Digital signage has joined the environmentally aware in addressing the greater needs of the global environment. Beyond saving energy and reducing the carbon footprint of electrically-generated displays, today’s digital signage products offer a crisper, clearer and more versatile graphic projection and, at the same time, are more economical.

Digital Signage Today hosted a webinar on May 29, 2012 about the impact of digital signage on the environment. Rachel Karnani, Product Manager for NEC Display Solutions, discussed eco-friendly features in the company’s large format digital displays, such as a built-in carbon footprint meter, to conserve energy and reduce cost. She also explained the incorporation of ambient light sensors to reduce or increase power as needed, real-time scheduler to lower or eliminate the light source during times of low use or no use, and LED technology to eliminate mercury. Karnani noted that using LED in a 3 x 3 video wall unit could produce a lifetime savings of $5,000 in power consumption over the traditional fluorescent-lit configuration.

Other manufacturers are taking the environmental route as well. Samsung is adding green features to their line of high-resolution panels. They have incorporated edge-lit panel designs with LED backlighting in many of their product lines. The technology allows for dimming techniques and variable settings to cut energy usage. The larger panels are also mercury-free and fluorescent-free, which minimizes their environmental impact upon disposal.

Densitron manufactures a variety of digital signage units, and cites several environmental perks within their product lines. These include a long service life (which also affects disposal issues), high UV, high temperature and high humidity resistance, lower cost and lower heat generation, and lower power needs.

Disposal concerns are sometimes relegated to the bottom of the “must have” check-off lists when considering a digital signage solution, but this is most certainly an environmental issue. Here’s why: With many manufacturers, LCD (liquid crystal display) screens for digital signage involved the use of CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent light) tubes, similar to the overhead lights you would find in office buildings, mounted behind the screen for illumination. LED technology, however, uses either a matrix of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) behind or on the sides of the screen to replace the CCFLs. Incorporating the side-lit component also moves the heat-generated energy away from most of the other circuitry, thus keeping the units cool and extending the life of the display.

 

About NEC

NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. The company brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit http://www.nec.com/.

About Samsung

As a global leader in Information Technology, Samsung's Enterprise Business Division (EBD) is committed to bringing meaningful innovation to businesses of all types from small/medium businesses to the Fortune 500 elite and public agencies alike. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com/business.

About Densitron

Densitron Technologies is a world leading designer and manufacturer of information display systems. The company produces TFTs, OLEDs, Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD), Alphanumeric LCDs, Graphic LCDs and Touch Screens. Founded in 1972, it operates in 35 countries. Visit www.densitron.com for more information.

 

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