The (Literal) Supporting Cast Behind Digital Signage

For Pro AV Today’s second look at digital signage, the spotlight was on the unsung heroes that make digital signage a reality: the mounts and support systems. After all, digital signs don’t hang up by themselves. Megan Zeller, Senior Director of Business Development at Peerless-AV, joined Ben Thomas to provide her perspective.

Peerless-AV has been in the industry for eighty years and counting. It’s been a long journey from television rabbit ear antennas and AV accessories to the emerging tech company they are today. Peerless has seen it all, but they’ll never say done it all because they continually focus on changing the AV landscape. And, in terms of mounting and support systems, Zeller said they’d made massive headway in the structural world.

Changing with the times is necessary to stay competitive, and digital signage is no different. Seamless screens are the emerging trend. “It allows you to do something in a 16:9 aspect ratio, or any configuration you desire,” Zeller said of seamless screens. “When you look at per cabinet cost of mounting, the screens are a little smaller if you look at a 500 millimeter by 1,000-millimeter cabinet, the price is less per cabinet than it would be for a video wall mount.” They require specialty installers due to their delicate nature and precision installation requirements.

Wall mounts are no longer standard. As increasing demands for larger screen sizes grew, Zeller said Peerless AV’s R&D and engineering teams got busy with solutions. “As you get into something that is longer than you can see in one view, you have to worry about many structural things. It’s interesting in the evolution in this and the education that’s part of this as well.”