This is the time of the year when many Customers ask me about the operating temperature of the LED video walls. The winter has come and apparently this is going to be a cold one. So the question I hear a lot these days is "How cold is too cold?"

In the months between December and February, we can reach extremely low temperatures, generally as low -20°C / -25°C in urban areas of central Europe (but we can get to -50°C in northern countries such as Sweden and Finland).

So how does a led screen respond when the temperatures are so extreme? The general rule of thumb for led screens is this: the colder it is, the better it runs.

Some jokingly say that a led screen runs best with a thin frosty layer on it. The reason that's a joke is because humidity and electronic printed circuits don't mix very well, so ice is better than water.

But how low can the temperature go before becoming an issue? Led chip suppliers (such as Nichia, Cree etc), generally indicate the lowest operating temperature of the leds at -30°C. This is a pretty good minimum temperature and it is enough for 90% of European cities and countries.

But how can you protect your led screen when the temperature is even lower? Or when the thermometer is at -30°C for several consecutive days?

When the LED billboard is working, its components (led tiles, power supplier and control boards) heats up. This heat is then contained within the metal cabinet of each single module. This process creates a warmer and drier micro-climate inside each cabinet, which is ideal for the led screen.

Your goal should be to preserve this micro-climate. This means to keep the led screen working 24 hours a day, even at night. In fact, turning the led screen off at night (from midnight to six in the morning, for example) is one of the worst things you can do in extremely cold weather conditions.

When you turn the led screen off at night, the internal temperature drops dramatically in a very short time. This may not damage the components directly, but it might create problems when you want to turn on the led screen again. The PCs in particular are most sensitive to these temperature changes.

If you can not have the LED screen working 24 hours a day (e.g. for some city regulations), then the second best thing you can do it to keep the led screen in stand-by (or black) at night. This means that the led screen is actually "alive" but it is simply not displaying any image, exactly like a TV when you shut it down with the remote control.

From the outside you can not tell the difference between a screen that is turned-off and one that is in stand-by, but this makes a big difference inside. When the led screen is in stand-by, its components are alive and still producing some heat. Of course, it is much less than the heat produced when the led screen is working, but it is still much better than no heat at all.

EuroDisplay playlist software has a particular function that allows you to put the led screen in stand-by mode at night in one single click. This feature was developed specifically for led screens in these conditions. It even allows you to select between a totally black screen or a clock with current time and date when in stand-by mode.

Instad, if you are absolutely forced to turn off the led screen completely at night or for longer period of time, there is still one option. Higher quality digital billboards will have no or little problem when you turn them on again (but the temperature is still extremely low).

Instead, if the led screen does not turn on anymore, there is still a solution. Before you turn on the led screen again, try to warm up the cabinets with some electrical heaters. Let it warm up for thirty minutes to an hour (depending on weather conditions). Then try to turn it on again.

So to summarize, here's what you can do to preserve your led screen at at extremely low temperatures:

• Ideally, keep your led screen working 24 hours a day
• If that's not possible, at least put it in stand-by mode at night
• If you are forced to turn it off and you have problem to turn it back on, then try to warm the led screen up

Ankara Arena, Turkey -- Euro Display recently installed a total of 400 square meters (between indoor and outdoor LED screens), in what is considered the biggest led screen installation in Europe.

The Problem

The brand-new Ankara Arena needed a professional led screens system in order to host the prestigious FIBA World Championship - Turkey 2010.

The main issue was finding a cost-effective solution for an equipment with very strict requirements in terms of reliability and broadcasting capabilities.

The main technical issue consisted in the ability to broadcast the same content on all led screens but with the possibility to use each of them individually.

Furthermore the reputation and pride of the Country were at stake and the team in charge of the selection of the led screens could not afford anything else but perfection. Which put an incredible pressure on the team in charge selecting the digital billboards supplier.

The Solution

The led screens were installed for the inauguration of the new Ankara Arena in occasion of the FIBA World Championship and included the following configuration:

• n. 4 Indoor Led Screens (diamond) - 5 x 4 meters - p10mm real SMD 3-in-1 > Total 80 sqm
• n. 2 Indoor Led Banners - 60 x 1 meters - p10mm real SMD 3-in-1 > Total 120 sqm
• n. 2 Indoor Led Banners - 80 x 1 meters - p10mm real SMD 3-in-1 > Total 160 sqm
• n. 1 Outdoor Led Screen - 8 x 5 meters - p10/20mm 2R+1PG+1B > Total 40 sqm

The n. 4 led screens of the diamond and the n.1 outdoor led screen can broadcast the same image at the same time and are simultaneously controlled by EuroDisplay's Professional Video Scaler able to display live images and pre-edited content from several video-sources.

