Digital signage has become an essential part of various businesses, from small mom-and-pop shops to big corporations. Any business that fails to take advantage of its possibilities is losing out on valuable advertising and brand exposure.
In-store experiences shouldn’t be overlooked, even with the development of online shopping and social media marketing. However, hardware used for digital signage, such as most commercial displays, can be expensive.
Alternatively, smart TVs, especially the more recent ones, are built with a suitable resolution, come in many shapes and sizes, and have features that make them perfect for displaying marketing content that helps to drive sales for most businesses.
You may be looking to purchase a screen for your digital signage and have been wondering if a smart TV is a viable option.
In this piece, we highlight the benefits of using smart TVs for your digital signage and discuss some of the factors to consider so you can choose the best smart TV for digital signage.
Here are some of the advantages of using smart TVs for digital signage:
Energy-efficient
Digital signage displays are much brighter than Smart TVs. Nevertheless, smart TVs will deliver your marketing message perfectly, even with a 350 cd/m2 brightness level.
Besides perfect delivery, the benefit here is that smart TV for digital signage is more energy efficient because of its lower brightness level.
A higher brightness level consumes more energy, leading to expensive utility bills.
Interactive and engaging
Some smart TVs come with a touchscreen, providing interactive options for customers to engage with your brand. This feature can make your operations seamless and help improve customer experience when they visit your shop.
However, note that smart TVs with touchscreen tend to be pricey.
You may also like: Top 15 Tips for Engaging Customers Through Interactive Signage.
More functionality
Smart TVs for digital signage offer some functionality benefits absent in digital signage displays. One such functionality is that a smart TV requires no supplementary software to function as an entertainment system.
For example, a smart TV automatically comes with sound, which is often an extra in digital signage displays.
Playing music with your advertisements is an additional benefit because the brain processes music using the same parts for emotion and memory, meaning customers will remember your marketing message more when combined with sound.
Several connectivity options
Like digital signage screens, smart TV offers several connectivity options such as HDMI, USB, and DVI. They also come with Wi-Fi and Ethernet capabilities.
Although you won’t find all connectivity options in one smart TV, finding a mix of two or three options is common. This versatility guarantees compatibility and seamless integration with your digital signage network.
Cost-effective
Smart TVs are affordable and require no additional integrations or software to obtain more functions, making it a cheaper option upfront.
Plus, the fact that you can display different content, unlike static signage, makes it a budget-friendly means of communication.
Target-focused
Since content produced for TV is targeted to a narrower audience, such as those already sitting in your restaurant or hotel lobby, you can easily feature promotions, upcoming events, specials, and other enticing offers to convert visitors into customers.
Dynamic content delivery
Smart TVs have a built-in media player and require no additional software. Hence, you can easily display content, real-time updates, and digital signage offers and ensure your message stays relevant and engaging effortlessly.
Now that you know the many benefits of using a smart TV for digital signage, you need effective software like Luna Screens to turn your smart TV into dynamic digital signage for delivering promotional content to your target audience.
Luna Screens is a cloud-based digital signage system that allows businesses to quickly transform any screen into a digital sign. Whether you run a bar, restaurant, retail shop, corporate organisation, salon, dental office, or gym, we can help your business increase sales, improve throughput, promote events, engage with customers, and get creative with your digital displays, no matter your industry.
And the best part is that you don’t have to be tech-savvy to get started with our solution. Luna Screens can seamlessly integrate with your smart TV, providing a user-friendly solution for optimising visual communication.
Find out how Luna Screens can take your digital signage to the next level.
How to choose the best smart TV for digital signage
Finding the best smart TV for digital signage can be overwhelming as many brands, sizes, features, and prices make it challenging to choose from.
However, if you run a business such as a retail store, salon, or restaurant, consider the following to find the perfect smart TV for your business:
Durability and reliability
When deciding on the best smart TV for your digital signage content, one of the first things to consider is the TV’s life expectancy, especially if it will be deployed in high-traffic or commercial settings.
