What's Best for DS?

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By various authors
 
We asked a number of experts from within the industry to discuss the advantages and features of the various technologies available for digital signage today. Part 2 to follow in the Spring 2011 issue, with discussions of 3D, LPD, OLED and more from Hyundai, Sony, Mitsubishi and 3M.
 
Read Part 2 here.
 

Projector
 
 
Hartmut Kulessa, Head of Marketing, Optoma Deutschland:
“As a projector manufacturer we can, of course, see many reasons to propose projection technology for digital signage installations! Firstly: greater flexibility to project large sizes directly onto existing surfaces such as walls or floors, almost regardless of its texture or shape. With projectors, you can create signage even on curved surfaces where working with screens is impossible. Another important factor is the low installation cost compared to large screen plasmas or LCDs. In addition, the screen size can be much bigger using a projector than with a display. Nowadays, projectors do offer the robustness needed in digital signage, including 24/7 operation and LAN remote management, as well as technologies to lower operating costs – such as eco mode for the lamps or filter-free designs. The technology also has the potential to increase brightness for daylight projection and, at the same time, lower power consumption and increase lamp change cycles.”
 

Pascal Weidner, Division Manager, Sanyo Sales & Marketing Europe:
“Although many digital signage applications use displays, projectors can sometimes be the better choice. When there is a requirement for large pictures, the installation of a screen can be complicated, because the weight and cost of large monitors is extremely high. If a picture size of over 60” is required, a projector is more suitable, because of its smaller size and weight, lower purchasing price and lower power consumption. This lower power consumption in turn makes projectors a more environmentally-friendly way of portraying content on a large scale.
 
The installation of projectors is also easier and more flexible than the installation of displays. The largest display size is currently 150” whereas projectors can cover a 360o area, even on ceilings and floors.
 
Another advantage of using projectors is that the unit can be hidden, so that the projection surface, whether it is a wall or a Roman tomb (as in our latest museum project) remains untouched and unobscured.
 
For some digital signage installations, displays have been preferred – for instance where limited space is available, such as in retail stores. Projectors such as ours, though, can project 80” images from a distance of only 2.4cm, so the projector can be positioned very close to the projection surface and does not require much installation space. Our range also includes a 3D function, which has proved popular in the digital signage space for the realistic presentation of information.
 
Colour reproduction and brightness are crucial issues for digital signage. 3 LCD technology increases the total colour range, enables the projection of natural colours and, with a fourth panel, increases the brightness of projectors. The latest models also use inorganic LCD panels, which have a higher contrast ratio and longer lifetime to suit the demands of digital signage installations.
 
With the right technology, projectors can be a more flexible and cost effective solution for many digital signage applications.”
 

 

Video Wall
 
Joe Graziano, Market Development Manager, MicroTiles, Christie EMEA:
 
“The digital signage arena needs solutions that provide flexibility in terms of space, size, shape and resolution. By choosing the right solution, every inch of high-cost retail space can be turned into a valuable selling tool; grabbing attention to convey the message.
 
Single screen solutions are typically delivered using LCD and Plasma. These technologies, however, stem from the consumer market, and, as such, are shackled with a consumer technology lifespan. Furthermore, they can easily be handcuffed by a common 16:9 format, which may result in less impact on the viewing public. The real attraction comes when creativity and flexibility work together to provide a unique and interesting variety of shapes and sizes to support messages and brand promotional material, thereby engaging the viewers more directly. This can be enhanced further by deploying solutions such as interactivity and gesture-based technologies.
 
The digital signage market needs a technology that is efficient and cost effective, designed to stay lit across the image array. Video wall solutions such as MicroTiles provide advertisers with the ability to replicate the message by auto-sensing, self-calibrating and constant monitoring and adjustment to ensure image uniformity and consistency. They provide total front access for speed of repair at component level and are powered by a light source that is 7.5 years to 1/2 brightness at 24/7 usage.”
 

