A great opportunity? “Yes, true, but its already changing” says Stephanie Howorka, Senior Sales and Marketing Specialist at the Sharp/NEC LED Solutions Center. “LED displays are appearing on the side of the road or mounted on facades and walls are becoming increasingly important, because a single DooH LED display can replace several analogue billboards.”
“With long operating times and up to 100 advertisement repetitions this form of advertising can quickly achieve a high reach and attention from passers-by – at all times of the day and night. DooH ads can be integrated into omnichannel campaigns and are well placed to reach out to a new customer base. Content can be easily changed or adapted according to target groups or display breaking news, in real-time. There are no adblockers nor potential for ad fraud as is the case in online advertising,” explains Howorka.
Rob Bint, CEO at LED Studio, makes the point advertising is an important application of outdoor digital signage, but by no means the only one. “In recent years, outdoor digital signage installations have increased rapidly, and this increase is set to continue as technologies evolve and gradually become more affordable. Outdoor digital signage has become an essential marketing tool for any business wanting to communicate with its audience effectively, ranging from retail, transportation, hospitality, education, public spaces, sports and entertainment.
In 2023, outdoor digital signage goes much further than solely advertising purposes with potential applications including wayfinding in public spaces, providing wayfinding and information to visitors, news and weather updates, emergency alerts and public service announcements. However, what we really need to start considering as the market continues developing, is sustainability. Rather than going back to legacy manufacturing, the focus should lie with sustainable, energy efficient and future-proofed products.”
Appropriate solutions
Picking solutions appropriate for the prevailing weather and daylight conditions are obviously big issues here. From the 1980s through to the early 2000s, the availability of outdoor quality displays was strictly limited. Today, the choice is much wider as more manufacturers are attracted to the potential in this market sector. But: “Outdoor displays must be tougher than average displays. They need to be able to withstand heavy rain, hailstorms, and sometimes even salt water. The main challenge for outdoor displays however is posed by sunlight. To catch the attention of its intended audience, our outdoor LED displays have brightness levels of 6,000 to 10,000 cd/m². Small canopies protect the LEDs from direct sunlight”, adds Howorka.
New technologies have evolved alongside contemporary features such as energy saving and sustainability: “Customised brightness sensors and accompanying software regulate the brightness. The brightness is adjusted automatically to the surrounding light conditions to guarantee the optimal image quality – always! There are legal requirements regarding night-time usage, the regulations of the German Federal Emission Control Act, for example, says that the brightness must be reduced to 1% of the maximum luminance during night-time hours,” explains Howorka.
Even when the weather is favourable, outdoor displays demand further customisation. Howorka explains: “LED display modules from the NEC – C series (customised) have a very high contrast because of special long shaders. This makes them perfect for applications in direct sunlight. Additionally, the shaders support the protection of the outdoor LEDs against environmental influences or impacts.”
Feedback
Rob Bint from LED Studio points to one of his products as an example of the way things have changed: “Our award-winning FUSION uses half the power consumption of standard LED based billboard displays which significantly reduces electrical wastage. At just under 70mm in depth the FUSION is one of the lightest displays in its class reducing material costs at production and install/framework. This innovation however doesn’t translate to a compromise in quality. The display reaches a maximum brightness of up to 6500 nits and utilises auto-responsive brightness to adjust brightness levels as weather conditions change for a prolonged lifespan.”
“FUSION also features a clever in-house service monitoring system, SCREENMETRICS, which can be used for many purposes like reducing or even eliminating unexpected downtime, and alerting technicians to impending maintenance needs before they become big problems. SCREENMETRICS enables self-healing and can monitor over 800 points on an 18sqm screen. The FUSION comes with a monitoring camera as standard which is constantly looking for issues and feeding this back in to the SCREENMETRICS system. Aside from offering a piece of mind, implementing such a comprehensive remote monitoring package to outdoor digital signage helps elevate FUSION’s green credentials further. We’ve all driven past a digital billboard and seen the patchwork of faulty or damaged modules, our system is designed to trap these issues before they happen.”
Bint also makes the point that the process of innovation in display design and manufacturing is constant and now starting to reap some of the rewards of earlier work. “Traditionally, daylight sensitivity and weather susceptibility have been stagnant issues in outdoor digital signage, but this is now starting to change. For example, the FUSION can be upgraded using our unique FOCAL lens technology, designed to focus the emitted light into a narrow frustum, reducing light pollution in residential areas and aiming the light at targeted audiences. This technology also makes the display ideal for regions like ME as the concentrated light path is less susceptible to high ambient light.”
