This is a pretty common scene these days.  If you ride a subway or train to work, you’re probably used to seeing screens at the front and back of the car.  These screens serve a couple of purpose.  The first objective is to display transportation information, letting riders know the next stop and other important transportation information.  The second purpose that they serve is to display advertising information.  It’s this ability to increase ad revenues that helps keep public transport cheaper than other types of transportation.

You may recognize the inside of the bus above- it’s a big red double decker bus, similar to what you would find in England (in fact that’s where this one is from) and they are using digital signage within the bus to alert passengers to the next stops that are going to be coming up soon.   If you’ve ever ridden public transportation then you can imagine how helpful this might be, especially if you’re trying to maneuver a city that you aren’t very familiar with already.  I know I’ve been traveling before and gotten on the wrong bus or train and wound up way further then I meant to go.  It’s not just embarrassing, but it can be expensive and time consuming as well.  Digital signage such as this prevents that from happening, which is nice.

I noticed digital signs like this on the outside of a bus during my last trip to New York City, and that’s precisely where this image was taken.  This has helped increase ad revenue pretty dramatically over the past few years, as it has allowed advertisers to swap out ads much easier.  It also means that more ads can be displayed, as the ads can be rotated much easier as well.  Plus it’s just fun to look at- these are high impact, colorful designed ads that really catch your attention.  It’s hard not to enjoy looking at the digital signage on the side of a bus.  It’s also been a windfall for cities like Chicago and New York that have struggled to figure out a way to keep costs down the cities bus and train riders.  Budget shortfalls are everywhere these days, so this has been a nice addition and welcomed one as well.  In addition, companies like Kraft Food will often broker deals with the city that provides heating units at bus stops for the passengers in exchange for advertising spots.  There’s no doubt that passengers have few complaints about the bus stop advertisements, so everyone benefits with these types of exchanges.

Hotel guests in the LA area may be finding things a bit easier these details, as 32 buses and 13 hotels had large digital screens installed that inform both arriving and departing guests with hotel information, flight information, airport details.  They did this for a number of reasons.  Number one they wanted to reduce high congestion for those taking the highway.  They also wanted to reduce confusion.  So what they’ve done is consolidate the airport shuttle services of 13 individual hotels.  Not only does this cut down on traffic, but it reduce emissions too by about 55 percent of shuttle trips through LAX.  Digital signage was an easy way to communicate with passengers, extending hospitality and reducing confusion.  That’s why this is such a powerful tool

Each bus that’s participating in has a 32-inch LCD that’s position inside the bus that works in coordination with audio announcements as well.  What I like about this system a lot though is that there are touch screens located at LAX and in the lobby of participating hotels.  Windows 7, selected because it features location-based services, is crucial for the GPS-triggered content, handles all the digital signage.  This means that while each bus is travelling it can provide content to the passengers based on where they are at in their journey.  It also monitors the capacity of the bus, the bus schedule (how often it will arrive, giving the DSS the opportunity to monitor individual buses as needed.

So far this strategy seems to be a success, and it’s likely that they will soon be able to expand this service to other buses and other hotels as well in the greater Las Angeles area, which means even more guest that are arriving in the area can enjoy the benefits of the digital signage and digital screens that residents have become accustomed to seeing on their buses daily.

In the next wave or generation of digital signage and large screen technology, you can expect to see more interactive displays, with more touch screen and usefulness.  Think of it this way, you’ll be able to do more and human interaction will become less prominent because artificial intelligence will take over those roles.

Here’s an interesting twist on the use of digital signs at bus stops that help keep travellers busy while the buses stop and wait for new passengers to get on or get off.  On the top of bus stops there are signs that allow you to text them and talk to them.  It’s called Bus.Tops and they are popping up all over England.  It’s a really fun and creative way to help entertain travellers.  The creativity is awesome and you can thank the Arts Council in London for the terrific idea!

Finally I want to talk about an idea for public transportation that has been around for quite some time, but is really evolving- entertainment screens in the back of the seat in front of you.  I noticed this on a Delta flight I took last year and really loved the idea.  The flight attendant sold headphones for $1 and you could plug in and watch sports, the news and various other programs.  They even had some premium shows that can only be found on HBO, which I thought was pretty cool.  Of course you had to pay a bit more for those, but still it made a 9 hour flight much more interesting to say the least.

