The large format displays (LFDs) market in South Africa is really growing in strength, but with so many options out there, how does a company go about selecting solutions that fit their budgets and that are easy to use? 

This is especially important considering that LFDs are used to not only drive corporate communication, but draw attention to the brand and position it in the hearts and minds of customers.

Moreover, companies need flexible solutions that let them focus on managing their content easily while worrying less about wires, media boxes, and unwieldy software.

Says Manoj Bhoola, head of Business to Business at Samsung Electronics South Africa; “Using a manufacturer who has a trusted brand name in the market is one way to approach it. Yet, the solutions being offered need to be able to support that trust and provide an effective way of reducing the total cost of ownership of LFDs.”

Traditionally a digital signage network required a separate media player running its own operating system, attached behind the screen. Both devices required power and cabling to link them. This not only uses more electricity, but the additional cabling is often unsightly. Having said that, this has been the only way to effectively manage digital displays – until now.

Today, there is the option to incorporate a media player as a system-on-chip on the same board as the display chipset, eliminating the need to have external media players for customised content.

This means that fewer cables are required, installation is virtually plug-and-play, and the point of network failure is significantly reduced. In addition, through this type of set up, more impactful messages can be delivered to customers in real-time irrespective of the display being viewed while businesses not only minimise equipment and installation costs but also, can better manage their operational costs.

The Samsung Smart Signage Platform is a pure example of this type of LFD display which also includes an added enhancement – the Samsung MagicInfo S -authoring solution for content management. It ships as an open source development kit to enable partners to provide expanded software services to business users.

“Ultimately, a business looking for an LFD solution should look to partner with a brand that is focused on providing solutions that meet the unique needs of the South African market, one that ensures cost-effective and flexible offerings and that is designed to bring a client’s vision to life on the big screen,” concludes Bhoola.