Environmental conditions have always been important considerations when deploying digital signage. Any component that draws power generates heat, and unless those components are intentionally cooled via increased ventilation or some other means, temperatures climb to the point of jeopardizing operational integrity. Media players are particularly exposed to increased temperatures because their compact size often leads to them being installed in cramped, poorly ventilated spaces. For this reason, media players are designed to operate in high-temperature settings, often in the presence of increased humidity. This is why we designed our players to operate reliably at temperatures up to 70 degrees Celsius.
Generally speaking, heat and humidity are known risk factors, and most professional-grade AV hardware sold today is designed to perform well even when exposed to hot, humid conditions. On the other end of the environmental spectrum, however, is the cold. As a general rule, the AV industry as a whole concerns itself more with high-temperature performance than withstanding the cold. And this is a problem. It’s problematic because a growing number of digital signage installations are outside, protected from the ice and snow but not the cold.
Think of all the places you encounter outdoor signage these days – bus shelters, drive-through windows and freestanding smart city kiosks, just to name a few. There are even a number of DOOH platforms pushing content to car-mounted displays. All of these use cases have varying degrees of environmental protection, but it’s likely that most of the hardware in these scenarios is exposed to cold temperatures, especially during the winter months. This is why we believe there’s a growing demand for hardware that withstands not only the heat, but also the cold. With these expanded use cases, we recently certified our players for use in temperatures as low as -20 degrees C.
Environmental factors become increasingly relevant as outdoor digital signage installations become more commonplace. Safeguarding against the elements with hardware that can withstand both the heat and the cold is essential to ensure reliable performance in any temperature extreme.
