screen requires a more complicated system. The most efficient of these systems is the air curtain where cooled air is blown in front of the screen carrying away any excessive heat.

Richard N Williams is a technical author and a specialist in the digital signage industry helping to develop outdoor digital signage and protection for plasmas. Please visit us for more information about LCD Enclosures or other digital signage solutions.