1. Main Function

The first thing to think about when choosing your Mirror TV is whether the main function of the screen will be for watching TV or using it as a mirror. The reason behind this is there are a range of mirror tints that cater to different functions with some enhancing the TV image more and others offering higher levels of reflectivity. For applications like living rooms, choosing a darker tint like our standard solution will provide the best on-screen image but offer less reflectivity compared to the other tints on offer.

For more aesthetic applications like bedrooms, dressing rooms and hotels, tints like our high and ultra-high reflective offer greater reflectivity but the image on screen isn’t as clear as with a standard tint. For these more beauty-based applications, we can also offer a full-length mirror TV that incorporates a 43” screen into a traditional full-length mirror format, which can be wall mounted or leaned against a wall.

2. Location

Are you using the mirror TV in your home? If so are you looking to replace an existing TV? If that’s the case it might be worth asking if your Smart TV is eligible to upgrade using a Mirror TV Overlay. Our Mirror Overlays are designed to be retrofit to existing smart TV’s, offering a more cost-effective solution than replacing the TV completely. All you need is a Smart TV with a flat bezel that’s also wide enough to accommodate the space needed to attach the overlay.

If you’re looking to use a Mirror TV in a hospitality setting, you might want to consider one of our Magic Mirror Displays that can be paired with an integrated PC or media player. This option allows you to create your own interface where guests can order room service, check out the hotel facilities or browse concierge recommendations for the local area to create a more personalised experience.

3. Minimalist or maximalist?

Our standard Mirror TV option offers a sleek frameless mirror TV with the glass manufactured to fit perfectly on your selected screen size. Our frameless TV’s are ideal for modern interiors, achieving a slimline look when mounted onto the wall. For a solution that feels more personal, we also offer the choice of a decorative frame from our range of carefully curated mouldings. We have curated a selection that caters to all tastes from bold, gold, baroque designs to understated, shabby chic, and can even source frames hand-picked suit your exact interior.

4. Made to measure or oversized?

A statement mirror will always be a valued staple in any interior design, whether it be an eye-catching frame or even the size of a full wall. We offer multiple options when it comes to the mirror surface itself, as whilst many choose the perfect made to measure fit, others opt to oversize the mirror for added effect. This is a great way to create a truly personal solution, as whilst a huge TV screen might be overwhelming to watch, a large mirror might be the finishing touch to your space.

We can oversize the mirror glass and give you the freedom to choose the exact position and screen size of smaller TV, with some previous customers opting for circular and even hexagonal-shaped glass. We can also provide additional pieces of our mirror glass to create entire mirror feature walls where the TV simply ‘disappears’ when not in use. This type of integration is also great for retail stores and gyms, as the screen is completely protected from traffic whilst offering a multifunctional wall space. We can also combine multiple screens to create Mirror Video Walls as used by Novotel in their reception area to advertise whilst also making the space appear larger.

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LED Window Displays

Whilst window displays are designed to attract customers, many stores still heavily rely on the light coming from the shop front to illuminate the space, meaning any form of digital signage needs to support this. With traditional LED displays, a screen covering the entirety of the window would have blocked any light and view into the store, however, our unique LED solution provides the best of both worlds.

Our Transparent LED Screens offer a retrofit solution that fits directly behind your window, creating an eye catching display without blocking the view. Offering a brightness up to 5000cd per m2 and transparency up to 85%, our Transparent LED’s fit together modularly to create holo-effect LED walls on a massive scale. These displays are available with a range of pixel pitches, offering a solutions that can be appreciated from up close or at long distance. We find the Transparent LED screens to be most popular in applications that lack the expected floor space for window displays or in buildings with heavily glass-based architecture, with these transparent screens easily fitting into the frame of the window with a minimalist finish that offers maximum impact.

These screens we’re used to great effect at the Golden Horseshoe Casino, who used our Transparent LED Screens to entice passing traffic. The atrium lacked floor space and needed a solution where the view from both sizes wasn’t restricted. They chose to use a mixture of holo effect and striking content using the brand colour palette on both transparent screens, creating a display that was eye catching without being overwhelming.

Mirrored LED Screens

With the Magic Mirror becoming increasingly popular across the entertainment and retail sectors, it might be difficult to see how this can be improved with LED technology. Whilst standard Mirror Displays are incredibly effective, the larger the displays become it can be harder to ensure the image has the same impact across the screen especially in certain lighting environments. In video wall applications that experience high ambient lighting, a Mirror LED screen is ideal.

Our Mirror LED walls are available in pixel pitches as small as 0.9mm, creating a large format display that can be highly reflective as well as high in brightness and quality. In LED screens each pixel is individually lit making the contrast against the reflective overlay much stronger, whilst balancing the image out across the display to combat glare and reflectivity from other light sources. These screens are perfect for integration into retail, events and hospitality industries, offering a range of mirrored coatings to suit the individual application.

Outdoor LED Displays & Perimeter Systems

Perhaps one of the most commonly seen types of large format display are outdoor LED displays. These are usually found as billboards like in the infamous times square or in sports stadiums, outdoor concerts or events. Our outdoor LED screens offer superior contrast and viewing angles, coming complete with a control system and basic operating software that’s straightforward to use. Available in pixel pitches from 4mm to 20mm, these displays can be seen from miles around and are built to withstand all weather conditions with their IP65 waterproof rating.

Specifically designed for sporting events, our LED Perimeter systems offer the best in game day advertising. Boasting 6000nit brightness our perimeter displays are unphased by sunlight, making them a reliable solution for TV broadcast applications. These quality LED systems are shipped in a programmable module format with rear access for easy service and maintenance and can be joined to fit perimeters of any length. Our LED Perimeter was chosen for use in a prestigious football match between Manchester United and Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia. The game featured some of United’s finest including Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, with our perimeter system providing bright, full colour video advertising to the 65,000 fans throughout the match.

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Do I need a Front, Rear or Dual projection screen?

When choosing whether to opt for a front, rear or dual projection screen the first thing you need to consider is space. Front projection is traditionally more suitable for environments that lack the distance necessary for rear projection, but with the rapid advancement in ultra-short throw technologies the distance needed has been reduced massively, despite coming with a heftier price tag. We generally recommend using front projection in environments where the audience is seated, or the screen is suspended as to avoid interference with the image on screen. Our Ultra Gain screen is ideal for exhibitions and meeting rooms, offering HD/4K quality with exceptional brightness and contrast.

Our selection of rear projection solutions vary in appearance, making them ideal for a range of sectors and applications from screens that perform in direct sunlight, to transparent projection substrates. Most popularly we see rear projection used for window displays, as our films can be retrofit to existing glass surfaces but it is also commonly used for environments where there is traffic and movement in front of the screen. Usually, rear projection requires amicable throw distance behind the screen but our digital glass screens can support UST (ultra short throw) projection and can be manufactured in sizes up to 8m x 3m.

Dual image projection screens produce an image on both sides of the screen using a single projector, a great way to double your screen coverage for a fraction of the price. We see these screens used most effectively in museums and visitor attractions, often used to create immersive environments without the need for doubling up on displays. Our 360 dual image projection film was most recently used in the World Rugby Hall of Fame as part of the main attraction, where visitors could interact with the screens to display their favourite player and enjoy the content from all angles in the room.

Does my projector screen need versatility?

The next question you need to ask yourself is does your screen need to be versatile, for example you might want to create an eye-catching window display, but you still want to be able to see through your windows. Our range of films and screens each boast unique qualities that make them better suited to certain environments, with our expert team on hand to advise which would be best for your project.

