When choosing a display system for your organization’s boardroom, digital signage application, lobby, breakroom or any other area, you may be confronted with the decision of choosing between a consumer TV or a commercial display. A recent study revealed that less than 40% of displays in corporate spaces today were in fact commercial grade panels.

Additionally, over half the companies surveyed were considering buying their next flat panel displays from a large retailer. When faced with the decision of choosing a consumer grade display over commercial grade display, how do you know you are making the right decision? In fact, is there a wright or wrong decision?

To help you decide, let us look at the following important considerations;

Consumer TV’s are generally designed for shorter usage cycles of between 6-8 hours with long off cycles. They support a limited range of video formats such as Broadcast TV (built in tuner), Blu-Ray, composite and component video with limited support for a full range of PC resolutions and refresh rates. Consumer TV’s generally do not support portrait display modes, as they are designed to dissipate heat upward, and have limited protection against burn-in and image retention.

Commercial displays are designed for longer usage cycles of between 16-24 hours, with most models having built in fans to assist with heat build up and dissipation. Most commercial displays have built in scalers which recognize all PC resolutions including wide formats and different refresh rates (i.e. 1024X768@ 60, 72, 75, and 85Hz) in addition to TV/video resolutions. Almost all consumer displays can display images in either landscape or portrait mode. They also have superior anti burn-in & image-retention features.

Consumer TV warranties generally range from 90 days to 12 months. In addition, most manufacturers will not honour the warranty if they discover that the display has been used for longer duty cycles than it was designed for. Warranties are generally carry-in warranties, and it is up to the user to get the faulty unit to the retailer or service centre.

On the other hand, commercial grade displays often have a multi-year warranty of between 24-36 months, with an optional extended warranty period. Some manufacturers offer on-site warranties, which takes the hassle out of getting faulty units repaired.

Often overlooked is the fact that consumer TV’s often change in appearance with each model change. Bezels (screen borders) often changes in thickness & colour, and lastly displays become thinner with each iteration. On your initial purchase, all displays in your organization may appear uniform in size and appearance.

But as time goes by, you may have to add or replace displays and soon end up with a mish-mash of displays with different appearances. Commercial displays however. will maintain the same cosmetic look and display size for years. Display & bezel sizes seldom change due to the fact that most commercial display panels can be used for video walling purposes. As a display may be one of many in video wall configuration, display size and cosmetic appearance is of the upmost important to be able to replace individual panels.

Consumer Televisions usually fall in the range of 150-250 Nits, which is fine for most viewing conditions at home. Furthermore, colour reproduction can differently vastly in consumer TV’s. In general TV grayscale is skewed more toward of the bright white end of the grayscale producing more vivid saturated colour associated with TV/ Video motion.

Consumer displays generally are designed to work well for brightly lit conditions often found in commercial or retail spaces, where higher brightness is desired. Brightness can be rated for commercial displays anywhere from 250-750 in terms of Nits. Most commercial displays will produce a full grayscale with good linear colour tracking from black to white showing all 255 different levels of luminance (brightness). This is recommended for the diversity of PC applications.

Cost is a big part of a purchase decision. Although TV’s may offer a lower initial monetary outlay, there may other costs that get overlooked when making the purchase decision. In South Africa a TV cannot be purchased without a TV license, which becomes an additional annual expense.

Commercial displays, although having a higher initial monetary outlay have no hidden costs. Ownership over time often suggests that commercial displays will outlast a TV, In the long run costing less. The biggest source of cost discrepancy between TV’s and commercial grade displays is that they use higher grade components to act more reliably during more intense usage.

Consumer TV control is often limited to an infrared remote control. It is not ideal to control a TV via a control system, as control may often go out of state (e.g. TV switches off when on button is pressed and vice versa). Button controls on the panel itself do not have the ability to be locked out. Thus, TV’s used in commercial applications are often susceptible to user interference. Users may inadvertently change input sources and change settings they are not supposed to, leading to the display not operating as desired.

While commercial displays can be operated remotely via RS-232, LAN and their button controls on the panel itself can be locked out to avoid unwanted user interference. RS-232 & LAN control offers discrete commands for functions such as on/off, volume control and source selection. In digital signage applications, commercial displays can be set to switch on and off at the desired time of the day,

Knowing the differences between commercial and consumer grade displays will go a long way to help you make your purchase decision. In short, TV’s are ideally suited for short term usage both in terms life span and duty cycles, and where the displays will not be connected to a 3rd party control system. Alternatively, if you require a more robust build, greater control ability, landscape and portrait functionality, then a commercial grade display is the solution. The extended warranty will provide peace of mind that your message will be both seen and heard for years.

If you need any advice, quotations or assistance in choosing the right digital display for your business – or any other area – click here to get in touch with us today!