LCD Enclosure Global

Digital signage content is one of the most important parts of any digital signage network, this is the part that contains the marketing or branding message alternatively it can provide information – a viewer will not look up and comment on the screen size or brand, they are interested in the vivid colours used and the message displayed.

Anyone that is familiar with computers will understand and know about computer file sizes, if not these are measured in kilobytes, megabytes and terabytes and vary depending on the type of file format used. For example text files are considerably smaller than say a JPEG (image) file; an image file is smaller than an MPEG (video file) these can measure from several hundred megabytes in size depending upon the length of the video.

Multimedia formats for graphics, audio and video probably represent the largest files on our individual computers, now if you were to put lots of multimedia formats (that are essential for any signage solution to be noticed) this will slow down the digital messaging network for sure.

When a new message is created, multimedia rich formats are used and added to an already overloaded network can result in choking the networks bandwidth. But there is a solution and it is the CG approach.

What is the CG approach?
This has been in broadcasting for years; it stands for Character Generator. This is a device that allows graphic designers to overlay text or graphics on top of existing video streams, it simplifies vide production enormously.

Without CG, the video production process is very laborious, as you can see in the example below.

Without CG – OMG!
If you were to create a video without a character generator you would have to create your own graphics and text from the beginning, synchronise it with the video and then record a video with the added images and text. This process would have to be repeated every time a video is created. This takes tonnes of manpower, resources and possibly be a waste of time. But this is how most companies choose to use digital signage.

With CG – Phew!
Technology is supposed to make our lives easier – yes? Well CG can help in this areas, as some dynamic signage software comes with pre-installed with MPEG video backgrounds, these can be integrated by just add a message and use the CG approach to overlap the text to the video, making it extremely efficient and a good time saver.

The end result is a message that is delivered with a much smaller file size, freeing up the networks bandwidth.

LCD Enclosure Global, a global leading manufacturer of outdoor TV cabinets, that are used for digital outdoor signage as well as being used for putting a TV in your backyard.

We all know that technology rules with digital signage and these solutions have the ability to be more than just a pretty light show used to capture audience’s attention.

It has a huge potential for delivery distance learning sessions, alarming us of potential problems in our area, such as amber alerts or campus lockdowns. Surely using any of the latter two if a life can be saved, surely the dynamic signs are worth it?

Corporations are using electronic signage to inform employees of their part and responsibility to the success of the business, this helps staff pull together and see the bigger picture.

There are any number of ways digital signage can be used from;
• Conference room scheduling – ensuring no rooms are double booked
• Morale boosting – motivating staff will increase productivity
• Training sessions – increases productivity

With these different applications, there is a solution for each of them depending upon the customer’s requirement.

Your customers should be able to answer the following questions;
• Do they want to use plasma or LCD displays?
• What software would they need?
• Is there a hard wired network or a wireless network that could be utilised (and save money)

Now once your customer can answer these questions, this will be the time the solution starts to take shape, as a solution for a factory will differ dramatically from a signage solution for a college campus. So the variables have to be addresses and the end result will be a digital signage solution the client is happy with.

LCD Enclosure Global, a global leading manufacturer of outdoor TV cabinets, that are used for digital outdoor signage, as well as being used for putting a TV in your backyard.

From education establishments to on the road side, outdoor digital signage is being used to offer advice, information and even protection to its audience. Do you pay attention to them?

The following two applications are being deployed as you read this article.

Campus Lockdown.
In April 2007, a college senior committed what is regarded as the worst mass murder in American history, 32 people were killed and a further 25 were wounded.

The attacks were committed in two attacks over a period of a couple of hours; the massacres caused chaos that had never been seen before. One of the main issues raised when this horror was investigated was that many students were unaware of any problems on the campus, after 2 hours of the first shootings, whilst the gunman was still on the campus.

On site communications failed that day and the college management had to re-view their ability to notify staff and students of any emergencies. They turned to digital signage for the answer.

As we all know digital signage ability to delivery content immediately from one single point by sending one alert to the screens on the campuses network, informing everyone of the “campus lockdown”.

Amber alerts.
This is the second application to benefit from digital billboards, now this is every parents nightmare, when you young child is stood at your side one minute smiling, then in the next minute a car draws up and the child is snatched leaving the parent distraught by this trauma.

Now an Amber Alert can be issued, within minutes a description of the child along with a description of the vehicle is broadcasted to mobile phones, PDA’s, lottery signs and digital signage.

These are not the only alternative ways for electronic signs to be used to inform and educate people.

