TV vs. display - an honest comparison and what you really need to know
What is the difference between a TV and a signage display? What are the advantages and disadvantages and why will you not be happy with a TV set for digital signage? We are asked these questions very often and that is why we would like to try to offer you an honest and transparent overview here and show you the right signage solution for each application location.
TV vs. display - clear the ring for the direct comparison:
Duration
A TV is designed to run for up to 6 hours a day. Longer runtimes risk the loss of the manufacturer's warranty.
A signage display is usually designed for a daily runtime of 12 - 24 hours per day and may run permanently within this time depending on the runtime release. This so-called runtime release is always listed transparently on professional signage displays.
Brightness
Viewpoint
Image optimisation
System on Chip
Assembly
Use in the shop window
Switching on and off
Environmental conditions
Connections
Warranty
Our solutions for professional digital signage applications
Displays for dark rooms
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Education
- Integrated storage space:
- 128GB
- Inputs:
- 3 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, , 2 x RJ45, 1 x USB 2.0 type A, , SD slot, 1 x OPS slot, , 1 x audio (3.5mm),
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Outputs:
- 1 x S/PDIF, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x audio (3.5mm)
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Education
- Integrated storage space:
- 128GB
- Inputs:
- 3 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, , 2 x RJ45, 1 x USB 2.0 type A, , SD slot, 1 x OPS slot, , 1 x audio (3.5mm),
- VESA standard:
- 800x600
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Education
- Integrated storage space:
- 128GB
- Inputs:
- 3 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, , 2 x RJ45, 1 x USB 2.0 type A, , SD slot, 1 x OPS slot, , 1 x audio (3.5mm),
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Outputs:
- 1 x S/PDIF, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x audio (3.5mm)
- Areas of application:
- Business, Education, Transport
- Media player:
- Yes
- SmartThings Pro compatible:
- No
- Resolution in pixels:
- 3840 x 2160 (4K)
- Bundle:
- No
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Delivery includes stand:
- No
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Delivery includes stand:
- No
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Delivery includes stand:
- No
- Media player:
- Yes
- Bundle:
- No
- Alignment:
- Landscape (landscape format), Portrait (portrait format)
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Delivery includes stand:
- No
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Delivery includes stand:
- No
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Delivery includes stand:
- No
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Remote control included:
- Yes
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Remote control included:
- Yes
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Remote control included:
- Yes
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Remote control included:
- Yes
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Remote control included:
- Yes
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Gastronomy, Retail, public institutions
- Contrast:
- 1200:1
- Media player:
- Yes
- Response time:
- 8 ms
- Remote control included:
- Yes
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Education, Retail, public institutions
- Delivery includes stand:
- No
- Bundle:
- No
- Alignment:
- Landscape (landscape format), Portrait (portrait format)
- Wall bracket included:
- No
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Education, Retail, public institutions
- Delivery includes stand:
- No
- Bundle:
- No
- Alignment:
- Landscape (landscape format), Portrait (portrait format)
- Wall bracket included:
- No
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Culture, Education, Retail, public institutions
- Delivery includes stand:
- No
- Bundle:
- No
- Alignment:
- Landscape (landscape format), Portrait (portrait format)
- Wall bracket included:
- No
- Areas of application:
- Hotel industry, Business, Retail
- Delivery includes stand:
- No
- Media player:
- Yes
- Bundle:
- No
- Alignment:
- Landscape (landscape format), Portrait (portrait format)
Price-performance ratio TV vs. display
Of course, we understand objections such as the lower purchase costs of a TV compared to a professional signage display. If you have a small office and only hold one hourly video conference a day, a professional display is often more expensive at first glance and breaks the budget.
However, you would have to think a little around the corner at this point: you use the device in a professional environment and then you want to be able to rely on it, because in the worst case a prolonged failure of the device costs a lot of money or even threatens your existence. Picture quality is another such factor. Content must be perfectly recognisable at all times and colours should not be distorted. If you save at the wrong end in such environments, the damage is done quickly and with professional signage displays you could avoid these problems to a large extent.
Today, companies have to stand out from the crowd and convince customers of their quality. Let's assume you have a shop with a shop window and want to present digital advertising to potential customers. If you now use a TV set in this place, your customer will recognise this at first glance, because as soon as even a little sun shines on the display, the viewer will hardly be able to see the displayed content, if at all. But even the shine of the picture, which is an absolute plus for TVs in the living room, is a problem in this case, because customers are more likely to see themselves in the screen than your advertising, even in bad weather conditions. So if you don't want to display your more expensive investment as a make-up mirror, you now have a problem. By the way, these points do not only apply in shop windows, even an office room with direct sunlight can bring the same effects and outdoors a TV would be a total failure within a few hours.
This all then looks very unprofessional and tends to create negative feelings among customers and employees. In the end, it is often the case that a well-intentioned idea does not have the desired ROI and the wrong conclusions are quickly drawn from it.
If you still want to use a TV set, you have to be able to live with the fact that the picture quality and performance of a TV are not designed for the application and you have to accept cutbacks. The daily running time of a TV set and other operating conditions should also never be disregarded. If you buy twice, you buy dear. Not just a phrase, but often experienced truth.
Professionalism has its price - but it's worth it!
In the end, you simply have to decide whether professionalism is worth the extra price. At this point, let us work with a provocative statement:
You don't go outside in pouring rain with a woollen pullover and then wonder why you are soaked through from top to bottom.
And that's how you should see it with digital signage, too. A television cannot be a digital signage solution. The devices are neither designed nor suitable for this. The whole thing looks different with professional signage displays. There is a suitable solution for almost every application. Not only do the local conditions play a large and important role, but also the reliability and service factor. If the worst comes to the worst, the manufacturer will usually come to you and have the unit repaired on site in a timely manner. However, there are also manufacturers who offer a 1:1 device exchange service and, if necessary, also score with a 24-hour response service. However theservice is handled in the end, the manufacturers always try to offer a fast and reliable service for professional signage displays. Forprofessional use, it is therefore always worth spending a little more money in the end.We say this not only as a dealer of digital signage solutions, but also from our many years of experience. We would be happy to show you thedifferences in adirect comparison of brightness in our EXPERIENCE CENTER in Berg near Neumarkt and you can see for yourself.
Our conclusion on the TV vs. signage display comparison
A signage display is designed for use in the commercial sector and all functions are precisely designed for this purpose. A TV set has its strengths in the living room and home cinema and should therefore only be used there. For this reason, manufacturers keep these two areas strictly separate, because the devices are clearly different, even if this does not always sound immediately understandable to the layperson. But this is exactly the reason why you will not find professional displays for sale in the well-known and popular B2C markets, and why professional dealers like us also do not have direct access to classic TV sets. If you want to operate digital signage properly and professionally, there is no way around a signage display.
Half good was never good enough. Therefore: either you do digital signage right or you don't do it at all.
In this case, unfortunately, there can be no two opinions.
Do you need further support?
We always provide you with manufacturer-neutral and comprehensive advice. Your wishes, budget and the existing environmental conditions are the basis on which we build and bring your vision to reality. In our EXPERIENCE CENTER in Berg near Neumarkt, we can present you with displays and business TV devices from various manufacturers and with a wide range of brightness levels in direct comparison and also show you the advantages and disadvantages in practice. As a specialist dealer with over 15 years of experience, we are a competent contact from whom you can benefit.
Our experts for displays
Email: support@m-medientechnik.de
Live: Videoberatung
on-site: EXPERIENCE CENTER
