Imagine being outdoors on a sunny day, needing to check critical data on your device, only to find the screen completely washed out and unreadable. This frustrating scenario could become a thing of the past with high-brightness display technology.
This article explores the crucial measurement of display brightness - nits - and how to select the appropriate brightness level for various environments to ensure your device remains clearly visible under any lighting conditions.
Nits (cd/m²) measure display brightness, representing candela per square meter. Simply put, higher nit values mean brighter screens. While standard displays typically offer 250-350 nits for indoor use, these prove inadequate in direct sunlight.
Sunlight acts like a powerful spotlight on your screen. Without sufficient brightness, ambient light overwhelms the display output, rendering content illegible. This explains why high-brightness displays become essential for outdoor applications.
Selecting display brightness resembles choosing appropriate clothing - it depends on the environment. Consider these guidelines:
- Normal daylight (cloudy or bright indoor conditions): 400-700 nits generally suffices, maintaining visibility without light interference.
- Direct sunlight: Minimum 1000 nits becomes necessary to counteract solar glare and ensure readable content.
High-brightness technology serves numerous outdoor and high-ambient-light applications:
- Industrial automation: Factory floors and outdoor worksites require displays that remain visible for monitoring equipment status and production data, reducing errors and improving efficiency.
- Healthcare: Emergency responders and outdoor clinics benefit from displays that maintain readability for patient information and diagnostic results during critical situations.
- Financial services: Outdoor ATMs and stock tickers need high-brightness screens to ensure customers can clearly view account information and market data.
- Retail: Outdoor digital signage and ordering kiosks utilize bright displays to attract attention and convey product information effectively.
- Transportation: Bus stop displays and subway information screens require high brightness to provide passengers with clear travel information.
When selecting high-brightness displays, evaluate these additional factors:
- Screen size: Choose dimensions appropriate for viewing distance and installation space.
- Touch capability: Interactive applications may require touch functionality for streamlined operation.
- Operating temperature: Verify the display's temperature tolerance matches environmental conditions.
- Optical bonding: This technology minimizes light refraction and reflection, particularly valuable in direct sunlight.
- Enclosure material: Select durable materials like stainless steel for harsh or corrosive environments.
Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs) require special consideration for bright environments:
- High-brightness industrial displays with HDMI headless HMIs: This modular approach separates computing and display units for flexible deployment.
- Integrated high-brightness touchscreen HMIs: These combine computing and display in compact units with powerful processors for complex applications.
Integrated touchscreen computers offer several advantages:
- Simplified installation: Combined units reduce wiring complexity.
- Space efficiency: Compact designs suit space-constrained installations.
- High performance: Powerful processors handle demanding applications smoothly.
In sunlight or high-ambient-light conditions, standard displays often fail to perform. High-brightness technology solves this challenge, ensuring content remains visible and user experience improves. By carefully evaluating brightness requirements and complementary features, organizations can implement effective display solutions across industries.