Plasma
 
David Martin, General Manager, Panasonic Displays:
“Plasma has a number of practical advantages over other digital display formats, such as lower power consumption rates, greater reliability and a much longer lifetime – currently more than four times longer than other display technologies. Plasma offers more vibrant colour, higher contrast and deeper blacks. The higher response rates eliminate movement blur that you get, for example, on signage tickers and scroll bars you get on newsfeeds and information channels. Plasma technology can be used in virtually any environment, from a busy train station, such as the 103” plasma inside a massive Lumix Camera at Waterloo station, to retail parks like BlueWater Shopping Centre. Large format plasmas, 85” or higher, are best suited for high traffic areas or sporting events, whereas 65” or lower are best for in-store, restaurants and corporate environments."
 

 
LCD
 
Barrie Guy, General Manager, LG Business Solutions:
 
“The ability of digital signage to inform, entertain, drive sales, enhance the shopping experience and capitalise on marketing budgets are all a given – but this sophisticated technology usually comes at a price and it’s often beyond the reach of many smaller businesses.
 
Recent research has told us that while small and medium size businesses (SMBs) make up a large part of the European digital signage market, they need affordability and simplicity if they are to invest. They also want solutions which do not require specialist knowledge to operate. LCD screens can fulfil all these criteria at very reasonable purchase and operating costs.”
 

 
Carla Quartley, Marketing Manager, Mitsubishi Electric Europe:
 
“LCD technology is used for more digital signage applications than any other technology. With so many manufacturers offering signage solutions, it is easy to become confused and perhaps opt for an LCD solution on the basis of price. Such a display, though, might not be so well-suited to long operation hours and the demanding environments of digital signage applications. A display specifically designed for such applications is essential, not merely because of the technical capabilities of the display, but because of aesthetics and ease of implementation.
 
Professional LCDs can now even include a pixel shift system that periodically and randomly shifts the image a few pixels. Where LCDs are used in a 5x5 tiled display, this feature works across all of the displays simultaneously. This screen management feature is barely noticeable, so is suitable for digital signage in public spaces.
 
Aesthetic appeal is also increasingly important, as LCDs become more integrated into the designed environment.”
 

 
Clemens von Braunmuehl, Manager Product Management EMEA, NEC Display Solutions Europe:
 
“LCD public displays make versatile applications possible with an excellent price-performance ratio, whether as a single screen or integrated into a video wall system.
 
The decisive factors in favour of LCD can be found in the display quality. LCD monitors with a diagonal of 40” and above display very high resolution with a correspondingly high degree of detail, contrast and brightness. The luminosity of the display plays an important role, especially for outdoor installations where, for example, direct sunlight falls on a screen located in a retail store’s window.
 
In addition, there is also the outstanding image geometry of LCD solutions. Both illumination and brightness distribution on LCD panels are very even, ensuring a homogenous picture, which has a significant effect when used in video walls. LCD technology for professional public displays is extremely resistant to burn-in effects, which can significantly impair the picture quality of a monitor which displays static screen content, such as arrival and departure times at stations or fixed images.
 
LCD technology is, on the whole, very robust and extremely reliable. When equipped with high-end panels, LCD public displays are ideal for deployment around the clock and are also virtually maintenance-free. Their lightweight design allows them to be easily installed in what are considered to be inaccessible places, such as from the ceiling of a large hall, and make the use of more flexible mounting systems possible. Their light weight is also an enormous advantage for larger video wall installations. This is also where the higher energy efficiency of LCD technology becomes important, since it is playing an increasingly significant role in the field of digital signage and making installations more cost-effective in the long run.
 
When compared to the purchase and operating costs, the combination of all these benefits makes LCD technology unbeatable in the market for digital signage applications. The price/performance benefits often exclude any alternative.”
 

 
LED
 
Carla Quartley, Marketing Manager, Mitsubishi Electric Europe:
 
“LED displays are specifically designed for high ambient light environments, so they can be used even in strong sunlight without losing any of their impact. LED degradation over time can be an issue if lower cost components are used, resulting in poor colour uniformity.
 
We have produced LED outdoor screens for demanding situations, from the world’s tallest screen in Times Square to the world’s longest in Tokyo. For large scale digital signage applications which require good picture quality, LED can be the right solution.”
 
Continue to part 2...