Display Technology

How dvLED displays are enhancing the sports viewing experience

While the 2020 Summer Olympic Games are officially in the books, the demand to watch premium sports content doesn’t show any signs of slowing down and that is driving display innovation fast and furious. Sharp NEC Display Solutions believes it has the winning portfolio.

Sharp NEC Display Solutions has a versatile line of displays ready to power most digital signage environments. Provided

September 10, 2021 by Kevin Damask — Editor, Digital Signage Today

While the 2020 Summer Olympic Games are officially in the books, the demand to watch premium sports content doesn't show any signs of slowing down anytime soon.

With college football kicking off last week, the NFL season starting this week, and another round of Olympics (the 2022 Winter Olympics) less than six months away, sports fans continue to want the best video experience possible.

And Sharp NEC Display Solutions aims to fulfill that quest with its E Series portfolio boasting dvLED technology — which it believes is the ideal display for viewing sports. Sharp/NEC debuted its E Series shortly before the Olympics, hoping to offer fans a more engrossing way to experience the excitement of the Games.

Miller

"It was not developed specifically for the Olympics, but they are ideal for that type of application environment," Mark Miller, senior product specialist dvLED, Sharp/NEC, said in an email to Digital Signage Today. "The E Series is an entry level product, providing a well-appointed, yet cost conscious price point. Our dvLED portfolio is now very well balanced, with comprehensive features and price points."

When it comes to viewing sports, dvLED technology provides viewers with several options.

"The high refresh rate capability with this type of product ensures the ability to capture high speed motion, which is critical when you need to capture all the dynamic action taking place with events like track, swimming and gymnastics," Miller said. "Today's dvLED products also offer a wide color gamut, which is very important with live-action, multi-cultural, multi-national events like the 2020 Olympics. Everyone wants to make sure their country's colors are being represented accurately."

Not only does WCG offer more colors, but more natural colors that viewers see with their own eyes. Miller said WCG increases the color palette, making colors deeper and richer in intensity. Along with the E Series, Sharp/NEC also offers displays in the A Series, FE Series, and Q Series. Miller said all product lines could work for any digital signage deployment.

"Each series offers unique capabilities compared to the others, allowing companies to select and deploy the series ideally suited to their dvLED digital signage application environments, based on a good, better, best scaling of features," Miller said.

Ben Hardy, senior product manager for large format displays for Sharp/NEC, said brands are often looking for new, effective ways to display their content, but lack the proper digital signage to convey that message.

"We recognize that many organizations are looking for dynamic ways to effectively present their brand and message the way they want to, without limitations from their digital signage solution," Hardy said in an email to DST.

To deliver what companies are searching for, Sharp/NEC realigned its mainstream signage products with new display offerings. The company recently launched the MultiSync Message Series, featuring displays such as the ME, M and MA series.

"They are designed to give the customer more options for displaying content with greater control and flexibility," Hardy said. "It can support both landscape and portrait orientations while containing 18/7 operations, a full scheduler, comprehensive external controls and interface flexibility."

Hardy

The MA Series also includes the SpectaView Engine, which ensures the display has consistent image output for a longer time period compared to traditional commercial displays, allowing for what Hardy calls a "unique level of digital signage" with superb color precision and accuracy.

"They also include an integrated feature called Multi Picture Mode, which allows customers to show four simultaneous sources on one screen to maximize data efficiency and lower the bill of materials," Hardy said.

Getting noticed in crowded field

With so many technology advancements grabbing attention these days, how are dvLED displays drawing viewers in?

Miller said a dvLED display is seamless, meaning there's no limit to the size of the screen, making immersive digital experiences a reality. The sensory impact it provides is difficult to ignore.

"Images pop, giving a wow factor that is hard to imitate with any other type of digital display," Miller said. "When you consider that digital signage has mere moments to convey essential brand messages, capturing the attention of the passing audience becomes mission critical."

Companies such as Sharp/NEC are always looking for ways to tweak their products with improvements. Through localized dimming, users can control the on/off, light/dark options on an LED wall.

"This used to be a function you could not perform with large format displays, but now companies like Sharp/NEC can provide this level of functionality," Hardy said. "This allows organizations to give their viewers an even better digital signage experience."

Large dvLED displays are becoming more common in public spaces, such as event arenas and museums, along with prominent spots in the retail, hospitality, corporate, and education sectors. Miller said dvLEDs can be designed to fit most environments.

Retail displays are always fighting to get shoppers' attention. Provided

"For example, it can be designed to curve around walls, fit unique shapes like squares or circles," Miller said. "Those responsible for brand marketing and signage content can let their imagination run when it comes to leveraging what dvLEDs can do for digital signage."

COVID-19 halts dvLED market

Just as versatile displays started popping up across various markets, the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, and sporting events, shopping, dining out, lodging and even in-person education came to a grinding halt.

"It was an odd year for LED and digital signage, due to a lot of empty buildings and people staying home," Miller said.

While the pandemic did hurt the display industry, challenges turned into opportunities. The shutdown period gave designers and digital signage experts time to think about how they could leverage display spaces and what could be utilized in those spaces.

"Future planning with digital signage drove some great ideas and advancements in how existing products, tools and technologies could be enhanced," Hardy said. "Companies began to explore how to use their digital signage differently. From using existing installations to share critical COVID-19 and community messages, to preparing for return to business.

"Watching customers and markets use their resources differently has been inspiring to the digital signage industry and allied signage environments."

Debuting during COVID-19 was Sharp/NEC's ActiveScene solution, a collaboration with Avery Dennison that uses the later company's Vela Dynamic System. A digital signage display, users can take ActiveScene and pair it with a glass wall, transforming it into a display surface, enhancing open concept space.

Hardy said ActiveScene doesn't have the same outdoor signage capabilities as dvLEDs, but "creates something different than previously possible," a perfect fit for internal retail, event and business industries.

As a result of the pandemic shutdowns, LED displays were going up in empty buildings for companies to test out diverse messaging, including pandemic-related information and forward-looking messages as brand's tried to stay relevant. It helped the dvLED market take off.

"Many organizations saw the reduced consumer traffic time as an opportunity to make upgrades to their environments, in anticipation of returning to high-traffic times," Miller said. "Highly influential to the market during this past year has been the NEC E Series. Because it is a cost-conscious solution, it allowed companies that had some budget restraints to still add dvLED to their digital signage environments."

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