Commercial display or TV? Choosing a signage screen

Screenli runs on a small mini PC that sits behind the screen. You buy it once for each screen, separately from the monthly software. It stores your content on the device, so it keeps playing if the internet drops, and it comes back on its own after a power cut.

The mini PC works with any screen that has an HDMI input, so the real decision is the screen: a TV, a commercial display or, for a bigger space, a video wall.

Five questions to ask before you buy

1. 01Will direct sunlight hit the screen at any point in the day?
2. 02How many hours a day will it run?
3. 03How far away will people be when they read it?
4. 04How easy is it to reach for cleaning or a repair?
5. 05What does the warranty cover, and does it cover commercial use?

When a TV is fine

Indoors, out of direct sun, running during opening hours, and read from close by. Think of a reception, a waiting room, a trade counter or a menu board behind a counter. In those places a good TV does the job, and if you already own one, we can usually use it.

When you want a commercial display

Commercial displays are built for long hours in public places, and their spec sheets usually give a rated number of running hours a day. Check that rating against your own hours. Choose one when the screen runs long days or every day, when it faces a window, or when a dead screen would cost you sales that day. Henshaws in Bookham uses two portrait commercial displays inside its front door, and Wood and Stone Floors has one in each of its two shop windows.

Windows need far more brightness

Brightness is measured in nits, and a screen facing daylight needs a lot more of it than one in a reception. A standard TV behind glass in direct sun can be hard to read. For a window like that, ask for a high brightness display made for window use, and ask the supplier for its brightness rating before you buy.

When a video wall makes sense

When one screen isn't big enough for the space, several panels can be mounted together as a video wall. It's a bigger job, with more planning and mounting, so we quote it for your site.

Use the screen you already have

Any screen with an HDMI input can run Screenli, so you may not need a new one at all. Henshaws kept its two commercial displays. EWS Electrical Wholesale Supplies kept the screen by its tills, and Wood and Stone Floors brought its Guildford window screen back into use.

We can supply the lot

We supply screens, mini PCs, installation, software and monitoring, together or in any mix. Screens and mini PCs are one-off purchases, installation is quoted, and the software is a monthly fee per screen. Once a screen is live, we monitor it, and if it goes offline or dark, we're alerted and we act.