Outdoor digital signage is part of the whole digital out of home (Dooh) industry that has been rapidly expanding over the last decade.
From rather meek beginnings where screens were only erected in a few retail locations, digital signage has exploded with high streets no littered with display screens and LCDs.
Even outside, our high streets are becoming modernised by LCD screens that are used as electronic billboards or other forms of outdoor digital signage; yet, have you ever wondered how these screens can cope in outdoor environments under all that weather?
Rainfall, sleet, snow, excessive temperatures (both high and low) airborne dust and impacts (whether they be accidental or deliberate) can all permanently damage a screen in an outdoor location.
Protection for LCD screens in outdoor locations, therefore, is a prerequisite otherwise the screen will fail come the first rainfall it experiences or the first drop (or rise) in temperature.
The protection for outdoor digital signage and outside displays is the responsibility of the outdoor LCD enclosure.
LCD enclosures are protective housings for outdoor screens. First and foremost, LCD screens are waterproof which enables commercial grade screens to be used outdoors in the rain; however, the protection offered by an LCD enclosure does not stop there.
Waterproofing is not the only protection that is required for screens to be taken outdoors as temperature is another common problem with an outdoor screen installation. Whether the ambient temperature drops below freezing, or rises towards the 100F mark, a good outdoor LCD enclosure should be able to cope with both extremes.
Cooling fans are an essential for outdoor digital signage as are heaters or other thermostatic controlled devices to ensure the temperature inside the LCD enclosure is always at the optimum for the device regardless of the ambient temperature.
A good LCD enclosure should also be strong enough to cope with impacts, either accidental or deliberate. Vandalism and accidental damage can also permanently disable a screen which is why most outdoor LCD enclosure are manufactured from steel.
