Different types of display screens.

Domestic home TVs.

Using a standard domestic display screen is not ideal however this is how some people start in digital signage, the challenges are that a standard domestic TV will not allow the screen to be mounted in a portrait position, will not have the connections required to connect a media player and if you have a problem with the TV set the manufacturer will void the warranty if they know it is being used for commercial use.

Waterproof display screens.

These work right of the box and offer a waterproof solution perfect for outdoor use, however the lead time can be extremely long and the prices are restrictive.

Commercial display screens.

The screens are made to cope with being run 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, rather than the home displays, but they a little more expensive (but worth it) as they come with all the connections you need to make your outdoor digital signage system work. Manufacturers such as Samsung and LG offer commercial grade screens with reliability guaranteed, but there is one problem and that is they are not designed to be put outdoors.

So the best solution is to use a commercial grade display and a media player and deploy them in an outdoor LCD enclosure this then can be called an outdoor display screen, these are used by outdoor digital advertising installers as outdoor display screens.

With advancements in the digital signage technology has made it even more cost effective for businesses to deploy indoor as well as outdoor digital signage. The key reason digital signage is used is to promote or market a product or service, now the solutions on the market range from small digital poster that are available in sizes from 17” up to a whopping 70”, or alternatively there are the digital menu boards these are intended for restaurants to advertise their menu, these systems are different in that the media player is a standalone unit and the content can be updated remotely using the internet, these are perfect for the retail sector due to the ease of control and monitoring the media.

Product Promotions.
Retailers are finding that static posters and flyers are reducing in effectiveness; this is the reason for them investigating digital signage. However the options are available for any size company to roll out or use digital signage, for example a digital poster could be used in your local fish and chip shop to advertise their menu to the likes of a retailer who has blue X days, here they are using digital signage to up sell on sales day maximising profits for the retailer.

We are seeing this technology now even being used at gas stations and petrol stations using outdoor digital signage to get customers into their onsite shop or convenience store, by delivering tempting promotions to the customer as they fill up with fuel.

Their solution is a lorry that has a massive video wall on an hydraulic ram that raises the massive screen up in to the air – why? I hear you ask.

Well there is nothing worse than driving to a destination having an arrival time in mind and running late, trying to get in the right lane at the roundabouts and not knowing how far you are away from the destination- you can use a satellite navigation unit but how many times have I entered a sporting event destination only to be directed to the delivery entrance which is normally at the rear of the stadium and does not allow the public to enter!

Well the locations are mostly well known and normally just off a major motorway network, for example when they had their auditions at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United Football Club, they had on the last exit heading to Salford the lorry with the X Factory logo and directions on the next screen.

Outdoor digital signage is becoming more commonly used from in hair salons who are using digital posters to outdoors in train stations where all passengers are a target for marketing messages, an outdoor LCD enclosure are being deployed.

The UK is still a way behind the USA in actual digital signage installations, but the UK market is certainly making the right moves to increasing their presence in the outdoor and indoor digital signage arena.

The same video walls are being used by Banks and Churches to promote their services and products to people in specific areas and by targeting them directly they have a larger increase in people taking up their offer.

The static walls (with out the lorry attached) have been deployed at large corporate head quarters so you know you have arrived when you get their and on the entrances to Universities.

LCD Enclosure Global are the leading manufacture of outdoor LCD enclosure, thier range of LCD enclosure range from 17″ up up a massive 80″ solution.

Contact them today on +44 (0)844 3578686 For European enquiries or 888-460-3573 toll free for US enquiries.

LCD Enclosure – anything else is a compromise.

It is reported that the digital outdoor signage in the United Kingdom is rising and fast, but will it rival the US market, this we will have to see.

It has been reported that in the last 3 months to July revenue from digital signage has increased some 16.9% compensating for the loss in the previous year. The resulting rise makes the outdoor digital signage market worth around £29 million.

So does this mean that digital out of home advertising is out of the recession? Well speaking to many integrators they do not seem to have been troubled by the economic down turn.

One thing is for sure, the outdoor digital signage market will increase in the United Kingdom on the build up to the Olympics in 2012 then it will slow down, due to the amount of potential through the global media coverage of this world renowned sporting event, where all the worlds’ top athletes compete for the ultimate in sporting accolades.

After the sporting event who knows? As many organisations are already planning their outdoor advertising campaigns now for the next 3 years and securing funding on it.

We all know that the small island will never equal the might of digital signage in America due to the physical size of the country; the population in the UK is equal to the joined population of only two American States, Texas and California.

But overseas businesses will have to wait in anticipation for the Olympics in 2012 to see how the DOOH advertising market succeeds and profits the UK market.

LCD Enclosure Global have noticed a remarkable increase in enquiries for organisations who are looking to invest in digital signage outdoors utilising their LCD enclosure range of products.

LCD Enclosure Global – anything else is a compromise.

Call +44 844 3578687 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm GMT or

888-460-3573 (toll free USA) Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm EST.