“We meticulously manufacture our outdoor displays to be robust and durable, able to withstand challenging outdoor environments and extreme weather conditions like rain, snow and high winds, thereby making our outdoor displays applicable across the globe. To tackle issues of weather susceptibility, we manufactured what we believe to be the first narrow pitch outdoor LED display designed for close up viewing, the AEGIS Pro. It uses flip-chip high-bright with a unique fully waterproofed exterior that requires no additional glass casing yet withstands extreme weather conditions with an IP65 rating. Unlike any other outdoor display, the AEGIS Pro features an attachable solar panel, changing the game of outdoor digital signage. The panel is mounted to the display with a 20 AH battery that is fully chargeable in 2.5 hours and provides roughly 3.85 hours of power from full charge and up to nine hours in high bright conditions. It is also able to reach high brightness levels of up to 4000 NITs that can overcome bright natural sunlight, combating the common issue of display visibility in high bright areas.
“Not only does this clever engineering mean that we have been able to expand the use cases of this display in terms of location, but more importantly, this is a cost-effective and sustainable solution, something that should be considered an absolute necessity when installing LED. Although its attachable solar panel doesn’t run the display’s energy completely, this green energy is definitely a step in the right direction.”
Display deployment
There is endless potential for outdoor display placement, with options to mount to walls or ceilings with special outdoor e-coated mounts, or they can be incorporated into outdoor kiosks, which are designed to withstand the rigours of outdoor use and are wind rated up to 140mph. This makes them ideal for outside corporate offices, factories, QSRs, city centres or stadium concourses. They can also be installed as a single, double or triple display kiosk, with media player stored in the pedestal, to enhance efficiency in drive-thrus.
Peerless-AV provides support not only with product design and positioning of outdoor kiosks, but also helps with engineering support for QSRs, integrators and construction groups to effectively plan their installations. This includes direction regarding concrete base position and depth, specs for anchor bolts and more. Other ‘intangibles’ include wind rating capability to protect the public in the event of a storm or tornado, protecting against damage, selecting the right electrical service to support power requirements, and professional documentation to support local permitting and zoning approvals.
New opportunities
Tom Fenton, Senior Business Development Director – EMEA at Peerless-AV describes the special features that he believes are important in displays designed for outdoor digital signage applications: “Outdoor digital signage is growing, and we are seeing significant opportunities for our high bright outdoor displays and outdoor kiosks in all manner of applications – from ski resorts, amusement parks, zoos, train stations and QSRs to stadiums and arenas, museums, cruise liners, golf courses, marinas and bar or restaurant gardens. From the beginning, a major barrier to outdoor display integration was the inability to use a conventional flat panel display anywhere outside a climate-controlled environment. Not only did they lack the ability to survive extreme temperatures, but they were unable to withstand rain, humidity, snow, dirt, insects or anything else nature threw at it. Now, there are slim, sealed, all-weatherproof displays on the market that are changing the face of outdoor AV integration by making all the traditional limitations a thing of the past.”
“There are many fundamental considerations when choosing an outdoor display but a major one relates to energy consumption. This obviously varies according to display size. Although, there is variance per product, energy use can be controlled by changing backlight brightness or by incorporating scheduling to control brightness according to time of day. Outdoor ruggedised displays are highly effective if they have the right combination of features. These include IP66 rating, ensuring that every display has the maximum level of protection against dust and moisture. Optical bonding, which eliminates the air gap between the glass and the panel thereby greatly reducing reflection and refraction in direct sunlight. IK10 impact resistance, when combined with optical bonding, delivers enhanced ruggedness and durability.”
“With optical bonded 2500 or 3000 NIT displays, a perceived greater brightness is presented compared to displays that rely on extra forced brightness via additional backlight. Thermal dynamics deliver efficient cooling without over reliance on fans. Temperature range is a critical issue, especially with climate change affecting long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. The range of operating temperature needs to span extreme cold and extreme heat. An outdoor display that functions between 60°C and -35°C, makes them suitable for an extensive range of settings and applications. Another important feature to consider when choosing outdoor displays, for a setting susceptible to seismic activity or potential tampering or theft, is an integrated gyroscopic sensor, which detects any movement of the display and sends an alert.”
The availability of dvLED technologies from a number of vendors has really broadened the market, including some fine pitch specifications previously most commonly found in indoor installations, “The finest pitch available from Sharp/NEC’s outdoor LED products is 2.8 mm. Recently, we sold most outdoor LED displays with a pitch of 3.9 mm or 4 mm. For larger screens it is also a question of cost. Usually, a pitch of 6 to 10 mm is ideal to present content in HD resolution,” explains Howorka.
Transaction processing
Outdoor digital signage and content management software provides an immeasurable opportunity to instantly transact, through dynamic content and instant messaging. The ability to provide eye-catching, timely content that can be updated instantly, provides businesses with flexibility, and ultimately an increased ROI. It can help businesses in a variety of ways such as attracting attention, providing location-specific information, showcasing products and services, providing wayfinding, displaying real-time information and enhancing the customer experience.
The potential of the outdoor digital signage market is not just a function of the number of available locations, The ability of digital signage to transact and tale payments can make all the difference to signage ROI. Studies show that the most transactions with potential customers happen at ground level. In the outdoor space this has nearly always been the job of LCD kiosks. The Award-winning AEGIS breaks that trend with pixel pitches as low as P1.2, outputting 4000 NITs and in popular LCD kiosk sizes all whilst using up to 40% less energy than legacy LCD kiosks. There has never been a better time to make the switch the LED technology. Now, AI has the potential to further improve the ROI for outdoor digital signage through audience analytics, dynamic content personalisation, predictive maintenance and automated content creation, taking real-time messaging that one step further.
