Digital Signage

Digital signage is a form of electronic display that shows information, advertising and other messages. Digital signs (such as LCD, LED, plasma displays, or projected images) can be found in public and private environments, such as retail stores and corporate buildings.

Digital Signage Displays are most usually controlled by basic Personal Computers by way of proprietary software programs, avoiding any large capital outlays for the controller equipment.

Advertising using digital signage is a form of out-of-home advertising in which content and messages are displayed on digital signs with a common goal of delivering targeted messages to specific locations at specific times. This is often called "digital out of home" or abbreviated as DOOH.

The benefits of digital signage over static signs, in situations where changing signs are preferred over static signs, are that the content can be exchanged more easily, animations can be shown, and the signs can adapt to the context and audience, even interactively. Digital signage can offer superior return on investment compared to temporary and/or promotional signs made from other substrates.

Digital signage relies on a variety of hardware to deliver the content. The components of a typical digital signage installation include one or more display screens, one or more media players, and a content management server. Sometimes two or more of these components are present in a single device but typically there is a display screen, a media player, and a content management server that is connected to the media player over a network. One content management server may support multiple media players and one media player may support multiple screens. Stand-alone digital signage devices combine all three functions in one device and no network connection is needed.

Displays

Digital signage displays may be LCD or plasma screens, LED boards, projection screens or other emerging display types like interactive surfaces or Organic LED screens (OLEDs). Other, less traditional technologies for digital signage exist, such as 'holographic displays' water screens and fog screens. However, these are typically used for smaller one-off installations rather than large networks.

Rapidly-dropping prices for large plasma and LCD screens have led to a growing increase in the number of digital signage installations. Another price-related benefit that is allowing a larger group of businesses to install digital signage is the increasing availability of newer LCD and plasma display brands in the market.