US What digital signage means
Digital signage is the use of networked electronic screens to show messages, video and live information that can be changed remotely. Instead of printing a poster and sending someone to put it up, an operator edits a playlist in software and every screen in the network updates, from one display in a reception area to thousands across a retail chain or rail network.
The term covers a wide range of systems: a menu board in a coffee shop, a departure screen on a station platform, a production dashboard on a factory floor, a touchscreen directory in a hospital and a roadside advertising panel are all digital signage. What they share is that the content is digital, it is managed centrally and it can be scheduled, so different messages can run at different times of day or in different locations.
Digital signage is sometimes called electronic signage or dynamic signage. When it carries paid advertising in public places it is usually called digital out-of-home (DOOH) media.
How digital signage works
Every digital signage system, however large, is built from the same handful of parts. Content is created, uploaded to management software, sent over a network to a player at each screen and played on a loop or a schedule. The player keeps a local copy, so the screen keeps running if the network drops, and reports back that it is working and what it has played.
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The display. A commercial LCD, LED panel, touchscreen or projector. Signage screens are built to run for long hours, often 24/7, and in portrait or landscape.
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The media player. A small computer that stores the content and drives the screen. It can be a separate box, a module that slots into the display or a processor built into the display itself. Our digital signage players range from Arm-based Android players to Intel systems with four 4K outputs.
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The content management system (CMS). Software, usually cloud-based, where content is uploaded, arranged into playlists and scheduled to screens or groups of screens.
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The network. Ethernet, Wi-Fi or 4G and 5G connections carry content and status. Players cache content locally, so a short outage does not leave a blank screen.
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Mounting and enclosure. Wall mounts, floor stands, kiosk housings and weatherproof enclosures, which decide how much heat, dust and moisture the hardware has to cope with.
Types of digital signage
Digital signage is usually grouped by what the screen is for. The same hardware can do several of these jobs, but each type tends to need a different screen, mounting and content.
| Type | What it shows | Typical screen | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information displays | News, notices, schedules and alerts | Commercial LCD in landscape or portrait | Offices, schools, hospitals, factories |
| Menu boards | Products, prices and offers by time of day | Several LCDs side by side or one portrait screen | Restaurants, cafés, quick-service counters |
| Wayfinding and directories | Maps, room lists and directions | Portrait touchscreen or kiosk | Shopping centres, hospitals, campuses, airports |
| Interactive kiosks | Self-service ordering, check-in and information | Touchscreen in a floor or wall housing | Retail, hospitality, transport |
| Video walls | Large-format video, data and branding | Narrow-bezel LCD tiles or direct-view LED | Lobbies, control rooms, venues |
| Digital out-of-home (DOOH) | Paid advertising, often bought programmatically | High-brightness LCD or LED | Roadside, transport hubs, malls |
| Shelf-edge and bar displays | Prices, promotions and route information | Stretched (bar-type) LCD | Supermarket shelves, buses and trains |
Shelf-edge and in-vehicle signs use stretched displays, which are LCD panels cut to a long, narrow shape so they fit a shelf rail or the space above a train door.
Indoor vs outdoor digital signage
The biggest hardware difference between signage jobs is the light the screen has to compete with. An indoor commercial display is typically 350 to 700 nits, which is plenty for a lobby or a menu board. A screen in a shop window or in direct sunlight needs far more, typically 1,500 to 2,500 nits or above, plus an anti-reflective or optically bonded front so the picture is not washed out.
Outdoor signage also has to survive weather, temperature swings and vandalism. That usually means a sealed enclosure rated around IP65 or higher, a wide operating temperature range, a toughened front glass and a player that can cope with heat inside the housing. Our sunlight-readable monitors cover 1,000 to 2,500 nit panels for kiosks, drive-throughs and outdoor terminals.
Digital signage vs printed signs
Printed signs are cheap to make once, but every change means printing, shipping and fitting new material. Digital signage costs more up front and uses power, but changes are instant and can be targeted.
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Content changes in minutes. A price change, safety notice or emergency message reaches every screen at once, without visiting each site.
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Scheduling and dayparting. Breakfast and lunch menus, shift-change messages or weekend promotions switch automatically at set times.
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Live data. Screens can show feeds such as transport departures, queue times, production figures or weather.
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Motion is noticed. Video and animation usually catch the eye better than a static poster, although screens showing the same loop for months suffer from display blindness, so content needs refreshing.
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Measurable. Proof-of-play logs show what ran and when, and anonymous people counting can estimate how many people passed a screen.
Quick answers on digital signage
Digital signage: common questions
What is POS digital signage?
Screens at the point of sale. POS digital signage means displays at or near the checkout or ordering point: menu boards, counter-top screens, promotions above the till and customer-facing displays on the terminal itself. They are used to prompt add-on sales and shorten queues.
Does digital signage need an internet connection?
Not all the time. The player needs a connection to receive new content and report status, but it plays from local storage, so screens keep running through outages. Closed systems can run on a private network with an on-site server.
How much does digital signage cost?
It depends on scale and environment. The main costs are the screens, the players, mounting, installation and a software license per screen, usually charged monthly or yearly. Outdoor and high-brightness hardware costs considerably more than an indoor screen of the same size.
Can digital signage be interactive?
Yes. Touchscreens, kiosks, QR codes and sensors let people browse, order or find their way. Interactive signage needs a player with enough processing power for the application, not just video playback.
What are some examples of digital signage?
Menu boards, departure screens and wayfinding. Other common examples are retail promotions, factory dashboards, hotel welcome screens, school notice boards, hospital queue displays and roadside advertising.
We build digital signage systems as standard: the player arrives with its operating system and signage software image loaded and tested, paired with displays we configure for the site. Our digital signage hardware page shows the players, displays and enclosures we supply.