One of our most versatile rear projection screens is our Clearview Film, allowing users to maintain the transparency of the screen whilst projecting and also when not in use. This transparent rear projection film can also create a holographic/peppers ghost effect and has been used at the Oscars and MTV EMA Awards, as well as featuring in multiple blockbuster movies including Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy.

For an alternative flexible projection solution, our Switchable Projection Screens offer a 4K/HD projection surface when switched off and can ‘disappear’ by turning clear when turned on. This technology is popular for churches as it allows them to maintain the aesthetic of the building, and was notably used in Rolls Royce’s launch of their Dawn Drophead Coupe at Harrods.

Perhaps the most ‘flexible’ of all of our projection screens is our PVC Fabric Projection Screen. This bendable projection surface is ideal for creating animated suspended displays, used best in environments with high ceilings for maximum effect. The malleable nature of our PVC projector material also allows for it to be tensioned to create stunning, Curved Rear Projection Screens like the one used in the academy award nominated film, The Midnight Sky.

How bright is my environment?

Lighting has previously been considered the downfall of projection technology, which is why our range of projection solutions are designed to combat this and perform at a superior level in daylight conditions. Our solutions expel the idea that a pitch-black room is essential for projection to work, with some of our products even performing in extreme environments.

Window Displays can often face issues when it comes to projection, whilst some are surrounded by controllable lighting many others suffer from high ambient lighting and even direct sunlight, causing many to opt for alternate LCD or LED technologies. However, our Sunscreen Rear Projection Film boasts a light rejecting filter that blocks more than 85% of external light to produce a HD/4K image even in direct sunlight, without the need for a high-powered projector. We also offer an Ambient Light Rejecting Front Projection Screen for ultra short throw and edge blending applications, where the screens can be joined to create unique aspect ratio displays with stunning Ultra HD images in extremely bright environments.

In displays where direct sunlight and glare isn’t an issue, we’ve seen our Ultra Black, Pro Diffusion, High Gain and Clearview projection films used to great effect across a huge spread of market sectors, offering excellent colour reproduction, brightness and contrast in daylight and ambient lighting conditions. All of our projection solutions are manufactured to allow your projector to reach its maximum potential, creating incredible displays even with low power projectors.

I want to create a huge projection display, do I need more than one projector?

In short, the number of projectors needed is solely based on the space you have available in your environment. Generally the larger the screen the bigger the throw distance, even when using ultra short throw projectors you are limited to what screen size you can reach at a small distance. Our Rear Projection Screens are available in standard screen sizes up to 134” and our Digital Glass Screens are available as standard up to 185”, all of which are designed to work using a single projector.

Our Rigid Large Format Screens are designed for use in attractions and TV studios and can be made in custom sizes up to 8m x 3m, commonly used with multiple projectors to achieve the best effect. This is made possible using edge blending software, which is also supported by our ALR Front Projection Screens which can be used in modular panels to create large format projection walls.

We even offer the means to create a building sized projection screen using our Projection Mapping Film, as seen on 392 windows of the nHow Hotel during the festivities of ISE 2019. A project of this size utilised 14 Panasonic’s PT-RZ31K projectors to provide the necessary 400,00 lumens needed to create this jaw dropping display, with our projection mapping film applied internally to the windows of the hotel, offing the perfect canvas.

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So, the question is, can you transform your existing screens into touchscreen-enabled devices? Fortunately, you can—though this isn’t as simple as just getting out your toolbox. Here we run through the possibilities for turning your existing screens into a touchscreen with Zhongchen Electronics.

Interactive Touch Overlays – A quick summary

At Zhongchen Electronics, we’ve developed a range of Interactive Touch Overlays which work with both LCD and LED displays, as well as a variety of other screens which are currently being used across a range of sectors from retail, hospitality, healthcare to name a few.

The concept is simple, the interactive touch capability is overlayed on your existing screen turning it quickly and simply into a touchscreen. For example, Interactive Touch Frames work with existing hard surface screens and offer 6, 12 or 32-point touch points. The technology is super-simple – USB plug and play – and we even provide custom sizes. An alternative option is our Interactive PCAP Touch Overlays which provide a toughened glass surface for any LCD screen or display, offering up to 40 touchpoints.

Our Interactive Mirror TV Overlay even enables you to turn a mirror into an interactive screen, while our Interactive Touch Foils mean touchscreens (on any LED and LCD screen) can be interacted with through glass – ideal for retail window displays.

So, which technology is right for your needs? That depends on the type of screen you have and the purpose. Let’s look into the technology a little further.

Add multi-touch technology to any screen

Our Interactive infrared touch frames can turn any screen into a touchscreen. This technology is compatible with any LCD, LED or Projection display. It comes as a retrofit kit that can be installed in minutes – all you need to do is connect the USB cable and the touch functionality immediately works without the need for drivers.

This means you can add interactive functionality to any flat screen or flat surface. With no need for any significant investment or new kit, you can quickly increase engagement and create new solutions to connect with your customers.

Potential use cases include retail displays and museum displays, as well as reimagining the workplace and classroom experience.

Turn an LED or LCD TV Screen into a touchscreen

Another option for either LED or LCD TV screens to become touchscreens is to use a glass interactive touch screen overlay. This toughened glass can be retrofitted to the TV screen – either permanently or semi-permanently – to create a multi-touch interactive display and is ideal for soft surface monitors that require an extra layer of protection.

These are ideal to use in TV studios (think Sky Sports) or as part of interactive displays in retail, museums and galleries, and airports as well as train and bus stations.

Increase the engagement through the glass

In more recent times post COVID, it’s essential to offer the touchscreen experience, but without the need to even touch the screen. Whilst that might sound slightly counterintuitive, it will likely be extremely valuable for retail for example in the current climate.

Interactive touch foils utilise PCAP technology and work with standard LCD / LED displays transforming any glass or acrylic surface into a touch screen. This effectively means that users standing on one side of a window can interact with a screen behind the glass in just the same way they would with a touchscreen. The touch foil is optically clear and manufactured with an electrostatic adhesive layer which is laminated to the surface and is suitable for permanent or temporary installations.

Possible use cases include retail window displays, car showrooms, new product launches, restaurants, bars and clubs.

Stay on Top of Touchscreen Innovation Going Forward

Touchscreen technology is evolving rapidly. A mere 20 years ago, touchscreen-enabled mobile phones were a distant dream—nowadays, however, they’re commonplace around the world. With the possibilities for touchscreen technology in leisure, retail, education and workplaces it’s something that’s becoming essential in many areas of our lives.

And with more and more technology hitting the market, the future looks very bright for touchscreen technology. To find out more about the touchscreen technology available from Zhongchen Electronics, or if you want to stay on top of all future developments, get in touch with us today.

The post How Do You Turn Any Screen Into a Touchscreen? appeared first on Zhongchen Electronics.

However, most people are unaware that there are different types of touch screen technology, varying significantly in their design, construction, and purpose. This article will explore the principal types of touch screen technology, their potential market applications, and their respective pros and cons.

Projected Capacitive Touch Sensors (PCAP)

PCAP technology is a newer variation of the commonly used capacitive touch sensors. Combining the same grid-patterned electrode style of traditional capacitive sensors results in a high-resolution, fast, and intuitively responsive touch screen that can be used with even laminated glass. Zhongchen Electronics offers a range of PCAP touch technologies including our Interactive Touch Foil, which transforms any glass or acrylic surface into a touch screen (and can even be used with gloves), great for use in store window displays these foils are a great example of how projected capacitive touch screen technology can be used. PCAP solutions are available in single, dual and multi touch options up to 40 touch points.

