Reliable Digital Signage Depends on Cabling

There is a growing need for dynamic displays in various industries. Find out how reliable digital signage depends on cabling infrastructures.

Reliable Digital Signage Depends on Cabling

Digital Signage is an important fixture in various industries and fields. There is a growing need for dynamic displays in hospitals, public spaces, transportation systems, stores, hotels, restaurants, and various business environments.

Traditional signage fixtures, while still in widespread use, are no longer conducive to the kind communications that people have come to expect from today’s companies and organizations. Digital signage grants its users the ability to display multiple pieces of information, a wide range of content types, and pioneering interactive programming in a single space. Its popularity is stems from the fact that digital signage gets 400% more views than static displays.

Like any other substantial technology installation, digital signage depends on cabling infrastructures in order to deliver reliable results. The simplistic configurations of the past relied on traditional AV cables and basic displays, but today’s digital signage is more demanding and requires the products and services provided by cabling and IT professionals, such as fiber optics, structured cabling networks, and the ability to provide maintenance.

Cabling and IT professionals have the skills and experience to install and maintain all displays, fixtures, content management systems, and cabling infrastructures. Cabling can be installed behind walls and in back rooms to preserve aesthetics and eliminate any safety hazards.

How Digital Signage Works

Large configurations of digital signage displays function much in the same way that smaller ones do, but the cabling and IT infrastructures that support them are more complex. Displays are connected to a data source, such as a server, computer, DVD or Blu-ray player, or another type of multimedia player. Data can also be sourced from the cloud. A signal is carried from the data source via structured cabling to the displays. Structured cabling consists of a number of standardized components, mainly subsystems.

Depending on the needs of the user and the type of digital signage in question, an installation’s cabling may include CAT5e, CAT6, CAT6a, CAT7, fiber optic cabling, HDMI cabling, or DVI cabling. The most common subsystems included in digital signage installations are equipment rooms, backbone cabling, horizontal cabling, telecommunication enclosures, and various work-area components. Signals can be transmitted via a wireless network as well, although cabling guarantees less chance of signal interference. Clear and reliable digital signage depends on cabling infrastructures that are selected and installed specifically for specific digital display strategies.

An IP solution with structured cabling is the best choice for digital signage configurations that need to span long distances, especially if the user wants their subsystems to be hidden from view. High bandwidth signals, like HDMI and DVI, can be transmitted via fiber optic cabling to cover long distances and maintain the strength of the signal.

With a fully implemented structured cabling infrastructure, displays will be placed in public view and will be the only component of the system that is truly visible. A digital signage display can be as small and simple as a computer monitor, as large as a digital billboard, or as complex as an interactive display. Displays can be custom selected by the user before installation to ensure that the cabling systems and subsystems can support the display itself and the content that is being broadcasted.

Digital Signage Depends on Cabling Infrastructures and IT Professionals

Cabling and IT professionals can help individuals in every industry make right choices on displays, cabling, and content management systems. Selected equipment will depend on the needs of the given user. For example, restaurants that wish to install digital menu boards may not need the types of content management systems and cabling choices that support interactive displays, but a medical facility might if they want to install a digital directory in their lobby. Those organizations that wish to install outdoor displays may need additional security systems in place and more durable technology to withstand weather effects.

Proper installation of digital displays, cable networks, subsystems, and content management systems will ensure that every digital signage runs smoothly from the start. When cabling and IT professionals install digital signage systems, they save the user on maintenance costs in the future. This allows digital signage to give users bigger returns for longer periods of time, without the need for the re-installation of new or additional technologies. When issues do arise, cabling and IT professionals can help to maintain digital signage systems so they continue to deliver tangible results.