The n. 4 led banners are simultaneously controlled by Euro Display' Control PC and Software and can display the same image/video as well as different videos according to the needs.

All led screens are connected to the Control Rooms with more than one kilometer of fiber cables to allow real-time management of the content displayed (see cabling diagram below).

Customer's Feedback

"We chose EuroDisplay for your experience in the sports electronic billboards after evaluating your previous case studies." says Mr Serka project manager in charge of selecting the led screens supplier.

"We were followed promptly on our customizations needs and were provided with precise technical information when requested."

"The reliability of the led screens was our main factor of decision and we found that you provided the best guarantees."

This new installation widens the expertise of Euro Display in Sports applications such as stadiums and indoor arenas and confirms it as one of the most reliable and competitive led screens suppliers Worldwide.

Led Screeen Assembling

Cabling Diagram

Digital Billboards in Franchising

Another Advertising Agency Turns to EuroDisplay

It happened again, as more and more often. This brings to 18 the number of ad agencies that have turned to EuroDisplay after experimenting for a few months a digital billboard in franchise / concession.

So last month, another ad agency - after having an unpleasant experience with a digital billboard in franchise / concession - has decided to cancel the concession contract (and pay the penalty fee) to go with EuroDisplay.

"There are several reasons that persuaded us to finally go with EuroDisplay." confirms Angelo, the owner of an advertising agency. "It is not only the reliability of the product, but also the seriousness of the company and people."

"After Months of Suffering We Terminated the Contract"

"We did not have a good experience with our old digital billboard in franchising. It caused several service interruptions and many related complaints from our advertisers."

"After suffering for several months, we decided to pay the cancellation fee and to terminate the contract. And to return free to choose our preferred supplier."

"In recent months we have gained a lot of experience in digtal billboards. We have carefully considered all the options available and EuroDisplay seemed like the best in terms of quality, price and reliability."

"We Are Very Happy"

"The new EuroDisplay digital billboard was installed last month. It is a 6x3 meter easyScreen with 10/20mm pixel pitch. We assembled it in just a few hours and it worked at the first try, without any problems."

"At the moment we are very happy with how the deal was completed. The fact that the installation took place without problems, it has confirmed to us that we have made the right choice."

"We intend to grow our network of digital billboards, but to do that we needed a quality product and a reliable supplier. Before we did not feel confident that these conditions were satisfied."

"Only time will tell if we'll win our bet, but at least now we know we have a solid foundation on which to base our project."

Contacts and More Information

For more information, call us now at the No. +39/011-954-1015, or write to info@EuroDisplay.com. Click Here for the Quotation Online or visit the Clients page to see our latest installations and references.

How do you make sure that your LED Screen supplier is as reliable as they say they are? This is a very important question, which anyone considering to purchase a LED Screen should ask themselves. Here are two true stories from LED billboards owners which you can learn from:

The Story of Mr Nikos from Cyprus

A few months ago we received a request from Mr Nikos from Cyprus. One of our best sales representatives (who is in charge of that region), started to follow-up the request, providing advice and support as per our standard.

Despite all our efforts, at first Mr Nikos seemed not to trust us and we couldn't understand why. When his order arrived it was a great moral satisfaction despite the fact we still didn't know why he was so sceptical at first.

We only discovered the reason behind his doubts when he sent us the feedback-form which all our Customers fill-in one month after the product has been shipped. From his answers we finally understood the reasons for his scepticism…

Send the Money Now Because Tomorrow We Are Broke

We learned that, at the time of our first contacts, he had a hard time trusting any LED video walls supplier on the market because 5 months earlier he had ordered a LED screen from a company only to discover - after he made the down payment - that the company had closed due to the economic crisis (you can read his entire review in the "Clients" page).

When you lose thousands of Euros (10.000, 30.000 or even 50.000) with a down payment to a company that 2 weeks later files for bankruptcy, I'm sure anyone would have a trust-issue.

Is It that Much Better if they Close after 6 Months?

But what happens if the supplier manages to deliver the screen to you, but then closes after 1 month, 6 months or even 1 year? Will this make you feel much better?

Chances are that you will not be so mad because at least you got the LED screen, but you probably won't be thrilled either. Who will provide you with technical support from that point on? Where will you find the spare parts for the LED screen? What if there is a problem that your technician can not resolve on his own?

Buying Expensive Products Is Like Choosing a Spouse

When you purchase high value equipment, such as an LED screen, you are not just buying a product. You are also choosing a partner company. It's almost like a marriage, so you'd better make sure that your partner will be there for you when you need him.

Would it have been possible for Mr Nikos to predict that his supplier would go bankrupt? How could he have avoided wasting his money? Is there a way for you or anyone to avoid the same, disastrous pitfall?

