Following the post series about the LED Screen from China, I received another very interesting letter from one of you.

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Dear Fabio, I represent a company specialized in electronic components, I live in China and I deal with chinese manufacturers on a daily basis. Even if we are not focused on electronic billboards, after reading your blog I would like to give some advices to anyone who is considering buying anything from China.

1- Do not take too seriously any offer they make, any quotation they send and anything they promise, even if in written form - they often take back their words as soon as they need it.

2- Do not blindly trust any Chinese company (don't put all your eggs in one basket).
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Here's two questions about LED screens I received from one of you.

First Question: "Do you think Outdoor LED billboard can be profitable investment in countries with lower economic power (i.e. Eastern EU)? [...] Some Chinese displays installed here showed as bad investment (weak customer interest)."

Second Question: "When do you think LED display technology will be suitable to substitute citylight static displays (2x1 m). We need to take into consider robustness of display since vandals can reach installations easily, for example?"

These questions are both very interesting and reveal a deeper than average understanding of the technology and the industry.
 
My answer to the first question is: yes, I believe LED video walls can be a profitable investment even in emerging countries. Actually these countries are among the best places for an LED screen.
 
Infact, usually emerging countries have a strong capitalist attitudee that makes advertising a powerful tool. One great example for what I'm saying is the LED screen we installed in the Dominican Republic (a country with very low economic power).
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Recently I'm receiving many feedbacks about your approach to the Chinese LED Screens, in response to this article.

The most interesting and noteworthy is the letter from a start-up company the middle of a feasibility study, with all its related considerations and doubts.

I found the letter so interesting when I first received it, that I decided to publish it after a few lines, long before I read the last paragraph. And I'd like to join Frederic in his final request: Any and all comments to this letter are strongly encouraged!!!

LETTER STARTS HERE:

Did You Buy A Chinese LED Screen?

No, I haven't. I am seriously looking at my options, however.

Chinese manufacturers offer various degrees of quality and price that are surely something any start-ups will consider prior to making a purchasing decision.

Sure, most European or North American manufacturers will usually offer the greater quality, coupled with a true customer service, but is the price difference really worth it?

The other day, I had an impromptu visit from [Big Multinational Name] quoting me a 12.5 sq. meter screen for 145,000 Euros for the screen, 15,000 Euros for the frame and another 30,000 Euros for the servicing and other "Benefits" totaling close to 200,000 Euros "before" all other related expenses (placing the screen on the street, running costs etc); another Bulgarian manufacturer quoted me about 5,000 Euros per square meter...

Chinese manufacturers (CE certified etc) that I have shortlisted after a couple of months investigating would offer the same size for circa $40,000 without installation and/or frame...

As my concluding words with the [Big Multinational Name] guys, I said: "Should your prices be 2 to 3 times more than the Chinese', I would think about it; at close to 5 times and above of the Chinese' (prices), you need to think about it"...
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Are Digital Billboard dangerous for drivers? This is a debate that have been going on for years.

But today I read a press-release about two different recent studies, conducted by Tantala Associates and the Virginia Tech Transport Institute. Both studies analyzed the possible link between digital billboards and vehicle accidents.

And the good news is that according to both studies, LED screens are NOT dangerous!

Here is what Mr Albert M. Tantala, from Tantala Associates says: “The analysis and statistics in Cuyahoga County demonstrate that digital billboards have no statistically significant relationship with the occurrence of accidents”

And here are the conclusion of the Virginia Tech Transport Institute: "The overall conclusion from this study is that the presence of billboards does not cause a measurable change in driver behavior, in terms of visual behavior, speed maintenance, or lane keeping."