Technologies come and go. For some innovations such as the Internet, in a brief amount of time they change the way we conduct our lives, for others, such as the video cassette recorder, after a few decades of relevance they are usurped by newer, more modern technologies and become confined to history.

Digital signage has been around for about ten years now, but what does its future hold, and will we still be viewing out of home screens in a decade’s time?

Digital signage has been around since modern flatscreen TVs first came on to the market. The lightweight, unobtrusive nature LCD and plasma screens made them ideal for placing on walls to provide advertising content.

Soon our shopping malls, airports, and other locations that receive large amounts of visitors became littered with digital signage displays, and they are now found in doctor’s surgeries, gas stations, pharmacies and outside as outdoor digital signage.

Today, the global digital signage market is a multi-billion dollar market and by 2017, it is estimated that globally the digital signage market will be worth $14 billion.

Currently, indoor digital signage is beginning to wane and receiving less growth than outdoor digital signage. As there are far less outdoor screens around, there is obviously much more room for outdoor digital signage to expand—but does this mean that indoor is reaching a zenith?

With the advent of technologies such as high definition, glasses free 3D and facial recognition software, digital signage is expected to advance, maybe not in installations, but advance in sophistication, providing both consumers and advertisers more opportunities.

Digital signage is here to stay, but the shape and design of future out of home systems may make the modern digital signage display as antiquated as the VCR.

Out of home advertising is one of the oldest forms of promotion. From the Romans to Victorians, signs have always adorned our high streets and city areas. With the advent of printing during the eighteenth century, out of home advertising exploded and by the twentieth century signs, posters and billboards littered nearly every space, blank wall and outdoor location that received high footfall.

Now were into the twenty-first century, out of home advertising is, for the first time since the development, beginning to change.

Increasingly, digital signage is replacing the static posters, billboards and adverts, around our high streets, shopping centres and other locations with a high footfall, but is this new, modern medium any better at attracting people’s attention and getting the message across?

With any out of home advert, content is king; whether the sign is static or a modern outdoor digital signage display, the content needs to engage people. However, there are some distinct advantages to going digital.

Dayparting

Splitting the days into segments and scheduling different content for different times is one distinct advantage static media can’t match. By providing content at different times, advertisers can target specific audiences—food retailers can provide content at lunchtimes, while bars can advertise during the evening.

Remote Uploading

Another advantage of outdoor digital signage compared to static media is the ability to upload content remotely. With static media, technicians need to travel around replacing old content with new. This is both costly and time-consuming, but with digital signage, uploading new content to a network of screens can be both instant and remote.

Multiple Adverts

Another distinct advantage to digital signage is the ability to provide content from multiple providers on the same advertising space. This can maximize the space for the screen owner as well as generating more profits by using the same screen to provide content from several advertisers.

Outdoor digital signage has many advantages over indoor screens; the potential audience that will view an outdoor screen is much larger than an indoor display meaning more people will get to see the content. However, people view outdoor digital signage differently compared to indoor screens, and this is important for planning any outdoor campaign.

Generally, people are receptive to outdoor digital signage. Good, interactive and appealing content is something people enjoy seeing, according to research, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that people will automatically view an outdoor screen.

The biggest difference in how people view an outdoor screen compared to an indoor one is the dwell time. Typically, a well-positioned indoor display may enjoy up to eight seconds of view time as people meander around a store or shopping mall. Outdoors, however, people tend to walk faster and spend less time looking around meaning the dwell time for an outdoor digital signage display is perhaps less than a couple of seconds,

Because of this briefer dwell time, outdoor content needs to be less cluttered, more to the point and bolder, with important information continuously prominent.

Another big difference in the viewing habits for an outdoor display is distance. People view outdoor screens from much farther away; not just passersby, either, but also those travelling on buses and taxis who may catch sight of the display.

Because of this advantage, the larger the screen size the better. Larger screens can be viewed from farther away so can generate more views than smaller displays.

