For a long time now, LCD displays have become the screen of choice for home use. Most TVs are now LCD as are computer screens used in homes and offices, but indoor locations are nor the only area where LCD displays are being used. This article is about the rise of outdoor LCD displays, which are now cropping up in all sorts of outdoor locations.
For a long time now, LCD displays have become the screen of choice for home use. Most TVs are now LCD as are computer screens used in homes and offices, but indoor locations are nor the only area where LCD displays are being used. This article is about the rise of outdoor LCD displays, which are now cropping up in all sorts of outdoor locations.
LCD displays (liquid crystal displays) have several advantages over their CRT predecessors (cathode ray tube). Lighter, flatter and cheaper to buy, it is no wonder LCD displays are now the screen of choice for most homes and offices. Used as TVs and computer monitors, LCD displays take up less room than CRT monitors and are now ubiquitous.
Because of the light, flat design, LCD displays are seen outside the home too. Airports, shopping malls and other retail locations are now full of digital signage-LCDs displaying advertising and promotional content.
Digital signage is an effective method of advertising, able to reach large audiences by connecting with the commuters and shoppers around town. With moving imagery and HD technology, these screens provide a more noticeable form of out of home advertising than traditional static signs and posters.
While digital signage inside shopping malls and retail stores can reach large audiences, even greater numbers of people are available outside along high streets, which is why more and more digital signage displays are being erected in outdoor locations.
Using a standard LCD display outside is of course, not possible. Rain and other elements will soon disable a standard LCD, while the variable temperatures and risk of damage through vandalism means that any outdoor LCD display needs to be tough and contain sophisticated climate control systems to prevent the screen overheating or freezing.
Outdoor LCD displays need also to cope with sunlight. Because of the sun’s brightness and its ability to make a standard screen unreadable, an outdoor LCD display is often several times brighter than an indoor LCD. LCD brightness is measured in nits (a unit of luminance) and most indoor screens have nit value of around 400; outdoor displays on the other-hand have a nit value exceeding 1200, giving them the power to cope with even the brightest of sunshine.
Most outdoor LCD displays are placed in tough housings to avoid damage caused by vandalism or accidental impact. These outdoor LCD enclosures can sometimes provide all the protection needed for indoor displays to be used outdoors, too.
Using these outdoor LCD enclosures with standard TVs have one major benefit over using outdoor LCD displays-cost. The combined cost of a standard LCD TV with an enclosure is far, far cheaper than the cost of an outdoor LCD Display. Furthermore, as LCD enclosures can be reused, housing several generations of screens, they continue saving money in the years to come.
Outdoor LCD displays are highly expensive, often costing up to ten times the price of equivalent sized indoor displays. This has meant that only large-scale advertiser have primarily been involved with outdoor digital signage, the high costs being to prohibitive to small retailers and advertisers. However, with the use of outdoor LCD enclosures, housing standard indoor LCD screens, more and more businesses are able to get involved.
Outdoor LCD display enclosures are often found in transport hubs, such as train stations, where they house screens that provide customers with scheduling and timetabling information.
Increasingly, outdoor LCD enclosures are also being used for outdoor digital signage providing a cost-effective and comprehensively protected system that is less expensive than conventional outdoor LCD displays.