Digital Displays in Transit Venues

Though there are many considerations and questions that come with properly deploying outdoor and semi-outdoor digital LCD displays in transit venues, the benefits of reaching the OOH (Out Of Home) marketplace are significant. The fact that these displays can provide day-parting and emergency alerts is huge. Advertisers can now decide when they want their ads run (Starbucks in the AM, McDonalds at noon, Bud Light in the evening) to better target there desired audience. City officials now have an immediate way of communicating schedule changes/delays to commuters and they can take control of the entire inventory of digital displays in case of an emergency like Hurricane Sandy in New York City. This is all possible by going digital.

In summary, remember:

Digital LCD displays for transit venues are not re-packaged indoor displays. Because of the unpredictability of the transit environment, outdoor displays must be both intelligent and robust and they need to have a long life-cycle to justify the investment.

With temperature variations, brake dust, constant vibration, sun load and the elements provided by Mother Nature, Transit venues do not provide for a comfortable living environment for Digital Displays. However, by researching and asking the pointed questions outlined above, you will be better prepared to select the best solution for your application

Peter Kaszycki is vice president of business development for Alpharetta, GA-based MRI, which provides indoor, outdoor and semi-outdoor digital displays ranging in size from 22 inches to 72 inches. 

Kaszycki is also a speaker for the "Digital Signage Applications in Public Spaces" in the Vertical Industry Discussion Group on Thursday, 2/28 at Digital Signage Expo. For more information, visit www.DESnow.com.