Outdoor digital signage needs also to be prominent. Screens lying flush against walls, commonplace in indoor locations, often aren’t viewed outdoors as people’s eyes tend to wander less.

Prominent floor-standing totems and kiosks provide the best solution for outdoor digital signage, as they become a feature that has people have to negotiate, forcing them to interact as they walk around.

While high-end restaurants enjoy the privilege of having bookings and knowing who will be eating and when, lower end restaurants, fast food eateries and diners, depend upon passing trade and spontaneous decision-making from their patrons.

Outdoor digital signage provides restaurants with many advanatges

Competition is high in the food industry; whether it’s a fast food restaurant nestled amongst several similar establishments, or a continental restaurant relying on evening diners, customers have plenty of choice when it comes to choosing where to eat.

These days, digital menu boards have changed the way restaurants interact with their customers. Most fast food restaurant, these days, have some sort of screen above the counter providing content of what’s on offer, while specials and promotions are also regularly relayed on these screens.

But outdoors is where the real difference is being made. Options for enticing people into a restaurant used to be limited. A menu pasted outside the front door describing what was on offer, sometimes with pictures of the dishes was all that restaurateurs could do.

Now, however, outdoor digital signage is providing real advantages for restaurants wanting to entice customers. Being able to provide bright, bold images—often moving images—of meals outside a venue can catch people’s eyes and provoke custom that is more spontaneous.

Dayparting too has great advantages for a restaurant. By playing different content during different times of the day, restaurants are able to promote specific breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, appealing to a more targeted audience.

Outdoor digital signage also provides an establishment with a touch of modernity, creating the right image for modern and sophisticated customers, and for the restaurateur, having a medium that allows immediate changing of content, a place put up specials and promotions as well as providing the restaurant with a modern-looking menu system can increase customers.

Even small businesses can take advantage of outdoor.

Outdoor digital signage is in no way as popular as the use of indoor screens. While every shopping mall, airport and even pharmacy has an advertising screen these days, outdoor screens are still few and far between.

While outdoor digital signage is still growing, most outdoor systems are installs by large national advertising companies who are replacing their traditional static out of home media with digital varieties. But outdoor digital signage is just as suitable for the smaller business too.

Outdoor digital signage can generate huge audiences in comparison to indoor screens. No matter how many people view an instore signage campaign, far more will see a sign outside the store, and if a screen is positioned in the right place and displaying the right content it can help attract people through the doors.

And outdoor digital signage has other uses than just promotion for small businesses. Restaurants that display outdoor menus on a digital signage display are more likely to entice people inside—being able to show steaming plate of food provides a far more appealing image to a consumer than a static picture.

Providing customers with essential and important information is another use of outdoor digital signage for small businesses. Opening hours, waiting times and other useful information displayed on an outdoor screen can all help keep customers informed and satisfied.

One reason why so many small businesses are reluctant to invest in outdoor digital signage is the high costs often attributed to installing an outdoor screen. And with the high costs of most outdoor installs, this is no surprise. The average cost of an outdoor screen can often be up to ten times that of an equivalent indoor screen; however, there are alternatives.

Outdoor LCD enclosures are ideal for small businesses as they allow the use of cheaper, standard displays outside, keeping them protected from the elements and keeping them secure. And as the combined cost of a standard screen and an LCD enclosure is much lower than a specific outdoor display, the savings can make the investment worthwhile.

When people consider using outdoor digital signage, one thing that is an important factor in the decision-making is whether the investment is going to be worth it. There is little point spending money on an outdoor display if it fails to increase sales (if advertising) or generates enough customer satisfaction to make it worthwhile.

Assessing the value of an outdoor digital signage display is not easy, however, as many different factors can affect the net results. If a promotion is of value to customers, it could be difficult to decide if outdoor digital signage is any more effective than a static advertisement, unless of course both methods are split-tested.

