Ensuring the devices do not fail and that you get the maximum from the initial investment can drastically increase the chances of getting a ROI and making the entire campaign a success. Here are some of the most common reasons LCD screens and other devices fail in a digital signage campaigns.

Over Heating
Over heating is perhaps the most common cause of LCD and plasma screen failure. So many different components inside a modern LCD screen are vulnerable to excessive heat. Capacitors are the main culprit in an overheating failure and are very susceptible to heat build up as are invertors and many other components.

Preventing overheating is crucial for digital signage systems both indoors and out. Ensuring airflow and somewhere for the heat to disperse such as vents or louvers is essential to prevent overheating and ensuring the unit will continue operating. All digital signage or LCD enclosures should contain fans or other air flow systems to provide this heat dispersal.

Lack of weather protection
Outdoor digital signage can often fail because of a lack of protection from the elements. Waterproof LCD enclosures should be manufactured to a recognised standard such as NEMA 4 or IP54 to ensure protection against rainfall and other hostile elements such as dust.

Consideration also has to be given to cold temperatures. Whilst heat is an electronic devices main enemy, extreme cold can be just as damaging as any internal humidity or condensation can freeze in causing expansion and damage to components. Any outdoor digital signage placed in sub zero temperatures needs some sort of heater system in the signage or LCD enclosure.

Back Light failure
LCD flat screen TVs are commonly back–lit by cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) which are often the cause of failure. Usually CCFL’s go when there is a fault with other components such as the inverter, capacitors or power supply. However, more LCD screens are being produced with back-lit LED systems that not only are far more reliable, they also use a lot less power and produce far less heat.

Deliberate Damage
Sadly, vandalism is a common cause of screen failure and ensuring any public or outdoor digital signage is protected against deliberate attack is important to prevent failure. Shatterproof screens and solid steel LCD enclosures are the best method of defending against such attacks.

Originally posted 2010-03-13 08:32:07.

You just finished reading Common Causes for Digital Signage Failure on LCD-enclosure.com. Please consider leaving a comment!

Its applications is also increasing with more and more industrial sectors realizing the benefits of using digital signage and LCD and plasmas are springing up almost everywhere. Digital signage offers plenty of benefits such as:

•    Being cheaper than creating and print ad campaigns.
•    Flexible – promotions can be changed immediately
•    Messages can be tailored and varied for different products or particular customers
•    Revenue can be produced through selling advertising space
•    It can help influence customer behaviour
•    Provide important information
•    Is far better looking than traditional print signs; improving company image
•    Better visibility for warning signs or important information

Digital signage is now being used in many areas where it has traditionally been inconceivable to use a TV screen. Industrial areas, factories and even the great outdoors offer little in the way of obstacles for modern digital signage, thanks mainly to the growing use of LCD enclosures.

An LCD enclosure protects outdoor digital signage from the weather but also can protect industrial digital signage from many of the hostile elements in factories and industrial plants. Dust, dirt, vibrations and even water (including pressure washers) can’t penetrate or damage an LCD or plasma enclosed in these LCD or plasma enclosures.

Many of the flat screen enclosures offer protection to the NEMA 4X rating (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) allowing users to note the type of protection they offer.

Originally posted 2009-06-06 09:00:46.

You just finished reading Digital Signage in the Extreme on LCD-enclosure.com. Please consider leaving a comment!

The display is actually the side of their building which has had LED lights built into it on all four exterior walls allowing the screen to be seen from over a mile away in all directions.

This latest record breaking outdoor digital signage display is the latest in recent claims to have built the largest screen with the Dallas Cowboys’ giant outdoor display being boasted as the previous largest sized outdoor screen – but is this race for expansiveness actually worth while?

500 ft screen in Atlantic City

Why size matters

Size is a key method of getting noticed, especially in outdoor locations. Due to the rise of digital signage and the use of screens out of the home, we are too used to seeing TVs, so making it stand out is one way of getting it noticed and size is one method of doing so.