]]> http://www.lcdenclosure.co.uk/news/is-uk-outdoor-digital-signage-catching-up-the-us-market/feed/ 0 http://www.lcdenclosure.co.uk/news/digital-signage-totem-solutions/ http://www.lcdenclosure.co.uk/news/digital-signage-totem-solutions/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:08:13 +0000 graham http://www.lcdenclosure.co.uk/news/?p=759 The hype is massive for digital signage, now manufactures are coming up with innovative digital advertising solutions with their eye on the entry level digital poster solutions.

This is a twist on a digital poster, as this unit features 3 screens all 19” and in the landscape position on a special stand, these just like the digital poster are fed with content from memory cards.

The main difference is that this solution can have 3 different ads running at the same time tripling your ad revenue if you are a digital signage advertising agency. These are to be used indoors and the base has the facility to be bolted to the floor to prevent unauthorised removal.

One drawback of digital posters though is the content update issue as you have to physically update the content now this solution can be wired to a HDD so that the content can be streamed to the displays and can also be accessed remotely to update the content.

With businesses looking to develop their market share and looking into innovative ideas to bring more customers to their store digital posters are increasing in popularity, but with this solution it opens up a new level of advertising, as it could be set up initially to be updated manually then if the store owner decides to run it throughout their stores they can then purchase the HDD unit to control them from one central location, reducing travelling time and costs in delivering fresh content.

The totem can also be adapter to be used on buses and even on boats, so passengers can be entertained whilst they are in transit, reducing their perceived wait time.

Or if companies want to have a minimal look they can use a cable solution, the 3 advertising screens are suspended from the cable as in the image below.

This provides a rather stream lined and professional solution and ideal for in window digital advertising.

LCD Enclosure Global specialise in manufacturing outdoor digital signage solutions including their range of LCD enclosure that are deployed throughout the world by a network of integrators.  LCD Enclosure Global also offer a range of digital poster for indoor digital advertising.

LCD Enclosure Global – anything else is a compromise.

AIDS (Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome) is one of the most prolific killers of the new decade. There are many ways in which people catch this through sexual contact, sharing needles, infected blood and even being born from a carrier of it. Now countries such as Africa that have a major problem with this killer, needs to inform and educate people on how to prevent the spread of this deadly disease.

A small project using digital posters of 40” are being deployed in Botswana so that people can be taught how to avoid this killer, so they remain safe. Once this has been proven to work it will be rolled out throughout Africa.

The solution.
The floor standing LCD advertising player has a large 40” screen that has an in built media player, the content is stored on a memory card, normally CF due to their high storage capacity.

Then the commercials are displayed educating the locals on how to avoid the dangers associated with AIDS. Using a floor standing solution is ideal as it saves on floor space due to their tiny foot print and they are very portable.

Currently in Africa, families are made up from older and sometimes younger brothers and sisters looking after their siblings, as the parents may have contracted the disease and died, this way if these children are educated and understand how to avoid the risks they have a chance of growing up into adult hood and they can then pass this information on to their family.

As well as floor standing units, wall mounted digital poster are used in medical centres so that patients can watch the information displayed on the screens whilst waiting for treatment.

LCD Enclosure Global manufacture a range of outdoor LCD enclosure for the digital signage market, as wella s providing digital posters.

LCD Enclosure Global – anything else is a compromise.

This is one of the many questions we are asked, many new installers like the ease of use of the digital poster and the low cost of the solution, but they are then confused with the electronic menu board, it looks identical.

Now like everything, getting the correct tool for the job is essential, this is were the similarities ends.

Digital Menu board.

Normally a digital menu board is connected to a media player these media players are rather unique as they can be networked together, so when you update content on one screen it can update throughout the network.

Most media players that can be networked have software built in to them so that scheduling is simple.

So how are they updated?

A networked media player is controlled from a central point, much like updating a website. On one side of the monitor screen will be the computer with the content on it and on the other side will be the portion that represents the digital signage network, so all you have to do is update the relevant part of the content that you are uploading and the network will then synchronise at a preset time and the new content will display, however if you require immediate changes for sale items or emergencies, this too is also controlled by clicking synchronise for immediate effect.

Digital poster.

These are a commercial grade screen with an in built media player in one unit, the only external cable is the power cord. There are two options for content updates, the first is to store the new content on a memory card and swap the old card for the new one, or use a Flash drive. The drawback with a digital poster is that if you have more than 5 screens the chances are that you will forget one screen and it will be displaying old content.

A digital poster is ideal when used in a beauty or hair salon as the offers will be constant throughout the year, with only seasonal changes for Christmas, holidays and special occasions.

LCD Enclosure Global are a leading manufacturer of outdoor LCD enclosures, as well as supplying indoor digital signage solutions including a range of digital poster and digital menu boards.

Contact +44 (0)844 3578687

LCD Enclosure Global – anything else is a compromise.

