Consequences of Poor Outdoor Digital Signage Protection
Consequences of Poor Outdoor Digital Signage Protection
The rise of digital out of home (Dooh) has been an expeditious one. From the first screens installed in shopping malls and transport hubs, to today, where the high streets are becoming filled with outdoor digital signage screens, kiosks and digital posters.
This move to outdoors was an obvious step, especially in an industry where footfall is so important and as audiences for advertising media like digital signage are far larger in outdoor locations, then it's no wonder that outdoor digital signage is so ubiquitous.
With this rush to place screens outside, there have been many incidents of failure and problems with some of the first outdoor digital signage screens, a consequence of poor protection.
When using an LCD or plasma screen in outdoor location there is a lot to consider with regards to protection; missing out on one aspect of LCD protection could lead to failure of the screen and a loss of the initial investment, or at least a heady repair bill.
There are four elements that a screen in an outdoor location needs to be protected from:
Sun damage
The sun is one of the most challenging aspects to protecting outdoor digital signage. It causes three problems, all of which need to be overcome otherwise the screen will either fail or be not be working effectively.
Brightness is the first problem caused by the sun and any screen hat has to operate in high ambient areas will need a high brightness backlight otherwise the screen will appear washed-out and be hardly noticeable.
The sun can also cause glare that will also make the screen unreadable, but with direct sunlight beating on the screen it can lead to other issues too. Burn-in of images or permanent discolouration of the screen can be caused by continuous direct sunshine too so this heat needs to be carried away from the screen or the screen needs to be shrouded or defended against.
Rain
Perhaps the most obvious need for protection when considering placing a screen in an outdoor location is the rain. Water and electric devices like LCD TVs are clearly not hinges that mix very well but there are other elements that can be just as damaging as rain.
Snow and hail can cause similar problems to rainfall but also wind blown dust can lead to potential problems too. In dry arid areas, dust can be a real problem, if it seeps inside an LCD enclosure then it can lead to short-circuit, overheating or can clog up fans and filters. It is, therefore, important that any LCD, or digital signage enclosure, prevents the ingress of all elements, not just rainfall.
Temperature
LCD screens are designed to operate at a certain temperature. Normally this optimum is only a few degrees either side of average room temperature in consumer devices, although this window is slightly larger for commercial grade screens. Never-the-less, there are many locations where temperatures can fall or rise well out of this range. In winter climates, temperatures can plunge well-below freezing, a drop that will most certainly disable an unprotected screen. While, in summer and hot locations, the opposite can occur and the LCD runs the risk of overheating.
Temperature, therefore, needs to be carefully controlled. Cooling fans and even air conditioning need to be considered for areas where temperatures are excessively hot while in colder climates, insulation inside the digital signage enclosure and heaters may have to be installed.
Physical
An area often overlooked with outdoor digital signage is the risk of damage either through accidental impact or vandalism. Often outdoor screens are in vulnerable locations, especially at night so physical consideration is essential if you wish to prevent the need to continually replace screens. A steel LCD enclosure to other rugged from of digital signage enclosure is, therefore, essential.
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