LCD Enclosure Global, a global leading manufacturer of outdoor TV cabinets, that are used for digital outdoor signage as well as being used for putting a TV in your backyard.

So I hear you say, what is hotelling? It is something most home workers do when they go to the office, read on to see how dynamic signage is helping businesses reduce costs whilst increasing productivity.

I am speaking from experience, as some 15 years ago I worked for a company and worked remotely, covering an area of half of the United Kingdom, selling a range of server racks, but when ever I went to the office 250 miles away for bi monthly meetings I had always to clear an abandoned desk before I could start doing any work – I would have loved to use hotelling.

Now in this day and age of technology, businesses are looking to reduce costs with many businesses offering employees the opportunity of working from home, this has a two fold benefit to the employer;

1. Home workers work longer hours and take less sick days
2. Employees do not have to pay for additional furniture as well as saving on commuting issues.

Hotelling is a new concept in that any unassigned desks in the office are assigned to home workers or none permanent office staff, so the most effective way to schedule in which home worker is coming into the office and on what day, so on the morning at say 7 am, a digital sign can display the name and position of the “visitor”.

This solution allows for a reduction in time spent searching for a desk, then clearing it and gives the visiting home worker a sense of belonging to the company.

LCD Enclosure Global, the leading global manufacturer of outdoor TV cabinets, that are used for digital outdoor signage, as well as being used for putting a TV in your backyard.

Digital signage is seen every where from your favourite restaurants, football stadium and now in the factory, discover how this relatively new technology will improve communications.

Using Digital Menu Boards for combating obesity.
We have all been in a restaurant and seen these large digital menu boards, displaying the menu, prices however in July 2007 New York’s board of health came up with an idea for a healthier life style by having restaurants label each menu item with the calorific value of each item, due to the glowing obesity problem.

The law stipulated that the type font size had to be the same size as the pricing, this law was specific for standardized products and portions, so that over a period of the day when we our out of the home environment we can watch (and count) how many calories we consume.

So to comply with this law, digital menu boards were used, as these were faster to update and had hardly any lead in time, (there was no waiting for printers to print the new posters). So the restaurants that already were using the menu boards were streets ahead of their competitors and complied with the law from day one.

Now we have heard the benefits of digital signage used for marketing and informing people, however this same technology can be used to increase communication with a corporation, saving time and money.

Digital Signage in a corporate setting.
If you already have digital signage you are ahead of the game, probably the primary factor in purchasing this technology was to increase your brand awareness to visitors, especially about your “green” policies, established product lines and new products. Now you can use this technology to send motivational messages and to even schedule conferences.

For example you may have a specific department that creates the most wastage, here you can send constant reminds of your environmental policies and that they are contributing to your success, closely monitoring this sort of approach rather than a shot gun approach of telling employees what to do, normally works and within a short time frame the results will be there for everyone to see.

Controlling meetings rooms.
In large companies, there is always a demand for meeting rooms, have you ever attended a pre-booked meeting only to be moved on because the person you are visiting hadn’t booked a room? I have to often to recall.

According to one source the average worker spends 5.6 hours per week in meetings, so juggling the number of meeting rooms can be a problem, this is were digital signage is used, unlike emails that inform people of room changes, a digital sign can communicate any changes, so for example a digital display outside of meeting room 1 can inform staff of the room change to meeting room 3 and so on. With the aid of day parting, every company can use dynamic signs to schedule meetings etc and can be scheduled a whole month ahead, they can also be updated in a matter of seconds when a change is needed.

Digital signage is here to stay and we have to look and watch how it will help us in our daily work lives as well as in the shopping malls.

LCD Enclosures Global are the worlds leading manufacture of outdoor TV cases, that are used in outdoor digital signage applications. They also supply and deploy a wide range of indoor digital signage solutions from digital menu boards to kiosks. Discover how they can help you in your deployment of . Call them today on 888-460-3573. LCD Enclosure Global – anything else is a compromise.

When the summer comes and you are in outside in your back yard enjoying the warmth of the summers evening, the last thing you want to do is miss the game or your favourite TV program. Follow these five tips for installing a TV in your back yard and avoid any problems that otherwise you would encounter.

With the cost of digital, flat screen displays’ dropping dramatically this puts them in the reach of everyone, so much so that many people are looking to extend their home into their back yard. With the global climate changes, we have to consider the weather as summers get hotter and winters get colder, so if you follow the next 5 tips you will have a trouble free TV installation in your back yard, so that you can even watch the game whilst in your hot tub or pool.

