Digital out of home is similar technology to TV screens used around the home. Modern flat screen LCD and plasma screens are well suited for use as digital signage because of their sleek and discreet size, making them easy to mount on walls or in digital signage enclosures. However, one aspect of using an LCD screen out of the home that differs tremendously is keeping the screen protected.
The home is a fairly gentle environment for LCD and plasma screens, however, out of the home in the rough and tumble public arena, any screen used as digital signage is going to need protection from impacts.
An unprotected screen isn’t going to last very long out of the home. Whether because of accident or deliberate vandalism, a sudden knock or thump will cause either the device to fail or the screen to smash, both of which will require maintenance or replacement. Things are even worse in outdoor and unsupervised locations, as screens can fall foul of vandals so need to be tough enough to cope with severe blows.
Failing to have adequate protection for a digital signage screen will ultimately lead to the display needing replacing. Vandalism is all too common and many digital signage installers have learnt the hard way the importance of adequately protecting their systems.
Protecting most of an LCD screen is fairly easy as it just needs a rugged digital signage enclosure to withstand blows and impacts, however, protecting the screen face is more challenging.
Because people need to see an LCD screen, the face obviously has to be transparent. Glass, however, is too brittle to protect an LCD screen used as digital signage. One sudden blow and the glass will shatter, this will not only mean the screen will need replacing, but also could cause a hazard. Glass is not only sharp and can cause injury, in some environments, such as a food hall or production facility, broken glass is a contaminant that can lead to closure.
Because of this, alternative protection methods to glass are used in digital signage enclosures. Shatterproof polymers are preferred by most digital signage and digital signage enclosure manufacturers, as they are very tough and can withstand extremely severe impacts but also they don’t shatter. The worst damage one of these shatterproof screens will incur is a discolouration of the polymer, which is easily replaced.
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