Some of our most popular PCAP technologies include our Interactive Touch Table, ideal for meeting rooms and collaborative workspaces and our Interactive Projection Foils, which incorporate our range of high gain / high contrast rear projection films.

IR Infrared Technology

Infrared touch screens operate in a completely different manner than any variation of capacitive touch screens. An array of LED and infrared photosensors are located in a grid axis around the bezels of an infrared screen, detecting even the slightest disruption in the light beams they produce to register a point of contact. Given that these beams are projected in such a dense grid pattern, infrared screens offer users a rapid response time and excellent tracking capabilities.

We can provide a range of infrared display technologies including our intouch Interactive Touch Screen Overlay kits, that transform any screen or surface into an interactive display. These overlay kits, which are compatible with LCD, LED or Projection displays, allow you to create brand new touch display installations or retrofit touch to an existing screen, table, or video wall with little to no disruption. Our Infrared solutions are suited to a wide range of applications, available in single, dual and multi touch functionalities up to 32 touch points.

Some of our most popular Infrared technologies include our Digital Glass Touch screens, supporting UST projection and available in sizes up to 8000mm x 3000mm and our Interactive Transparent Screens, ideal for museum and immersive experience displays.

Microsoft Azure Kinect

As an established visual displays manufacturer, we like to keep on top of trends in order to understand the full potential of our technologies. One interactive trend we’ve seen recently, is the pairing of our displays with the Microsoft Azure Kinect to create a gesture based interactive display. The Azure Kinect contains a depth sensor, spatial microphone array with video camera as well as an orientation sensor, using body tracking to register movement and therefore interact with the content on screen. This opens up a world of opportunity for interactive content as the screen can be operated using movements from all over the body, rather than just being limited to your hands.

This Kinect sensor can be used alongside many of our display technologies including rear projection displays and newer, more lucrative displays like our Transparent OLED Screens providing users with the closest existing experience to that of the hit movie ‘Minority Report’!

The Lowdown

Now that you know a bit more about PCAP, infrared and gesture touch technologies, you might be wondering which one is best suited to your application and why. Let’s look into the pros and cons of each technology, as well as outlining which are best for different use-cases.

PCAP

PCAP screens share many of the same advantages and disadvantages of capacitive touch screens, with a few key additional benefits and drawbacks. PCAP screens possess greater scratch resistance than infrared touch screens, usually featuring a glass or acrylic overlay to protect the display underneath. 

PCAP screens allow for multi-touch use, allowing users to manipulate their screen applications using up to 40 touch points instead of the single touch point offered by standard capacitive touch screens, while better maintaining functionality in the presence of dirt, dust, grease and water.

If you do use a PCAP screen, however, you’ll be unable to operate the screen with solid objects like a plastic card or pen—only tapping with thin cotton/latex gloves or an exposed finger will create the desired response from the device. The screens are also highly sensitive to electro-magnetic interference and radio frequency interference. Therefore, if you use a PCAP screen around these waves then this will likely affect the usability and performance of the screen.

Infrared

Infrared, the most standout technology when compared to PCAP and capacitive touch screens, comes with its own unique advantages. IR touch relies on the sensors located around the inside of the screen’s bezels to register a touch and effectively have an unlimited “touch life” since wear and tear from physically using the device will not degrade the screen’s responsiveness. However, due to touch frames sitting on top of the display itself, the screen surface is still susceptible to wear and tear. This can be solved by one of two ways, one option is to set the touch frame away from the screen itself, to allow the sensors to register the touch before the user makes contact with the screen. Alternatively, our touch frames can be manufactured with a glass or acrylic overlay to protect the display, ideal for softer screens like LCD’s and monitors. 

That’s not to say there are no cons to infrared screens. Since the screen’s response is triggered by registering an optical event, accidental triggering can occur easily by movement close to the screen. These screens are also sensitive to dirt and grime accumulation, which could impede the light beams and cause malfunction, and they’re more sensitive to water, snow and rain than the aforementioned screen types. 

Microsoft Azure Kinect

In theory the Kinect gesture technology is the ideal interactive solution for a post-COVID world, allowing users to interact with content without making a physical connection to your display. This technology has great potential for use in immersive environments and exhibitions to recreate the kind of futuristic technologies seen on the silver screen. The nature of this technology also means that it can be controlled with more than just your hands, with the ability to track 32  joints including the eyes.

Whilst the body tracking foundations of this technology could potentially change the way we use touch screens entirely, it still has its drawbacks. Whilst technologies like Infrared and PCAP offer solutions with up to 40 touch points, the Azure Kinect is limited to the amount of bodies it can track based on the field of view, making it unsuitable for use in high traffic areas. 

The post How to Choose the Right Type of Touch Screen Technology appeared first on Zhongchen Electronics.

In this article, we’re going to explore how rear projection works, the benefits that it brings, and what to consider before purchasing a rear projector.

How it works

The principles are pretty basic—you simply place your projector behind the screen, shooting towards the audience, set it to rear projection mode, and you’re all done. Rear projection used to be all the rage in the film industry: cast your mind back to car chases in old James Bond movies.

But why was it so popular? Well, the theory is that by putting the projector behind the screen and in its own room (where you have complete control over the surrounding lighting), you can achieve the best image possible—and avoid the effects of any ambient lighting that may be hitting the front of the screen. Plus, if you were to use front projection, any actors and props in the scene would cast shadows on the screen—thereby ruining the effect of the projection.

What are the advantages of rear projection? 

Front projection is now undoubtedly the more popular option, but that’s not to say that rear projection doesn’t have its advantages. In fact, when it comes to commercial use, rear projection may actually be the wiser option.

As mentioned previously, movie sets are a huge champion of using rear projection to bring their stories to life, with our rear projection screens featuring in many of Hollywood’s notable films including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and most recently, Wonder Woman 1984. It’s not just Hollywood that use rear projectors to their advantage, stage set designers and event organisers opt for this solution due to the freedom it can offer, due to being unaffected by obstructions.

Another benefit of using rear projection is the flexibility it offers with lighting, usually in a front projection setup the lighting around the screen needs to be heavily controlled, whereas with a rear solution you can still operate in more ambient lighting environments without the image quality being compromised.

In many cases when using rear projection, its usually easier to hide or conceal the projector itself when compared to using front projection. This is an especially useful feature across a wide range of sectors with artists opting to use our rear projection films as a less invasive alternative, allowing them to create uninterrupted environments which are all together more intimate and immersive for visitors.

What to consider before investing in a rear projector screen setup

Rear projection and front projection both have certain benefits and pitfalls. When considering whether to invest in a rear projector, consider the following:

• Whereabouts would you ideally place the screen? Using a standard projector, you will usually need around one and a half to two times the width of the screen in space between the projector and the screen itself. With the addition of a short throw lens that distance drops to being roughly the same as the size of the screen, requiring a distance any smaller than this would need an Ultra Short Throw Projector.

• Will the room be full of ambient light while projecting? If so, consider using a rear projector—rear projection has a higher gain and is usually less effected by ambient light than front projection, for areas affected by high ambient light we offer our Sunscreen Film specifically designed to work in direct sunlight. If rear projection isn’t possible and the image is still being affected by daylight, check out our Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) Front Projection Screen, producing high contrast, rich colours and perfect black levels in all lighting conditions.

The different types of rear projector displays

We offer a wide variety of rear projectors for a range of different use cases. Let’s take a quick look at three of our most popular rear projectors and explore the specific advantages of each. 