Luckily governments of most Countries put several tools at the disposal of potential Customers that want to check the reliability and solidity of potential suppliers before they make their investment, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises…

The Story of Mr Antonio

A few days ago I met a couple of potential Customers that came to visit our facilities. I was introducing them the Company, but after I said only a few words, one of them, Mr Antonio, stopped me and said:

"Fabio, please don't waste your time and mine as well. I studied EuroDisplay's annual report and those of your competitors well before planning this visit. There is nothing about the Company that you can tell me that I don't already know".

"The reason why we are here is because you have the best annual report among Italian suppliers and your productivity-per-employee is approximately double than other Italian suppliers. So don't waste time to describe me the Company and let's talk about the deal instead."

I was quite shocked by the sincerity of his words and accurateness of his analysis… so I didn't ever mention a single word about the Company anymore that day.

How to Make Sure Your LED Screen Supplier Is Healthy

Now, my guess is that if Mr Nikos from Cyprus would have had the chance to look at the annual report of his supplier before he made the down payment, he probably would have noticed that the company was not healthy to survive the economic crisis. He would have made a more informed choice and maybe he would have considered another supplier - saving thousands of euros.

How to Get the Annual Reports of Your Suppliers

Let's say that you now want to check the reports of several potential suppliers. Would you know how to do it? Who do you call? Where do you get them?

It's a Public Document, Not Covered by Privacy

The easiest way is simply to ask your potential supplier to provide you with his annual report. It doesn't get simpler than that!

In fact, the information found on an annual report is of public domain by law, at least in Italy. So if you hear excuses such as "Oh, ehm… I can not send it because it is protected by privacy regulations", than start to wonder why they don't want to send it to you.

The law does not force companies to make their reports available to Customers (unless they are traded in the stock-exchange), but if they had a good annual report, they certainly wouldn't have any problem forwarding it to you. Actually why wouldn't they show it to anyone who asks for it if they had nothing to hide?

In case your potential supplier is not so collaborative - and in case you still want to work with them - the official way to get the document is by contacting a Chamber of Commerce in the Country of the supplier.

How to Get Any Annual Report from the Chamber of Commerce

For example, if you are evaluating an Italian supplier, you can contact any branch of the Chamber of Commerce or simply follow these 3 simple steps (valid for Italian suppliers only):

• Download this form, print it and fill-it with the information required
• Make a bank transfer of EUR 4,50 to:
  
  Intesa Sanpaolo Spa
  IBAN: IT68 I030 6909 4006 1524 6092 056 / SWIFT: BCITIT33100
  Beneficiary: Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato e Agricoltura di Milano
  Causal: Certificates
• Send the form and a copy of the payment via fax at the number: +39 / 02-8515-4733

Information Empowers You

If you don't want to waste your money, next time you consider purchasing a digital billboard, make sure you invest in the right supplier. Don't listen to a salesman that tells you how good they are and how bad the competition. Take the time to look at the numbers.

Use the procedure above to request all the annual reports of your potential suppliers and compare them, side by side. And if you have any doubts on how to read the data, ask your accountant to help you out - I promise it will be well worth it.

With EuroDisplay It's Even Easier

As a further tangible proof of its ultra-decennal commitment to Total Quality and transparency, EuroDisplay makes its annual report publicly available for free to anyone who will request it. Just fill in this form and send it to us via fax at the number +39 / 011-954-1017. So you have one less report to ask for.

Digital Billboards Franchising

Digital billboards franchising became somewhat popular in Europe in the early 2000’s where it is offered as a form of “long term rental”, that allows to test the business model for a few months and with a fairly limited amount of initial capital.

Let’s just take a quick step back: what franchising is exactly and what are the main advantages?

Franchising is a business model that allows you (the franchisee) to open your own company by using the know-how of another company (the franchisor). There are several advantages in the well-known formula of franchising, when it is well organized by the franchisor:

Advantages of Franchising

• Tested Business Model: opening your own franchise it means to open your own private business on a model that has been already tested (hopefully successfully) by many other entrepreneurs and that therefore should bring no bad surprises.
• Lower Start-Up Costs: franchising allows you to reduce the start-up costs any activity has, for example by being able to exploit the reputation of the mark without having to invest in advertising. With the support of a parent company, you can also avoid all the costly mistakes made by those who open a new business and that are often the cause of the failure within months from opening.
• Turnkey Solutions: since you're opening a business already tested and where the details have already been studied, the new activity will be delivered to you in a "turn-key solution", that is (for example) with the furniture already defined, forms and contracts already drawn etc.
• Continuous Training: big franchising companies will provide adequate training on both the management practices of the business and sales techniques - while the promotion and marketing are usually handled by the parent company. In successful franchising programs, the training starts even before you open the real business and it continues at regular intervals (e.g. once or twice a year) for the entire duration of your business.

