(And Why Consumer TVs are a Risky Alternative for Digital Signage) Gene Ornstead 08.13.2014 The needs of the digital signage market differ markedly from those of an in-home consumer. Substituting even an outstanding inhome television for a commercial-quality display can be a recipe for increased frustration, downtime, and costs. Despite higher up-front costs, investment in the appropriate commercial-quality display technology for a given installation is more likely to achieve the desired results and deliver greater ROI.
Introduction As a consumer, and as a business professional, you probably run across great-looking large-screen TVs at your local big box store or Costco. You may also notice that these big beautiful displays carry a lower price point than their same-sized commercial-quality counterparts. If you re tempted to substitute a consumer TV for a digital display application, you re not alone. Fueled by the desire to keep costs in line and demonstrate ever-higher ROI, using consumer TVs as digital displays is an emerging trend. 1 However, the use of consumer products for commercial applications often backfires, resulting in higher costs and system downtime. The reason? Consumer displays are simply not designed to function in the more demanding world of commercial digital signage. Commercial displays, on the other hand, offer distinct design advantages that deliver the performance needed to function reliably in a 24/7/365 day environment for greater efficiencies and the best ROI in the long run. Highlighting the differences between consumer televisions and commercial displays is the large number of features that distinguish displays purpose-built for digital signage environments. Among the things to look for in a well-designed commercial display are: Heavy-duty hardware Commercial-grade warranty Durability for 24/7 runtimes Flexible mounting options Symmetrical, slim bezels Heavy-duty enclosures Multiple mounting features Security features High brightness panels High contrast ratio/full grayscale Wide viewing angles Versatile inputs One-time configuration Content scheduling capabilities RS232 output IR pass-through Remote set up/management/ LAN control Daisy-chaining support Touchscreen capabilities LED backlight
In addition, commercial displays are specifically designed for compatibility with PCs and commercial-grade AV standards, whereas consumer televisions are first and foremost designed to support in-home viewing needs, which differ substantially from the needs of the digital signage market. Alan Brawn, a certified member of the Digital Signage Experts Group (DSEG), reminds signage professionals that: Contrary to popular belief, the incorporation of a flat panel display in a digital signage environment is not just a plug and play scenario. There are numerous design aspects to take into consideration, for example, internal scalers/algorithms. Commercial displays recognize all PC resolutions including wide formats and different refresh rates (1024x768 @60, 72, 75, 85Hz) in addition to TV/video resolutions. Consumer displays are designed specifically for TV/video formats with very limited PC resolutions. 2 Build Quality Counts Along with the specific design features of a given display, the quality of construction can vary substantially between consumer TVs and commercial-grade displays, with a significant effect on display failure rate. Manufacturers of both consumer and commercial displays purchase panels (the display glass ) from the same handful of suppliers. According to Brawn, The manner in which [the glass] is incorporated into the package and the quality of the components used to drive the display will determine the lifespan of the product in the field. Nowhere is this more important than in digital signage. 3 Brawn recounts the horror story of a company that experienced a 25% failure rate when it purchased several thousand bargain-priced, off-brand LCD TVs, concluding that, The old adage that you get what you pay for is not just an idle thought, especially in the constant use world of digital signage. Commercial-quality Warranty A display s warranty provides insight into the manufacturer s confidence in the product s performance abilities in a given environment. Consumer products are designed for a specific in-home usage profile (average worldwide TV viewing time is 3.25 hours per day 4 ), and thus tend to carry a standard one-year warranty. This warranty is typically voided if the product is used beyond a specified number of hours per day or
installed in any non-consumer manner. Most consumer TV s have a 4-hour programmed turn off feature to prevent display fatigue. Another potential pitfall, some consumer warranties will revert to 90 days over-the-counter servicing when used in a non-specified way, requiring the product to be returned to the service center for repair. 5 Commercial-grade displays, on the other hand, carry a minimum 2-3 year warranty, often with optional extras such as on-site servicing. Designed for 24/7 Continuous Operation True commercial-quality displays are carefully crafted using heavy-duty hardware capable of withstanding the heat generated by the extended runtimes called for by most display signage applications. The internal design of these displays also allows for sufficient cooling in both horizontal and vertical orientations. Look for displays rated for 24/7 continuous use; many manufactures also provide a lifespan rating based on continuous daily usage under typical commercial conditions. Features such as heat monitoring and screen savers add to reliability and durability while options such as fan-less design can extend lifespan in environments with contaminants like moisture and smoke. Portrait and Landscape Mounting Options Commercial display installations call for the flexibility to mount displays in a horizontal or vertical orientation, depending on space constraints, content design, and other considerations. Consumer TVs, on the other hand, are strictly designed for horizontal viewing. What may seem like a simple matter of turning a consumer television 90-degrees is in fact far more complex, and can lead to overheating or degradation of image quality. Designed to accommodate flexible mounting needs, commercial displays include features designed to deliver optimal cooling and image quality in both orientations, as well as standard (VESA compliant) mounting connections for easier, less costly installation. Slim Bezel Designs Displays designed for commercial applications feature slim, symmetrical bezels, which offer the least distraction from the onscreen content as well as optimize the screens for tiled use in video walls. The bezels on consumer televisions echo the screen s intended horizontal orientation and are rarely symmetrical yet another reason they are not well suited for vertical display.
