Outside Protection for LCDs and Plasmas

Posted by: Richard Williams | Posted on: July 24th, 2009 | 0 Comments

The use of LCD and plasma screens outside has rocketed in recent years thanks largely to the expansion of digital signage and in particular outdoor digital signage.

Keeping these display devices protected in outdoor areas is a particular challenge particularly as LCD and plasmas used for outdoor signage are the same devices that we use as home TV systems.

You can imagine what would happen if you unplugged your TV equipment and placed it outside. Whilst everything would be working perfectly during the dry weather, the moment in rained the device could be permanently disabled.

LCD waterproof protection often comes in the guise of NEMA 4 (USA) or IP65 (EU) which are industry standards than denotes the protection an electronic device’s enclosure offers against water. Any device built to IP65 or NEMA 4 should be able to be used without trouble in the rain.

But it is not just the rain that LCD and plasmas need to be protected from if they are to be used outdoors. Wet weather is only one of the harmful elements that can permanently damage a modern flat panel TV device.

The extreme weather that some places in North America have to deal with are another factor that has to be considered when installing outdoor digital signage. Whilst Alaska is notoriously cold and New Mexico has some of the hottest temperatures in America, many areas, to some degree can suffer both extreme heat in the summer and freezing temperatures in the winter.

By far the best solution for protecting TV devices in outdoor conditions is to use an outdoor LCD enclosure (or plasma enclosure). These are not only built to the NEMA 4 specification to protect from water ingress and dust but also they contain air conditioning and heater systems to ensure the devices are operating in perfect ambient temperatures ensuring the outdoor digital signage is protected all year round from all the elements.