Large Format Quick Serve Menu Boards Go Digital

The quick serve restaurant (QSR) menu boards are changing, much like the way you view video rental options on kiosk displays at outdoor venues. When requirements call for a large format, high bright display that can operate in rugged, outdoor environments Planar has a solution for your application.

Planar recently partnered with UniStructures, Inc. to provide a 46"outdoor digital signage menu board for a KFC drive thru. The ultra bright 2000 nit display makes reading food selections easier for drive through customers, and the ability to change content easier for KFC.

Available in size forms up to 65", a variety of key benefits are available including optically bonded vandal resistant front glass, state of the art custom IR Reflector and color matched hot cathode Fluorescent lamps.

Let us know what you like about easy to read drive through menu boards.

Optical Bonding and Display Enhancements

Sometimes displays are used in environments that require greater legibility in direct sunlight or bright ambient lighting conditions. Displays used in avionics, digital signage, vehicle navigation, outdoor television and hand-carried electronic devices generally benefit from better readibility offered when optical bonding with anti-reflective surface treatments is applied. Of course, improved display readability in some of these applications, like aviation and driving a speeding police car, are activities where slow time to perception could be life threatening.

Planar's optical bonding facility, located in Beaverton, OR, can help you with all of your optical bonding requirements. With ISO-9001 quality systems, MIL-spec and FDA-level standards, extensive in-house optical test verification capabilities and class 10,000 certified clean room and other environmental controls in place, you can be assured that your display project will meet your legibility requirements with Planar's optical bonding and surface treatments.

As you might guess, there are many criteria to consider when selecting an optical bonding vendor. However, Planar has made it easy by providing an optical bonding vendor checklist. This checklist provides a list of capabilities and standards you'll want to take into consideration when making a decision about selecting your optical bonding vendor.

Is optical bonding a requirement for your display project?

EL: Electroluminescent Glass - Versatile for Many Applications

Seems like lots of folks are catching on to the versatility of Electroluminescent glass for various types of applications. When your display project calls for a solution to a challenging and demanding application, the unique performance and visual characteristics of high-performance electroluminescent (EL) displays make it an ideal choice.

Recently, Inventables posted a blog about Electroluminescent glass. For use in military, medical or industrial applications, EL glass features a wide temperature range and reliability which are critical in these applications and others.

See Planar's 20 Reasons why Thin Film EL is your most reliable display choice for rugged viewing conditions and let us know if there are other reasons to add.

Planar Fan Page on Facebook

Planar Systems Embedded dedicated Fan Page is now up and running on Facebook. Everyone is welcome to join!

Planar Systems IBU on Facebook

We at Planar are well aware that Facebook really divides people's opinions but so did the issue about whether the earth is round or flat. Or more recently the use of e-mail or whether everyone will be willing to carry a phone in their pocket, let alone an entire computer...

I would be interested to hear your comments on Facebook and company Fan Pages on Facebook. What do you think? Or do you have some other great medias in mind where Planar should be talking to engineers?

Catalog of Specialty Displays

Have you been looking for a display solution for your project? Planar has just posted its Embedded Displays Catalog on its website. Almost every application you would need a display for can be found in this new and updated catalog.

Planar's display innovation began over 26 years ago with the Electroluminescent (EL) displays and has grown to include transportation, kiosk and digital signage, custom displays and 3D/Stereoscopic displays, to name a few. If your custom design project requires a rugged and custom display, Planar can assist with product definition and guide you through the challenges of developing a custom display.

An interactive guide to selecting a custom LCD can help with your display requirement selections, as well. Planar has developed a Guide just for that purpose. So, between the Guide and the Catalog, Planar can help guide you through the key considerations in creating your display.

Check out the catalog and let us know if there's something missing that would help you with your design project.

The Future of Transparent Displays

Transparent displays are making their way to all sorts of consumer applications. At the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, an array of the latest technology is on display. One of the new, cool laptops being featured is Samsung's prototype of its 14-inch transparent OLED display.



There is definitely a wow factor to this laptop and one that consumers may be clamoring for in the near future.

Other applications where transparent displays are being used have been on the radar for some time. Take a look at Planar's use of transparent display technology and learn about the benefits of its easy customization or watch the video.



Do you have an application you would like to see on a transparent display?

The Wonderful World of LEDs

Planar has published a new eBook on LED Technology for AMLCD Backlights. The latest eBook is now available to download.

LCD, LED, backlights... All the same terms which are familiar to industrial display projects and display professionals are becoming familiar to the home TV users as well. Have a look at Sony's "TV lecture", I'd say the content is more interesting to display professionals rather than someone looking to get the best possible viewing experience at home... Well, judge for yourself from this 10-minute clip posted by sonylearntv.

To be fair to the different brands, here's also Samsung's input to the LED TV discussion. It's a TV ad for the Samsung's new LED TV, so more marketing orientated than the Sony clip. You've been warned!

When talking about LEDs, I cannot resist adding the clip by BaaaStuds as the grande finale to this short end-of-the-year blog post. Especially, if you are spending this week on holiday and STILL reading this blog, you've deserved a bit of entertainment.

On behalf of our entire team: thank you for reading Planar blogs in 2009 and all the best wishes for the New Year 2010!!!

Electroluminescent Displays at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

The electroluminescent (EL) display that was used in the GRID Compass 1101 laptop on the space shuttle in 1985 has made history again. The GRID laptop, one of the first laptops on the market, is on display in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.

In a previous blog post, you can see an image of the laptop with the EL display on board the space shuttle. EL technology has made continual and dramatic improvements, but you'd have to say that a display that can withstand g-force environments is an ideal solution for the most challenging and demanding applications.

Planar's EL displays have significantly improved over the past 25 years. Besides improved display brightness and contrast, improvements have been made to reduce power consumption and improve enhanced shock and vibration resistence.

What project do you have that would benefit from an EL display?