Digital signage may seem like a magical technology, but it is only as effective as the content it displays, whether its purpose is to convey information, incite curiosity or inspire an emotional response. At the same time, the design and manufacture of light-emitting diode (LED) display hardware will directly affect the quality of the content’s on-screen appearance. Not every display will showcase content at the same level of precision, after all, just as not all content is created with the same level of care.
数字标牌看起来像是一项神奇的技术，无论其目的是传达信息，煽动好奇心还是激发情感反应,它的效果与展示的内容一样具有一定意义上的价值。发光二极管（LED）显示器硬件的设计和制造将直接影响内容与屏幕外观的质量，毕竟，并非所有内容都以相同的精度来展示，也并非所有内容都是以相同的关注程度创建一样。
There are actually three fundamental steps involved in creating an effective LED display:
实际上，要创建有效的LED显示屏，需要三个基本步骤：
1.Build high-quality hardware.
建立高质量的硬件。
2.Create unique content.
创建独特的内容。
3.Establish when and where the content will be seen.
建立何时何地将看到的内容。
Not all displays are created equal
效果呈现
Audiences viewing content on an LED display that appears blotchy, low-quality or ‘not quite right’ will quickly lose interest. Instead of focusing on the substance of the content, they will pay attention only to its superficial appearance.
对于LED显示屏上显现出的斑点或不太正确的内容，人们会很快对对它失去兴趣，比起内容的实质性作用，人们会首先注重表面外观。
This is a significant problem. Digital signage content is expensive to produce. No one can afford to waste resources on showing beautifully designed content on a lacklustre display.
但是，数字标牌内容的制作昂贵，没有人能够承担浪费资源在漂亮的显示屏上，却没有设计精美的内容。所以说，只有同时优化外观和内容，才能让数字标牌在人群中脱颖而出。
The main reason the visual quality of content can vary from one display to another is the fact the displays are not always built under the same conditions or to the same standards. Some manufacturers pride themselves on producing high-quality LED displays, but others cut corners to reduce costs, in the hope of drawing in customers who only focus on the sticker price.
内容的视觉质量因显示屏不同而变化的主要原因是，显示屏并不总是在相同的条件或相同的标准下构建。一些制造商为生产高质量的LED显示器而自豪，也有厂商为了降低成本而偷工减料，希望吸引那些只关注价格的客户。
To make sure an LED display planned for installation will showcase content exactly as desired, it is worthwhile to investigate certain elements of its manufacturer’s production process. This means starting at the very beginning, when the pixels of a display are first built.
为确保计划安装的LED显示屏能够精确地显示所需内容，有必要审查制造商生产过程的某些元素。
The sum of their parts
局部与总和
Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so too is a display only as strong as its weakest LED.
一根链子每一节的链条都很重要，LED对数字标牌的作用也一样。
While the individual LEDs within an array may seem identical to the naked eye, they are not manufactured identically. Rather, each LED created in a given production run will exhibit tiny variances from the others in its batch, despite the fact they were all made using the same materials.
尽管阵列中，单个LED看起来与肉眼看起来完全相同，但它们的制造却并不完全相同。相反，在给定的生产运行中，创建的每个LED都将显示与其他批次一些微小的差异，尽管它们都是使用了相同的材料制造而成。
For this reason, manufactures sort newly created LEDs through a classification process that groups those that are alike. This sorting process is referred to as ‘binning.’ Generally, the two criteria used for binning are (a) colour wavelength and (b) forward voltage.
出于这个原因，制造商通过对相似的进行分类，创建新的LED类型，这种排序过程被称为“分箱”。通常，用于分箱的两个标准是（a）彩色波长（b）正向电压。
These two metrics determine the specific colour profile and brightness level of an LED. The narrower the parameters for each group, the more similar each LED’s performance will be to that of the other LEDs with which it is binned.
这两个指标将决定LED的颜色配置文件和亮度级别。每个组的参数越小，每个LED的性能就越接近与其分类的其他LED的性能。
Displays built with LEDs from the same bin will exhibit a more cohesive appearance for content, whereas those built with LEDs from diverse bins can appear spotty and interrupted. On a meticulously binned display, for example, the image of a dark black suit will appear uniform, but on a display built with blended pixels from different bins, different shades of black and grey can appear in different parts of the image.
用同一个箱体中LED构建的显示屏将呈现出更加富有凝聚力的外观，使用来自不同箱体中LED构建的显示屏可能会出现斑点或中断的现象。例如，在精心分类的显示屏上，深黑色的图像会显得均匀，但在使用来自不同分箱的混合像素构建的显示屏上，图像的不同部分会出现不同的黑色和灰色阴影。
Due to the outsized impact of LED inconsistency on the appearance of digital signage content, the precision which binning is performed has become one of the primary differentiators of quality in today’s market. The companies that source the best and most consistent components are those that manufacture the highest-quality finished products.
由于LED种类的不一致性能对数字标牌的外观造成巨大的影响，执行分档的精确度已经成为当今市场考核产品质量差异的主要因素之一，另一方面，一致的组件也是制造最高质量成品的关键。
Hiding defects
隐藏缺陷
Lower-end display manufacturers buy LEDs from across their suppliers’ entire production run and blend them together. To help remedy inconsistencies, many of them perform a ‘smoothing’ process, referred to as calibration.