Switchable Rear Projection Film

Our Switchable Rear Projection Film combines the freedom of rear projection with the ability to switch your screen from frosted to clear instantly. We’ve seen the likes of luxury retail branches like Harrods and Anil Arjandas embracing our smart film, one to create an eye-catching product launch in their infamous windows, the other allowing for advertising outside of store hours. Our Smart Film provides the best of both worlds, no longer forcing you to choose between having a window display or maintaining transparency.

Optical Large Format Projection Screens

With screens up to 8000 x 3000mm, this is the perfect option if you’re looking to fill up a large space (e.g. for museums, banks, shopping centres, or exhibitions). The screen itself is made by coating a special optical diffusion layer down onto either laminate glass or acrylic. The peak gain ranges from 0.65 to 2.5, and it boasts viewing angles from 120 – 160°.

Rear Projection Holographic Screen

If you’re looking for a ‘Pepper’s Ghost’-style visual effect, our Clearview Holographic Effect Screen is the ideal choice. Their contemporary design has been showcased on some of the world’s biggest stages including the 83rd Academy Awards and the MTV EMA’s. Manufactured as either a self-adhesive film, acrylic screen, or glass option, Clearview’s superior performance and definition makes it an amazing low-cost alternative to competing holographic projection technology.. The screen offers a 140° viewing angle, 82% transmittance, and 16:9, 16:10, and 4:3 aspect ratios.

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According to McKinsey & Company, to stand out in the current climate, brick-and-mortar stores have to prioritise their customer experience. That’s where interactive kiosks come in. Throughout this piece, we’ll explore what interactive kiosks are, the different types of interactive kiosks that are available, and how they can transform your customer experience for good.

What are interactive kiosks?

Interactive kiosks allow your customers to access information (such as wayfinding or browsing through your catalogue) and make purchases/orders, all without having to speak to a member of your staff. They leverage the power of self-service functionality, something that’s becoming increasingly popular—especially with the youngest generations—to help your store serve more customers, more thoroughly, and more cost-effectively than ever before.

Here at Zhongchen Electronics, all our interactive kiosks are designed for 24/7 applications, including an HD 1080p display, protective glass fascia, and integral speakers.

What are the different types of interactive kiosks?

Needless to say, there’s more than just one type of interactive kiosk. Let’s check out a few of the more prominent examples, digging into their pros, cons, and where they’re generally best used.

The Freestanding Interactive Kiosk

The Freestanding Interactive Kiosk, our most popular kiosk to date, is the most versatile in our range. It’s available in 43” and 49” as standard, includes a commercial HD LCD screen, and gives you the option to custom brand it with coloured fascia’s, logos, and unique designs.  Our interactive freestanding totem’s also boast integrated Windows or Android functionality and HDMI/VGA ports, making it incredibly easy to play your content direct from laptops, TVs, and more.  For larger scale projects and sites, our kiosks also support remote content uploading, where content can be refreshed and updated on a large scale from a single source, ideal for shopping centres or retail stores with multiple locations.

Landscape Interactive Kiosk

Ideal for wayfinding and visitor attractions, the Landscape Interactive Kiosk boasts a 43” or 55” display as well as 10-point touch technology—meaning they can easily be used by multiple people all at once. 

Due to its generously sized screen and multi touch functionality, this interactive kiosk is best suited to use in shopping centres, museums, or car showrooms.

Custom Designed Touch Kiosks

At Zhongchen Electronics, we’re no stranger to creating unique products for projects across the globe, and kiosks are no exception to this. Our specialist industry knowledge allows us to create bespoke kiosk solutions designed to fit a specific brief and design specification. One of our favourite examples of this is when we integrated our Interactive Transparent LCD Display Case into a custom-made metal framework for a retail store roll out. This saw our Transparent Displays used in a completely new concept, incorporating all the best features of an Interactive Transparent LCD Case into a freestanding kiosk and product display vessel.

How do interactive kiosks improve your customer experience?

As great as they are, you want to introduce interactive kiosks for one main purpose: to improve your customer experience. There are several ways in which interactive kiosks can do this, providing your customers with a memorable experience that they’re not likely to forget in a hurry.

Enhance self-service functionality

Digital kiosks bring the benefits of one-to-one customer service without customers even needing to speak to a member of staff. Given the current economic turbulence, you may have unfortunately had to downsize your staff—yet you want this to have minimal disruption on your customer experience. 

That’s where digital kiosks come in. By implementing one of our intouch LCD kiosks, you can vibrantly display your in-store offerings to customers without them having to browse through your entire store or speak to a member of staff. You can also set them up to provide multi-language functionality and even make them fully accessible to those with disabilities.

A memorable experience

Interactive kiosks will help you stand out from the crowd, providing customers with a futuristic way to serve themselves, find out where they’re going, or dive into your offerings in more detail. You can also fully customise them, either with your branding or with a unique artistic display that’ll be sure to catch the attention of passers-by. 

It’s also worth mentioning that they’re a useful way to enforce social distancing within stores. Customers can address their concerns without needing to speak to a member of your team, though remember to place kiosks over two metres away from one another. 

Do away with long queues, people loitering unsure where to go, and a tired retail experience, by installing interactive kiosks, you can revamp your entire in-store customer experience and tailor it to excel in a post COVID world.

How much do interactive kiosks cost?

Thinking of implementing an interactive kiosk in your store? Great! However, before you get carried away, it’s worth getting to grips with how much an interactive kiosk (or kiosks) will set you back.

Generally speaking, interactive kiosks usually cost anywhere from £2,500 upwards. That being said, the exact price itself depends on a few factors (including the display size and the interface itself). If you’re looking for a solution to suit a smaller budget, we offer a huge selection of alternative interactive technologies that can be used to create a kiosk style information point. Some of our favourite alternatives include our interactive projection foils that can be retrofit to any existing glass surface or our interactive mirror displays, perfect for retail applications. 

If you want a personalised quote that considers your business’s specific needs, please visit our Price Catalogue Request Form.

Make your store an experience to remember

If you’re going to not only survive 2021 but thrive, then you need to stand out from the crowd—all while operating more cost-effectively than ever before and potentially even working with a limited number of staff.

Interactive Kiosks help you provide an unforgettable customer experience. Not only do they look slick, but they also make it easy for customers to shop or browse however they want, at their own pace. 

If you want to find out more about how our Interactive Kiosks transform retail spaces, museums, galleries, and more, then get in touch with one of our experts today.

The post How an Interactive Kiosk Can Enhance Your Customer Experience appeared first on Zhongchen Electronics.

Used well, holographic projection technology can provide a stunning visual experience—whether it’s simple ‘Pepper’s Ghost’ style effects, the late Bob Hope re-appearing at the 83rd Oscar’s, or Halsey performing ‘Without Me’ underwater at the 2018 MTV EMAs.

Let’s explore what holographic projection is, how holographic screens work, and where they can be put to use for the greatest possible effects. 

How Holographic Screens Work

Creating a hologram effect on a large scale can not only be an incredibly costly undertaking, it can also require a huge amount of space to work effectively. Alternatively, pairing a holographic screen with a standard projector is a great way to create a holographic effect without the hefty price tag. 

There are two main types of holographic projection screen: front and rear. Let’s explore how both of these work in more detail. 

Rear Projection Holographic Screen

Our Clearview Rear Projection Holographic Screen is manufactured as a self-adhesive film or acrylic screen and produces a sharp ‘peppers ghost’ visual image. This holographic effect screen creates a 2D image or a ‘false hologram’ visual effect and is frequently used in museums, live events, and product launches. Whilst it doesn’t provide a 3D image, this option takes up minimal floor space and allows for the projector to be placed behind the screen, meaning that it will be out of sight at all times. 