It’s an exciting time to be alive because we are seeing technology really grow and bloom.  As the video technology becomes more interactive, I can only imagine that it’s just going to get better, so stay tuned, because you can expect great things in the future.  It’s looking bright and it only looks like we’re going up from here.  I can’t wait until the day where everything is connected, and while using public transport you won’t even need your own personal communication device (laptop, mp3 player, etc.) but instead you’ll be able to access whatever you want at a terminal, and hopefully it will remain free as a way to entice visitors to use their service.  It’s definitely exciting times we live in and I see the future as only being more exciting.

This is a video wall at the Shanghai Airport that displays over 209 messages on this 64 screen video wall.  They use a software call C-nario’s messenger and universal play to deliver their messages.  This is just one of many screens at the Shanghai Airport though.

Here’s an example of another, albeit smaller, digital advertising display.  It might not be as large, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t deliver a powerful punch and grab the attention of passersby.  The combination of video walls large and small really attracts the attention of customers and gives advertisers a big voice in an overflowing airport.

I like this video wall because it does a couple of cool things.  They display some really amazing artwork on this wall, but they also use it as an advertising display.  This type of rotation of content versus advertisements is a very common idea, one that TV advertisers have been using for half a century.  Online advertisers do this as well; they engage their users with content and then display related ads.  The retention of the ad material is much higher this way.  The video wall is located at the Recoleta Mall in Buenos Aires Argentina.   Proving that this type of video wall and video advertising is a global phenomenon that is going to disappear any time soon.

There is something about this display that I really love, I think it’s the way that it’s set back into the wall, almost becoming part of the wall.  But its high definition doesn’t blend in and certainly can’t be ignored.  This video wall display can be found at the Swiss International Airport in Switzerland.

Ok, so this video advertising display might not be as impressive as the 64 screen video wall we saw above, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t deliver a powerful advertising message.  In Australia, they rolled out over 1800 of these to gas stations all over the country and Australians are being advertised to while they fill up their gas tanks.  This is pretty clever if you ask me.  We’ll probably start seeing smaller video advertising displays in the future too, as this is a great way to connect with new customers while they fulfill normal, everyday tasks.

Here’s another LED advertising display that can be found in China.  This large display sits over a busy intersection in China and reaches 100,000 people each and every day.  This isn’t an unfamiliar site for Americans though, as we have our own versions of this type of displays in major cities throughout the USA.

I like this display and it stands out to me because it’s located outside of a resort, as visitors pass by on monorail.  This is a neat way to bring in advertising dollars and let visitors know about up coming events at the resort that visitors could potentially be interested in doing.  This just goes to show that no matter where you go, even if you’re on vacation, video walls and video advertising are probably going to be there too.

Here’s a Sharp video wall at the Indianapolis International Airport.  The screen was installed by media and advertising giant Clear Channel Airport, a division Clear Channel Advertising.  The screen apparently cost around $300,000 to install and delivers a stunning display to thousands of airport patrons every single day.  Because the message can be rotated and changed so quickly, I’d put my money on the fact that this sign is probably worth its weight in gold.  It did cause some controversy when it was installed because it replaced an iconic sculpture, however, video walls are often used to display artwork amid advertisements.

In Vancouver, these monster wall presentations are just as common and just as powerful.  The locals call this nine screen video wall the “monster wall.”  It can be found in one of the busiest bus stations in Canada, downtown Vancouver.  National telecommunications mogul Telus launched the very first campaign on the “monster wall,” but since then many other have joined in to the advertising display.

These video advertising displays are pretty neat.  They hang from the ceiling at the HP Pavilion in San Diego, CA and serve a couple of functions.  One of those functions is guiding visitors to the center to their seats and displaying other important information.  They also display sponsor information and include ads for some of the biggest brands in sports.

At Toronto’s biggest airport, you’ll find a number of these, 15 screen video walls that display everything from beautiful artwork to ads for some of the best brands in the world.  These are noticeably bright displays that really tend to grab the attention of airport patrons.  They really are quite stunning and quite impressive.

Video walls and malls go hand-in-hand and at Primall this is no exception.  They use video media all over the mall to help drive customers into stores by displaying promotions and events.  This particular video wall has 12 47-inch HD displays that display brilliant colors and fascinating images.  Stores within the mall love the ability to display their message when it comes to sales and events that are up and coming.

