Digital advertising now seems to be everywhere. You may have noticed the information booths on your high street and in your local supermarket; the digital screens on buses and trains; or the point of sale adverts at checkouts.
Digital signage is now the fastest advertising media, with sales of LCD screens for digital signage purposes expected to double in the next three years. But is digital signage that simple that anyone can do it?
The answer is quite simply – yes. For a digital signage project there are only three things that are required: An LCD or plasma display; a computer to control the media images; and the advertising content itself. However, there is another consideration to be taken into account and that is the location that the digital signage is to be placed in.
LCD screens are quite durable pieces of kit but unfortunately they are not very good at handling outdoor elements such as wind, rain, snow, sleet, heat, cold or everything else our weather can throw at us in the harsher months. They fail to cope with many of the elements found in industrial areas too with dust and water being prevalent in many of these environments.
Even when the elements are not too hostile there is still the problem of leaving LCD screens unattended, particularly in outdoor locations where they can fall victim to vandalism and theft.
Fortunately many digital signage companies recognise the problem and produce all-weather LCD enclosures designed specifically for outdoor digital signage or advertising in industrial locations. These LCD enclosures (and plasma enclosures) are often built under guidance from the European IP rating (or USA NEMA equivalent) to provide detail on what elements and how much they can withstand.
LCD enclosures can be sited outside and left unattended as they provide a secure cabinet to protect the LCD from the elements and any potential theft or vandalism. They are also ideal for industrial areas that have high levels of dust as the enclosure will prevent any ingress affecting the LCD screen.
LCD enclosures are also ideal for wash down environments as an IP66 or IP65 LCD enclosure will withstand a hose down or even jet washing.
