by Mike Casey | Jul 27, 2018 | Digital Signage, Outdoor AV, Pro Displays
I learned something new this year at InfoComm: I have no future as a professional gambler. While true, that’s not really it. What I REALLY learned was that LED may soon take over the world of digital advertising. There were probably more digital signage displays at InfoComm than there are slot machines in Vegas. However, of those displays, Samsung clearly hit the jackpot. After spending just a few minutes at Samsung’s booth, I am placing my bet on these three Samsung products.
THE WALL
By far the standout was Samsung’s THE WALL professional LED. This thing has it all. Samsung engineers were able to develop revolutionary technology, giving THE WALL top-of-the-line resolution. Not only that, but Samsung also found a way to get rid of those gaudy lines that disrupt your displays, allowing for more aesthetically-pleasing signage.
Still not convinced? Still not ready to go all in? What if I told you that on top of all this, Samsung has given THE WALL a diagonal canvas of 146 inches, the largest flat panel display on the market. With all of these enhancements to their already-stellar digital signage, THE WALL is the perfect combination of quality and quantity.
FLIP
Not only did Samsung up the ante on LED Digital Signage; it also showcased their Samsung Flip. An interactive display perfect for collaboration in meetings and on projects, Flip is essentially the whiteboard of the future. With Flip, you can import any project your team is working on or mirror your phone or computer screen to share with everyone working on it. Not only that, but Flip can easily switch between portrait and landscape views for any type of presentation. With these key features, Flip is looking to increase Samsung’s professional applications in all industries, including education, professional athletics, and of course professional businesses. Teachers can now import content directly onto the display to bolster their students’ learning.
Coaches can now easily switch from portrait to landscape view to show full-court and half-court plays to their team. Businesses can collaborate interactively on important assignments. The Flip is the whiteboard that will change the future, and Samsung will look to increase their market share in interactive digital displays with this innovative product.
Outdoor Signage
On top of their improvements in large-scale digital signage, Samsung upped their game in the outdoor signage department. Whether you are looking for displays to be placed in the snow of Maine or the sun of Miami, look no further than Samsung’s outdoor displays.
These displays are the ultimate sports bar viewing experience with eye-popping quality and unfailing durability to make them perfect for all outdoor venues, enclosed outdoor venues, and even window-facing displays. Samsung has used their cutting-edge techniques to enhance resolution and brightness, making these displays some of the crispest visuals one can find in digital signage. Not only that, but Samsung has increased durability to make their outdoor displays perfect to withstand any weather conditions. Add to that the SMART Signage Platform, which allows users to update their signage in real time from their mobile device and anyone can spend all the time they want in Vegas… learning how to better gamble.
by John Wills | Jul 13, 2016 | Pro Displays, Uncategorized
I’ve noticed over the last year the increasing use of outdoor displays in commercial applications. Once regulated to residential porches and light commercial use (such as a sports bar’s outdoor covered patio), manufacturers are now producing displays that eliminate the need for environmental enclosures and kiosks.
Today, properly specified displays provide many benefits compared to the traditional panel within an enclosure or kiosk. Some of those benefits include but are not limited to:
- Weatherproof operation at a considerable lower cost without expensive environmental enclosures & kiosks
- Better picture due to no gap between the screen and an outer enclosure glass that may hinder picture quality
- Overall reduction in physical size and weight for the application
- Simpler mounting and installation
- Ease of on-going maintenance
But how does a design engineer specify the right outdoor panel for a particular environmental application? It’s relatively simple – match the properly-rated display to the outdoor demands of the application. First, assess the application environmental demands:
- Environmental temperature extremes.
- Dust & water extremes (both type of dust and at what angles they can attack a panel).
- Under cover or in direct sunlight.
- Maintenance access (e.g., mounted high, extremely restricted location, etc.).
- Exposure to glass-breaking projectiles like rocks and such.
Now, match the display to the environmental demands of the application.
- Temperature Extremes: Coldest and warmest extremes a display can safely operate.
- Dust and Moisture: Determine a display’s rating using either a NEMA Enclosure Rating (relative dust & particle resistance measurement) or the more popular “IP’ Rating (Ingress Protection as defined by DIN EN 60529). An IP rating indicates the external conditions enclosures can withstand. It describes a display’s scope of protection during use when exposed to temperatures, fuel and oil and their fumes, chemical clouds, acid based moisture and dust entering the display. For example, the “I” in IP has a scale of 1 to 6 that defines the protection against contact and ingress of dust. The “P” has a scale of 0 to 9k that defines ingress of moisture from water droplets to high pressure steam cleaning.
- Indirect or Direct Sunlight: If direct sunlight is a factor, consider a panel with UV optical bonding that can eliminate reflection & refraction glare so it can be easily seen in direct sunlight. Note that simply being a high brightness panel (1500+ nits) doesn’t necessarily translate to good picture in direct sunlight. It’s hard to out bright the sun!
- Impact Resistant: Determine if the display needs to be protected from impacts. And should the screen be broken, make sure it is shatter proof to protect nearby viewers and property.
- Maintenance: Some displays will be mounted high or in difficult to reach places. The less maintenance of filters and the ability to be hosed-off or pressure washed can be key.
Almo ProAV partners with Peerless-AV to offer a family of outdoor displays starting with the IP55-rated UltraView Series up to the IP68-rated Xtreme series. We can match the right display for the environmental demands of temperatures, dust & moisture, direct sunlight, impact resistance, and ease of maintenance. Also, we will assist in pairing the proper outdoor, wind-rated mount. Feel free to contact me or your Almo ProAV Account Rep. We’ll be happy to assist you in specifying the right display for your outdoor application.
