Why Commercial-Grade Digital Signage is Worth the Investment

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Last week we told you about the advantages of commercial-grade hospitality TVs over consumer TVs for use in hotel guest rooms. This week we’ll get into the advantages of commercial-grade displays for use as digital signage.

From engineered durability, innovative form factors and a wide range of sizes, to installation, integration and management, commercial-grade displays excel at meeting long-term business needs.

LG commercial displays are designed to provide 18-24/7 operation (depending on model) and can provide attention-grabbing content in public environments, and often harsh conditions, day in, day out. LG uses commercial-grade components to prolong the life of the display—with key considerations such as heat, dust and humidity all playing a role in the build quality.

Not only is the construction of LG commercial-grade displays superior to that of consumer-grade displays, the back-end infrastructure allows businesses to create, post and manage their own content with ease. Let’s have a look at the advantages:

  • Consistent Image Quality – With IPS (In-Plane Switching) LCD screen technology, the angle of view does not affect the image quality. IPS is a leading advantage for displays in public areas and large spaces where people are moving about.
  • Effective Brightness and Contrast – Commercial displays are available with a brightness and contrast range ideal for the venue. Resellers and systems integrators can take note of the lighting conditions for each display location and select a display accordingly.
  • Display Orientation – Commercial displays can be used in landscape or portrait modes and have a wide selection of industrial mounting options. Consumer-grade screens are landscape format only.
  • Innovative Form Factors – LG leads the way in innovative display form factors that can blend virtually seamlessly into the space, complement existing structures or become iconic elements of the architecture.
  • Easy Connectivity – Commercial displays lead the way in connectivity, making an installation much more economical for systems integration. Feed the display any type of digital signal and it can daisy chain to whatever the output requires.
  • Variety of Inputs – Commercial displays feature a wide variety of inputs including RS232C, RJ45, USB, HDMI, DP, DVI-D and more.
  • Easy Content Management – LG’s webOS Signage is a web-based content creation/management platform that is supported by a wide network of software integrators in the U.S. It works with the displays’ embedded SoC (System on Chip) and eliminates the need for external media players and associated cables and mounting hardware. The content can be managed from a centralized location.
  • Fail-safe Engineering – LG commercial displays are purpose-built for maximum messaging uptime. For example, you can have webOS Signage software playing through a LAN cable that uploads to 4 GB of usable storage on the display. Then set it up so that the display will feed from a USB stick as a backup. And then have a standard video player attached to the back of the display as another backup. Newer versions of webOS Signage can also point to a server that can download a file such as a video for digital signage content and upload it to the display at a specific time during off-hours or when the business is closed.
  • Fanless Design – LG commercial displays are air-cooled and require no internal fans that can add bulk and facilitate ingress of contaminants.
  • Circuit-protecting Conformal Coating – LG commercial displays are engineered with conformal coating to protect the display’s internal circuitry from moisture and airborne particulates. Conformal coating is a thin chemical coating or polymer film that is topically applied to circuit boards. It is designed to protect electronic circuits from harsh environments that may contain moisture, dust and other contaminants known to harm circuit boards.
  • IP5X Certification – Select LG commercial displays feature IP5X Dust-proof Certification. They are designed to resist dust buildup, which means better long-term performance and less heat generation.
  • Outdoor Use – Outdoor commercial displays employ vandal-resistant glass and an IP56 design which allows for outdoor operation with protection from ballistic impact, wind, dust, rain, sleet, snow, brake dust, or car fumes. There’s no need for a separate environmental enclosure, air filters, or additional vandal-proofing measures. These displays also feature ultra-high brightness and contrast, luminance control, thermal management, polarized sunglass viewable anti-glare screen, plus available touch screen panels.
  • Installation Quality Service (IQS) – LG’s IQS ensures that all displays are properly installed and color-corrected. Our commercial-grade warranties and post-sales support ensure low TCO and high ROI.
  • Commercial displays are backed by 3-year commercial warranties with extended years of service coverage available. Consumer products, on the other hand, usually have a 1-year warranty.

When you weigh all the advantages of commercial displays it’s easy to understand the reasons for the additional upfront cost, and the reasons for the lower total cost of ownership.

Commercial-Grade Hospitality TVs Offer Numerous Advantages for Hoteliers

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When the time comes for hoteliers to purchase new televisions for the guest rooms, the first inclination might be to go to the local big-box store and make a big purchase. After all, those TVs have the latest high-resolution options and features, and they’re probably what the guests are accustomed to watching at home.

However, consumer-grade TVs are not built for use in hotel guest rooms, and can create more work and waste more time than their discounts are worth. Commercial-grade hospitality TVs, on the other hand, offer numerous advantages over consumer-grade TVs, and are the right choice for hotel properties of any size.

Commercial-grade hospitality TVs are purpose-built for use in hotel guest rooms. LG provides the latest Pro:Centric® hospitality TVs in an array of sizes from 32-inch HD Standard TVs all the way up to 75-inch 4K UHD ultra-slim Smart TVs. And for the luxury suites, the revolutionary LG OLED Wallpaper hospitality TVs, one of the first TVs in the world to incorporate Dolby Atmos® sound, offer the ultimate in-room entertainment experience.

On top of that, LG offers a Pro:Centric Smart set-top box made for the hospitality industry that enables Smart functionality on non-Smart hospitality TVs. Hoteliers can now upgrade their non-Smart TVs to better accommodate today’s technology-enabled, digital-savvy guests.

