Shining bright
Digital signage has seen tremendous growth in recent years, with those in this sector using the technology to produce all sorts of innovative applications. Be it touch screens in retail environments, bus stop advertising screens or gigantic billboards at the side of the road, digital signage is everywhere.
As the use of digital has grown, the technology behind these screens has also advanced. LED solutions now form a staple part of many digital signage jobs, offering those in the market a more environmentally friendly option to power their applications.
O Factoid: While considered a relatively modern technology, the origins of LED can be traced back as far as 1907 O
Here, we find out about some of the latest developments in this market and analyse how companies are using LED technology in creative and innovative ways to enhance the look and performance of their signage applications.
Flexible solutions
First up, Rutger Schaap, who was recently appointed as senior sales manager for Benelux at PPDS after spells with Sony and LG LED, outlines the core advantages of working with LED in screen-based projects.
Rutger Schaap, who was recently appointed as senior sales manager for Benelux at PPDS
Focusing on the flexibility of the technology, Schaap comments: “With the benefit of ‘any size, anywhere’, you can create an incredibly innovative canvas, for instance, a 360° cube. Or you could go for a 16:9 corporate boardroom LED wall that looks fairly standard in shape but that is impressive in size and truly immersive for presenting. Our product portfolio has it all.
“On top of all this, our LED displays are very reliable and have a lifetime of 100,000 hours. Our products are calibrated from within our own factories and we are in very close contact with our research and development and manufacturing teams to stay in pace with market needs.”
Schaap gives the example of the latest 7000 series LED higher bright products from PPDS, designed for installations in very light environments and special gold wire narrow pixel pitch LED for best-in-class picture quality for environments such as boardrooms, control rooms, studios and event spaces.
Also new from PPDS in terms of LED displays are the 7000 series 2.4mm cabinets with sizes of 500mm x 250mm, 750mm x 250mm and 1000mm x 250mm, which Schaap says are perfectly built for retail environments with 1,200nits brightness. In addition, Schaap says interest is high in the new 1.583mm 9000 series with copper wire.“We have a number of great LED projects in the pipeline as we make our way towards the end of the year and my ambition is to build on these, to facilitate the installations and to create some superb case studies that really showcase our quality in both product and service across all of our focus market segments,” Schaap adds.
Also new in LED technology, Calibre UK recently announced the launch of its new LEDFusion Pro series all-in-one direct-view LED. Featuring Calibre’s next-generation UltraX image engine, the LEDFusion Pro is an integrated solution that the manufacturer says can be installed by two people in an hour or less.
The solution is available in two sizes and differing pixel pitches – the 130" 1080p model and the 163" 4K option – that Calibre says caters for most viewing distances in a wide range of environments.
When combined with Calibre’s HQPro1000 scaler/switcher, Calibre says the Canvas screen management solution performs seamless switching, fast transitions, support for multiple sources and layers.
In addition, with Calibre – designed slot cards such as Quad2K card, this can add up to four programme outputs alongside a confidence monitor output, while scaling is provided by the manufacturer’s low-latency proprietary HQUltra technology that supports 4K50/60 4:4:4 RGB formats.
“As a leading LED display and image processing technology provider, Calibre is continually investing in technologies that deliver high display quality and high performance of the LED display,” the company says.
Going live
Next, LED technology specialist Absen last year teamed up with Scotland’s Catalyst Event Production Services to launch a new virtual studio to allow customers to host events even in the midst of the pandemic.
Catalyst Event Production Services and Absen developed a new studio featuring LED technology
Located at Catalyst’s Perth-based offices, Catalyst CONNECT is a 200sq m space hosting a 50sq m presentation stage with an LED backdrop, created using LED lighting products from Absen.
Catalyst opted for Absen’s lightweight Aries 1.5 MiniLED, which, purchased from UK-based distributor PSCo, offer a 170° wide viewing angle and high contrast for vibrant and engaging content. This, Catalyst says, was critical for its indoor 4K resolution LED display requirements at the studio.
