Many of us will have a large flat screen TV in our homes. The growth of the flat panel display has allowed TVs to get bigger and yet be more manageable – weighing a fraction of the amount of the forerunner, the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube).
But the increased practicality of the modern flat screen, such as the LCD or plasma TV, has led to its use in many out of home applications as well.
Digital signage is a common use of out of home screens and you have to have been living in a bubble to have not come across a display in a retail unit, shopping centre or concourse.
Advertising, promotion, marketing, brand building and providing important information are just some of the uses business are finding for flat panel screens and they are not just in indoor locations either.
Taking screens outside has several benefits. Firstly, there is a higher potential audience in an outdoor location. No matter how many customers that a store or shopping centre attracts there will be far more people walking past. The second great advantage of outdoor digital signage is the lack of competition.
Display screens are very eye-catching but the novelty factor of them soon fades when there are dozens of screens in particular location but as yet, screen in outdoor locales are still fairly thin on the ground.
A reason for this is the impression that outdoor digital signage is prohibitively expensive – involving highly expensive outdoor TV technology; however, it doesn’t have to be.
While outdoor TV screens do exist, and they are fairly expensive, they are not always necessary. The main consideration with using a screen in an outdoor location is protecting it from the weather elements.
While outdoor LCDs are competent at this a standard device can be used as long as it is placed in an outdoor or waterproof LCD enclosure.
The enclosure will provide all the protection the screen needs ensuring any of the rain or other weather elements are kept from the screen allowing it to be used in almost any location during any time of the year.
