Difference Between Consumer TVs & Professional TV Displays

Without technical know-how, it is hard to distinguish between a professional TV and a consumer TV at first glance. Occasionally customers try and use consumer TVs as an alternative to Digital Signage displays which doesn’t give the expected results. Despite their similar exterior appearance, consumer televisions aren't ideal for professional applications like displays in malls, hotels, restaurants, etc.

A professional TV display is more powerful than a consumer tv in many ways. Depending on the needs of your business, a professional display may be running for more than 20 hours a day. A standard television cannot keep up with this demand. Some of the differences between a professional TV and a consumer TV are as follows:

Enclosures

For video wall applications, professional displays come in different sizes of the bezel - from standard to ultra-narrow bezel designed. The thinner the bezel, the more expensive the display. Professional displays are designed with clean, symmetrical lines and often don’t include the manufacturer’s logo, which gives a professional look to your content. However, Consumer TV enclosures are designed more aesthetically and generally aren’t appropriate for business settings.

Display Brightness

Consumer Televisions usually fall in the range of 150-250 Nits, which is fine for most viewing at home. When it comes to professional or retail spaces, higher brightness is needed because of the brightly lit conditions. Professional displays offer brightness ranging from 400-2000 Nits for outdoor. Also, the wide viewing angle of the professional displays allows uniform image quality with no color wash at any angle.

Color Accuracy

Accurate color reproduction is important when it comes to displaying content. professional displays usually have pre-calibrated factory settings to guarantee accurate colors. Consumer TVs do not come with professional calibration which may cause colors to look blurry and washed out.

Connectivity & Remote Control

Professional displays come with various options to publish the content source to the screen. Most of our professional displays also come with Software like CMND which performs vital functions like controlling inputs and monitoring display status, whether you're in charge of one screen or 100. Connectivity in consumer TV is aimed at standard consumer devices and their related input signals (HDMI, USB) because they rarely need other options in this segment.

Heat Protection & Panel Lifetime

Professional TVs are designed to deliver a flawless performance even while exposed to the toughest conditions. Heat protection becomes a serious issue when TVs are running up to 24 hours a day. In such cases, if the Displays are not of professional-grade, it may lead to loss of quality or damage to components. Uninterrupted display of still or static images over an extended period may cause “burn-in”, also known as “after-imaging” or “ghost imaging”, on the screen. It is essential to consider the “burn-in” (image retention) factor for digital signage, where static pictures and symbols are common. Anti-burn and cooling features in professional screens ensure there is no need to worry about static content being on your screen for too long and causing permanent burn damage.

Initial Investment & ROI

Often consumer displays are used in a business because people are under the impression that a professional display will cost significantly more. Also, sometimes the customer doesn’t know that professional options exist. It is true that professional models typically cost more than the same size as consumer TVs. There is a wide price range of professional displays, with some coming very close to the price of similarly-sized consumer TVs and offering better features and warranties. The cost of ownership factor must be taken into consideration while purchasing a display. If the display is planned to be in place for a long time, a professional display will outlast a consumer TV.

Warranty

The consumer TVs are not designed to be powered on for more than 8 hours a day. Usually, a consumer TV carries a warranty of 1 year. If you will read the warranty section of consumer Displays carefully, you will find that for some companies, the warranty is void if a consumer TV is used for a professional purpose, while some companies give a mere 90 days warranty. However, a professional Display carries a warranty of almost 3 years for 24x7 usage. Another difference between a consumer and a professional warranty is that a consumer warranty is typically warranted to carry-in-service, whereas a professional warranty likely covers on-site service.

The business world is progressing faster than ever, and to be on top, you need to be equipped with the best. With specialized options for corporates, education sector, f & b industries, public venues, hospitality and retail sectors, professional displays will give you better results and better ROI than using consumer TVs.

Get in touch with us to know more about the different professional display options for your next project.