Why Pharmacies are investing in digital signage.

This is a brand of customer service where practitioner and patient interactive and occasionally it is of a confidential nature, now chemists are using electronic signage for two very distinct reasons. They will function on two fronts, firstly as an information system and secondly as an opportunity to up sell. When have you been to the doctors for vaccinations for a holiday and you need to purchase some Malaria tablets? The most convenient solution is to call on the pharmacy adjacent to the doctors or near by, to make the relevant purchases.

When you enter the chemists the pharmacist takes your prescription and scans it, this then puts you in a wait queue (there is nothing more frustrating than hanging around the counter waiting for your completed prescription.) This queue list is automatically updated on 36” LCD screens throughout the chemists so that you can see from any where in the store when your medication is ready to collect – this acts as the customer information part of the project.

The second part is to up sell and the best time to up sell is during the holiday season ranging from May to September and not forgetting Christmas.

How do they up sell?

During the holiday season for example people will get check ups at the doctors or vaccinations for an up coming holiday, so when they visit the chemist to collect their medication they may see digital advertising marketing products such as sun screen, travel adapters, flight pillows and flight socks (that go towards preventing DVT on long haul flights.) Most people will see the ads and make the purchase so they do not forget to have them for the holiday (1 less thing to think about).

The same can be said for Christmas, one chemist retail chain actually prints their own Christmas catalogue offering very innovative gift ideas and using this technology, when less mobile people go to the chemists they see the ads and can then buy gifts for their family rather than making another journey into town at a later date, this is ideal for our aged community as well as young mums who are having their babies assessed.

How is it done?

The bar code scanner collects the relevant data and extracts through the terminal the patients name and then passes the data to an external media player, this media player holds the content for the digital adverts and adds the patients to the queue list, once the patient collects the prescription their name is then removed from the list.

On the LCD displays (commercial grade screens), the screen is divided into zones, these zones present news feeds at the bottom with the main content in the main zone, this main zone displays the information commercials and when a prescription is ready to collect the patients name replaces the advertisements in large letters, so everyone can see, now for the visually impaired audio can be integrated into the solution so when the name is displayed, it is also announced.

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LCD Enclosure Global offer digital signage solutions for both indoor and outdoor digital signage, from digital posters and digital menu boards through to outdoor LCD enclosures.

Call +44 (0) 844 3578687

LCD Enclosure Global – anything else is a compromise.

Digital Poster.

This is the affordable solution available for indoor digital signage, a digital poster consists of a commercial LCD display panel with an internal media player that is built in to the rear of the screen.

Now with it being the basic level digital signage solution they do have challenges, the main issue is that any content has to be updated manually, by either swapping the  old memory card with a new memory card with new content already stored on it or through a flash drive that is inserted in to the USB port on the media player – not a an ideal choice if you have several digital posters over several sites in different cities and countries.

LCD Advertising displays.

These are usually floor standing and are almost identical in operation to a digital poster,  but there is a option to make these screens wireless so that you do not have to go to each location where every poster is to update the content.  These can be linked to a wireless provider such as 3G wireless modem and you can then log in to the media player remotely and update content through the WIFI connection.

Both options have the facility to set the units to power on at a preset time and power off when the building is empty, reducing power consumption and offering a more power efficient digital signage solution.

They also have the option to include scrolling text in varied sizes, and can even scroll in different directions.

Hopefully, this has given you an overview of what is available for indoor digital signage that will not leave you feeling as if you have been mugged.

LCD Enclosure Global manufacturer a range of LCD enclosures that are used for outdoor digital signage, as well as supplying a range of digital posters.

LCD Enclosure Global – anything else is a compromise.

Now with LED advancements it makes putting digital outdoor signage in the reach of most businesses, as the conventional method would be to use as large a screen as possible, then finding an enclosure to fit them offering vandal and weather protection.

So the solutions are either to purchase large LCD enclosures to fit screens up to 80” or to purchase an LED video wall that comes in one metre sections and is as cost effective as purchasing a commercial grade screen of equivalent size.

The LED panels consist an a number of Light emitting diodes that are arranged at 16mm centres these provide a fantastic image that can be seen up to 40 feet away, the result is that the video wall or outdoor digital signage solution is only limited by your budget, normally customers have thought that it was too expensive and are pleasantly surprised when they discover the affordable price.

These panels come in their own weatherproof and vandal proof case; they are fitted into a frame and mounted on to the wall, they then have a controller fitted that controls each panel, similar to tiling software, so you can arrange the panels as you wish to create a jaw dropping impression.

Due to the affordable nature of these LED video walls they will soon be replacing the old printed road sign billboards as they are becoming increasingly popular in the Middle East where extreme weather conditions and the sand will normal put an end to any outdoor digital signage project.

Money dominates most projects (well all actually) now there are solutions that will have a faster return on investment and if you can offer a 10 metre wide x 5 metre high video wall displaying customer ads you will