Up and running since August last year, the studio allows for both online and in-person presenters, as well as the ability to host live streams, broadcast recordings and run live voting. The facility is able to host up to 80 attendees, opening it up for uses such as Q&A events, networking and live event hosting.
“We’ve had a regular stream of work from companies wanting to elevate their virtual presentations to match their existing brand values and to overcome the limitations of webinars from home offices,” says Graeme Craig, managing director of Catalyst.
“Customers have found the value added to virtual events or webinars by using a virtual studio far out ways the cost of implementation. We’ve even seen an increase for our customers in audience engagement and retaining that engagement, when compared to standard video call webinars from home.”
LED can offer a whole new dimension to online presentations, professional events and award ceremonies”
Adam Berditch, business development manager for the UK at Absen, adds: “Over the last year, we’ve seen businesses use LED to transform live online events. State-of-the-art virtual studios, like Catalyst CONNECT, are fast becoming the norm for industries across the globe, as LED can offer a whole new dimension to online presentations, professional events and award ceremonies.”
Premier League standard
Sign integrator ADI also used LED technology as part of a major overhaul of Turf Moor, the home of English Premier League football club Burnley. The project saw more than 1,100sq m of LED technology installed inside the stadium as well as on the outside of the building, with the aim of improving the matchday experience for supporters, who are now permitted to once again attend games after Covid-19 rules were relaxed in the summer.
ADI installed more than 1,100sq m of LED technology inside Turf Moor, the home stadium of Premier League club Burnley
The major project featured more than 30 installations throughout Turf Moor, including two showpiece, super-wide big screens in the stadium for displaying key information such as team news and images of goalscorers during the game.
ADI also installed a new digiBOARD digital perimeter system, multiple levels of digital ribbon and additional digital signage throughout the stadium bowl, as well as 13 screens on the outside of the stadium to welcome fans at the ticket office, club shop and entrances.
In addition, ADI helped revamp facilities behind the scenes at the stadium, with new fine pitch LED digital walls installed inside the Chairman’s Suite and Media Room.
Geraint Williams, chief executive of ADI, also highlighted how the installation features full connectivity to ADI’s Live Venue network, allowing matchday content to be created and managed remotely from ADI’s European Production Hub in nearby Preston without the requirement for the installation of production studio infrastructure at Turf Moor.
Williams adds that as all platforms are fully integrated, allowing the club to share news, information, and updates immediately with supporters across all branding touchpoints, this will help to enhance the fan experience and bolster the commercial offering of the club.
“These are decisions taken with the long view in mind and will help to add huge value to the matchday experience for fans as well as the club partners not just this season but for years to come,” Williams comments.
“Consolidating all of these platforms with a single supplier delivers huge benefits to Burnley, both operationally and commercially. Whilst most clubs have very fragmented digital platforms with multiple operators and disparate control systems, Turf Moor will be somewhat unique in the ability to easily manage content across every screen within the stadium, enabling far more effective management of stadium-wide communication and promotion.”
Burnley chairman Alan Pace, adds: “The introduction of big new screens and integrated LED technology will help our supporters feel more connected to the match than ever before, whilst enhancing the image of Turf Moor on TV and projecting our club’s unique identity to the millions watching around the world.
LED-based signs are becoming more commonplace on the famous Las Vegas strip
“Upgrading old traditional signage will not only help the club to unlock its commercial potential to national and international brands, but also provide local businesses with uplifted branding and a new opportunity to benefit from the Premier League’s global reach.”
Digital signage has seen huge growth in recent years and with the constant introduction of new and innovative LED technologies, this trend shows no signs of slowing down. Whether it is being used for eye-catching displays on the side of skyscrapers in New York City, or for iconic displays in sports stadiums around the world, LED technology is incredibly flexible and well suited to a wide array of signage jobs.
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