On Image Matters: Palmer Digital Group

AVT Question: Please share your insight on what end users need to know about today’s displays, applications, content, cost of ownership, flexibility, and what to expect from future tech.

Thought Leader: Chuck Lewis, Vice President at Palmer Digital Group

The commercial displays of today are nothing like the displays from five years ago. Their advances across performance and longevity have made them more attractive for use across advertising, wayfinding, and QSR applications. They are simply more robust by design, and the image presentation is much higher in quality. The displays are brighter, with better color saturation.

We have also seen intriguing new features over the past year, including connectivity to 4G and 5G mobile networks, that open new possibilities for content delivery that complement the CAT5, HDMI, USB and DisplayPort inputs we see on most displays today. System-on-a-Chip (SOC) displays remain attractive for businesses that really want to streamline their technology footprint and maintenance. Their all-in-one designs reduce failure points and save the end user hundreds of dollars by eliminating exterior media players.

The improvements are even greater for outdoor applications. We were once forced to design outdoor kiosks and digital menu boards with internal fans and/or AC units to keep displays cool and prevent overheating. Outdoor commercial displays made today are rated for minus-30 degrees Fahrenheit to 122 degrees Fahrenheit at 85 percent humidity. This drops the cost of kiosks and ODMB’s because we don’t need to purchase cooling devices and there is less material needed to manufacture these products. Display manufacturers do all the heavy lifting to address environmental concerns.