TV screens are now being used for far more purposes than just home entertainment. Digital signage is a fast growing industry where LCD and plasma screens are being used for the displaying of advertising and branding messages.
However, modern LCD screens (and plasmas) simply can't be taken into these sorts of areas without some consideration in ensuring the devices are protected and able to operate in the optimum conditions.
However, digital signage is often placed in areas that are quite removed from the warmth and sterility of a front room. Busy retail centres and outdoor locations not only mean lots of people, which heightens the risk of accidental damage through knocks and impact (both accidental and deliberate) but also screens are often placed in cold or hot environments and even in outdoor locations.
Ensuring the LCD or plasma screen is able to operate, no matter the external conditions, is often the task often the task of the digital signage enclosure. Any LCD enclosure or other housing for digital signage needs to ensure that the perfect working environment for the TV screen exists inside the enclosure.
Some protection that is required by screens is quite obvious. Outdoor digital signage for instance needs to be housed in a weatherproof or waterproof TV enclosure to ensure the screen is kept dry. However, not all the protection that an LCD enclosure offers is that obvious.
Air flow is vital for most electronic devices, TVs included. Without a flow of air to help carry away the heat build up hot spots can develop and the screen can soon fail. Any LCD enclosure therefore requires internal fans to help remove this heat.
In some conditions, such as in outdoor areas in hot climates, air conditioning has to be considered for inside the LCD enclosure as does heaters in locations where temperatures regularly drop below zero.
So while many people assume an LCD enclosure is just a waterproof metal box for protecting digital signage in outdoor locations, there is more to them than that as inside every LCD enclosure should exist the perfect operating environment for an LCD TV screen.