Heavy-duty Enclosures Along with the bezel, a display s panel is contained by the casing covering its back side. Commercial-quality display enclosures feature more durable materials and construction than consumer products for greater protection against elements such as heat, grease and dust. Security Features While your home TV content provider may offer lock-down features, your television hardware has little need for locks or security controls. Designed for public installation, commercial displays offer tamper-resistant locks for power, volume, and other controls to help prevent service disruptions. Additional security features can include mechanisms for locking down the front panel and IR remote. Premium Image Quality Consumers and businesses alike want outstanding picture quality to maximize viewing comfort, enjoyment, and (for commercial installations) effectiveness. What looks good in a home environment, however, does not always deliver the desired results in an out-of-home setting. Full HD 1080p resolution is often the starting point for discerning consumers, and is considered a requirement for commercial display. Other features to look for include a high brightness level and high contrast ratio/full grayscale reproduction. Brightness Level Commercial displays are designed to operate in a variety of conditions (whereas home-use TVs assume a dim or darkened room) and many feature high brightness levels for enhanced visibility and color fidelity in environments with high levels of ambient light. Look for brightness levels of at least 450 nits for an indoor retail environment such as malls or quick serve restaurants; levels of 700 nits are recommended for outdoor daytime display. Full Grayscale Reproduction/High Contrast Ratio Not every display is alike when it comes to grayscale reproduction. The ability to display all 256 different levels of luminance, or brightness, that reside between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks will deliver a more vibrant and true image. According to the DSEG s Brawn, consumer and commercial displays use differing backlight technologies for addressing grayscale, stating that:
Commercial displays will produce a full grayscale with good linear color tracking from black to white showing all 256 different levels of luminance (brightness.) This is necessary for the diversity of PC applications. For consumer televisions, grayscale is skewed for more of the bright white end of the scale relative to the narrow broadcast standards that they must meet. 6 Contrast ratio, a figure representing the difference between the luminance of the white to black that a display can produce, is a related measure to watch out for. In general, the higher the contrast ratio the better the production of crisp, vibrant colors and high contrast ratios will deliver whiter whites and blacker blacks along with a greater degree of gray values in between. If a contrast ratio is low, even if the image is bright, it will look washed out. Wide Viewing Angles A wide viewing angle will deliver your message more clearly and to a greater number of viewers. While some consumer televisions offer viewing angles comparable to commercial displays, many will not and none will be optimal for vertical orientation. Professional-quality displays designed around an IPS (in-plane switching) panel deliver 178-degrees of both vertical and horizontal viewing with vivid, accurate colors, consistent brightness levels and no image distortion whether looking directly at the screen or viewing it from above, below, or the sides. Versatile Inputs Adaptable, high-quality commercial displays offer a versatile selection of inputs, including HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, CVBS, YPbPr (YCbCr) and VGA, enabling easy connectivity with the variety of digital equipment typically needed for a networked installation. Consumer TVs, not surprisingly, generally offer far fewer options as their intended use requires connectivity only with standard home-theater equipment. One-time Configuration Whether a digital signage installation calls for one display, a 4x4 video wall, or multiple networked displays throughout a facility, correct setup and configuration requires time and care. Commercial displays with a one-time installation and setup feature that stores preferred source settings can save significant time and headaches during the course of an installation.
