Digital Signage: Commercial Display v Consumer TV Screen

Table of Contents

Can I just use a TV?

We often get the question: ‘Can I just use a TV?’
Our standard answer/advice is: ‘It’s best not to!’

Why not?

Durability

Of course, your TV is on for longer some days more than others, but overall never 12 to 18 hours a day. In everyday companies, shops, or public places, these are the minimum hours of play per day. Sometimes it’s non-stop. Under these circumstances, TVs quickly show a loss of image and color quality. Monitors, on the other hand, are made of high-quality components that can handle these long hours of play with ease and usually have extra fans and other applications to keep everything cool, even if the screen is on all day. The LED panels will often have a life expectancy that exceeds 50,000 burning hours.

Commercial Insurance

What is often forgotten is that a consumer TV is made specifically for a consumer environment. Usually, this is made clear in the warranty provisions. If such a screen is used for digital signage, it may well be that the manufacturer’s warranty is no longer valid. Worse still, if a consumer screen is being used in a business environment and causes a fire, due to a malfunction or short circuit, it is possible that the company insurance will not cover the damage because improper devices have been used, devices that are not intended for an industrial or commercial environment.

Brightness and Display

A monitor has been specifically developed to convey the message as clearly and brightly as possible. The light output is therefore specially tailored to the environment and the viewing angle is many times greater. And a TV in portrait mode (standing) is simply a no-go. If these arguments are not decisive, then consider:

1. You can switch off all outside control buttons.
2. You can use a professional VESA bracket.
3. Those cables can be neatly concealed from view.
4. The monitors usually come with a 3-year on-site warranty
5. The casing for the monitor can easily be sprayed with any color to match your corporate identity or the surroundings.

Latest generation of LED screens

The latest generation of screens is LED screens. LED screens are distinguishable from older LCD screens by durability, light output, and reaction power. The latest LED screens are more robust, they are far more economical to use, and last much longer. In addition, the response speed of LED technology is many times higher than the outdated LCD technology, ensuring fast-moving images appear sharp and clear. LED screens provide considerable savings in power consumption. Below is an example calculation for the use of a 32 “and a 40” LED screen compared to an LCD screen (larger formats and different test setups on request).

Calculation example

Below is the calculation of the power consumption of an LCD screen and an LED screen that is on for ten hours a day, every day. The price is based on € 0.22 per kWh.
At the bottom, you can see your savings per year in power consumption when you work with an LED screen.

32” LCD LED Screen
kWh per year 402 183
price per year €88 €40

40” LCD LED Screen
kWh per year 686 354
price per year €151 €78

A 32” LED Screen is €48 cheaper every year!
A 40” LED Screen is €73 cheaper every year!

Easyscreen: One-stop-shop Digital Signage Software

Here at Easyscreen, we are a one-stop-shop. So we can help you every step of the way. We can provide you with your digital signage displays and media players, but also much more. We supply you with our platform’s content creation and management software and then take care of installation and maintenance.

Want to know more? Read our ultimate guide to digital signage displays