低端显示屏制造商从供应商的整个生产过程中，将购买的LED与它们混合在一起，为了弥补不一致，他们进行了一系列校准过程。
While this process improves the consistency of a display’s appearance, it does so at the expense of brightness, resulting in a proportional decline in greyscale uniformity. It is this uniformity that defines a display’s colour depth, i.e. how well it differentiates between varying shades of the same colour within the same content.
虽然这个过程改善了显示屏外观的一致性，但是亮度会大打折扣，从而导致灰度均匀性成比例下降。正是这种均匀性决定了显示屏的颜色深度，即它在相同内容中，区分相同颜色的不同阴影效果。
In a calibrated display that has lost greyscale uniformity, if the aforementioned image of a dark black suit was showcased next to a grey suit, then the two advertised products could appear to be the same colour as each other. This of course would be a problem for the retailer offering those different shades of clothing.
在已经失去灰度均匀性的校准显示屏中，如果黑色与灰色一同呈现，则两个颜色看起来是彼此相同的颜色，这对于提供不同色调的零售商来说是个很大的问题。
Differences between poorly binned LEDs and the reduced visual performance of calibrated displays will be most noticeable for audiences viewing content from shorter distances. Given many LED arrays are now being installed indoors, where they are seen up close, the process of binning has become all the more crucial.
当人们从较短距离观看内容时，质量较差的LED与校准显示屏的视觉之间的差异将最为明显。鉴于现在许多LED安装在室内，这样人们更容易近距离关注，这样一来，装箱过程变得更加重要。
Standing out
脱颖而出
Once there is a clear understanding of how an LED-based display will perform in the field, it is time to turn to the process for generating the content it will showcase.
当对LED显示屏有更清晰的操作方案后，我们需要把注意力集中在更多的内容部署上。
As mentioned, this content needs to stand out. People are bombarded with thousands of digital messages every day and only the best of the best will stick in their consciousness. So, while the right display in the right location grants a strong opportunity to grab consumers’ attention, the onus falls first onto content creators and network managers to earn that level of attention.
如前所述，内容需要脱颖而出。人们每天都会受到数以千计的数字信息轰击，只有强有力的信息才会在他们的意识中产生持续不断的时间。所以，正确的位置能为消费者的注意力提供强有力的条件，在这个基础之上，内容的创作和网络的管理才能发挥价值最大化。
Whenever possible, graphics should be used instead of text, as they are better at capturing attention and conveying a message quickly. Where text must be included, it should be in large font sizes to optimize its legibility.
使用图形来代替文本，能更好地捕捉注意力与传达信息。在必须包含文本的情况下，应该使用大号字体来优化易读性。
The content development process should answer the following questions:
内容开发过程应考虑以下问题：
1.Who is the audience?
受众群体是哪部分人群？
Messaging should be properly targeted to its audience, bearing in mind demographic data relating to age and gender, as well as whether viewers of the digital signage will be new or repeat customers.
内容的传播应该有针对人群，分析受众年龄和性别有关的人口统计数据。另一方面，数字标牌的受众是不断能产生新的，还是重复的消费者。
2.What is the installation’s purpose?
安装的目的是什么？
Once it has been determined if the project’s purpose is to display branding, share special offers, create atmosphere or meet another goal, then digital signage content can be developed accordingly.
确定项目的目的，如何展现品牌形象，创造氛围，或实现其他目标。
3.How frequently will content be viewed
受众者是否需要频繁观看内容？
The more frequently a screen will be viewed by its audience, the more its content should be varied, so people will remain engaged by it.
屏幕越频繁地被观众看到，内容也应该有多样性变化，人们才会一直参与其中，内容的呈现需要与受众产生交互性。
4.For how long will it be viewed
估算内容映入眼帘的时间。
For a captive audience, such as a lineup at a bank, content should change frequently. For a display that will be viewed only in passing, on the other hand, the emphasis should be placed on eye-catching content.
要控制受众的注意力，内容不仅应该经常改变，还需要设计一些吸引眼球的内容点。
5.Who will create the content?
创建内容需要涉及哪些专业人士？
Digital signage content creation may be handled by in-house teams or outside vendors, such as content licensors, creative agencies or individual designers.
数字标牌内容的创作可能由内部团队或外部供应商一同开发，例如，内容许可人，创意机构或个人设计师。
Choosing colours
颜色的选择
A study by the Institute for Color Research found people make lasting judgments about content, with a disproportionate share of these judgments dictated by the colours used to convey the content’s message. Well-designed digital signage content reflects the implications of colour research, with a strategy crafted to attract attention, spark an emotional response and call the audience to action.
色彩研究协会的一项研究发现，人们对内容做出的判断，是由用于传达内容信息的颜色所决定。精心设计的数字标牌内容反映了对色彩研究的内涵，其策略旨在吸引注意力，引发情绪反应，并呼吁受众采取行为。
To determine this strategy, it is recommended to start by choosing a pair of colours opposite each other on the standard 12-spoke wheel (see Figure 1). This will provide a high degree of contrast, ensuring the content will stand out.