Most large scale screens such as the new Atlantic City display are based on LEDs but as flat screen TV technology is advancing, more and more larger sized LCD and plasma screens are being used for outdoor digital signage.

These have the advantage over Led screens in that the image has no pixilation and with modern High Definition technology these giant LCD screens can also play HD content providing far better image quality than LEDs can ever manage.

LCD Enclosures

Keeping these screens protected in an outdoor location is the task of the outdoor LCD enclosure and these are also growing in size; 70” LCD enclosures are commonly available.

LCD enclosures allow almost any make or model LCD or plasma screen to be taken outdoors, protecting them from the weather, temperature and impacts.

Originally posted 2010-09-06 06:39:33.

You just finished reading Largest Outdoor Digital Signage Display – but does size matter? on LCD-enclosure.com. Please consider leaving a comment!

Salt Lake City Council, in Utah, has voted unanimously to ban all roadside outdoor digital signs saying they pose a public safety risk.

The ban follows strict laws already in place in Utah governing digital signage and electronic billboards. All digital signage content has to remain static for at least eight seconds in Utah, according to state law, while the brightness is strictly controlled.

The citywide ban comes into force despite there being no solid evidence to suggest roadside digital signage poses a threat to drivers. Indeed, in Europe, some of the largest digital billboards run alongside the motorways and main routes into cities like London, with no rise in reported accidents at those sites.

Leading Salt Lake sign providers, YESCO (Young Electric Sign Company) said they accepted the need for proper regulation but that an outright is not good for their business or the local community.

YESCO also suggest that outdoor digital signage has some unique advantages over other media. The company says they joined forces with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the FBI, to provide AMBER Alerts, Most Wanted adverts, and other public service

“Seconds count when an AMBER Alert is issued and electronic billboards are the best way and sometimes the only way to show motorists a picture of an abducted child. The Utah AMBER Alert Plan relies on these billboards to be available 24/7 so we can bring every abducted child home safely,” said Paul Murphy, Utah AMBER Alert Coordinator.

Jared Johnson, YESCO Outdoor Media’s Director of Real Estate has participated in numerous public meetings since the ban was first proposed in late 2010. He said: ‘We’ve worked diligently with the Salt Lake City Planning Commission to develop reasonable regulations for electronic billboards, but we haven’t made much progress. Based on my observation at the public hearings on this issue, there have been no complaints recorded, and therefore no justification for a ban or severe regulation.’

However, the council still unanimously voted through the van last week.

Originally posted 2011-04-28 09:00:02.

You just finished reading Another US City Outlaws Roadside Digital Signage on LCD-enclosure.com. Please consider leaving a comment!

And outdoor digital signage is following in the shoes of indoor systems with more and more outdoor digital signs springing up all over the place.

However, not all digital signage campaigns are successful, and as advertising screens become ubiquitous, so increases the number of unsuccessful and poor campaigns. But, where are these people going wrong? Here are the most common reasons for unsuccessful campaigns:

Broken and Off Screens

A very common problem, especially with outdoor digital signage, is dead screens. A number of causes are to blame for dead screens. Overheating, shocks, vandalism, and content management system failure are by far the leading causes. Often a dead screen can be down for a long time as unlike static signage that gets replaced on site, content is often uploaded remotely so the screen owners are left unaware of the problem.

Ensure your content management system is reliable as well as ensuring your screen is protected from excessive heat, impacts and vandalism will reduce the chances of a dead screen. Often, steel LCD enclosures are installed in outdoor locations as they not only protect the screens physically, but also have internal systems to prevent overheating.

Lack of Quality

Poor quality content is another cause of unsuccessful campaigns. People sometimes assume that a simple power point presentation is all that is needed to run a digital advertising campaign. However, the psychology of digital signage is very complicated and requires some experience or reading-up to ensure you are providing relevant, eye-catching content.

