Dynamic Digital Displays are the trend for the future. Menu boards are migrating to dynamic digital displays (DDD) and now signage companies are moving towards this trend There are several convergence factors on why DDD’s are the market trend. Number one – 1) Flat panels are more affordable today. 2) The concept of traditional advertising is falling apart. 3) DVR' s have impacted television advertising and news content is delivered online instead of newspapers, because people want to control the content they receive and how they receive it. Twitter, and other social media outlets have changed the playing field. 4) Wireless Internet means smart phones are a source of information and the primary source of communication. 5) There is an abundance of good creative content to support DDD today. Companies are getting good at developing custom software to create custom layouts not only for specific industries, but for specific clients. 6) In venues like retail and hotels, the wall space now becomes real estate that can bring a return on investment by selling ad space. Replacing costly static signs that need regular updating like menus simply isn't cost effective. Now that it is a requirement for restaurants with more than 20 locations to list calories for each food item, replacing existing menu boards with DDD is more cost-effective and efficient. In addition to the cost advantages of DDD you can control the messaging on your dynamic digital display to start posting specific messages at specific times of the day. For example: the menu from breakfast to lunch can be simply programmed to change to the lunch menu at 11:30 AM, and from lunch to dinner at 4:00 PM, for example. This is a huge cost saving benefit. Also the ability to change messaging instantly allows you to take advantage of any changes in market conditions. For example - imagine the weather is going to change dramatically from today to tomorrow. You can change your special quickly from lemonade to hot cocoa. For companies that have multiple locations perhaps the biggest advantage is the ability to change messaging instantly across all locations because the displays can be networked together. Imagine changing 200 screens at once from one simple laptop computer. This example alone clearly illustrates the cost savings of DDD over traditional static signage. If you are considering purchasing a DDD, read on. Many business owners do not understand the difference between an LED screen made for computer usage or a flat screen television you’d buy for home use versus investing in a commercial unit. Commercial displays are designed to run more hours per day over a longer time span than consumer units and are fully warrantied. If you are a business and you do by a consumer display but use it in the business environment and the manufacturer find out that you are using the display in a commercial setting they will not honor your warranty. At Focal Point Signs & Imaging we are a Samsung DDD distributor. What we love about their smart signage platform is that it eliminates the need for an exterior media player and only uses two cables; the power cord and LAN. The media player is embedded with the chip, CPU, memory, video processor and storage of 6 – 8 GB. It operates Java, flash, HTML web applications plus the device uses a remote control to program content. Samsung offers a number of models. The economy model MD series is thicker, has built in speakers, and a three-year warranty. Their MD series is an ultra slim 1.18 inch deep chassis that comes in 32, 42, 46 and 55 inch sizes. This series is edge lit and a touchscreen overlay can be added. The advantage to working with Focal Point Signs & Imaging on your DDD project is that we offer a turnkey solution from purchasing the units, programming the software, designing the messaging, custom mount fabrication, and installation of your units. In the past you would've needed to work with 3 to 4 different companies and points of contact to achieve what we can do with one phone call. In other words, there is only one "choke point". If you are interested in purchasing a DDD please call us for free consultation at 657-346-2281. Remember, “A business without a sign, is a sign of no business!”