为了达到策略效果，建议首先在标准的12辐轮上选择一对相反的颜色，来提供高度的对比，确保内容脱颖而出。
Next, deploying these two colours in a ratio of roughly 7:3 will help establish one as dominant and the other as a secondary accent. Finding the right balance for the colour scheme is imperative in creating professional, direct and well-focused content for digital signage. This is why it is worthwhile to spend time choosing the right colours in the first place.
接下来，再以大约7：3的比例部署两种对比颜色，建立一个为主导，另一个为辅助角色。在为数字标牌创建专业、直接和重点突出的内容时，寻找色彩方案的适当平衡势在必行，这就是为什么花时间选择颜色的原因。
Structuring the strategy
战略构建
‘Content is king’ in the world of digital signage because it not only promotes a brand, but also sells a story. With shrinking attention spans, a well-structured strategy is key to a successful implementation.
之所以说数字标牌领域中所重视的“内容就是王道”，是因为它不仅是在推销品牌，还是在销售故事，一个结构良好的战略是成功实施的关键。
Today’s digital signage networks can use ‘beacons’ to identify audiences and trigger content specific to their interests. When an individual is treated to a more personalized experience, he/she feels more valued by the organization behind the content and is likely to see it in a more favourable light.
当今的数字标牌网络可以使用“信标”来识别受众，并触发特定的兴趣内容。当人们受到更加个性化的体验时，他们会感觉到内容背后的组织非常有价值，并且可能会以更有利的眼光看待信息的传播。
Another way to use content to speak directly to individuals is interactivity. This option allows audiences to custom their experience on their own. By giving them the means to participate, the content will foster a stronger connection with the brand.
通过内容直接向人们沟通的另一种方式是交互体验，这种体验是将内容促进与品牌更强大的联系，通过给予受众参与的手段，来形成定制的体验。
Optimizing viewing
优化外观
With scrupulously binned LEDs and exceptional digital signage content, the next step is to determine the optimal location. This may be easier than it sounds, given the nature of the technology.
在严格装置好LED和出色的数字标牌内容后，下一步就是确定最佳位置。考虑到该技术的性质，如何发挥最佳视觉感是最重要的。
Digital signage network managers are increasingly choosing to install large-format LED displays because, compared to other technologies, they are brighter and better
at attracting attention. Further, they are uniquely equipped to engage audiences from an array of viewing distances and angles.
数字标牌越来越多地选择大尺寸LED显示屏，因为与其他技术相比，它们更加明亮、更能吸引关注度。此外，它们具有独特的装备，可以适应不同的距离和角度。
Indeed, the content on an LED display can be viewed from almost anywhere. The key is to optimize the display for off-axis viewing, i.e. from the side, away from centre. This is especially important when content is viewed while the audience is in motion, e.g. walking past the display.
事实上，LED显示屏上的内容能多视角显而易见，关键是要优化离轴观看的显示度，即从旁观的视角也能获取有效信息，这对于处于运动时的受众尤其重要。
If a display only has an off-axis range of 90 degrees, i.e. 45 degrees from centre in each direction, then people walking past it will soon notice the content is no longer clearly visible. Other displays can provide an off-axis range of 160 degrees, i.e. 80 degrees from centre in each direction, for four times the total visibility (see Figure 2). The longer people can see the content, the more likely it is to make an impression.
如果显示器仅具有90度的离轴范围，即与每个方向的中心成45度，那么经过它的人将只能扫视到内容，并不能获取有效信息。当显示器可以提供160度的离轴范围，即距离每个方向的中心成80度，那么可见度能强化四倍效果。
Configuring content
内容配置
With a customized system, rather than an off-the-shelf screen, the display can be built with non-standard dimensions to fit a specific space for a specific purpose. Using LEDs as building blocks means a digital display can be any shape or size. The standard screen aspect ratio of 16:9 is appropriate for generic content, but the best fit for a given application may be completely different, from a square screen to one that is far wider than it is high. The content can be configured or ‘mapped’ accordingly.
使用定制系统而不是现成的屏幕，可以使用非标准尺寸来构建显示屏，以适合特定用途的特定空间。使用LED意味着数字显示屏可以以任何形状或尺寸表现。标准屏幕宽高比为16：9的适用于通用内容，但对于给定应用程序来说，最适合的屏幕比例可能完全不同，从方形屏幕到比宽度要大得多的屏幕，内容可以相应地配置。
The resolution of an LED display can be defined by its number of pixels. The threshold for a high-definition (HD) display, for example, is 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, which reflects the aforementioned 16:9 ratio. It is entirely possible, however, for a display to represent different dimensions, in which case the content will need to be adjusted to those parameters.
LED显示屏的分辨率可以由像素数量来决定。例如，高清（HD）显示器的像素值为1,920 x 1,080，这是16：9的比例。但是，显示器完全可以表示不同的尺寸，在这种情况下，内容需要根据这些参数进行调整。
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