As digital signs are increasingly being used in street-level windows of banks, stores and other facilities, it is important to understand how to make sure these outward-facing displays will be visible to passersby in sunny environments.
Windows facing east and west have the biggest problems with digital signs getting overpowered by sunlight. Conventional displays designed for indoor use provide as little as 20 per cent of the necessary brightness to be daylight-readable. Luminance of at least 2,000 nits is required to ensure the screens’ messaging is not washed out.
Another factor is polarization. Many passersby on sunny days will be wearing polarized sunglasses, which visually distort the images on regular liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Fortunately, high-brightness screens are now available with integrated circular polarizing technology that prevents such distortions, eliminating ‘display blindness.’
Many high-brightness displays also use sensors to measure ambient light and automatically adjust themselves accordingly. Outdoor-facing screens need to be at their brightest on sunny days, but less so under cloudy conditions and at night. A screen that’s always bright will not only turn off viewers, but also consume more energy, elevating operating costs.
Finally, for a slim and clutter-free installation, users should choose digital signs with embedded system-on-chip (SoC) media players, built-in wireless networking and noise control, eliminating the need for extra cabling and devices and thus minimizing their ‘footprint’ within the window.
With files from Samsung. For more information, visit www.samsung.com.
