If you are looking into Digital Menu Signage, whether it be for a menu boards for your QSQ (Quick Service Restaurant, or for a Hotel or your office building directory, there is often one main question many people have:
Why are so many types of commercial screens, when I can go down to Walmart or Best Buy and take a TV off the shelf and use that for my digital menu sign?
We here at TJG get asked this a lot.
It’s actually a valid question, so we wanted to write a post about what you need to consider when choosing a digital screen for your business.
Let’s look at 4 different are you should consider when it comes to choosing the right screen to use for your digital menu screen.
1: Price
Commercial screens have a much heftier starting price tag.
why is this?
The internal circuitry is different and more robust. Commercial screens have been designed with heavy-duty components inside. Commercial digital screens might be running 10, 15, for even 24 hours a day.
On the other hand, consumer screens are designed for a less intensive abuse. If you use a consumer screen in a commercial environment and try to run them 10-20 hours a day, the internal components will last a very short time and will often malfunction or burn out. Consumer screens can’t stand the heat. They are just not build with serious heat protection in mind like commercial digital screens are.
The commercial screen has heavy-duty heat sinks and built in fans that keep all the internal components cooler. Consumer screens will often times replaced every couple years or even sooner if used in a commercial environment.
Commercial digital signs can run 4, 5, even 6 years without any failures.
2 Warranty
Most department stores offer extended warranties on electronic products including digital screens. Definitely look into the various options if you plan to use a digital LCD or LED screen for your signage.
You want to make sure that you look closely at the warranty.
Many manufacturers of consumer screens have language written in there that if you try to use it for commercial use, the warranty could have limits or be voided out.
Commercial screens usually come with a 2 or 3 year warranty and it’s easy to get your warranty extended to up to 5 years. Commercial LCD/LED screens are made specifically to be easily serviceable, you many vendors including TJG will provide on-site service if your digital menu stops working.
#3 Consumer vs Commercial Digital Screen Features:
Consumer screens offer some really sweet features. One of the features most business owners love about commercial digital menus are that you can actually program to control when your digital signage turns on and off; what signage to show on what screen and easily change signage artwork out from a central location. They also include heavy duty special fans and ventilation systems that enable you to mount them in a vertical or portrait position. This gives more control over how you would like to design your digital signage.
With Commercial digital menu screens you also don’t have to worry about them burning up or becoming heat soaked when they are vertical or horizontal like typical consumer screens that only offer wide screen view. High end commercial screens also have a much brighter display. This is because they are designed to be placed in a well-lit environment.
Consumer screens are decent when the lighting is very bright but are more widely used in a moderately lit environment such as your living room or family room.
#4 Availability
Consumer screens are readily available. If you need to add or replace a screen you can easily go down to Best Buy or Walmart and pick one up off the shelf. You want to be careful though because it can be difficult to find an exact match for what you already have installed in your facility. This is because their production life is short.
In fact, the high rate of change for consumer signage can be a huge issue when replacing one you have purchased that needs to be replaced. Finding the exact match for what you already have can be very difficult at times. Commercial screens have a longer production life and replacement parts and screens are much easier to replace even 3 or 4 years later.
This means obviously that it would be easier to find an exact replacement for the particular models that you are already using. That way your digital signage system will all look and work cohesively.
Another often overlooked benefits of choosing a commercial signage solution is many companies are able to test their players and software against those screens to make sure there are NOT any compatibility issues. This is very important because if you buy a consumer screen, there is no guarantee that your new digital sign will work with your preexisting signage system.
The bottom line is, commercial digital menu boards and screens have been designed to handle the rigorous use that they will be put through. So make sure you are choosing the best screen for your application because it will be displaying your messaging, your content and helps you sell your products for years to come.
If you have a question about which digital menu or commercial digital screen is best for your business needs, click here to get a free digital menu demonstration of our digital signage solutions.