In this image you’ll see that once again the Aussies really know how to be creative with their video walls and video advertising displays.  This particular one is found hanging above a car wash entertaining and advertising to the car wash customers as they wait in line for the next available vacuum.   This particular display is an extra light LED display that features a stunning display.  It really packs a powerful punch.

A real estate agent that displays the most recent updates to their listings uses this sign.  It’s a great way to entertain clients as they come through the door and get them excited both by the prospect of buying a new home or if they are selling their home by the idea of how well this real estate agent understands technology.  It’s a beautiful 2×2 LED display that does justice to some really beautiful homes.

This giant video screen was featured at the Beijing Olympic games and really stands out to me.  It’s absolutely huge and served a variety of purposes.  Obviously it showed the events, but even more important, it displayed important advertising messages, event information and much more.  It such a huge screen that it dwarfed anything and everything else in the stadium.  Fans were pleased to be able to see events so clearly without having to use binoculars or other specialty equipment.  China is well known for their ability to put awesome technology to work and this was no exception.

This ad for BMW was displayed at the Hamburg airport and actually won awards from the New York Festivals.  The video wall uses 50 2m screens lit up along a huge wall.  If you visit the Hamburg airport, this video wall can’t be missed, as it lights up the entire arrivals hallway.

Here’s a video advertisement in Rotterdam at a bus stop.  Because the cost of video technology has come down so much, these types of screens have become more prevalent and will most likely continue to become more popular than ever.   The typically bus patron is nearly a captive audience as they are dazzled with beautiful images and advertisements while waiting for their bus to arrive.

Lamar billboards are a common site in nearly every US city (and indeed cities around the globe.)  While the technology continues to improve, even these relatively lower resolution billboards leave a lasting impression with me.  This is probably because they are still somewhat new.  I simply love the idea of an advertiser being able to swap out advertisements on the fly.  These are easily programmable and that means that they are a greater asset to the billboard site owner and the advertiser himself.  As a direct marketer I can tell you that being able to test and measure the effectiveness of a particular advertisement is key to running a successful campaign and these types of changeable advertisements seem to be the best solution for this for everyone involved.  We’ll likely see more and more of these digital billboards as the technology improves, becomes cheaper and as older traditional billboards need to be replaced.  The future of our interstate drives should be much brighter once the majority of these billboards are digital.

It’s undeniable that digital signage and digital advertisement on video walls is becoming the staple of the future.  We’re already seeing more and more of this and this trend is only going to continue to grow.  As the technology improves, the displays will be increasingly captivating and increasingly interesting, which what makes it so fun to watch this type of technology develop.  I look forward to the days when it won’t just be airports and hotels that lead the way with this technology.  Video walls should be an integrated part of every business and everywhere that we go.

One of the first uses of digital signs that I remember seeing, as long ago as the 1990’s was on airports.  Airports began using digital signs for a variety of things, but probably most noticeable was the use of digital signs for arriving and departing flights.  The cool thing about this was that in the even of a delay or anything out of the ordinary, I could be
updated almost instantly.  This is great as a traveler.  There is nothing more frustrating than flying and not knowing what’s going on with your plane.  I noticed a few years ago though, that airports have caught on to the advertising trends in airports as well.  They are using digital screens to display advertising messages all over the airport.  In undoubtedly raises revenues for the airport and helps keep costs lower to you in the long run, so I’m all for it.

More recently though I noticed something even cooler than what I mentioned above; I noticed a few billboards popping up that were huge video walls with rotating messages.  Can you imagine the benefit to both the advertiser and the advertising company?  Let’s
put it this way, if you are sharing a billboard with 3 other people, that means that your advertising cost is going to be divided by 3.  But the advertising company still gets raise more income than with a traditional billboard.  The other big advantage is that it’s significantly easier to change the display (it can be done remotely) and requires les upkeep.  This is pretty brilliant if you ask me.  And I only see this trend growing.  Billboard companies, such as Viacom/CBS are going to be constantly switching out their traditional billboards for more traditional ones.  These bright and rotating displays are bound to be helpful.  Another cool feature that I noticed with these billboards is that they can be used for PSA announcements such as a “Amber Alert” to display pictures of missing children, who they were last seen with and the vehicle in which they may be traveling.  I would image that this is going to save many lives, especially as more and more of these boards start popping up everywhere we go.

