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CETW: Philips zero-bezel displays catching eyeshare

The Philips booth showcased what the company claims is the narrowest bezel display in the industry.

November 9, 2010 by Christopher Hall

NEW YORK — Philips MMD grabbed a chunk of eyeshare at this year's inaugural Customer Engagement Technology World (CETW) with its zero-bezel digital signage displays.

Using the screens in a two-display video wall displaying ads with eye-catching beauties, the Philips booth showcased what the company claims is the narrowest bezel display in the industry.

"One of the things that's really catching the eye so far...is the zero-bezel video wall," said Rob Fowler, senior project manager, public signage, for MMD Taiwan Ltd.

"You're looking at less than 0.3 of an inch between the two displays themselves," Fowler said. "There's no mullion; it's not detracting the eye away from the content itself ... You've got that little slim bit; it's not taking your eye away; it's keeping your eye where it's supposed to be, which is on the content itself."

Fowler says a four-display video wall of the Philips-branded zero-bezel displays, compared to an 80-inch single-panel display, costs less and actually provides a larger overall viewing area than the larger single panel.

"You're getting more for less," he said. "And if you're creating the content, nobody is going to see this tiny crossing here."

MMD recently took over all of the public signage display business from Philips, Fowler says, but the company still does its public signage display work under the Philips name. A Taiwanese company, MMD is owned by TPV, which Fowler says is the world's largest manufacturer of LCD displays. MMD is a semiautonomous division within TPB, created mainly to handle the Philips display business, he says.

And Philips MMD is just concentrating on the display business, Fowler says, and does strategic partnerships with other companies for software and media players, staying away from offering bundled solutions.

"I think that's absolutely the wrong way of doing it, because people are coming in and saying, 'I've got specific needs; you're giving me a bundled package,'" he said. "What we do is say, 'We've got the best-in-class display; what is it you're looking for in terms of a media player? Here's who we can recommend for you.'"

Fowler says Philips displays have a feature called Smart Insert, which takes small form-factor PCs or media players from many companies, so the displays aren't tied to one manufacturer. The feature also allows for easier future upgrades using the same form-factor and just slotting in a new player, Fowler says.

"It's beautiful," he said. "It doesn't add to the depth of the overall display itself, and you've got all that extra flexibility."

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