8 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use a Home TV In Your Business

July 6, 2015

If Madonna were a young starlet in 2015, she may have sung “we are living in a digital world, and I am a digital girl” while she snapped selfies wearing a hashtag-themed outfit.

While that may sound a bit over-the-top, it is a truth that businesses can’t deny, as even small retailers are relying ever more heavily on technology to help them stay at the forefront of their industry. Maybe that’s why it’s become so common to see large TV screens everywhere; from banks to clothings stores; salons to dentist offices, it seems like everyone is getting in on the action. Some businesses use the screens to keep customers entertained with TV shows and movies while others use them to educate customers on the latest promotions and facts about the industry. No matter what your use for your TV screen in the business, one thing is certain; you should NEVER use a TV in your office that you would buy at the big box store for your home.

1. Consumer TVs aren’t built for the long-haul

If you are using a digital screen in your business, there’s a good chance that you have it running for at least 8 hours per day, 5 days per week and some businesses keep their screens running 24/7! Consumer grade televisions are designed to run of a limited number of hours per day at room temperature. Industrial grade screens, on the other hand, have additional fans to help deal with the heat generated by long operating hours and are designed for extended use.

If that weren’t enough, keep in mind that extended use of consumer grade televisions may result in image retention or “burn-in”.

2. Warranty schmarranty

If you’re thinking of using the television you bought at “Blessed Cry”, you may as well rip up the warranty information and use it as celebration confetti. When you use a consumer grade TV in a commercial setting, the manufacturer and retailer typically revert the warranty to 90 days and in many cases the warranty is voided altogether. When you opt for an industrial grade TV screen for your business, you will often get a multi-year warranty and you may even get on-site support, so the technicians at companies like Points West can come to you if you have any issues.

3. A safe screen is a happy screen

Your digital display is only as good as its mounting system and you certainly don’t want that system to fail. Commercial display screens are designed to be mounted both in landscape (horizontal) and in portrait (vertical) mode, while your typical TV is really only designed to do the former. In fact, when you mount a consumer TV in portrait mode, the screen can’t handle the heat generated (no extra fans and vents in the wrong place!) and failure often occurs. On the other hand, that commercial grade screen will come with Locking Mount controls for added security and many screens come with panel protection for added peace of mind.

4. Appearance and Design

We want our business owners to think big and plan ahead. While you may only need one screen now, there may come a time when you’d like to mount several together for effect or add screens to your waiting rooms. Commercial TVs are designed with business in mind and the box and bezel will stay consistent throughout a series. This means that it is easy to add a new screen in a couple of years while maintaining a consistent appearance. Your typical home televisions are updated every 6-9 months and the designs frequently changed so this month’s model might not even match the model from 6 months ago!

5. The resolution you need

While consumer televisions are beginning to catch up when it comes to PC resolutions, they are still mostly designed for TV and video. This means that they usually have limited options when it comes to displaying PC resolutions properly. A commercial grade television screen is designed to accept all computer resolutions for a crisp, clear display, in addition to your standard television and video displays. That means you can display your website or other online information on that new business display!

6. Are you properly connected?

If you don’t want to mess around with cables and adapters, a commercial grade display is the way to go. While consumer television displays have minimal input and connector options, an industrial display will work with a variety of options, including RS-232 with PC and Video loop through connectors that allow for multiple display configurations on a single computer or video/DVD source. This also includes industrial-grade BNC locking connectors which are needed for video display walls. This is all fancy, A/V geek speak for “commercial grade televisions can do whatever you need them to do!”

7. It’s all in the tilt

Depending on your business, you may want your screen to tilt to make it easier for your customers or patients to view. If you’ve ever been in a restaurant and seen the televisions mounted on an angle, this is what we mean. This isn’t a problem for commercial grade screens, which can be tilted up to 20° (depending on the size). Unfortunately, TV screens designed for home use can’t really be tilted without the heavy weight of the glass compromising the housing the TV panel and possibly resulting in severe damage.

8. Getting your message out there

Have you ever noticed the cool digital signage in some businesses? Everything from menus, specials and services, through to portfolio work? Digital signage is HUGE and some studies estimate that ad retention is as high as 47% and that nearly 1 in 5 people who saw an ad via digital signage made an unplanned purchase after seeing an item on the screen.*

Professional display panels frequently offer built-in media players and all-in-one solutions designed to make digital signage easy. When it comes to consumer screens, built-in media players aren’t an option and your messaging may be limited by the screen’s capabilities.

Television displays are a great way to add to your business and even increase sales, so it is important that you invest wisely in your screens and systems. The team at Points West offers commercial displays for all needs, sizes and budgets, including industry-leading Sharp display panels. To learn more about display screens for your business and the options that are available today, contact our BC audio visual team!

*according to signadnetwork.com