The (Very Real) Future of Digital Signage

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Zachary Todd coordinates marketing communications (whatever that means) for SNA Displays. He is a 5-year LED crusader, which is like an LED evangelist only more militant, and is currently chained to a desk at the company’s Dallas office. Please send help, or Guinness.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Gerald Garcia (no relation to the musician) to discuss the future of LED in an era of rapid change and technological obfuscation. Garcia is a well-known figure in digital signage, having revolutionized the industry with his and Moiré-resistant LED screens equipped with proprietary technology that shoot lasers at photographers snapping pictures at sub-optimal angles and distances.

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Very real Gerald Garcia

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to give us your thoughts on the future of LED. Let’s dive right in, shall we?

Sounds good.

It seems like “sustainability” is on everyone’s minds these days. How do you see LED technology meeting the sudden demand?

That’s a great question. LED display manufacturers, and rip-off white-labelers too, have been trying to tackle that problem ever since “sustainability” first became a marketing buzzword. Now, fortunately, we’re seeing some real movement. The trick is separating “green” options from truly “sustainable” ones.

Would you mind elaborating?

Sure. Let me give you an example. There’s a ton of hype right now around the biodegradable LED tech made out of carboard and recycled toilet paper.

You’re referring to recycLED®?

That’s the one. Now, on the surface, that sounds like a great path to sustainability. It’s cheap, it’s green, it’s certainly innovative. But it also offers poor weather resistance, especially in more humid climates, and the brightness levels are barely better than LCD. Ultimately, it’s a fad that will pass faster than you can say “monsoon.”

To be truly sustainable, you need buy-in from both the manufacturers and the customers. We’re just not seeing that with recycLED®.

So, you’re saying green options aren’t always sustainable?

Exactly. But take another option that’s seeing a huge uptick in adoption, which is the 100% organic-certified, farm-to-table LED: the true OLED, as I like to call it. Already we’re seeing small family-owned LED farms popping up across the country to meet the demand for artisanal, locally sourced, craft-brew digital display technology. And since normal FDA regulations don’t apply, we’re seeing LED farmers turn a handful of seed pixels into crops that yield a couple hundred square feet of video screens in just a few weeks. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when you can avoid all the bureaucratic red tape.

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It’s interesting that you mentioned the FDA. Any thoughts on the edible LED craze that started in the pacific northwest and is now sweeping the nation?

EdibLEDTM won’t last. As soon as the politicians hear about it, they’ll issue a statement that completely misunderstands the technology but ends up hampering legitimate growth. Digestible LED technology will always have a niche underground market, but it won’t be a viable product line for legitimate companies. Once Uber Eats stops delivering it, most industry professionals will forget it even exists.

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Let’s change gears a little. Another big topic of conversation in the pro-AV world is artificial intelligence. Any thoughts there?

Well, AI isn’t my area of expertise but LED manufacturers definitely need to keep an eye on this trend. So far, the technology, at least as it relates to our industry, has mostly been integrated into “smart” meeting rooms with a heavy AV component. It’s been great for room management and automatic setting adjustment, but the audio implications of AI are a little concerning. Imagine a meeting thrown into chaos when an AI starts mimicking voices. And then there was the AV summit last spring that was held hostage for two days by a rogue AI.

As for LED displays, however, self-replicating diodes are a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand, it’s a big money and time saver. However, an early trial run got out of hand and ended up covering several city blocks in digital canvas before it was contained. Busy little bots grow faster than kudzu. The effect was pretty, but you can’t ignore the economic and social effect of LED screens swallowing up an entire town center. Not to mention the cleanup.

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Well, this has been a great conversation. Anything else our readers should know about the future of LED?

Watch out for imitation LED, also known as fake LED, forged LED, and faux LED – the industry hasn’t really landed on a universal definition. It can be convincing enough to get past Customs but it’s worse than selling rental products for long-term fixed installations.

What makes it fake?

They’re really just giant Lite-Brites – you know that toy from our childhood. They’re ok for static images if you can keep the pegs from falling out but that’s about it.

Good to know. Thanks again for lending us your thoughts. We look forward to seeing how these predictions pan out.

Thanks for having me.

Zachary Todd is a marketing communications coordinator for SNA Displays, working out of the company’s Dallas office. He is a 5-year LED crusader, which is like an LED evangelist, only more militant.

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