Another common content mistake is making the content to broad and unspecific. Random promotion can make establishing a return on investment and understanding if the campaign is a success extremely difficult. By advertising single products or promotions you can establish the success of the campaign far easier by relating it to an increase in sales.

Screens need to be protected

Originally posted 2011-02-08 06:37:14.

You just finished reading Causes of Poor Digital Signage Campaigns on LCD-enclosure.com. Please consider leaving a comment!

The applications for digital signage vary, but typically the use of out of home screens cover advertising, information provision and branding, and new approaches to all three applications were on show.

Following hot on the heels of ISE in Amsterdam (Integrated Systems Europe) earlier this month, DSE 2011 was very content based, but there were still plenty of hardware and outdoor digital signage options on display.

As with ISE in Amsterdam, touch screens seemed to be on the rise at Vegas with a whole host of different types of touch screen displays from some big and small name companies. The trend for touch screen in digital signage has risen in tandem with the growth of touch screens in other technologies such as the tablet computer and mobile phone.

Interactivity works well in conjunction with digital signage as it encourages screen use providing advertisers and promoters branding opportunities; however, content needs to be relevant and inspiring to appeal to an audience before they will get involved.

3D Continues to thrive too with many new 3D systems on display at DSE. Some of these are using tried and tested 3D technologies with glasses but some new methods of creating the 3D effect without the need of specialist spectacles.

With each successive exhibition bringing in record numbers, these expos demonstrate the continued growth of the interactive and digital signage industry and with more and more companies getting involved in both hardware and content, digital signage looks set to grow for several years to come.

Armgard at DSE 2011

Originally posted 2011-03-01 08:33:45.

You just finished reading DSE 2011 – Analysis on LCD-enclosure.com. Please consider leaving a comment!

Not getting the brightness level right can cause several problems:

Digital Signage Dazzle

Critics of digital out of home (Dooh) often cite the potential danger of outdoor digital signage that is too bright causing dazzle to drivers, although the evidence suggests such fears are unsubstantiated. However, having too high a brightness can lead to problems, and not just outdoors.

A recent screen installation in a new basketball stadium at the University of Oregon caused terrible screen glare onto the polished floor of the basketball court.  The screens, situated high up and facing down were described as “headache inducing” by some of the crowd.

This is an example of when brightness levels are too high but it can also lead to other problems such as overheating, extreme power consumption and high running costs.

Dimness

The opposite problem, however, can occur, particularly with outdoor digital signage, and often due to the sun.  The brightness of the sun has to be countered with outdoor digital signage, which often means deploying a high brightness screen, to cope with sunlight when it is at its highest level.

The problem though, is that the ambient light can vary but there is no effective way of controlling the brightness of a screen automatically (at least not yet). The result is that during overcast days, or in the evening, many outdoor digital signage displays are just too bright, either threatening to dazzle drivers and costing a lot to keep running, not to mention the damage inflicted to the environment.

There are, however, several solutions that can reduce the need for running outdoor screens at such high levels. Transflective technology is one method. These screens use the ambient brightness of the sun to boost the backlight of the LCD display. The advantage of this is that when the sun is dim, such as an overcast day, the brightness can remain low, but when the sun is bright, the contrast is boosted.

Digital displays reflecting off a basketball court

Originally posted 2011-01-21 09:00:05.

You just finished reading Brightness Levels of Digital Signage on LCD-enclosure.com. Please consider leaving a comment!

Interactive white boards are now commonplace in schools as are computers, the internet and other modern technology.

But the technology required by schools, and for that matter colleges and universities, is required for more than just the education. Communication is vital in these institutes as getting information across to all students their parents and members of staff can be difficult.

With such large populations, schools find disseminating information difficult and most have several different methods of communication: notice boards, Tannoy systems, and the traditional letter home if you need to communicate with parents, and in recent times, email, but all these systems have faults.

Notice boards require somebody to pin up the information and are only useful when people visit the board and read what’s been put up. Email is only effective when and if people check it, while a Tannoy can be disruptive. However, many schools are implementing digital signage as a means of providing information, even utilizing outdoor digital signage, to ensure latecomers and passers-by are made aware of important information or upcoming events.