After all, the biggest asset to any outdoor advertisement is probably not the medium but the location and a large prominent sign displaying a static promotion may just as likely receive as many views as a digital variety, so why bother?

The true value of outdoor digital signage lies with its ability to provide multiple adverts from the same spot, something static media can’t so. So rather than just promote one item, a store or advertiser can promote several, increasing sales across a product range.

Another value of using outdoor digital signage is the speed at which content can be changed. With a static campaign, new content may take weeks to come back from the printers and as much time to replace all the old content, especially if the adverts are over a wide area.

With outdoor digital signage, uploading new content is almost immediate so even if a display is situated at the front of dozens of stores in locations across the country, the content can be instantly changed.

Other aspects to outdoor digital signage that adds value is the ability to experiment with new content, allowing trial runs on promotional items or adverts, enabling the marketing managers to establish what works and what doesn’t. An outdoor digital sign also raises the profile of a business, adding a touch of modernity and sophistication above that of static media.

Outdoor digital signage can add value to all sorts of businesses, not just retailers with its ability to provide instant up-to-the-minute information, helping to keep customers informed and happy.

Around shopping malls, airports and other high footfall locations, digital signage screens are a common sight. Many indoor digital signage displays systems have similarities; often positioned in portrait mode and ranging from 32 to 36 inches.

What is best for outdoor: portrait or landscape?

But when taking a screen outdoors, is this same size range and orientation, just as suitable?

Surprisingly, very little research has been done as to what orientation and size range works best, either in indoor or outdoor areas. However, what limited research there is, has provided some interesting results

While most indoor screens are in the portrait mode, research has indicated that landscape screens receive better recall from viewers, which is contrary to most digital signage applications.

And this is even more important for outdoor areas because an audience views outdoor digital signage slightly differently to indoor screens. First of all, dwell time on an outdoor screen is a lot lower than screens viewed indoors.

While an audience may spend up to eight seconds viewing an indoor display, outdoors, the times is far less, and even lower in inclement weather.

But dwell time isn’t the only difference. The distance the screen is viewed differs in outdoor digital signage compared to indoor. An audience typically views an outdoor screen from farther away and not just from passersby, but also commuters travelling in cars and on public transport passing by.

Because of the distance and dwell time differences, outdoor digital signage is more effective with larger screens compared to the average 32 to 36 inch used in indoor environments. Content such as text needs also to be larger and bolder, to take into account the distance and brief time an audience’s eyes linger on the display.

Because of all these factors, for outdoor digital signage, a landscape screen, over 36 inches, with bold, simple content is going to be more effective than smaller portrait varieties.

Despite the falling cost of LCD and plasma screens, providing outdoor digital signage, whether it’s for information or advertising, marks a fairly substantial investment.

Getting a return on this investment is often difficult to assess, but one aspect to outdoor digital signage that can prevent achieving an ROI is the vulnerability of the screen.

A screen placed outdoors faces far more challenges than indoor displays, many of which can lead to the screen, if not properly protected, to fail. A broken or disabled screen is costly, setting back the ROI, and the causes for failure are plentiful.

While any outdoor screen needs protection from the weather, all too often this protection is not comprehensive enough. There is more to the weather than just protecting a screen from rain, with ambient temperature and sunlight equally as damaging to an outdoor digital signage display.

And the elements are not the only causes of damage. Few people would leave their home TVs outside their house and expect the device to remain where it is, but in essence, when using outdoor digital signage that is exactly what you’re doing

Physical protection is just as essential as protection from the weather as a vandalised, stolen or accidentally damaged screen will affect the ROI just as a screen failing from lack of weather protection.

Securing a screen requires mounting the device inside a rugged and tough digital signage enclosure. A shatterproof screen and the ability to withstand impacts and shock are important factors in keeping the screen safe.

An Armagard LCD enclosure provides extreme protection for outdoor screens. Once housed in the enclosure, the screen is able to withstand heavy impact and is secured from theft.