Well it seems the perfect activity. Why then there are not just franchising everywhere? Not only in the digital billboards industry, but in any other sector? Because, unfortunately, the practical implementation of the franchise can hide many serious drawbacks:

Disadvantages of Franchising

• Lack of Support: most of the big franchise companies (like McDonalds® for example), offer extensive training on procedures, a lot of support during the start-up phase and unlimited access to the resources provided by the mother company.
  
  But smaller companies may not be as prepared and professional in this sense, being more interested in selling franchises rather than in the success of the affiliate (i.e. the franchisee / contractor).
• Low Standardization Industry: franchising is applied most successfully in areas that have a high level of standardization, for which can be identified a "formula" for success. Taking the example of the chain McDonalds®, the popularity of this franchise depends on the repetitiveness of the food preparation and standardization of cooking procedures.
  
  In areas with low standardization however, this formula simply can not exist and therefore there can be no guarantee of success (no matter what the franchisor tells you). The low standardization industries are those where the human component is more important, such as those where required customized services are requested by the end user and where, therefore, the preparation of a seller and the availability of the company make all the difference.
  
  Like in the advertising industry, for example.
• Fake Potential: with franchising electronic billboards you are often sold the idea that by entering into the franchise, you become part of a national network of LED screens, where you can share your available advertising space with other entrepreneurs in network and therefore earn on sales made by others.
  
  Unfortunately, the advertising LED screens are a very local business, that targets advertisers within a radius of 10-15 km (maximum) from the installation site of the screen (whether it is in franchise or not).
  
  In fact, Customers who pay to their advertising on a LED screen are typically restaurants, real estate companies, car dealerships, hardware stores etc. So it is very unlikely if not impossible, that a typical advertiser will wants to broadcast his advertising on a LED screen located 200 km away.
• Not a Real Business: inexpensive franchise are often a real hazard. According to Mr Abel E. Malcolm from the American Business Law Journal “most abuses occur in the smaller franchise operations, which sell at less than USD 100.000” (about 70.000 EUR at the moment of publication). You can read the entire article from Dott. Malcom here: http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/618192-1.html
  
  The fact that a business offers a franchise, that doesn’t mean that you will be successful. In some cases, the franchising is the only real business: the franchisor is only interested in selling to more and more Customers and the fact the single franchise is successful or not, it is totally irrelevant to them.
  
  In case you are shown an annual report, keep in mind that it is not the financial success of the franchisor which is important to you, but rather the profits of the other franchisees in the system.
• Unrealistic Promises of Profits without Effort: it is a common practice among franchisors to make a verbal estimate of the profits during the negotiations with the perspective Customer. In some cases, however, these perspectives are totally unrealistic because they promise profits with only six or seven advertisers.
  
  Now, anyone with a modicum of experience in the field of LED billboards will tell you that to be successful in this industry you need at least 15/20 paying customers in order to repay the cost of the screen and get a good return on investment.
  
  By the way, promises of profits without effort are always unrealistic.
• No Government Protection: in most countries there are not effective regulations for franchising. In most cases these regulations do not require disclosing the risk factors of the investment before the franchise is sold to the public.
  
  Unfortunately, many franchisees have unrealistic expectations that the law will protect them from fraudulent franchisors, which is not often the case. In fact in most cases, once signed the contract you are not legally protected in any way.

Franchising as Business Model

To summarize, the great majority of franchisors are serious businesses that really want to develop a successful model, but as in any other industry there are people who are just looking for an easy way to make money.

So they create a “franchise” that looks great but has no substance and absolutely no support or training. They usually target inexperienced people that are so willing to believe in the easy profits that they fail to make a proper appraisal of the business being offered.

How to Purchase a Digital Billboards in Franchising

If you really want to purchase a digital billboard in franchise, I suggest you to contact one of the franchisee already in the network and investigate if he would be interested in selling his business. It is better to buy a “used” franchise, because you can see the annual reports of the business to understand if there are any real profits.

Once established the first contacts, mention your interest in acquiring the asset and carefully assess the reaction of the affiliate: if he is really making profits with his business, he should not be interested in selling his company, unless you make him a very high offer.

On the other side, if the franchisee appears to be immediately interested in your proposal and willing to sell his company (maybe at even less of what you could purchase it from the mother company) then this could be a sign that his business is not going very well and that he can not wait to get rid of everything.

Digital Billboard Franchising: Tell Us Your Story

I'd say it's all for today, but if you've tried the LED video wall franchising formula, tell us your experience (good or bad) and share with our readers by filling in the comment section below. We look forward to hearing your stories.