With such a minimal space necessary to use these projection screens and the benefit of their transparent composition, you can produce an image that appears to be floating in mid-air, creating a more realistic hologram effect than a standard projection screen.

Our Rear Projection Holographic Screens are also favoured by the silver screen as a more realistic alternative to CGI technology. We’ve seen our Clearview Film used to create a realistic spaceship set in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (Marvel Studios, 2017) and hologram imagery in Transcendence (Warner Bros, 2013), both creating a more believable effect than its computer-generated counterpart.

Front Projection Holographic Screen

Our Clearvision Holographic Screen, a new UST Front Projection Holographic Effect Screen, is also manufactured as a self-adhesive film or glass screen, ideal for creating visual effects and creating a peppers ghost style effect on both sides of the screen. Like our Clearview Screen these front projection screens produce a 2D holographic effect image, however, our Clearvision screens also produce a dual image, displaying content on both sides of the screen.

This screen delivers a classic ‘Pepper’s Ghost’ effect, also commonly known as ‘faux-lography’, where a ‘false hologram’ is displayed onto a semi-transparent projection screen for maximal effect. One of the main benefits of using a UST Front Projection Holographic Effect Screen is that you can position the projector very close to the screen (depending on the screen size) allowing for more freedom of movement around your display.

This semi transparent screen is ideal for creating a holographic effect image in applications that cannot accommodate rear projection or don’t have the budget for larger scale holographic projection systems.

The Benefits of Holographic Projection Screens

There are multiple benefits to holographic effect projection screens. First, it gives you the ability to create an image as close to 3D projections as possible without the price tag whilst still making for a truly unforgettable visual experience. Our holographic effect projection screens give new purpose to standard projectors, which could previously never compete with the lucrative 3D hologram technology on the specialist market.

In addition to this, holographic projectors are usually only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to creating a convincing holographic image. The full set up needed to pull off the likes of a life size hologram often requires the use of multiple projectors and glass screens, and in some cases needs the likes of bulky, unappealing housing in order to work. Our holographic screen solutions champion the simplicity of their setup and usage, working simply with the use of a standard projector to create a superior visual effect. 

Whilst our holographic screens might not create a 3D image, the immersive 4K ‘peppers ghost’ effect they do produce is enough to eradicate novelty of wearing 3D glasses forever!

Holographic Projection in Action

Okay, this all sounds great—but what does holographic projection actually look like in action?

You may remember Halsey’s performance at the 2018 MTV EMAs, which used Zhongchen Electronics’s Clearview Holographic Effect Rear Projection Technology to make it appear as though Halsey was performing in an underwater box. Clearview technology allowed the box to go from clear to producing an underwater effect in an instant, with real water falling as rain to add to the effect. This enabled Halsey to splash around within the box as she performed.

And then there was the 83rd Annual Academy Awards (Oscars) in 2011, where Zhongchen Electronics’s Clearview technology brought Bob Hope back to life so that he could ‘re’-deliver his speech from the first televised Oscars back in 1953. Not only did we ‘resurrect’ a Hollywood legend, we also provided 38 additional Clearview screens which forged the foundations of the stage design for the show itself. The incredible stage performance earned a well deserved Emmy nomination for producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer, and even earned us a win for ‘Live Event of the Year’ at the AV Awards that year!

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A new report from McKinsey & Company makes it clear that to stay relevant and thrive post-pandemic, retailers must take in-store customer experiences to a new level by embracing technology. Not only must retailers aspire to make the transition from their online presence to in-store experience seamless, but they must also highlight the benefits of shopping in-store and persuade people to overcome the online-first behaviours they have adopted during the lockdown.

How to transform your customers’ in-store experience

One such avenue, which had already been making significant inroads before the pandemic hit (and is likely to be the gold-standard moving forward), is Touch Screen technology.

Digital Kiosks let your customers interact with your products and services before they’ve even been noticed by a member of staff, without compromising the benefits of one-on-one interaction. Our intouch LCD Interactive Kiosks offer a vibrant and dynamic way to display in-store offerings  whilst sticking to your brand’s signature style with the option of bespoke logo and colour customisations. Offering a free-standing sleek design and 42”or 55” HD 1080p touchscreen, these kiosks are ideal for applications in busy retail environments due to their sturdy protective fascia. They’re also a powerful tool in the present challenge of enforcing social distancing within stores, as a kiosk can address most (if not all) customer concerns with reduced interaction.

Smart retailers also know that accessibility is key to ensuring a seamless customer experience in physical brick-and-mortar stores. Digital technology, like our intouch LCD Touch Kiosks , can instantly open your store up to diverse audiences with multilingual functionalities as well as making them more accessible to your disabled customers.

Retail trends of the future

While adopting Interactive Kiosks and Touch Screens into your store is a way to catch up to current best practices in retail, here at Zhongchen Electronics, we’re also looking to the future. The stores of the future will go beyond just engagement and sales—they will offer immersive, even futuristic experiences that not only compel customers to visit, but also to spread the word not just by mouth, but by sharing their experiences on social media and attracting new visitors from further afield.

Consider Interactive Mirrors, for example, designed to seamlessly integrate online and in-store shopping experiences. Our Interactive Mirrors come complete with an HD or a 4K commercial-grade screen, with Mirrorvision optical glass and all the functionality and features of our intouch technology. Our mirrors come with a range of finishing options, offering high reflectivity and image quality with lasting durability.

Our Interactive Mirrors upsell to your customers at the perfect time, allowing you to advertise similar items or ‘frequently bought with’ stock when it matters. This opens up a whole new world of advertising previously not possible in store unless using a premium personal shopper service by creating a personalised shopping experience without the hassle or the price tag.

At Nike Town, our Interactive Mirrors allow shoppers to get to know the product before they purchase therefore finding their perfect fit. They can also find out more information about each product, like which bras are best for which workouts, and read reviews from previous purchasers as well as viewing class times and upcoming events in their local community.

Nike are no stranger to embracing technology within retail store design, their President of Consumer and Marketplace, Heidi O’Neill, said this about their newest ‘House of Innovation’ “When consumers step into Nike Paris, they will experience our largest, most digitally connected and immersive retail concept in the world. The strength of our digital portfolio combined with product innovation and amazing physical spaces, will connect members to the community of sport and to one-of-a-kind experiences, serving them in an incredibly personal way. We are so excited to bring Nike Paris to the city and to the world.”

To meet such high standards we worked with Nike to provide them with nine Transparent LCD Display Screens, used as way finders around their huge store on the prestigious Champs de Elysess, Paris. This store not only shows us a glimpse into the future of physical shopping outlets, but how unique technologies like Transparent LCD Screens can be used for more than just POS displays, to create a truly memorable experience that makes shopping instore worthwhile.

Moving Forward

As we emerge from a tough lockdown, it’s no longer enough for retail businesses to have survived the storm. A more proactive, tech-powered approach must begin to redefine the entire brick-and-mortar experience. For more information on how our range of innovative products can help you create a seamless in-store customer experience, get in touch with us today.

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Zhongchen Electronics offers an innovative technology that can turn any surface into a loudspeaker – adding the final touch to any window or POS display. Our ‘Soundpod’, more commonly known as a Surface Speaker or Surface Vibration Speaker, is a small and discreet audio transducer ideal for applications in need of a practically invisible sound source.

Our Soundpod Speakers utilise surface sound technology to turn almost any solid, resonant surface into a working loudspeaker. Through rigorous research and development our Vibration Speakers have been tested and tried and found to be of optimum sound performance on glass, acrylic, wood, and plasterboard. Better yet, our Soundpod Speakers are small and unobtrusive, fixing to the chosen surface either by adhesive tape or screws.