LCD enclosures also provide weatherproof protection and a controllable internal temperature to ensure the screen is always running within defined limits. With a variety of anti-reflective and sun-protected screen covers, an Armagard LCD enclosure provides comprehensive protection for outdoor digital signage.

One region with a growing demand for digital signage is the Middle East. Countries like Dubai and Bahrain have burgeoning middle-classes, and as digital signage is a growing advertising medium, employed by many big name retailers, its growth is expected is understandable in such locations.

Placing a screen in a deserted area provides extreme challenges.

The Middle East is not an easy place to deploy out of home screens in, however, especially in outdoor locations. As many cities in these areas are surrounded by desert, ambient temperatures can rise extremely high during the day, while at night, temperatures can fall to well-below freezing.

Dust is a common problem too, especially in regions near deserted regions, and dust is just as damaging to a screen as liquid, able to cause overheating and short circuits, so needs keeping out of the display.

Several Middle Eastern companies have turned to Armagard for a solution for outdoor digital signage helping to help keep their screens functioning in such difficult conditions.

Armagard’s LCD enclosures have the advantage of being modular, which enables customization of the enclosures to fit each specific location. And for the Middle East this requires protection from dust, heat and cold conditions.

To cope with dust, an Armagard LCD enclosure is manufactured to IP65, which means the design prevents any small particles from getting inside the enclosure. This is important as dust can clog up fans, cause overheating and even cover a screen preventing clarity of viewing.

Because f the extremely high heat levels experienced in the Middle East, several options have been utilized; air conditioning, an expensive means of preventing excessive heat-build up in the enclosure; cooling fans, which keep the air moving from around the screen, transferring it away, and an air-curtain, which blows a curtain of air across the screen to keep it cool.

At night, the opposite problems occur and the screens needs keeping warm. Insulation is not an option in these locations, as this would inhibit the cooling properties during the day. Heaters, which are thermostatically controlled, provide a solution and come on when the internal temperatures fall below the operating range.

Desert locations provide a real challenge for outdoor digital signage but a customized LCD enclosure enables each location’s demands to be.

For the service sector, providing information is an essential part of customer service. For the transport industry schedules, timetables and news of delays is important information that customers need to know. Other industries in the service sector need a method of providing information, restaurants have a need to explain what’s on and what’s off the menu, theatres and cinemas what’s showing, and even churches, colleges and community halls need to let people know of events and services.

Information screen can also provide news and other content

The difficulty in providing information for all these industries is that the information is forever changing and needs updating, for the transport industry, this could be minute-by-minute so finding an effective means of updating information is critical.

Traditional methods such as paper noticeboards and PA systems have their limitations, especially when information forever changes, but using a modern flat screen device is an ideal method of communicating information to customers.

The great advantage of using information screens is the immediacy information can be uploaded. Railway stations have been using information screens for years inside their ticket offices and on their platforms. This enables customers to view when the next train is due and discover any cancellations.

Some locations prove difficult to provide information screens, however. Outdoor locations and areas that receive extreme seasonal weather can cause any installed screen to fail.

To provide an information screen in open, outdoor locations, or in areas that experience extreme weather, requires the use of a protective TV enclosure.

LCD enclosures house normal TV screens but ensure they are kept dry and at the right temperature for use in extreme locations. Built to European IP65 guidelines, an LCD enclosure is designed to prevent moisture and weather elements from getting inside to the display, but the real key to their use in outdoor locations are the components inside.

Keeping the screen at the required temperature, even when ambient temperatures are extremely hot, or below zero, require the use of climatic systems. Cooling fans help carry heat away preventing overheating while thermostatically controlled heaters ensure that the temperature inside the enclosure remains constant, no matter how cold the ambient gets.

By using an LCD enclosure, outdoor information screens can function throughout the year, providing customers with the necessary and relevant information to keep them happy.