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When do you retire an older display?

Every piece of equipment has an expiration date, even if it isn't listed on the box or device. And the problem is: it can be difficult to tell when a device is truly on its last legs. But if you follow these guidelines, you'll have a good idea of when to retire that older display.

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March 31, 2020 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

This is part one of a series looking at how to handle older displays and replace them.

Every piece of equipment has an expiration date, even if it isn't listed on the box or device. And the problem is: it can be difficult to tell when a device is truly on its last legs.

For example, John Linden, managing owner of Provision Audio Video Solutions, said in a white paper on Digital Signage Today that there typically, "isn't an obvious sign that your projector is about to fail."

However, there are a few ways to tell when it's time to retire a display, projector, media player or other type of digital signage equipment.

The first key sign is the brightness of the display itself. Is it still bright enough to get a customer's attention or is it starting to look a little dim?

"LEDs lose their luster over the years," Ben Barr, sales director, east region, Watchfire Signs, said in a phone interview.

Barr also said that at times this may just be an issue of older standards clashing with modern expectations. For example, a decade back, monochrome was the standard for many LED displays, whereas today less than 5% of displays are monochrome.

Another issue with older displays is that at times the colors can become a bit off as the years go by. Barr said in the interview that older displays typically might have had different shades of white from each other, whereas today most of the industry has adopted a standard TV white shade.

Another thing to consider when looking at an older device is how easy it is to repair and whether you can still get the parts to repair it.

"It can also be hard to find parts for older units, so you need to decide how much time you want to be down while you're waiting for replacement parts to come in," Branden Pendley, president at Pendley Productions, said in the white paper.

Finally, you need to consider how long you have been using your device and compare it to its general shelf life.

For example, Linden said, "Laser-phosphor light sources have a typical lifespan of greater than 20,000 hours before they are down to half-brightness."

On the outdoor display side, Barr said most displays have an average life span of about 10 to 12 years before they fall to "half brightness."

On a more general level, you need to examine whether your older display is still accomplishing its task and if it is still getting its message across.

"The best question to ask is, is the device still letting you communicate what, and in the way, that you want to?" Linden said. "Have people's expectations changed?"

Barr also argues that you should try to keep up with the Joneses when it comes to displays. If your display looks a bit out of date compared to your competition, you will likely lose credibility.

The next obvious question is...how do I upgrade my display without breaking the bank? Stay tuned for part two of this series when we tackle that question head on.

About Bradley Cooper

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Bradley Cooper is the editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. He was previously the editor of Digital Signage Today. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing.

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