What’s the Best TV for Digital Signage? A Commercial Display
Once you make the decision to invest in a digital signage network for your business, you’ll need to choose what type of screen to display your messages on. This choice is one of the most critical aspects of the process.
Several of our clients have looked at the upfront cost of commercial displays, then decided to visit their local wholesaler to pick up more affordable consumer televisions instead. However, there is no “best TV for digital signage” because televisions and digital signage displays are designed for different needs—and there are some compelling reasons to invest in digital signage.
3 Reasons to Choose a Commercial Display Over a Consumer Television for Your Digital Signage
While using a standard television brings down the initial cost of the digital display network, there are a few important differences between a consumer television and a commercial display. These differences might seem inconsequential but make a tremendous impact on their use and cost effectiveness in a digital signage network.
Our goal as digital signage display experts is to help your business achieve its goals, which includes helping you make decisions that fit your budget. However, choosing the right tool for the job is critical—and spending a little more on the right digital signage display upfront can save you time, money, and stress down the road. Here’s why.
1. It’s Too Easy to “Hack” a Consumer Television in a Commercial Environment
Now more than ever, consumer televisions are easily controlled with other devices. This is by design. While a high level of accessibility is helpful and even necessary at home, it often leads to nightmares in a commercial environment.
For one, any modern television will accept connections from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth using a simple pairing process. Anyone with a phone or laptop and a little know-how can quickly connect and change the content to anything they want to stream. Parental controls can help prevent these “hacks,” but a motivated prankster can find a way around your precautions. This leaves your digital signage vulnerable to anyone with a device.
Commercial digital signage displays are much harder to connect to from the “outside.” They have a limited number of connectivity options available that are much more tightly controlled, so your content is safe from pranksters and hackers alike.
2. Commercial Digital Signage Screens Are Cleaner and Brighter Than a TV Screen
If you’re only focused on the content displayed on-screen, it’s easy to let the design of the display itself become an afterthought. However, compared to in-home televisions, commercial digital signage displays tend to have a much cleaner design. A narrow bezel (the border around the screen that holds it in place) means the displays “tile” into a video wall with a near-invisible separation of the images across multiple screens. In a single screen setup, the narrow bezel does not distract from the message on the screen.
Additionally, several commercial-grade display devices are available with the option for a built-in media player, which means fewer cables attached to your device. Not only does that contribute to a neater overall look, but it also simplifies any potential device maintenance. In other words, consumer displays are designed to be in commercial spaces so your customers, patients, and guests can focus on your message, not distracting details like cords.
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3. Consumer Televisions Can’t Withstand the Demands of Commercial Use
Most televisions are built for use for only a few hours each day. Consumer televisions are not meant to be in use for the long hours that digital signage requires. If a consumer television is overused, a few things start to happen.
The first and most noticeable effect is the appearance of screen burn. Fading, discoloration, and residual images can occur, sometimes all at once. Because commercial digital displays are designed to show content around the clock, they have different hardware and use anti-burn technology to avoid this issue.
Less visibly (but just as important), overuse will generally void the warranty on a TV, as it’s considered “a misuse of the product.” Both televisions and commercial displays’ lifetimes are measured in hours of use—and the consumer device has a drastically shorter lifespan.
So, when the consumer TV fails much sooner than a commercial digital signage display, not only will business owners not be able to recoup their costs through warranty coverage, but their long-term costs of maintaining the digital signage will skyrocket. And if your original reason for choosing a TV over a commercial digital signage display was saving money, sinking costs into bad technology works against your best interests.
Design Your Digital Signage Display With Freshwater Digital
While it can be tempting to purchase any old TV for your digital signage network, investing in a commercial digital signage display has significant benefits. Freshwater Digital has over a decade of experience helping all types of businesses design digital networks that meet their needs, including choosing the right digital signage displays. Our team also has the tools to help you animate, plan content, implement digital signage software, and manage projects with ease.
To get started on your digital signage journey, email us at [email protected]. We’ll assess your needs and make recommendations to ensure you have the best digital signage software and hardware for your project. We can’t wait to get started!
Author: Ryan Winkler