Coping with Sunlight – Using Outdoor LCD Systems

There has been a growing trend for outdoor entertainment in recent years. This is partly due to the recent smoking ban but also there seems to be a cultural shift with more and more people opting to sit outside restaurants, bars and pubs.

Keeping clientele entertained in these environments is becoming big business too and there is a growing demand for outdoor LCD TV systems. There are specific outdoor LCD TV’s available but these are relatively expensive in comparison to standard TV systems. However, a standard off-the-shelf TV can’t cope with the elements of having to operate outdoors but they can be housed in outdoor LCD enclosures.

LCD enclosures are fantastic for allowing standard TV systems to operate outdoors. They are waterproof and most often dust-proof too so that any airborne debris and dust does not penetrate the enclosure. They are also manufactured in solid steel with shatterproof glass to prevent accidental of deliberate damage.

However, there are other aspects that need to be considered when installing an outdoor TV system – even in an LCD enclosure.

One of the most overlooked aspects of using LCD TVs outdoors is the effect direct sunlight can have on the screen. Not only can sunlight cause hotspots, areas of high temperature that can lead to permanent scarring of the LCD or plasma screen but also direct sunlight can mean a TV system in the sun can be near impossible to see.

Obviously for pubs, bars and restaurants that mainly cater for customers in the evening this is not much of a concern however, more and more people these days are using LCD enclosures for outdoor digital signage purposes.

To prevent the direct sunlight from preventing your images from being seen then it is possible to provide anti-glare glass on the LCD enclosure ensuring the screen can be seen even when the sun is directly reflected on it.

Hotspots can also be dealt with by passing an airflow over the screen to carry away any build up of heat.