Another cool use of digital signage that I’ve started to see is digital menus at restaurants.  I thought that this was particularly neat at a fast food place.  Do you remember when they use to have to change those little letters on their menu to change the sign?  I would
imagine that this this took hours, meaning it cost management a significant number of employee hours to do this.  Well, those days are long gone.   Restaurant owners can now update specials, include new images and remove old/unpopular items with a few mouse clicks.  No more spending hours fooling with little letters to update the menu.  This is a great perk of using digital signage in the restaurant business.

Art is going in such an amazing direction thanks to digital displays and it’s only going to get better from here.    For years now, artist have been perfecting their art with Photoshop and things are only getting more intense and more realistic.  Artist can then choose to either print these images or display them on a digital screen.  Those that opt
for the digital screen likely do so because screen technology is becoming so advanced that you can include millions of additional colors that simply art available for standard prints.  This means that you wind up with a high quality image that may end up being more captivating to the audience that you are trying to impress.

Probably one of the most prominent places that large video Wall displays are appearing is in sports arenas. I don’t think that anyone can say that haven’t seen a JumboTron of some sort at a sporting event, but what makes the new screens so much better is that they are
significantly higher quality (i.e. higher resolution) and much, much larger than anything we could have every imagined.  The 3 three largest displays that come to mind are the Dallas Cowboys’ mega display, the Charlotte Motor speedway display and the Tokyo Horse Track display.  These are the 3 largest displays in the world and inspire awe to anyone that has never seen them.   In particular the Dallas Cowboy’s display and the Charlotte Motor Speedway display are 1080p, a higher resolution than what most people have in their home.

Digital signage is becoming a way of life, making life more convenient, art more impressive, events more exciting and helping advertisers and businesses generate more cash flow.  As the technology continues to improve there is a good chance that you will see digital signage and video walls in even more places you know and love.  Be prepared, the sky is the limit on what we can accomplish, and it looks like we’re only going up!

When it comes to large technology purchases, brand is important.  NEC is the hands down leader in digital signage technology. With their 82 inch large screen wall monitor, you can very literally see why!  This giant display is for corporate display and digital signage.  It brags high brightness to help overcome ambient lighting obstacles that might distract from the intended oject.  The contrast is quite remarkable at 2000:1 and using NEC’s TileMatrix technology allows for a video wall that can contain a stunning 27 foot display.    Along with TileMatrix is TileComp which aids in bezel and alignment- giving a seamless look and feel to your images.    To find this display you must go through an authorize NEC dealer such as Multi-monitors.com.  The cost on this monster comes in just under $50,000.

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For those looking to spend less, a good solution might be the NEC 55” TIleMatrix video wall.  This wall offers an incredible easy to use, yet cost effective solution.  Because it uses TileMatrix technology, you can have 10×10 displays.  The copy function allows you to apply settings from one display to the others.  This is perfect for easy setup and use and can be a big advantage if you’re trying to setup in a hurry.   Another nice advantage to using NEC wall display products is the inclusion of the Tripp Lite IsoBar6 surge suppressor which includes a $50,000 insurance policy for the lifetime of the product.  If you are considering using the NEC 55” the cost is significantly less than some NEC products.  It rings in at $19,999 on Multi-Monitors.com.

One of my favorite displays from NEC is the MultiSync P461 which is a 2x2x46” display.  There are a couple of features on this wall display that, in my opinion stand out.  First off, it’s an NEC which means quality.  As mentioned above they leaders in the field.  But I absolutely love that it’s a 2x2x46” display.  As far as ease of use goes, I think this model takes the cake.  Another pro for the NEC multisync is its tile matrix compatibility, which again makes it easy to use in a 10×10 display setup.  It also comes with the Digital Factory PerfectAlign mounting system.    Price wise, this on the lower end for NEC at only $12,995 from Multi-Monitors.com.

Setting up a multiple monitor wall display for advertising isn’t difficult, and with the right products you can do so quite easily.  NEC makes the most reliable products and continues to lead the way in this market and one the best places to buy NEC wall monitor products is Multi-Monitors.com.