How do Soundpod Surface Speakers work?

Soundpod Window Speakers work through an energising principle, sending waves of frequency across both sides of the active surface area, creating the perfect, subtly styled, vibration speaker solution. Each Soundpod has a coil at its centre which moves up and down, pushing against the chosen surface to produce non-directional, diffused sound that evenly fills the area around it.

Each of our Soundpod Surface Sound Speaker Kits come prepped for all applications including adhesive pads for glass and plexiglass installations and an acrylic mounting disk for fixing our Soundpods to wood, MDF or plasterboard walls. To ensure you get the most out of your Vibration Speakers, we also include speaker cables and connectors with a comprehensive wiring guide to assist with the installation and a Soundpod sticker to use alongside the kit to alert the user of your applications audio capabilities.

Where can you use a Soundpod Vibration Speaker?

The most popular application of our Soundpods is as part of an external window display in a retail store. We see them used most frequently alongside Rear Projection Screens, LCD Screens and our Interactive Touch Foil and Projection Foils, to create an engaging and immersive experience for the user before they have even entered the store.

The beauty of these kind of applications is that it allows consumers to continue to interact with you and build a relationship with your brand outside of store hours. By creating this kind of display in your store, you open yourself up to opportunity for future business in hours that previously would have been wasted. One of the great things about these kinds of displays is that all of the technology remains in the safety of your store but is still functional to passers-by, leaving you at ease with the security of your equipment outside of opening hours.

As mentioned previously, our Soundpod Surface Speakers can also be used on wood and plasterboard, ideal for enhancing fabricated displays or structures in store as well as externally. Display cases or screens on the shop floor can use our Soundpods to boost their in-store reach by adding another channel to engage potential customers.

Using new and exciting technologies in your store, like our Soundpods, is a great way to get consumers excited about retail again. By turning a shopping trip into a real experience, you are guaranteed to gain more repeat visitors, shop floor engagement and buzz around your store through word of mouth.

At Zhongchen Electronics, our goal is that our technology can help take brick and mortar retail into the future, changing the way we see high street shopping and encouraging consumers to get off the web and into your store. We have worked with some of the biggest names in retail including Adidas, Harrods and Nike creating the stores of the future, if they’re thinking about it why aren’t you?

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The customer experience has done a full 360 since the introduction of safety measures across the retail sector and with so much to think about, it’s hard to see how you can still build rapport and provide a personalised experience for customers amidst all of this – this is where technology comes in. Despite the whole world seemingly grinding to a halt, research and development into new and innovative displays has not, with the demand for these ‘non-human contact’ technologies rising every day. Self-service kiosks at the till and interactive mirrors in changing rooms are all well and good, but first you have to get the customer through the door, and we can help you to do exactly that.

Window displays have always been one of the most important tactics for bringing traffic into stores, often being the bigger the better, with the retail climate changed for the foreseeable future, our display tactics need to change with it – this is where our touch technology comes in.

We can provide Interactive solutions designed to be retrofit into existing window displays, guaranteed to turn heads, and create a buzz around your store. Here we show you our best retrofit interactive window display solutions and help you to pick which is best for you.

Interactive Touch Foil

Our most popular solution for creating an interactive window display is our Interactive Touch Foil. Our Touch Foils are designed for use with LCD and LED screens and can be made in any size from 27” – 86”.

What is an Interactive Touch Foil?

An interactive touch foil uses PCAP (Projected Capacitive) technology to sense touch through laminated or toughened glass to interact with content on the screen behind it. This through glass technology can be retrofit onto an existing glass or acrylic surface, making them the ideal choice for interactive window displays. Our touch foils have been developed and perfected to be optically clear, offering no disruption to the image quality of the screen.

How can I use an Interactive Touch Foil?

Our Touch Foils are available in single, dual and multi touch options up to 40 touch points. Our single/dual touch foils are perfect for POS and window displays with our multi-touch foils more often being used for gaming and digital signage applications. Some previous uses of our interactive touch foils include fashion store windows to interact with the newest look books, estate agent window displays to view listings without entering the store and restaurants to view menus, with all of these doubling up as an advertising space when not in use.

Interactive Projection Film

Another solution for enhancing any window display is our Interactive Projection Film. Our Interactive Projection Film comes in a range of options for different environments from 32” – 86”.

What is Interactive Projection Film?

Our Interactive Projection Film is an innovative combination of our standard Touch Foil with a selection of our best-selling projection films, creating an interactive rear projection canvas using through glass touch capabilities. Like our standard touch foil, our Interactive Projection Film can be retrofit to an existing glass (toughened or laminate) or acrylic surface.

How can I use Interactive Projection Film?

Like our Touch Foils, we can offer single, dual and multi-touch options to work with the best of our rear projection films range, creating the perfect bespoke solution for your application. For store fronts that experience direct sunlight, our SunScreen provides a sun readable interactive solution. If you want the option to keep your window transparent, our Clearview film works perfectly, giving you the option of full transparency when necessary and can even be used to create a holo effect. For general applications, our High Gain and Pro Diffusion film options are the perfect choice.

Our Interactive Projection Film has been used previously in a short throw application in retail store Republic, to allow customers to complete their shop on screen without having to move around the store themselves. Samsung have also used our interactive film to promote their latest phones and offers to encourage consumers into the store

Both of these exciting solutions are simple and easy to install, we provide a full installation kit with your order and a detailed guide to help get you started. With the pandemic on everybody’s mind we know safety is key, our technology is installed to the inside of the glass or acrylic surface, meaning the exterior can be easily wiped down and cleaned to stay safe. Our interactive film and touch foils can not only be easily infected, but also work with gloved hands which are now extremely popular with shoppers.

In addition to the technologies mentioned above we offer a range of other interactive solutions perfect for enhancing any retail environment including our High Brightness Indoor & Outdoor Screens, our Mirrorvision range, interactive kiosks and our Soundpod window speakers.

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Ever wondered how to turn your smart TV into a mirror? Our Mirror TV overlays come as an easy to install kit that can transform a standard smart TV into a decorative mirror. Each standard kit contains your bespoke Mirror TV Overlay, integration adhesive and IPA Wipes.

Before purchasing, we consult with you on the best mirror finish for your application, with the option of Standard Tint, High Reflective Tint and Ultra High Reflective Tint. Each mirror tint has its own benefits and with 15 years of experience in manufacturing and distributing displays from our Mirrorvision range, you can rest assured we will create the perfect solution for you. Typically, our standard tint offers optimum image quality whereas the High Reflective and Ultra High Reflective tints offer an enhanced mirror effect.

After choosing the tint, we then cut the mirror glass for your requirements, this could be to the exact dimensions of your existing screen or oversized and custom shaped to create an eye-catching focal point in your home. Our standard overlay sizes start at 32” going all the way up to 86” with custom sizes available on request.

As well as the standard sleek, minimalist frameless solution for your Mirror TV we also offer a huge range of decorative frames to match your interior from intricate 21mm options to 70mm ornate designs. The versatility of our Mirror TV Overlays means we can seamlessly incorporate this technology into your home, ensuring it fits perfectly within your interior and performs at its best in that environment.

Over the years, we have curated a step by step guide on how to install our Mirror TV Overlays to ensure the best quality with our dedicated sales team to help through every step of the installation. If DIY isn’t your thing, we also offer a full Mirror TV solution integrating our optical mirror glass screen with a Smart TV. With standard sizes starting at 32” 1080p, we use only high quality Smart TV brands with 4K options in larger sizes.

