Keep your screens on: Power protection and digital signage

By Dave Perrotta, vice president of operations and engineering, ESP/SurgeX

The biggest threat to a business or operation that depends on digital signage is downtime, and power issues are the leading cause of downtime. When power transients and other "electronic rust" flow unchecked to digital signage equipment, it leads to shorter product lifespans and costly disturbances that eat away at an organization's profitability. Industry analysts estimate that 95 percent of all businesses have experienced downtime in the past two years with an average cost of $7,900 per minute. 

According to ABI Research's 2011 Digital Signage Market and Business Case Analysis, the digital signage global market growth is projected to expand from $1.28 billion in 2010 to $4.48 billion in 2016. Considering the amount of money being invested in digital signage and the widespread availability of power protection solutions, there's no reason a business should leave itself susceptible to power issues.

Inhospitable installation conditions make digital signage especially susceptible to power anomalies. For instance, we recently worked with a customer whose restaurant digital menu boards were constantly flickering to the point where it was affecting the customer's ability to read the menus clearly. The problem was the constant barrage of low-level surges coming from kitchen equipment, air conditioners and other electronics cycling on and off. These transients were stressing the circuit and causing the menu board to flicker. Once we outfitted the menu boards with proper power conditioning and surge protection, the problem was solved instantly. When faced with frequent burnout or a visually distracting artifact on a digital signage display, there's a good chance it's a power quality issue. Fortunately, these issues can easily be prevented with the proper power protection solutions.

Because of the location of many digital signage installations, adding dedicated surge protection can be difficult, so it's important to look for solutions that overcome the ergonomic challenges presented by wall-mounted displays and multipanel arrays or video walls. Look for compact solutions that mount to the back of or behind equipment so they can serve their purpose without being an eyesore.

Another critical feature to look for is non-sacrificial surge protection. What most people don't realize is that many so–called "surge protection" devices rely on technology that is sacrificial in order to save connected equipment. There's often no indication when a unit has failed, no light that illuminates, so surges and power anomalies end up flowing unchecked to connected equipment.

The power supplied to digital signage is often taken for granted. There's no reason to wait for an HD display to be victimized by a catastrophic surge or other power problem. The resulting warranty claim, service call and other processes are yet another productivity drain. Fortunately, there are simple, easy-to-install solutions available that tell you when there's a problem, prevent it from happening again and prolong the lifespan of connected equipment.

For businesses relying on digital signage, premium power protection is the greatest defense against downtime. 

Dave Perrotta is the vice president of operations and engineering for Electronic Systems Protection Inc. (ESP/ SurgeX), and has engineered patented power protection diagnostics and energy management solutions for the imaging industry for more than a decade. Perrotta has an extensive background in operations and engineering management, has a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Worchester Polytechnic Institute, a Masters in Business Administration from Baker College, is an active IEEE member, and is SPHR certified.