Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Editorial Board

2016; Wiley; Volume: 32; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/j.2637-496x.2016.tb00864.x

2637-496X

Stephen P. Atwood, Jay Morreale, Jenny Donelan, Stephen Jezzard, Roland Espinosa, Azonix Corp, U Seetzen, Allan Kmetz, U Larry, Weber Consultant, Martin S. Banks, Karlheinz Blankenbach, Gary Feather, John F. Wager, Frank Yan, Nikhil Balram, Alfred Poor, Steve Sechrist, Paul Semenza, Jason Heikenfeld, Raymond Soneira,

Surface Roughness and Optical Measurements

We have probably all seen them, even if we did not realize what we were looking at -the newest generation of electronic signs and interactive displays that are popping up everywhere in new form factors and innovative designs.This latest generation is enabled by the impressive work from digital-sign display manufacturers.New and really unique capabilities are finally becoming affordable thanks in part to recent commercial developments in LEDs and LCDs, along with the imaginations of marketers and retailers.An example appears on our cover this month from my region of the world.This is in the Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, where the New England Patriots play football.These futuristic looking kiosks, set against a backdrop of direct-view high-resolution LED displays from NanoLumens showing full-motion video, create a very exciting visitor space.These displays are made from high-density R-G-B LED building blocks the company calls "nixels" that can be assembled in a wide variety of shapes and form factors.These displays are part of the overall recent renovation of the venue and typical of what designers are looking to do in public spaces these days.When I think about this marketplace, my first thoughts are not the numbers (although we will see later that they are trending well) but the ways in which digital signage can change how we interact with the world around us.We all respond better to things that are pleasing and entertaining.Whether we are in sports venues, shopping malls, restaurants, or other public areas, our experiences are greatly enhanced by good design and pleasing sights and sounds.Previous generations of electronic displays in these places might have been described as clunky or even in some cases, garish.They usually did not fit well into the environment and frequently presented disappointing image quality.Remember the days of CRT TVs or early generation flat panels hanging from the ceilings in retail stores?Yes, me too, and they were not very attractive.Well, those days are gone, and we are witnessing the next generation just coming to life.As you will see in some of the illustrations and descriptions in this issue, digitalsignage displays are becoming part of the architecture and ambiance of the environment, frequently making a positive and even artistic contribution to the overall visitor experience.New form factors in packaging combined with amazing improvements in resolution, color gamut, and luminance are opening up new ways to design interactive spaces such as the one at Gillette Stadium.These innovations now include advanced content, as these displays stand ready to show high-definition streams at amazingly high luminance levels to stand out in even the brightest indoor and outdoor environments.These new screens are much more advanced than your local sports bar's bigscreen TVs.They can be mega-sized screens in large public areas that look really good even from just a few feet away.They can also be draped attractively around the sides of buildings to form unique visual effects that enhance the entire landscape as easily as they can facilitate a more rewarding shopping experience at a countertop or entry-way location.And, of course, they need to do this 24 hours a day, 7 days per week for years upon years, with high asset up times to achieve the investment and return on investment targets set by the owner-operators.