New LG Singapore Innovation Centre showcases the science of OLED signage
Mention locations such as Dōtonbori in downtown Osaka, Times Square in New York or Tsim Tsa Tsui in Hong Kong and you’ll conjure up mental images of the dense, neon-lit hued streets as a forest of glowing neon signage hawk wares and services to passersby walking far below. While they are certainly eye catching, they are all mostly passive affairs with stilted animation and washed out hues.
LG however is planning to take digital signage up a notch as their vision of signage for the future isn’t about mere slabs of glowing neon slapped onto the side of a building or in a mall with static or repetitive animation but with lighter, more durable and flexible, vibrant displays with the ability to project brilliant images with deep blacks and crisp whites too with their expanding range of commercial lighting solutions for both indoor and outdoor use at their newly opened Asia Business Innovation Centre.
Located amidst the sprawling LG campus in Singapore, the Asia Business Innovation Centre offers an up-close look at LG’s newest digital signage solutions for invited guests and visitors. Among the diverse exhibits on offer were multiple examples of OLED signage that are a massive step up from current signage solutions in terms of performance and endurance.
According to LG, OLED’s key benefit is that each pixel can switch off completely so that a panel is able to reproduce perfect blacks in order to offer truly infinite contrast. The vividness of an OLED display means that it is also able to offer accurate colour representation while eradicating light bleeding and without needing a backlight for it to work. The applications for LG’s OLED digital signage tech expand beyond hawking goods and movies on avenues and streets: their vibrancy, endurance and size as well as the ability to take on curved dimensions in custom deployments also mean they are looking for them to see service in diverse fields that include the arts, education and more.
Their vibrancy means they are immediately eye catching and their endurance, with many of the models on display able to continue working for most of the day and some 24/7 along with the ability to change what they are displaying on demand at the drop of a hat means they are a step above conventional plain-old neon signage.
The OLED displays are cutting edge with several pioneer installations worldwide such as at the Lotte World Tower and Incheon Airport in South Korea and at Changi Airport. At SUNTEC City Centre, LG has implemented the world’s largest HD video wall that combines a whopping 664 LCD panels together to form a screen that’s three storeys high and 60 metres wide. While these are the standout examples in terms of size, the majority of their signage solutions are implemented in more modest setups. Here’s a look at several of LG’s most exciting signage solutions that were on display at the centre.
From left: Mr. Dongpil Kim, Senior General Manager, LG Asia HE B2B Business Department Asia Region; Mr David Oh, Managing Director of LG Electronics Malaysia.
Seeing the unique customised nature of LG’s signage offerings, they’re not exactly available for sale off the shelf though you can drop by LG’s headquarters in Malaysia to get consultation and a custom-made solution based on your unique needs. If you’re keen to find out more, you can swing by LG’s official website for signage here.
Seated from left: Mr. Dongpil Kim, Senior General Manager, LG Asia HE B2B Business Department Asia Region; Mr David Oh, Managing Director of LG Electronics Malaysia; Mr Neo Cheng Yi, Business Development Manager, Asia Home Entertainment B2B Sales of LG Electronics Singapore
LG Wallpaper OLED Signage
With a thickness that’s less than that of a finger, these 55-inch panels have a 400 nit brightness, can be mounted with hooks and magnets to a wall and have full HD resolution imagery with an operating time of 18 hours a day tops 7 days a week. Their strength is easy deployability, making them ideal for small setups or areas with limited space for a panel.
Multiple Screen Split UHD Signage
These easily deployable Ultra HD panels come either in 86-inch or 75-inch denominations and are able to display up to four different split screen content feeds onscreen, making them ideal for smaller or more compact setups.
With a brightness of 500 nits, these panels also have exceptional endurance with the ability to operate 24 hours 7 days a week, making them as good as traditional signage as you needn’t ever have to turn it off.
OLED Signage Curved Openframe
LG has managed to successfully manufacture large-scale curved OLED displays that are slick looking enough to double as bona fide art pieces.
The panels are each 55-inch in size, have Full HD resolution and 400 nits brightness. Setting up a display is a matter of seeing how many panels you need for full coverage and, depending on their orientation are able to be curved to -2000R landscape style and up to 1500R portrait style.
Top gaming brand Razer was so besotted with it that they’re the first brand to deploy it globally across Asia and the US to display their array of gaming gear.
Narrow Bezel Video Wall
Consisting of a series of 55-inch panels that you can stack up as you see fit to form as large a panel as you desire, this video wall display has full HD resolution, is able to work 24/7 and has the notable distinction of having the world’s thinnest bezels on signage this large at 0.9mm.
The thinness of each panel’s bezels means that when stacked up, multiple panels look just like one huge one on its own. An impressive effect indeed. This was put to full effect as a humongous presentation screen during the press conference and text was pin-sharp and clear onscreen even from twenty paces away.
OLED Signage Dual-view Curved Tiling
Taking pride of place in the centre of the centre was their piece de resistance a mammoth OLED Signage Dual-view Curved Tiling panel that was able to display crisp, vibrant UHD resolution, 450-nit image on both the front and the rear of the display. The clincher is that the panel is able to display a completely different series of images on both its front and rear.
The panel on display rotated between a pastoral display of verdant greenery on one end and an undersea vista of corals and fish on the other along with a take on Van Gogh’s Starry Night and other scenic vistas.
Split up, it’s actually made of a series of 65-inch curved UHD panels stacked back to back to form a huge, double curved front and rear display. Once assembled the whole affair is a massive curved panel that is as much a piece of artwork as it is an impressive example of craftsmanship.
This is the true centerpiece of their Innovation Centre and is a truly impressive example of their engineering prowess as it can be deployed on a floor stand, be mounted on a wall or be suspended from a ceiling.
