Dedicated Proprietary Control System. Wow, it actually sounds very professional. But this fancy denomination hides some serious drawbacks that nobody ever tells you, until it's too late.

• The first problem is about transparency: even if the LED Screen has 2 years warranty (or more), the Control System has a 12 months warranty, as written in the sales contract (please, always read it carefully!).
• The second problem is about costs: what happen if control system brakes down after 13-14 months from the date of shipment? You are forced to buy a new one from the supplier… and you do not have any control on the price, which will be very high, as you can already imagine – usually around 7.000,00 EUR.
• The third problem is about freedom: by using such control system you are inevitably tied to the supplier for the entire lifetime of the screen. In fact, you do not have any other option: either you pay again or the screen will not work.

To avoid all this issues, EuroDisplay adopt an Open Plug-and-Play System based on the Apple Mac Mini. Basically EuroDisplay’s LED screens are like huge DVI monitors that visualize anything you can show on the PC.

The Open Plug-and-Play System allows you to replace the Apple Mac Mini at any time with any other computer with a DVI output, like those you can easily find in stores.

I have heard countless stories of entrepreneurs like you that purchased from companies providing a "Dedicated Control System" and then were held hostages of their suppliers!

They were forced to pay huge amount of money to avoid having their screens shut-down for weeks... it goes without saying that their investment was not so successful in the end. Now you know, so please don't make the same mistake.

IF you are considering the purchase of your first LED screen, then keep reading.

When you face the LED Screen industry for the first time, you are most probably overloaded with technical information, promises and ideas that are passed to you as hard facts.

The series of articles described below will explain how to avoid the most common, painful and expensive mistakes people make when buying a LED screen.

Here’s the summary of what we'll discuss in the next articles:

1. Nichia LEDs… or Not?
   Some “manufacturers” promise you they are using 100% Nichia LEDs... but they are promising the impossible. Here’s why they are lying and how to recognize them..
2. Dedicated Proprietary Control System
   It actually sounds very professional, but this fancy denomination hides some serious drawbacks that nobody ever tells you, until it's too late.
3. LED Screen in Franchising
   Very interesting proposal. If you are a novice in the industry, the low initial investment can be very tempting… but not all that shines is gold! Here’s the nightmares stories of entrepreneurs that already tried it before you.
4. Resellers: Watch Out for their Conflict of Interest
   On the market there are several options if you want to buy a LED screen, but not all are manufacturers... Here’s what you risk when buy from a reseller that has a conflict of interest in providing you the best equipment and how to recognize them..
5. Air Conditioning: How to Solve a Problem at Your Expenses
   Sometimes you might be told that you need to install the air conditioning on the screen, at any cost. While this makes sense in tropical areas, it is un-necessary for moderate climates… so why insisting? Here's how they are trying to solve their problems at your expenses.
6. Prices Drops Dramatically before Closing the Order
   Of course it is normal a little discount to seal the deal, but sometimes you‘ll see prices drop dramatically (over 30%) when you are pressured to close the order. Here's why they are surely cheating you.
7. Best Quality at Lowest Prices, Thanks to Big Volumes?
   Someone claims to use the best components on the market, and still be able to provide the lowest price on the market. Of course this sounds so tempting, and you wish it was true. But when you think about it rationally, this does not make sense. Here’s why it's not possible.
8. The Photo-Book
   This is a classic “hard-sell” technique, used in many Industries. When visiting a supplier, they will show you a photo-book where there are several nice pictures of what they claim to be their product and some ugly pictures of what they claim to be their competitor’s product.
   
   Since this strategy can be counterproductive, it is used only with Customers that are considered less competent, since they won’t notice some incongruences… that we'll explain into details.
9. “I Am the Real Supplier”
   Some companies might claim to be the “supplier” of the company you are dealing with or – as a variant – they might claim (1) to have the same control system, (2) the same software, (3) to have “Italian Heart Inside”, or (4) even to have shares in the competitor company. Here's how to recognize them.
10. Are You Getting the Same Product You Were Shown?
    This is not a selling technique but a real scam, and you could take legal action against it... but prevent is better than cure. Here's how it works: you could be shown (and then purchase) a LED Screen with a smaller resolution than declared. For example, you could be shown a pitch 6/12mm and told that it is a pitch 8/16mm... Here's how you can make sure to get what you saw.
11. BONUS Tip – If YOU Are the Reseller
    In case the reseller is you, be careful and never disclose the name of your final customer until you signed a Non Disclosure Agreement that protects you. Otherwise you risk that the supplier contacts directly the final Customer and you loose the business… This can happen especially in two circumstances: here they are.

Here’s the 10 tips to avoid costly pitfalls that you could regret for a long time. Please stay tuned as the followig articles will go deeper in each of them. If you can not wait, please come and see us or call at +39/011-954-1015 for further info.

TURIN, ITALY - Last Friday June 12th EuroDisplay successfully passed its ISO9001 inspection visit for the 13th year in a row, demonstrating a tangible committment towards an effective quality management system that satisfies the rigours of an independent external audit, performed by CSQ, the most respected quality management organization in Italy.

ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard for the quality management of businesses. It applies to the processes that create and control the products and services an organisation supplies. It prescribes systematic control of activities to ensure that the needs and expectations of customers are met.

During the 2 days visit by the CSQ, the Company upgraded its certification to the newest normative (2008) and received the compliments of the inspectors for implementing the 5S methodology in the company's manufacturing processes and visual factory standards.

In a year where, due to the economic crisis, thousands of Companies cancelled their certification, EuroDisplay's upgrade to the newest norm is a strong statement about its committed to Quality, Customers, and a willingness to work towards improving efficiency.

In the past month or so we analyzed the main field of application of LED Screens: #1 Advertising, #2 Sports and #3 Events.

Today we'll talk about the fourth (and last) application, Mobile Video.

In this case, LED screens are installed on a truck or trailer that can travel around the country to attend events or that can be parked to become a temporary advertising installation.

Due to their flexibility, Mobile Video Trucks and Trailers are a mix between advertising and events application.

The most advanced solutions consist of a completely automated truck, equipped with stabilizers, a lifting system and a rotating system to orient the screen towards the audience.

The proTruck from EuroDisplay for example is a Mobile LED screen that can be setup by one person in just 15 minutes after its arrival on the site.
 

LED screens are used mainly for Advertising and Sports, as we saw in the past 2 weeks.

But there is another fundamental industry where LED screens are use in massive quantity: this third application is Events and Entertainment.

LED Screens in this case are purchased by audio and video rental companies, that rent them out during TV shows, concerts, conventions and special events.

LED screens were invented for this purpose since they are the only technology which allows to build screens of such large sizes and which is able to show videos that are clearly visible even in daylight.

In this case a key advantage is the fast assembling system of the equipment, that allows to build and un-build the LED screen in just a few hours, therefore reducing downtimes to the minimum.

Leading digital billboard manufacturers compete not only in the quality of the image of their screens but also in the rapidity of their assembling systems.