Protecting outdoor digital signage from the weather is important, which is why outdoor LCD enclosures were devised, to ensure that standard LCD and plasma screens could operate outdoors in no matter what the weather.
The most vulnerable aspect of an outdoor display, however, is the screen face, which is also the most crucial part being as it is where the image is displayed. Any damage on the face of a screen can disable the screen and even if the damage is minor, or temporary like graffiti, it can impede the viewing of the display.
The screen face is, therefore, essential to protect and there are many aspects to screen protection:
Impacts
The front of a display is highly vulnerable to impacts, and numerous causes of impact exist. Vandalism is one cause and unfortunately all too common, but there are other causes of screen impact too. During violent winds, debris can be blown around at high velocities; this can easily smash a screen face, as can accidental impacts.
Not only will a smashed screen disable the digital signage display, preventing its operation and more than likely leading to a replacement TV, but also with glass, risk of injuries to the general public can lead to liability issues.
Shatterproof screens are often installed in LCD enclosures, which can prevent damage to the screen face. Under severe impacts, the shatterproof screen may need replacing but the enclosed TV should survive the impact.
Graffiti
Another problem caused by vandalism is graffiti. While this doesn’t lead to needing a new TV, it does make the display unreadable. Often the screen face can’t be cleaned, either, as some spray can paints permanent. For areas where a screen is vulnerable to graffiti, specially coated screens are installed on the face of an LCD enclosure, which are easy to clean off graffiti paint.
Sun Damage
Continual bombardment of the screen by the sun’s rays will not only cause glare and reflections that can prevent the screen being read, but also permanent scorching can result, especially if an outdoor digital sign is facing the path of the sun.
Some clever measures that transfer the heat away from the screen face by using an air-flow over the screen are often used in locations like these.
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