Commercial vs Consumer Screens
So you have your business, and are looking to provide customers with a digital signage solution so they receive the best experience at your location. After looking in some retail stores & online, you aren't sure whether you need a standard TV like in your living room, or should purchase a full commercial model. The biggest question you likely have is what is the difference between commercial TVs and regular TVs. Can I just use a regular TV on my wall and not worry about it? There are many differences between the two types to help you decide which is best. In addition to differences in types of screens you should purchase, there are also many different types of digital signage programs to choose from, depending on your level of competency with technology, graphic design, or a desire to create things yourself as opposed to hiring an outside firm. Whether for a university, restaurant, cafe, retail store, or any other professional location, there is only one option.
Of the many digital signage options to choose from, one of the most affordable and easiest to use are the ones that include software within the screen itself. More cumbersome solutions require you to create presentations on your computer, download them to a USB stick, SD card, or other storage device, and then plug them into a player connected to the screen. Recent upgrades in technology allow presentations to be downloaded directly to devices remotely. Even better are the screens that have the content player within the screen itself with the capability to download presentations. These types of digital signage players allow you to create presentations on your computer and have the screens download updates to show promotional changes or new information. This style is especially useful for businesses with multiple locations wishing to show the same presentations. One of the latest features allows you to make quick adjustments to presentations using your mobile phone via an app. The intuitive design of the software makes it easy to quickly change what is displayed and have downloaded to the screen for instant results.
|
Standard Commercial Model |
Standard Consumer Model |
| Warranty Length |
3 years |
Typically 90 days with commercial use |
| Rated Usage |
min. 16 hours - 7 days |
Recommended 8 hours |
| Typical Bezel |
Ultra-thin
9-10.5mm |
12-15mm |
| Inputs & Outputs |
HDMI, Component, Composite, USB 2.0,D-SUB, DVI-D,SD card slot, Stereo mini-jack output |
HDMI, Component, Composite, USB |
| Internal Storage |
8GB |
none |
| Built-in Wi-Fi & Signage Software |
Yes |
- |
| Landscape or Portrait |
Yes |
- |
| Mobile Access |
Yes |
- |
| Temperature Sensor |
Yes |
- |
| Built-in Clock & Timer Shutdown |
Yes |
- |
Biggest Differences: Warranty Coverage & Hardware Components
When purchasing anything, for either home or business, the manufacturer warranty undoubtedly plays a major factor in your purchasing decision. Making sure your purchase is working well and will be covered if there happens to be a manufacturer defect is a smart way to ensure a good return on investment. If you are thinking of simply going down to a big box retailer, buying the on sale 40" LCD TV and putting it up on your wall at your restaurant, here's one important thing to consider: most manufacturers limit their warranty to just 90 days if used in a commercial environment. That's quite a bit less than the 1-year warranty that the salesman will speak about. The warranty is limited to 90 days because TV manufacturers know they use different components that won't hold up to regular use for the long hours that businesses require. That's where the commercial monitor comes in as your only true choice. Almost every model comes with a minimum 3 year warranty that includes use in retail stores, restaurants, and any commercial use setting. Along with a better warranty, there are also more robust components used in the build of the monitors.
One of the key differences between standard monitors & digital signage screens is the actual internal hardware. Whilst the actual screens themselves are generally the same, the interior components (such as capacitors & wiring) are more heavy duty, allowing for longer on-time during use. Most consumer models recommend a rest period after 8 hours of use to prevent overheating of these same components. If you were to feel the television during use, you'll likely notice it starting to warm after a period of time. The heavier duty components minimise this effect, as does the overall construction of the chassis, allowing more air to circulate for cooling. Most digital signage screens are meant to be used for AT LEAST 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, effectively doubling up on a standard set. Thinner bezels are also used for a sleeker look that also help with the ventilation when compared to standard models. Everything about commercial monitors has been designed with use in public areas in mind, ensuring stronger materials (including super clear coating as protection) are used for longer lasting use than standard models.
Inputs & Orientation
Now that we've covered the two most important factors, we can start talking about the other feature differences between commercial screens & normal TVs. We'll start with the inputs, as it is fairly basic. If you look at the TV in your living room, you'll see lots of inputs, usually including 2-4 HDMI, a USB, and a composite/component for RCA cables. Some may also have an RJ-45 for a hardwired ethernet cable. This is great for use at home, hooking up your cable box, game systems, and Blu-Ray or DVD player. A commercial screen will have all these inputs, but also feature a DVI-D & D-SUB for attaching a variety of different types of computers. There will also be an SD card slot generally for running presentations off of this media format in addition to the USB. For hardwired controlling, the RS232C allows you to have a back-up set-up in case the wi-fi stops working. There is also a mini-jack output for audio, allowing you to connect to a larger audio system for a great sound.
Consumer model televisions are designed to be placed on a TV stand or mounted to a wall to watch TV shows and movies. Digital signage screens have to be more versatile, as different environments and marketing opportunities may require the screen to be placed vertically instead of the standard horizontal position. If you do this with a consumer model, most warranty agreements say the warranty is immediately voided; they aren't meant to be used in any way other than landscape orientation. Digital signage screens are covered for use in portrait format, and the hardware inside is designed to cope with being mounted in this way. That allows promotional graphics to be created and the screens put into a wider variety of locations. You've seen them before, where models have been built around the screens to emulate mobile phones and more to better draw the attention of potential customers. If this was done with a consumer model screen that broke after a few months due to incorrect placement, that'd be a lot of money in both design and hardware that would be lost. And as covered above, the warranty would not be of great assistance in that situation.
Digital Signage Software
As described above, you have many choices when it comes to digital signage software, but using one with remote access is your likely best bet. One such version of this is magicinfo, making it easy for anyone to create a professional looking presentation without having to hire an outside team. There are different ways to create content as well so you can work with what you are most comfortable with. Content can be downloaded to the screen (with 8GB of internal storage available) and then you can create a presentation with the television remote. There is also a corresponding computer software that make sit easy to create presentations right on your computer, and then have them downloaded to the screen to play. There are heaps of templates to choose from to get you started that can then be configured to meet your specific business.
Some of the different features include having different transitions between screens, a popular method for drawing attention of customers. There are of course static screen options as well, perfect for displaying menus in restaurants and cafes, with items easily updated with the push of a button. Different fonts are available to help stylise your presentation to be more in line with how your present your business. Since the screen has a wi-fi connection, you can add widgets showing local weather, news, sport, and more to inform customers as they queue up or walk by your location. Using these types of information are especially useful because you can have them played against a branded background, getting the name of your business in their mind even if they stop because a news story caught their eye or they need to check the time.
The Verdict
As can plainly be seen both in the provided chart and the text above, there is only one choice when choosing a screen for your business. Yes, it might be slightly cheaper to purchase a similar sized screen meant for home use, but in the long run that won't be the case. When running a business you are looking for a good return on investment, and purchasing a screen without protection due to a voided warranty because you are using it in a manner that it hasn't been designed for means you'll have to buy a new one. Between this fact and the inclusion of signage software with many digital signage screens, making the choice should be easy.