Challenges for Outdoor LCD Displays and how to overcome these

 

Outdoor LCD Displays are in an uncontrolled, harsh environment which is constantly changing meaning it needs to have the ability to adapt to the elements in which it is subjected to.  The types of elements Outdoor LCD Displays face include different temperatures, humidity levels, direct sunlight, pollution, dirty power, windy conditions, rain, snow and hot sun.

The largest issue is direct and indirect sunlight and the impact it has on Outdoor LCD Displays.  It has been determined that a combination of various features of the LCD panel provide the ultimate viewing of the image or message.  These items are a high bright led backlit LCD panel with a brightness between 1,500 to 2,500 Nits, a high contrast ratio (between white & black), and an effective Anti-Reflective glare treatment of the glass.

When doing an installation, East/West Orientations are generally considered the worse as direct sunlight impacts the display especially with rising and setting sun.  Metromatics has developed various methods to overcome this type of installation by use of MetroSpec heat limiting glass and protective shrouds which filter and re-direct the sunlight making the screen still viewable in direct sunlight.

The most critical component for an Outdoor LCD Display is its enclosure and how it treats the LCD panel and its electronic components.  Our MetroSpec enclosures are IP65 rated which means there are no open filters in the enclosure which reduces the maintenance requirement of having to change filters on a regular basis and therefore producing a lower cost on ownership.  The enclosure has its own intelligent environmental control system which controls the cross cooling fans and heats the components in chillier conditions and the display can be controlled remotely to monitor the temperature, fans, power, brightness, start up and shut down timers (if required) using our SNMP software package.

Anti-Vandalism features may be another requirement for an Outdoor LCD Display in public areas.  Items which could be added to protect this system include a strong aluminium or stainless steel enclosure, thickened-shatterproof glass, anti-graffiti paint, inbuilt cameras for CCTV surveillance, monitoring alarms and shock/vibration sensors – all are items currently used in MetroSpec Outdoor LCD Displays.