5 Tips for a successful TV installation in your back yard.

1. Location – Plan the location of the best position for the TV, ideally not in direct sunlight. Consider if it will be mounted directly from the cinder block wall, from a ceiling mount or from a floor standing mount.

2. Cabling- Ensure that if you are running cables through your garden, you must install some sort of conduit for the cables and their connectors to run through, these must be berried at least 12” down, to prevent pets and other animals eating through the cables as well as an accidents (cutting power cables with a garden spade) whilst turning the garden over.

3. Types of screen – There are three options here, to use a standard TV and put it in a special outdoor case (we will come to this later), or buy a TV that is manufactured to be outdoors (these cost anything up to $25,000), alternatively we have seen large inflatable screens that incorporate a projector so you connect the projector and away you go watching your favourite program.

4. Protection from the weather – Now if you have opted for using a standard TV which 97% of people do, you will have to offer some sort of protection, as our weather patterns are constantly changing, with hotter summers and colder winters. So here you have to look for a special case, that offers thermostatically controlled heating and cooling and then if you are away on vacation you display is in the ideal environment. Without the element or the specialised cooling and heating the display could fail overnight costing you twice the price of the screen (one to buy it and one to replace it) to rectify. Look for a supplier who offers a solution that covers a large temperature range, say from -20 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Protection from theft – No matter what your neighbourhood is like, if you have something desirable, there will always be someone who is envious, now putting a TV in your back yard needs protection, so the best option would be to provide 2 answers to two of the main issues that anyone encounters when putting a TV outdoors and that is to put the TV in a special outdoor TV box, these come with special locks, and all the fixings are anti tamper. So anyone trying to steal your TV will draw attention to them selves trying to overcome these deterrents.

We all know that anyone with a garage can knock a steel box up, however it is the special electronics and security that separate it from a successful installation or a failure.

Following these 5 tips, has given you the information you need to install a TV in your back yard.

LCD Enclosure Global are the worlds leading manufacture of outdoor TV boxes, that protect from the weather (from -30 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit) and potential vandalism and theft. Discover how they can help you in your deployment of TV in your back yard. Call them today on 888-460-3573. LCD Enclosure Global – anything else is a compromise.

Advertising is one of the oldest professions and advertising at gas stations has come a very long way since the day of Henry Ford to today’s forecourts. Discover what to expect next when filling up your automobile.

Since the human race discovered automobiles they also needed to fill them with fuel, in the days when the man ran in front of the car warning people ahead of the car approaching. So the very first advertising at forecourts was to brand the fuel pumps themselves, so the pumps incorporated the logo, for example anyone seen the old “shell” pumps, they have the sun burst at the top of the pump.

From there the adverts progressed to gas pump toppers, these range from laminated printed adverts, marketing the merchandise that can be purchased from the on-site
convenience store. Some gas stations use this type of marketing.

Then the digital signage revolution hit the gas pumps, were many companies are deploying outdoor signage that is integrated into the pay at the pump kiosks, these are specially designed so that when a driver is filling up their vehicle with fuel, they are given current news, this could be global news, local or regional or just sports news, this is mixed with ads for products that are in store.

Because gas stations want to maximise their area of the station, each pump normally can serve 2 vehicles, so a dual screen enclosure is required, these protect the electronics from the elements.

Sat on top of the gas pump, these gas pump enclosures have a screen both sides, complete with outdoor grade speakers, fitting easily with minimal disruption to the gas station operator. A media player can be mounted between the displays and feeds the content to the screens, the fuel pump enclosure can also be fitted with a “through the glass” touch screen and these are being used by one gas station TV channel that whilst you are filling up you can get up to date travel news, what roads are blocks, any major delays – when they give this information it needs the driver to entire their destination, then the TV channel displays ads for say restaurants, hotels etc for the end destination.

Digital signage is the leading technology in advertising and the world’s fastest growing market for captive audience marketing.

LCD Enclosure Global are the worlds leading manufacture of outdoor TV boxes, that protect from the weather and potential vandalism. Discover how they can help you in your deployment of outdoor digital signage. Call them today on 888-460-3573. LCD Enclosure Global – anything else is a compromise.

Digital signage is fantastic when it works well, when the content is compelling and captures the audience’s attention you will turn the stores visitors into buyers, guaranteed.

With the current global slowdown, every store is vying for the attention of each consumer, sending them marketing messages, so here is your opportunity to make a lasting impression and build a solid shopping experience that will increase your consumer’s loyalty.