Whilst many people love the effect of the TV just looking like a normal mirror whilst it is turned off, some wish to make even more of an impact with this unique technology. Past customers have opted for huge pieces of mirror glass to overlay onto their screen to create dazzling feature walls, whist others have cleverly used a Mirror TV instead of a standard bathroom mirror to make the most of their space without compromising on the design.

The possibilities with this technology are endless, with the majority of Mirror TV products we send out being unique to the individual customer. We can integrate smart TV’s into a wide range of mirror style including freestanding full length mirrors and furnishing units.

Our expert logistics team make it possible to ship our Mirrorvision range worldwide, with us shipping to over 150 countries in total. Every order we send out is quality checked before being packed into made to measure wood crates, built in house to suit each individual order.

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Energy Consumption

One of the biggest drawbacks with LCD Video Walls is their undeniable energy demands. Video Walls contain multiple screens, each one requiring independent power. A projection display system, however, is a passive solution that simply requires power to a single projector that draws an energy consumption not much higher than an average LCD screen. Using a projection system could result in a lot more than 10 times the saving in energy costs, depending on the application.

This rather remarkable comparison is made even more impressive when considering the various projector and screen options that vastly increase a projection system’s energy credentials. For example, Zhongchen Electronics’s primary alternative to LCD Video Walls is their revolutionary Digital Glass – an extremely robust Ultra Short Throw projection screen made for high-end projection and large format edge blending. Polished edges allow Digital Glass panels to be installed side-by-side, creating enormous seamless screens and serving as a real alternative to LCD Video Walls. Digital Glass is available in standard sizes up to a whopping 185″, with custom sizes up to 8m x 3m – a monumental size that would require a significant number of LCD screens to achieve.

Another screen option that would outperform LCD Video Walls in terms of display and exposure is Zhongchen Electronics’s 360° Dual Image Projection Screen, which can be manufactured up to a huge 132” and displays 2 images – one on each side of the screen, enabling for impressively eye-catching large format displays. These displays can be produced at a fraction of the cost to run when compared to LCD video walls, which would require 2 banks of screens of equivalent size to match the visual impact of a 360° Dual Image Projection Screen display. The range of projection screen and projector technologies that are available can significantly improve energy consumption compared to LCD Video Walls, whilst at the same time, they can also deliver a solution more appropriate for your application than an LCD Video Wall can achieve.

Image Quality

There have been undeniable strides in LCD technology that has seen image quality improve at an incredible rate, with screens now supporting HD and 4K resolutions. However, there have also been huge advancements in projection system technology, as both projector and screen products bring unique innovations to a display system. Many of Zhongchen Electronics’s projection screens are HD and 4K compatible, and as projector technology improves, we have seen a steady increase of HD and 4K projectors hit the market over recent years.

A projection system’s duality also allows for far greater customisation when it comes to your display requirements. Through the combination of these system technologies, we are able to provide customers with projection solutions ranging from holographic effect to switchable glass screens – solutions that would be difficult to recreate using standard LCD screens.

Furthermore, one of the biggest advantages of using a projection system over LCD screens is the lack of bezels that are associated with LCD screens. A projection system displays a single image that is not dissected by unsightly bezels, resulting in a perfect picture without being partitioned by multiple screens.

Maintenance

The more electrical components you have in a display system, the higher the chances of something eventually failing. This presents numerous problems, one of which being the sporadic cost of replacements that may not be subject to the same economies of scale that your initial unit cost benefited from. It is also worth considering that there may come a time when the manufacturer of your chosen screen discontinues production, potentially putting an expiry date on your investment. LCD screens are also well known to face degradation over time, especially in 24/7 commercial applications. This degradation may result in picture inconsistencies throughout the Video Wall or even the total failure of one or more of your screens. This higher chance of component failure presents a nuisance particularly when your screens should be productive. When it serves a business purpose such as advertising a new offer in your store, you obviously want to get the most use from your investment, so with a screen failure being a likely outcome in time, LCD Video Walls are proven as not ideal, especially if the failure occurs in a screen that happens to display important information.

However, a projection system’s electronic makeup is usually confined to a single projector, limiting the risk of failure drastically compared to that of an LCD Video Wall. Also, whilst a projection system may require duality to work, most do not require exclusivity between the screen and projector. This makes upgrading much easier, as customers can often upgrade the screen or projector without having to upgrade the other. The independence of projection system components presents an obvious advantage over LCD Video Walls, which are required to all be similar, if not the same models in order to achieve the best consistency possible. Upgrading an LCD Video Wall is most likely going to require a full system upgrade, which could be considerably costly to that of a single projector or projection screen.

Laser projection technology has also allowed for greater efficiency in display systems, even compared to standard bulb-based projectors. With up to a massive 20,000 hours of maintenance-free operation, laser projectors dwarf a standard projector’s bulb life span of anything from 1,500 to 5,000 hours operation.

Space

Space is possibly one of the main concerns where LCD Video Walls may offer a superior solution to a projection system in certain applications. However, this entirely depends on the application and indeed, there are many situations where a projection system is still a preferable solution. On face value, the very nature of LCD Video Walls means that they do not have a throwing distance. The image source is native to the screen so the space it takes up to produce the image is limited to the screen. However, a projection system works by ‘throwing’ the image onto the screen, often requiring a throw distance to achieve optimum image quality. Whilst this may present complications in terms of space, the versatility of a projection system can negate a lot of these complications.

Despite the space required to ‘throw’ a projected image at a screen, the size of image that can be produced with a small distance is vast. Using Zhongchen Electronics’s Platinum Vision® UST Laser Projector, clients are able to display a 100″ image from only 700mm away, demanding a relatively small distance in order to produce such a large image could be seen by many as a fair compromise on space.

LCD screens are also surprisingly heavy compared to a projection screen, and where they may be required to be mounted using expensive industrial wall mounts, a projector and screen can simply hang from a ceiling without the obtrusive heavy-duty wall mounts required for LCD screens. What’s more is that as projection technology improves, throw distance is continuously challenged. Short Throw and Ultra Short Throw projection screen technology has allowed for even shorter throw distances, and as laser projection also improves, the 2 combine to create unparalleled image quality.

Whilst a projection system takes up a certain amount of space to produce the image, the space a projection screen can adapt to makes it a major asset, especially for environments such as retail. Where an LCD Video Wall is rather large and imposing with limited dimensions and aspect ratios, a projector screen can be cut to exacting requirements, meaning it can take on unconventionally sized areas and shapes that LCD Video Walls would not be able to satisfy.

Functionality

How an LCD Video Wall works limits its functionality to basic display solutions. However, a projection system has the capability to be a lot more versatile. Ultra Short Throw Digital Glass, for example, offers a projection screen up to 8m x 3m with touch capability. Creating an interactive screen this large allows for an enormous range of capabilities that are difficult, if not impossible, to recreate as effectively with an LCD video wall.

Options such as Surface Sound, Sun Readability and Anti-Glare are either more effective or far cheaper through a single projection screen than they would be with multiple LCD screens. The sheer range of projection technology available makes creative options possible using specialist projection technology such as Transparent Projection Screens, CAVE Projection Screens and Simulation Screens, options that again are impossible or more costly to create with LCD Video Walls.

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Interactivity is a MUST

These days, interactivity is certainly a must.

