Consumer TVs vs. Commercial TV Displays
You have likely seen consumer TVs everywhere you look. You have probably also seen commercial TV displays – you just might not have thought much about it. What is the difference between a consumer and a commercial or professional display? These are some of the questions that you may have. Let’s talk about them.
Application
The uses for a display in a commercial setting vary widely. Examples include a display in a lobby or waiting area displaying TV programs, digital signage, way-finding kiosk, menu board at a restaurant where there can be higher temperatures, more exposure to dust, grease, etc., or perhaps a large-screen touch enabled display for use in a conference room. Because of this, there a wide variety of commercial displays built for different types of applications; most professional displays have quite a few differences.
Warranty
Consumer displays are warrantied for just that: consumer use. That means it is warrantied for a period of time, (usually one year) for use in your home. “For commercial use, the warranty is 90 Days parts and labor.” In any case, if you are looking for a display for your business, the warranty is something to take into consideration. Most commercial displays typically carry a 3 years parts and labor warranty – with some extending to 5 years, and a few light commercial displays only covering 2 years.
Display Brightness
Consumer Televisions usually fall in the range of 150-250 Nits, which is fine for most viewing at home. However, in brightly lit conditions often found in commercial or retail spaces, higher brightness is desired. Commercial displays range in brightness depending on the series, ranging anywhere from 300-2000 Nits for outdoor, full sunlight applications.
Features and Extras
There are many other additional features that are found in professional displays:
- Control – RS232 or Ethernet (Lan control) are designed for control and monitoring, and is usually not found in consumer displays.
- Orientation – Consumer TVs are designed only to be used in landscape orientation – the way you would watch TV at home. However, portrait orientation is often desirable for applications in commercial settings.
- Built in scheduling – Besides having more control options than a consumer TV, commercial displays often have built-in or externally managed ways of scheduling them to turn on and off on a schedule.
- Connectivity – Consumer displays are usually limited to HDMI, and perhaps legacy composite and/or component video. Professional displays will usually have more types of inputs including HDMI, display port, DVI, VGA, as well as component and composite video. Often times they will also include video loop-output.
- Hospitality – displays designed for hospitality have specific functions making them especially good for use in hotels, motels, hospitals, or other applications where consumer-like features are needed, but more control is desired – such as being able to lock out certain features, menus, etc.
Which is Right For You?
If you are in need of displays for your business, school, or other commercial setting, knowing the difference between consumer and commercial panels can save you money in the long run. The more robust build, glass, greater control ability, and extended warranty will provide peace of mind that your message will be both seen and heard for years. If need recommendation or else, how try Philips Commercial Display. If try one, you will never change to other product. Philips, life made easy…