Using a networked based signage solution can allow in-store merchandising to be done in a controlled manner. For example promotions can be day parted (set to target shoppers at certain times of the day), such as breakfast, lunch and dinner as most stores have a restaurant and whilst they are there they can be targeted with the stores products that are on offer. The promotions can be updated within seconds throughout the network from one central location.

A good example would be if you discovered that you had an overstock of umbrellas, as soon as it starts raining, you could put a “special deal” on for umbrellas selling the overstock. This is something I saw on a recent visit to New York!

Once you have an established network promoting your merchandise, you can then make the digital signage work for you and your store, by selling advertising space on your network, this would cost little to set up but would make a healthy boost to your bottom line.

Digital signage is not limited to indoors, as many restaurants and bars are now deploying outdoor digital signage to draw visitors into their locations, then the indoor signage is used to market special offers such as cocktails and the menu specials.

LCD Enclosure Global are the worlds leading manufacture of outdoor TV boxes, that protect from the weather and potential vandalism. Discover how they can help you in your deployment of outdoor digital signage. Call them today on 888-460-3573. LCD Enclosure Global – anything else is a compromise.

When you have some unique dynamic content and you are eager to deploy it you now have some practical considerations to work through, these will help increase the view-ability of your campaign and therefore increase the profitability of the campaign.

One of the main considerations of the project is how the content is going to be viewed; will it be in portrait or landscape orientation? Or even a mix of both? Well it has been proven that consumer react to portrait orientated displays as they see them as posters, rather than in landscape orientation, as this is the same layout they have at home with their own TV.

Another option would be to have different channels in a store, for example one for menswear, ladies wear and for food products. In the food product department, you could add a small video on how to prepare a fish, or how to create apple strudel. With a portion of the screen showing the ingredients and promoting some products that are “on offer.”

Should sound be used?
This is a common question asked by businesses that are thinking about deploying digital signage. Another option may be to use a product that uses infra red sensors and when movement is detected in its range the audio is activated and gives the consumer the opportunity to mute the audio, this puts the consumers in charge and may increase sales of the product being promoted.

You could even try one department using audio, one not and compare the results of the products that are being promoted, this is an easy comparison.

Consumers who visit shopping malls will not stop or slow down to watch a digital ad, they demand content that is fast and to the point.

If you can offer one of the following, you will be on to a winner:

• Improve customer experience
• Provide detailed product information
• Special promotions

So no matter if you are deploying outdoor TV cabinets for digtial signage protection or gas pump enclosures, the above considerations should help you acheive what you and your client have in mind.

LCD Enclosure Global have several years experience manufacturing enclosures for protecting outdoor digital signage hardware from the weather and vandalism.

With digital signage being at the forefront of technology there are a few tips that will pay to remember, these will save time and increase profits, something we all aim for.

Even before any hardware or deployment has been even conceived, the first major link in any company’s dynamic signage department is the “team”, these are the people who will discuss what will be used in the project and what is out.

They normally come with a wealth of experience and have experience in Information Technology, marketing and communications but they must all have one goal and to focus on the brand. As well as each individual offering different skill sets they all have to get on, this said when the signage team pulls together they will delivery a high quality product that they are all proud of.

Once the team is in place to create your digital brand, you need to set out what the guidelines and aims of the project are, is this to be a regional campaign or is it to run nationally or globally? Each will have their own challenges that the team has to overcome.

The teams in place, guidelines laid down – what now?
Well now it is time for the team to create content that connects with the audience, if the marketing message is aimed at the wrong target audience the impact of the message is hugely decreased.

If the team have done their work right, they will have decided around the branding section what demographics to target in the early days of the project.

Legacy technology used in Content deployment.
One major advantage used by TV is the play list, is now adopted by the signage industry, calling up how the content will be displayed in a certain order, for example some digital posters use a simple xml file that is created in Microsoft Notepad, this calls the media that is on the media card in order and then is accessed through the onscreen menu to activate, once activated, the dwell time can be increased or decreased effecting the run time. If it runs to fast people will not notice the product or service, if it runs too slow the viewer will get board and move on.

Controlling the customer.
When you have deployed the signage solution and everything is put in place the team has created, you now need to control the customer, the best digital signage campaigns compel customers to do something, it could be to go to a different part of the store or to buy something right there. You know when a signage has been well thought out, when a consumer things, “now what?”, for example a store has a promotion on a product and after the ads is shown a map of the store is displayed were the product can be found.

LCD Enclosure Global have many years experience manufacturing outdoor TV cabinets that are used by pools for kicking back or even in theme parks such as Universal Studios, let them provide you with an affordable solution for your outdoor TV system. They can be contacted on 888-460-3573 to discover more.