When it’s used in the right context and format Digital Signage can change customer behaviour and increase upselling opportunities in retail, restaurant, and public space environments. Digital Signage kiosks are now utilised across drive-throughs and quick service restaurants for advertising purposes and to relay menu boards more quickly. Digital Signage provides wayfinding options in an efficient way that replaces traditional advertising boards and is a cheaper alternative to posters.
Digital Signage can relay important information in high footfall public areas and outside spaces such as interactive directories. Financial institutions and banks are adopting digital signage to service their customers in a more efficient manner and provide additional promotional services all at once. Real-time updates are possible thanks to digital signage and can easily be programmed into systems for a convenient and efficient customer experience, leading to higher ROI for businesses.
“Furthermore, at SiliconCore, we noticed the importance of using the correct digital dignage content to set the tone for organisations, advertisers, understanding customer needs whilst creating an impactful product display. With new technologies coming to the fore, we have seen a huge spike in generative content usage and the need to create immersive experiences to maintain customer interest. There is a direct correlation between generative and AI produced content and increased dwell time,”
Pixel pitches
Traditionally, outdoor digital signage has been the preserve of larger pitch sizes because of the greater viewing distances. As the demand for outdoor digital signage increases, so has the demand for narrow pitch sizes. This is because narrow pitch displays offer better visibility, higher resolution and more flexibility for outdoor resolutions. Predominantly, when we think of outdoor displays we imagine large LED billboards, but there is actually a wide range of fine pitch applications in which LED is a much more suitable option.
Narrow pitch sizes have traditionally been dominated by cheaper, but less energy-efficient LCD displays, however LED Studio is now leading a revolutionary change to fine pitch outdoor displays. These displays are not only more sustainable but also have a much longer lifetime than LCD displays, which again offers businesses a much higher ROI. Viewers can get closer to the content and brands can provide more exciting content than ever before. The AEGIS range is described as the ideal sustainable LCD outdoor replacement opening an array of new DOOH advertising locations that require that super-sharp image quality you just wouldn’t get with larger pitch sizes, including digital six sheets, drive thrus, bus stop signage and point of sale kiosks.
“Narrow pitch outdoor displays are a great alternative to larger pitch sizes because they provide higher resolution display, which is particularly important when displaying detailed or high-quality images or videos. By using narrow pitch displays, outdoor digital signage can also provide a more vivid and clear display, which can help to capture the attention of passers-by and improve visibility even in bright sunlight. We’ve seen a growth in our outdoor digital signage business in recent years, but there is still plenty of potential for businesses to take advantage of this technology. One of the most promising potential markets for outdoor digital signage is the retail industry. Retailers can utilise signage applications to promote products, drive foot traffic, and create more engaging shopping experiences for their customers. This is why, at SiliconCore, we have been focusing on extending our range of LED displays for outdoor applications. Designed to create a more immersive and dynamic experience, the 1.2 mm Outdoor LED Display offers the highest resolution whilst procuring a sustainable and durable replacement to outdoor LCD. This opens new possibilities for digital signage, DOOH and outdoor creative applications.”
“Working in outdoor environments has its challenges, but we’ve risen to the occasion by addressing daylight sensitivity concerns with a sustained brightness of 4,000 nits that ensures outstanding image quality and detail across all outdoor applications. Our research into fine pixel pitch engineering has enabled us to weatherproof the 1.2mm Outdoor LED Display by coating each individual LED with our durable LISA encapsulation technology. The technology protects the LEDs from damage without compromising on brightness or colour reproduction. This extends the product lifetime, especially in rugged environments. We wanted to create a product that can withstand harsh weather conditions and could easily be serviced in the field. The 1.2mm Outdoor LED Display’s modular design incorporates waterproof PCB’s and a custom sub-frame that can be made to any dimension to increase scalability and allow for greater creativity,” said SiliconCore.
“As we evolve and adopt new technologies, we have seen a shift from using larger pitch sizes to narrow pitch sizes. Narrow pitch outdoor digital displays can be seen in transportation hubs, such as airports and train stations, to provide travellers with real-time information on arrivals and departures, as well as wayfinding and advertising. We focused on developing fine pixel pitch outdoor LED display solutions that met the growing needs of the end-user. These can also be seen used at outdoor events, such as concerts and festivals, to display event schedules, maps, and other important information to attendees. A good example of this is at sporting venues which use narrow pitch outdoor digital displays to provide fans with real-time updates on scores, statistics, and replays, as well as to showcase sponsor advertisements and other promotional content.”
A great opportunity?
So, does ‘outdoor’ still represent a great opportunity for digital signage? We believe it does,b simply because the number of sites and applications is almost limitless and the technology us evolving to suit – even before we consider the impact of AI and alternative realities.
