Every digital signage solution has special demands. This Digital Signage Hardware Guide will show both, low cost and high end Hardware Solutions. It compares Consumer TVs with Professional Displays and will make you pick the right mini computer for your Digital Signage.
Let’s dive right in.
Psst: Are you new to digital signage? Read our detailed signage guide that gives you all the information you need to make an informed decision.
Table of contents
As project managers in many different scenarios we often needed cost efficient solutions. Even when working with well known brands.
As technology progresses it’s often seen as preferable to use consumer devices because of lower replacement costs. While professional displays should be more durable, we surprising had very low failure rates with Samsung consumer TV installations in the past.
Example: Only 2 out of 25 screens had to be replaced at Rothaus Visitors World while operating them for 5 years daily from 7 AM to 6PM. In both cases, a visitor bumped into the screen and the display was cracked.
Recommendation:
Samsung 55″ Class RU7100 4K TV
Starting at $449.99
As we were testing different hardware setups recently we discovered that even a cheap mini pc can handle 4K video while providing a great cost to durability ratio. We tested a HDMI Computer Stick and a Fanless Mini PC.
The HDMI Computer Stick, which is convincing due to its tiny size, did not last long, the fan was blown twice. But the Fanless Mini PC, wich comes at $149 including Windows, was durable and played 4K without any problems.
If there is a little more budget available, we would always choose the more expensive Intel NUC. Which has proven to run for more than 5 years. You can build your own NUC or buy a pre-build system on Alternate starting at $266.
A budget signage system starts as low as $600 and provides enough performance for 4K playback. Make sure to factor in the additional costs for the management software.
Professional signage solutions are always appropriate when a sufficient budget is available and a high degree of reliability has to be guaranteed.
Professional displays stand out by the following qualities. Often they are brighter, have better viewing angles and are suitable for continuous operation according to manufacturers. This is especially important if your signage installation is to be installed in a shop window exposed to sunlight.
Professional displays cost about three times as much as their commercial counterparts. For example, Samsung’s QH55R costs around $1500. If you choose a professional display, the consulting departments of the various manufacturers are at your disposal.
Contact Links:
Samsung Business
LG Commercial Display
Panasonic Professional
There is a computer that has always attracted attention for its robustness, performance and versatility. The Intel NUC. It can be equipped with RAM and memory as desired and showed itself to be forgiving and fail-safe even after years of switching on and off over power.
You can build your own project specific NUC or buy a pre-build system on Alternate starting at $266.
You want something bigger? You really don’t need it. In the past years the NUC’s fulfilled every project requirement we had.
Read more on Intel NUC for Business.
Since you are already reading the possibilities for professional signage, we would like to recommend our premium solutions to you. Our team will be happy to advise you on the choice of the right hardware, create customized signage templates for you and take care of maintenance if desired.
Contact us and we will be happy to make you an individual offer.