Photo courtesy LG Electronics
By Peter Saunders
In February, LG Electronics installed the world’s first 4K digital signage display at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nev. (pictured). Representing the commercial-grade version of the manufacturer’s ‘Ultra-HD’ TVs and boasting four times the screen resolution of HD displays, it debuted in time to welcome visitors arriving for the 2013 Digital Signage Expo (DSE), where the same technology was demonstrated directly to attendees representing commercial applications.
“We are proud to bring Ultra-HD technology to the commercial market, where customers will benefit from interactive applications presented on a huge, visually stunning display,” says Y.K. Cho, LG’s U.S. business-to-business (B2B) senior vice-president (SVP).
Two of the 2.1-m (84-in.) screens are housed within a 3.4-m (11-ft) tall wayfinding kiosk in McCarran’s D Concourse, where nearly 32,000 passengers pass through 45 gates each day. Airport officials wanted to help alleviate passengers’ directional issues by complementing static signs, already in place overhead, with a wayfinding software application designed by Four Winds Interactive (FWi).
“The display is a welcome addition to our concourse rotunda,” says Rosemary Vassiliadis, deputy director for Clark County’s Department of Aviation, which owns and operates the airport. “It has been challenging to communicate to customers about many changes that have taken place around the airport since the opening of Terminal 3, but this new display will help capture people’s attention and enable us to get our message across more clearly.”
Backlit with light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the display’s screens boast eight million pixels. With the needs of the commercial market in mind, the screens are designed to operate in either portrait or landscape mode, feature a 27.9-mm (1.1-in.) bezel for side-by-side installation and can reportedly tolerate temperatures up to 110 C (230 F), preventing permanent picture quality damage due to overheating. They are compatible with digital signage media players and run the SuperSign web-based content management platform, which lets users preload templates, create dynamic content, control networked displays and run media files.
Soon after the McCarran installation, Delta Airlines announced it was working with RMG Networks to roll out 4K screens in its Sky Club lounges at airports across the U.S. Like Vassiliadis’ department, Delta turned to LG’s 2.1-m Ultra-HD screens, which RMG vice-president (VP) of technology platforms Leonard Wong said would “create a new digital wallpaper experience, beyond our traditional digital signage.”
In each airport, one of the screens greets guests as they ascend an escalator to the lounge, while another faces the inside seating area. The network’s revenue model will depend on digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising targeting Sky Club member demographics.
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