Commercial Display-Digital Signage-Difference Between LCD Vs LED Display

While a standard LCD screen uses fluorescent backlights, an LED screen uses light-emitting diodes for backlights. LCD screens usually have superior picture quality, but they less brightness than the LED screens. And some backlight configurations create better images than the LED screens. So, LCD display is good for Indoor of Commercial Display and LED display is good for outdoor of Commercial Display.

The competition between LCD and LED display technologies is driving the growth of the "indoor & outdoor" digital signage market.

In the traditional sense, Digital Signage Media Solution products in a broad sense refer to display terminals that publish information or product advertisements in public places. At present, these products are mainly used for "indoor" commercial advertising applications. The indoor display mainly uses LCD display technology, because of its high resolution, fine colors, stable product performance, and easy installation and maintenance. Due to the "outdoor" special use environment, commercial advertising display products are required to have high brightness, protection, and durability.

Outdoor Billboard Advertising has been around since the mid-nineteenth century and may seem a bit dated, but the advent of digital billboards has witnessed a sudden rise in the popularity of these displays. In fact, billboards and digital advertising are the only growing advertising areas, while the radio, television, and print advertising markets are shrinking. Many companies have discovered that the presence of huge displays can mean a huge impact, and they are using the functions of digital billboards in creative ways. For example, the billboard of a coffee chain can adapt to real-time weather conditions: on a cold day, it will show a cup of hot coffee and a doughnut; on a hot day, it will show a cup of iced coffee drink.

Digital Signage for Public Transportation Platforms and Retail Stores Grows Against The Trend.

The COVID-19 has made 2020 a turning point for the entire industry. Due to the further development of LCD panel display technology, the cost of high-brightness products continues to drop, and many digital signage product suppliers are also turning their attention to the outdoor advertising market. During the period of low demand for traditional applications, we saw new opportunities for digital signage products in the outdoor advertising application market.

According to research by relevant institutions, due to the impact of the epidemic in the first half of the year, the shipments of outdoor digital signage machines dropped sharply. In order to improve corporate profitability, most digital signage product manufacturers are turning their attention to the rising demand for outdoor markets, mainly in the transportation sector (Bus stations and other land transportation platforms), and the fast-growing self-service ordering display in the fast-food (QSR) retail application scenario. Secondly, during the epidemic, many stores added Digital Signage with Hand Sanitizer that can display posters, videos, and highly interactive in order to attract traffic. The creation of digital stores also promoted the growth of digital signage demand to a certain extent. Furthermore, due to the need for prevention, control, and isolation, manufacturers have taken longer to develop products. Therefore, during the epidemic period, the maturity of display terminal technology is catalyzed. The LCD & LED display technological competition during the epidemic has promoted the maturity of the technology and the decline in market prices, thereby stimulating the overall market.

The lineup of public displays and signage displays for "outdoor" or "semi-outdoor" applications with a brightness of more than 1,000 nits is growing steadily. The above display products need to work for a long time in a complex environment, usually with 1000nit or more, and adjust the brightness according to the ambient light; work around the clock (24/7); adapt to changes in high temperature, independently adjust the machine temperature; three protection (Waterproof), Dustproof, Anti-collision) and other characteristics.

Who can win in the field of Digital Signage? LCD or LED Display?

In recent years, LED direct light-emitting display products with high brightness, high contrast, high response speed, customization, and strong protection have been in large scenes, and the outdoor application market for long-distance viewing can be said to be booming. It has grown into the preferred display product for outdoor sports, transportation, and building advertising markets. In 2019, LCD and LED direct light-emitting display technologies have joined hands in the "semi-outdoor" market, especially in retail and public places. In recent years, small-pitch GOB LED Display Technology has matured and costs have fallen. , The price of this product has also recently begun to show a downward trend.

Digital Signage is generally a small-size display terminal device that needs to be viewed from a close distance. The advantage of LCD is its small size and delicate display. Therefore, before the birth of small-pitch LED displays, LCD was the mainstream display terminal product for digital signage. At the same time, the entire industry has been committed to reducing chip size and pixel pitch. With the improvement of product resolution, small-pitch LED display products have begun to enter the indoor market and begin to compete on the same stage with LCD splicing walls, industrial projections, and other products.

Although LCD occupies part of the digital signage market, its low-brightness characteristics limit its application in outdoor advertising scenes. Therefore, in order to seize the opportunity of outdoor digital signage, digital signage manufacturers have come in to introduce brightness higher than 4000nit and IP protection level Products higher than 56, but their price is close to or even higher than that of P2-P5 LED displays, and their protection level is far less than that of outdoor LED displays. Therefore, in the field of outdoor digital signage with P2-P5 dot pitch, LED displays have advantages in price, brightness, and protection performance. However, in the field of fine-pitch products with higher pixel specifications, its price advantage is still inferior to LCD products. Therefore, major companies in the LED industry are trying to reduce the price difference and seize more digital signage market share.

In addition to regular comparisons of LCD and LED technologies in terms of resolution and seam, OMDIA believes that analyzing brightness specifications can provide more interesting comparisons for these technologies in the "outdoor" market. People usually ask "Isn't LED more advantageous in terms of brightness?" It seems to be. However, due to the advancement of LCD panel technology, LCD can now provide products with brightness above 4000 nits without any technical difficulties. Therefore, it is difficult to say that LEDs are stronger than LCDs in the outdoor market.

At present, the price of outdoor LED displays with a dot pitch in the range of 2-5mm has approached or is better than that of high-brightness LCD display products, but for small-pitch products with higher pixel specifications, the price is higher than LCD products. Therefore, the major companies in the LED industry are trying to reduce the price difference and grab more market share. It is foreseeable that the LED and LCD are outdoors, and the semi-outdoor competition will become more intense.

Starting in 2021, the growth rate of outdoor digital signage display products will gradually exceed that of indoors. With the emergence of new high-brightness products, outdoor display products will have more opportunities to appear in new outdoor application scenarios such as outdoor sports and hotel terraces.

With the maturity of LED display technology and the decline in the price of small pitches, the Commercial terminal advertising display market will become intensified, and spread to the small pitch field, digital signage, and other major fields, and the competition of major machine manufacturers will also increase. It's getting more intense. As a high-brightness display terminal, LED display screens have been gradually decreasing in price in recent years, and the dot pitch has been shrinking, and the display size has been shrinking. It has a strong impact on the digital signage display market and has become a dark horse in this field.