Display Makers Count on Digital Out-Of-Home Growth

Display vendors continue to see digital out-of-home as one of their fastest-developing markets, with Hitachi and Panasonic the latest to produce screens specifically for DOOH.

“Digital-signage systems providing self-service facilities are starting to significantly influence consumer behaviour and as a result the market for terminal-type products is likely to grow rapidly, as the popularity of self-service point-of-sale [POS], ticketing, information, advertising and entertainment terminals increases,” said Steve Donohoe, technical manager for Hitachi’s Display Products Group.

And Panasonic agrees. Executives speaking to SCREENS.tv recently said that it believes POS and what it calls point-of-information (POI) screens account for more than 40 percent of the market for professional displays, although demand for displays to be used for advertising-funded digital media networks has tapered off a little thanks to the ad downturn.

It hopes to triple its share of both the ad-funded screen and POS/POI markets this year, although it will be 2011 before shipments of flat-panel displays over 26 inches return to the heady levels of 2008.

Panasonic’s latest models for the out-of-home market are the first in its new 20 series of plasma displays, aimed at corporate applications as well as public digital signage.

Available in 42-inch and 50-inch configurations, they are said to be more energy-efficient than predecessors and offer new slots for video input and network connectivity. Contrast ratio in the full HD models is quoted at a jaw-dropping 5,000,000:1.

Hitachi, meanwhile, says the LCD screens in its IPS-Pro line are suited for public information and kiosk applications, with stable colour and contrast ratios up to 1000:1 ensuring good visibility. The new screens come in 17-, 19- and 21.3-inch sizes.

Source: SCREENS.tv