Content Scheduling Capabilities While the quality of your commercial display hardware is critical, content, as they say, is king. Features that help ensure that the right content is running at the right time, on the correct displays, are a big bonus in a commercial display. Look for a user-friendly content scheduling interface with capabilities such as: Intuitive on-screen display (OSD) Time and date scheduling Repeat and shuffle settings Content source settings for various inputs Internal clock and multi-day scheduler PIP/POP (picture in picture) functionality RS232 Output for Efficient Device Control A standardized connectivity and control specification, RS232 can be found on both commercial and consumer displays. In a high-end home theater system, RS232 is used to control AV receiver functions and can also facilitate serial control of home automation systems. In a digital signage installation, RS232 is used to enable control of all daisy-chained displays from one display. This eliminates the need to interact with each screen to power on/off or adjust other settings for efficient and cost-effective management. Brawn elaborates upon the distinctions between consumer and commercial displays when it comes to control connectivity: One important differentiator is the connector interface. Commercial displays incorporate the standard RS232 external control/connector with PC and video loop-through connector capability facilitating multiple display configurations from a single PC or video source. In addition they include industrial BNC locking connectors. Consumer displays typically do not offer RS232 external display control/connector, video loop through capability or multiple display configuration capability and BNC connectors. 7
IR Pass-through When enhanced with IR pass-through functionality, commercial displays provide for easy and efficient management of multiple-display configurations from one controller via an infrared control chain. IR pass-through further enhances commercial display installations by allowing device operation (i.e. media player) from one enabled component (often a display screen) by pointing the remote controller at this one component rather than the devices themselves. This allows for the enclosure of ancillary devices to maintain an attractive, clutter-free environment. LAN Control for Remote Network Management Commercial displays equipped with an integrated RJ45 connection allow remote network management for set up and management of display content from a PC or laptop. Displays can be remotely turned on or off, and volume and other settings can be adjusted via a user-friendly on-screen interface. Daisy-chaining Support Commercial displays equipped with daisy-chain capabilities greatly simplify the process of installing multi-display and video wall set ups. Requiring only one display to be connected to the content source, daisy-chained configurations reduce costs related to maintenance as well as installation. Consumer televisions are not designed to support this type of installation. Touchscreen Capabilities From wayfinding and informational signage to self-serve kiosks and entertainment displays, many applications benefit from the interactive functionality offered by touchscreen displays. Clearly not called for on a consumer television, touchscreen technology is widely available on many commercial-quality displays. LED Backlight An energy-saving LED backlight consumes 35% less power than conventional CCFL backlight displays and will deliver a lower overall cost of ownership, along with a higher ROI; Look for ENERGY STAR 6.0 certification in a commercial-grade display.
Conclusion The needs of the digital signage market differ markedly from those of an in-home consumer. The design of the displays intended to serve each group differ greatly as well. Consumer TVs are less costly for a reason: they lack the many technology and design features that render commercial displays durable, reliable, and efficient in a digital signage environment. Substituting even an outstanding in-home television for a commercial-quality display can be a recipe for increased frustration, downtime, and costs. Despite higher up-front costs, investment in the appropriate commercial-quality display technology for a given installation is more likely to achieve the desired results and deliver greater ROI. For more information about ViewSonic s complete line of Commercial Displays, call one of our sales representatives at 1-888-881-8781 or visit www.viewsonic.com 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 Brawn, Alan, CTS, ISF-C, DSCE, Commercial versus Consumer to the Untrained Eye, Accessed 7.16.14 at http://www.dseg.org/page/article-commercial-versus-consumer-untrained-eye 4 People worldwide spend an average 3h15 watching TV every day, Accessed 7.20.14 at http://www.electrical-efficiency com/2012/09/how-much-electricity-do-flat-screen-televisions-use/ Program, pricing, specifications and availability are subject to change without notice. Corporate names and trademarks stated herein are the property of their respective companies. Copyright 2014, ViewSonic Corporation. All rights reserved. [17322-00B-08/14]