Another plus for hotels is that LG hospitality TVs have the built-in capability to support customized applications and guest services through a wide array of system integrators and service partners. And the TVs can be set up all at once, quickly and easily, via an LG Pro:Centric server at the head end, eliminating the need to go from room to room setting up one TV at a time. LG hospitality TVs include a standard 2-year Commercial Warranty on parts & labor.

Here’s a list of feature advantages comparing LG commercial-grade hospitality TVs to consumer-grade TVs:

LG Hospitality TVs

  • Includes Pro:Idiom® digital decryption – no cable/satellite box is required to view premium High Definition channel content
  • Free LG 5-Star Service with routine preventive maintenance visits from technician
  • TVs include anti-theft systems such as a lock-down swivel base, built-in Kensington slot cable system; credenza hole; lock-down plate with anti-theft mounting hardware
  • Remote management provides the ability to set up the TVs all at once via LG’s Pro:Centric server; integrators can create an interactive electronic programming guide and interactive welcome screens to highlight property amenities, guest services and more
  • Pro:Centric Smart TV Platform supports a wide array of Over-the-Top (OTT) or Internet-based applications
  • Set start channel and volume limiter
  • Set start volume at power-up
  • Key lock prevents guests from accessing TV menu settings where picture settings can be disrupted
  • Label channels with specific network labels regardless of location in the USA
  • Optional Pro:Centric Smart set-top box adds smart functionality to non-Smart hospitality TVs
  • Standard 2-year Commercial Warranty on parts & labor included. Optional Enhanced Service Plans available.

Now, let’s have a look at what hotels get with consumer-grade TVs:

Consumer-Grade TVs

  • Cable/satellite box is required for viewing
  • TVs must be carried in for repair
  • No lock down mechanism included
  • Individual room visits required to set up
  • No hospitality features
  • 1-year parts / 90 days labor warranty

When you weigh the advantages the choice for hoteliers is clear.

The Many Ways to Communicate in Hospitals via Digital Signage

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Digital signage can enhance every section of a medical facility. With the ability to easily add, remove and update content in real time, and target content for specific areas, a digital signage network can ensure that staff, volunteers, patients and visitors receive relevant information throughout the facility.

In lobbies and waiting areas, digital signage (including video walls) is ideal for presenting dynamic branding images and messaging to inspire confidence and comfort, create an ambiance to distinguish the facility and help ensure the flow of patients, referrals, donations, staff and volunteers.

Throughout the common areas, in addition to wayfinding displays which can save staff members from a deluge of visitor interruptions and questions, visitors and patients can benefit from information about the hospital and its services. For example, a physician and department directory, health and wellness infotainment, fundraising news and donor recognition, and emergency alerts.

In the cafeteria and coffee shop, digital menu boards enable quick menu changes and dayparting and can cross-sell and up-sell items while including nutritional information per FDA requirements.

In meeting rooms and conference rooms, large format displays can elevate the quality of virtually any presentation and improve staff training. Displays that are Crestron Connected® certified and Cisco compatible can ensure seamless automation and control, enabling complete conference room automation. Small displays outside the rooms can present the schedule for the day.

In nurses’ stations, break rooms and other key staff locations, monitors and displays can keep the staff informed with workflow information, notices of upcoming events or lectures/training, safety alerts, and patients’ whereabouts through pre-surgery, surgery, and post-surgery recovery. Team-building content such as new staff introductions, profiles, successes, recognition/accolades, and congratulations for weddings, births, etc., can increase workplace pride and morale, and reinforce healthcare values.

In patient rooms, besides offering entertaining shows, movies and the web, healthcare-grade patient-room TVs can be configured to deliver specific medical- and health-related educational content for patients and their families.

To get the most from your investment, work with a digital signage content provider that offers technology best practices for healthcare facilities, including subscription-based feeds for medical networks, news/weather reports and lifestyle messaging. Also important is scheduling software that can integrate with your IT and patient appointment and procedure scheduling systems, and digital place-based networks for revenue-generating advertising. You’ll have the high-quality content you need, for the right reasons, at the right times in the right places.

Celebrating with Digital Signage

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We hope you had an exciting Fourth of July and are enjoying the long holiday weekend of fireworks, parades, barbecues, festivals, live music and other delightful ways to celebrate Independence Day.

Do you use your digital signage to celebrate holidays and special events? You should. Right off the bat, we can tell you that watching a fabulous fireworks display on a video wall coupled with a powerful audio system can be an incredibly thrilling experience. With good subwoofers you’ll feel every bang from head to toe, and the dazzling pyrotechnics and synchronized music will generate plenty of “oohs” and “ahhs” from viewers.

You can use digital signage throughout the year for celebrating. Just about any type of business equipped with digital signage can display holiday themes, highlights from company outings, employee achievements, customer accolades, birthdays and other special recognitions. Doing so can help boost morale and heighten a spirit of camaraderie.

Consider that digital signage is a blank canvas. And you can interrupt your regularly scheduled content at any time, and surprise people with a brand-new message for the day.

Need inspiration? Take a walk. To your local greeting card store. Browse the occasion categories. See the many different cards, artwork and well-wishes. There’s no shortage of good things to celebrate, and your digital signs can extend the greetings in new and exciting ways with content that moves, both literally and figuratively.

Enjoy your digital canvas.