With Zhongchen Electronics’s intouch 65” Interactive Whiteboard, this is covered – plus some. This screen doesn’t just boast ‘interactivity’, it benefits from a keen 6 point multi-touch functionality, offering the ultimate solution for touch screen applications. With this capability, there can be up to 6 people using the touch facility of the screen at any one time, making it ideal for classroom use with things such as educational games, presentations or even specialist software. An added benefit of our Whiteboard is that it comes inclusive with a range of stylus tools with
a strong fabric tip, allowing chief users to benefit from pleasant day to day operation and increased longevity, compared to many others.

An alternative solution

It is also important that your chosen whiteboard offers good enough visibility for the whole class to see it properly. Viewing angles and screen brightness are often serious issues in classrooms, as many still rely on projectors and front projection screens to display content. Front projection screens in classrooms can present consistent problems for teachers, primarily causing shadows, calibration issues and that’s not to mention the general care to be taken over projectors which are subjected to heavy use. With this, also comes other considerations, such as classroom lighting levels, projector settings, projector bulb life, screen brightness and viewing angles. These are things that need assessing in depth before purchasing an interactive front projection screen for a classroom.

Zhongchen Electronics offers an alternative solution which counters many of these problems. Our 65” Interactive Whiteboard has a high brightness backlit LED panel, offering great visibility from every angle, even in brightly lit environments such as classrooms.

No more turning the lights off to display important content!

Supporting the curriculum. Supporting you.

In recent years, many schools have started to utilise the benefits of the internet by engaging online with international ‘pen pals’, fulfilling elements of the curriculum. Our 65” Interactive Whiteboard offers the ultimate solution for this, being equipped with an integrated webcam for simple video conferencing, making entire classroom conferences possible. This may also be beneficial for higher educational facilities such as Universities or Colleges, who may wish to feature video conferencing as part of their seminar structure. An integrated webcam will also enhance the general functionality of your screen, allowing you to offer students more interactive content, games and software, which could see them integrate with the whiteboard in a similar way to how they would integrate with ‘augmented reality’ systems. Augmented reality has recently seen a huge surge in popularity in the form of games such as ‘Pokemon Go’, and is expected to take centre stage in how educational games and entertainment works in future.

Great for sharing

Permanent PC ‘stations’ are frequently utilised by Primary schools or smaller Secondary schools, with many other educational facilities opting to supply staff with laptops. Our interactive whiteboard facilitates both these approaches, offering easy access front connectivity for HDMI and USB. The ‘shared-room’ life of a secondary school teacher or University lecturer is ideally suited to this screen, allowing for fast connectivity to a laptop via an HDMI port. However, for those looking for a more permanent solution, this screen also contains an OPS slot for an optional integrated PC. Many permanent classroom PC stations see the PC tower unit and attached cables trailing around the front of the classroom where the teacher is based. This may not only present Health and Safety issues, even in the most diligent of schools, but it also takes up more space than is needed. The messy cables may even affect clarity of mind- something which is vital to a teacher and a classroom of children. The OPS slot is a space for a small, versatile PC which is easy to install and allows you the flexibility to upgrade it without having to replace your entire screen. Using an OPS PC saves space, but even in a ‘shared-room’ environment, you are still able to utilise the HDMI connection should you wish to display content from another device.

Your pupils need to see the interactive whiteboard

When it comes to daily use of your whiteboard, there are few which can offer the ‘finishing touches’ our 65” Interactive Whiteboard can. This screen, unlike many others on the market, comes integrated with a very special anti-glare, anti-friction coating, ensuring an enjoyable experience when interacting via stylus or finger. This is an important aspect for education, particularly if the board sees heavy use. The anti-glare coating, combined with the high brightness LED backlight ensures maximum viewing angles, meaning that the screen can be seen in high brightness environments and, depending on where positioned, can be seen from most points in the room. This results in pupil placement being less of a concern, specifically, balancing pupil placement so it benefits their individual productivity and so they can see the screen. Recent reports have shown classroom pupil sizes to be on the increase, making this screen a perfect solution to help deal with this, as it allows you to make the most out of areas in the room you may not have been able to before due to viability concerns.

Response times matter

Excellent touch accuracy and response times are highly important, yet rarely prioritised features in a classroom whiteboard. As touch screen technology becomes increasingly used by both children and adults alike, tolerance for poor touch accuracy and speed is decreasing. In many schools, older interactive whiteboards are powered by even older PCs, giving rise to a noxious combination which may see the patience of any teacher or pupil slowly erode over the course of days or months of use. This subject also presents pragmatic problems, where, due to a slow response time or poor calibration, children have intended to click on one thing, but unintentionally clicked on something else entirely. This happens more often than you may suspect, and whilst it is likely to not be a huge issue most of the time, it can cause wider child safeguarding issues when occurring on the internet, for example. It can also waste a huge amount of time cumulatively, as the teacher attempts to return to the page or application which was accidentally navigated away from. These issues can be hugely disruptive in a classroom environment.

Our 65″ Interactive Whiteboard offers one of the most accurate and responsive touch functions on the market. One of the most notable educational installations of this product saw a number of them rolled out to Cambridge Education Group. The feedback given from the teachers using these products stated that our screens are more sensitive and more precise than similar screens from leading brands. Whilst competitor’s screens were ‘sensitive and accurate as new, [they] degraded quickly with no way to re-calibrate them without returning to the manufacturer.’ Since our Interactive Whiteboard does not require any additional software to operate, in the very rare occasion you may need to, you can always calibrate it through Windows, maximising ease of maintenance.

Our screen is even compatible with many of the leading Whiteboard software systems, allowing you to continue using your .notebook or .flipchart files, providing you still have access to the software required to use these files. As well as compatibility, the teacher’s feedback also stated that our screen was more compact than competitor’s screens they had used previously. The feedback given also featured reference to the quality display, a lack of the annoying shadow seen from front projection screens and positive comments about the screen’s ability to serve as a large format TV screen.

Your interactive whiteboard needs to be hassle free

Positioning is probably the single biggest problem with front projection interactive whiteboards that educators can face. Being unsuitable for the rigorous demands of a busy classroom, a simple nudge of the projector or its housing unit can render the whiteboard – and specifically, its interactivity – totally useless. In many cases, a simple re-calibration can only hold off the inevitable need for re-positioning, which many teachers are left no choice but to rely on IT professionals to fix.

An interactive front projection whiteboard system also usually requires invasive renovation work to be done in the classroom to set up the projector as required. For this set up, the projector often requires an expensive secure housing unit, which is suspended from the ceiling, causing both inconvenience and a lengthier set up than is needed. The cables for this projector are then required to be fed throughout the classroom so they come out by the teacher’s desk or at the PC station.

Our 65” Interactive Whiteboard is up to the task; totally self-contained, it is ready for busy classroom applications. Being LED powered and offering a dimming ‘eco button’, energy conservation is high on the agenda with this screen, allowing you to power just one device for your needs, as opposed to having to power both an interactive whiteboard and a projector- another important Health and Safety aspect, especially if mains power points are limited.

Help your school benefit from new technology

The use of an LED powered screen over a front projection screen is widely accepted to be a superior solution for classrooms, and in fact, front projection applications in schools are largely only derived from the use of OHPs (Overhead Projectors) which saw a decline in use around the early 2000s. As demonstrated by our 65” Interactive Whiteboard, the cost of large format touch screens has drastically decreased in recent years, making it more affordable when budget concerns are an issue.

An investment in this technology would provide an overall enormous benefit to your educational institution when compared to many alternatives on the market, and there should be no reason why your school or University can not benefit from this superior solution as much as possible.

Our 65” Interactive Whiteboard is both simple and intuitive, offering teachers the latest and most responsive touch technology to support an active and inspired learning environment.

The post Finding the right Interactive Whiteboard for your school appeared first on Zhongchen Electronics.