Digital displays are excellent for displaying advertising content, promotions, information, etc. in a vivid and enticing manner. They allow for greater flexibility when it comes to changing content; a vast improvement over standard static backlit posters that require someone to physically change the graphics in the middle of the night. However, with improved technology comes the potential for more things to go “bump in the night”.
Typically, when one of these digital displays has a problem in the field, the traditional solution is to send a qualified service technician to site to remove the entire display from its mounting location and replace it with a spare/replacement unit. The faulty display is then taken back to the warehouse for repair or returned to the manufacturer.
Up to now, this has been the only course of action since almost all digital displays are not designed for in-field servicing and definitely not engineered for repairs while still in a fixed mounting position.
Service Costs Can Be High
This results in an expensive service model since most displays are mounted in a location or position that is not easily accessible and Union/specialized labor may be required to remove and replace the faulty display. For some Outdoor applications, cost per service call can actually exceed $10,000 when you factor in the costs for union labor, safety personnel, logistics and disruption to operations. Indoor applications are less costly but it’s still tough to remove and replace a large digital display. It takes people, lifts and time.
Owners of digital displays need to calculate, in advance, the true Operating Expense (OPEX) when it comes to a pending installation to understand the logistics and associated costs with in-field servicing. The CAPEX cost may be low (i.e. cheap purchase price) however the OPEX cost can easily exceed the CAPEX in a short amount of time.
SAM® (Service Access Module)
LG-MRI has a product feature that makes in-field servicing of digital displays more convenient and less disruptive to operations. Our patented SAM® (Service Access Module) allows for in-field servicing of critical components without the need to remove the display from its mounting position.
The benefit of the SAM feature is that operating costs and field service expenses are dramatically reduced and the costs of removing and then replacing the entire display are eliminated. This is of particular interest to customers that have digital Displays installed in high-traffic public areas where access times are limited and the costs associated with removal and re-mounting of the displays are prohibitive.