The advantages for educational establishment in going digital are multiple: Firstly, as content can be uploaded remotely this saves time in delivering the information. With multiple screen son site there is more likelihood of the information being read, and if there are outdoor digital signage screens outside, even those that are running late can be kept up-to-date.

Digital displays are also multipurpose and all sorts of information can be displayed from the latest scores in the gymnasium, to reminders to students. And in times of emergency, digital signage is a great way of disseminating information to all corners of the school, instantly.

Digital signage is helping schools increase their effectiveness at passing information and in doing so making the establishments a more efficient and safer learning environment.

Digital signage at a school

Originally posted 2011-02-02 09:01:30.

You just finished reading Equipping the Modern School – Digital Signage on LCD-enclosure.com. Please consider leaving a comment!

Because of the great advantages of digital signage in being able to provide up-to-the-minute content, and the ability to network dozens or even hundreds of screens together, sports stadiums are now veritable digital signage jungles.

There is such a multitude of uses for digital signage in sports stadium too, including:

Scoreboard information – providing up-to-the-minute details of play ensuring latecomers and those taking a bathroom or meal break are kept informed on the progress of the big match or game.

Ticketing information – displaying the prices and timetables for upcoming events so spectators can be kept informed of seat availability and the next fixtures.

Advertising – generating extra revenue for the sport’s clubs who provide large audiences for advertisers that can target everything from merchandise to fast-food offers.

The only challenge in many sports stadiums and arenas is that they are not really the ideal location for an LCD or plasma display. Often cold, draughty, and sometimes exposed to the elements, most screens used in these sorts of environments need to be protected.

Many sports stadiums are now looking to LCD enclosures for this very protection. These are ideal as the sports stadiums can source whatever screens and networking systems they require and can be confident that they will fit inside the LCD enclosure.

Designed with industry standard VESA mounting, almost any commerical or consumer grade flat-screen device, whether it be an LCD, plasma or LED back-lit TV, can be placed inside.

LCD enclosures enable these screens to positioned anywhere, either inside the stadium itself or outdoors. They are not only weatherproof but can endure temperature ranges from below zero to extremely hot conditions.

Because of this protection, LCD enclosures are being deployed in NFL stadiums, European football arenas, ice-hockey stadiums, gymnasiums, tennis courts and a wide range of other locations.

Originally posted 2010-12-23 09:38:25.

You just finished reading Growing Demand for Digital Signage in Sports Stadiums on LCD-enclosure.com. Please consider leaving a comment!

With huge differences in the approach to outdoor digital signage compared to indoor campaigns, it can be all too difficult to make a success of your campaign or get a return on your investment.

However, there are several tricks of the trade and an points to think about which can help you increase the chance of your outdoor digital signage being a success:

1. Ensure you have a goal in mind – a clearly defined goal is important before you begin any digital outdoor advertising campaign. Ask yourself, what am I trying to achieve? Drive sales, increase brand awareness or provide general information?

Outdoor Digital Signage Can be a Challenge

2. Establish locations first – before you buy the screens, decide on the content or make any other plans, you need to know where the screens will be placed. This can affect all other aspects of the campaign from the size and type of screen required to the type of content that you will be playing.

3. Going alone can be lonely- A common mistake is to think of the project as an extension of your IT department. Digital signage is a new industry but there are those with experience. Choose partners that can help and advise rather than just supply you with hardware. It is also important that somebody takes responsibility for the outdoor digital signage project and that it is managed correctly.

4. Content is king – Creating your own content is possible but experience and creativity are a must. If you want to stand out from the crowd, professionally created content will be far more attractive than something knocked-up on the home PC.

Originally posted 2010-06-11 09:00:12.

You just finished reading Outdoor Digital Signage – Ten Steps to Success – Part 1 on LCD-enclosure.com. Please consider leaving a comment!