Longevity is typically determined by the quality and build grade of the TV components. Commercial TV screens are built to withstand 24/7 display.
They can be colour-calibrated and easily integrated with third-party control devices. However, your smart TV is only built for short display hours; hence, they are termed consumer displays and are meant for personal use.
To make a sound purchasing decision, look for smart TV models that are built to withstand 9-10 hours of display.
Although not built to withstand rugged environments or 24/7 display, smart TVs can be used for digital signage if you allow them to have at least 30 minutes of cooling every 9-10 hours.
You may also like: How to Turn Your Smart TV into a Dynamic Advertising Tool with Luna Screens.
Size and form
The size of your Smart TV matters. You may be tempted to pick a smart TV with the biggest screen size, but bigger isn’t always better. There are a variety of use cases that necessitate the screen sizes used, including the size of your shop.
Smaller screens are great for kiosks, while Displays that are 50 inches or larger are the best screens for wall-mounting and reaching more than one or two people at a time.
According to a report by Epson, the minimum distance a person needs to be from the screen to understand information is:
4x the screen height for detailed information.
6x the screen height for general information.
8x the screen height for at-a-glance information.
It is critical to balance the Smart TV size, the intended viewing distance, and available space to make it manageable for the audience.
Consider these elements, as they can impact the overall aesthetics of your digital signage setup.
Display screen quality
Display screen quality is essential, especially if your target audience is viewing the screen from a distance. Therefore, no matter your screen size, consider a smart TV with a high resolution (at least 1080px).
A high-resolution display screen delivers a crisp, clear visual; conversely, a low-resolution smart TV looks less professional and less appealing.
A high pixel-per-inch (PPI) smart TV will help you deliver eye-catching content. Higher ppi will diminish the “screen-door effect” that can occur when the resolution is too low. Additionally, consider brightness and colour accuracy.
Thankfully, many smart TVs display at 1080px, 4K, or even 8K. But note that the higher the resolution, the higher the price of the TV. Also, remember that to run 4K, you will need the necessary internet bandwidth to transmit 4K content reliably.
If you plan to deploy screens larger than 65 inches, 4K is recommended.
You may also like: Why digital signage will save you time & money.
Connectivity
As mentioned earlier, TV offers limited connectivity options, with most focusing primarily on HDMI ports. To get the most out of your smart TV when it comes to connectivity, find one with a mix of two, three, or more connectivity options.
This versatility guarantees seamless integration with your digital signage network.
Energy efficiency
Higher-resolution screens consume more energy, leading to expensive utility bills. Hence, to save your business the operational cost of power from using energy-consuming TV screens, ensure you find one that contributes to sustainability and offers long-term cost savings, making them a practical choice for continuous digital signage usage.
We recommend you look at smart TV brands with Energy Star certification or similar ratings to ensure the display meets industry standards for energy efficiency.
Takeaway: Unlock the power of smart TVs for dynamic digital signage
As we mentioned in our introduction, smart TVs come in many shapes and sizes. Although they are mostly built for non-commercial use, you can use them for commercial digital signage displays.
Besides being an affordable option compared to most commercial screens, recent designs come with unique features and offer more functionalities that make them perfect for displaying fun, interactive, and entertaining marketing content that catches the attention of your target audience.
Marketing success requires you to post unique, engaging content. However, using the wrong smart TV can run your efforts down the drain.
Therefore, when choosing a smart TV for digital signage, remember to find one with a high resolution that can withstand 8-10 hours of display time, offers more than one connectivity option, and is energy efficient.
Using such smart TVs in combination with powerful digital signage software like Luna Screens can transform the experience of your target customers, employees, and businesses.
Are you ready to transform your smart TV into a dynamic marketing communication tool so you can start reaping the benefit of using it for digital signage? Register on Luna Screens today. Your one-stop digital signage solution software for effortless digital signage management and display.