Everybody knows that Consumer Electronics grade LCD and plasma displays are cheaper than Commercial grade displays. That’s why most of our customers come to us asking for a Sharp Aquos or a Panasonic Viera.  As professional dealers, it is our business to know the pros and cons of such a switch and lead our customers in the right direction.  We also all know that you get what you pay for....

Most importantly, and I can't stress it enough when you are talking about 100 lb displays is that warranty is key!  An on site warranty is a must for any wall mount display.  Most commercial models offer AT LEAST one year on site warranty. Your tier 1 vendors will usually offer a 2 or 3 year on site warranty which you can upgrade to 5 year with a Stampede Silver Star warranty.  When spending $2000 - $3000 for a panel, don't you want that insurance?  Consumer models may seem half the cost, but their warranty is usually only 1 year and it is depot. If you are going to hang a consumer model in a public place and run it more than 6-8 hours a day, you WILL Require warranty service within the first 2 years.  You will need to take it off the wall and bring it somewhere. Some manufacturers reduce their CE warranty to 90 days if it is used in a public area.  Ouch!  Now how much money have your saved?

Another feature of commercial displays is the reliability of them. Commercial displays are tested and guaranteed to work with 20+ hours use daily. CE televisions are only designed for 6-8 hours daily in a controlled environment (temperature & humidity).  Using them in a hot and humid area, such as a restaurant, for 14-16 hours a day will result in overheating, color degradation, and warping of the frame where it is mounted.  If your customer wants to take this risk to save a few bucks, let's hope they get it serviced before the 1 year warranty runs out! (Again, back to the warranty!.... I told you it was key)

Picture quality is not the last reason, but may be the most important, that you should sway your customers against CE products when displaying in public areas. CE products are designed for cable Tv inputs and specific signal devices. In general, they have cooler color settings, producing blue/whites and all together less color accuracy.  Commercial displays are intended for PC and high def input sources. Their backlight covers a wider color spectrum producing the best picture quality.   

One more thing, if you are going to be mounting in portrait mode, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT CE. Heat rises, and CE products are only designed to dispurse heat properly in landscape mode. Using a consumer electronics television in portrait model will surely cause overheating and warping in the upper side.  Most likely, your CE warranty won't cover this at all, regardless of whether it occurs during your warranty period or not.

For more reasons why you should lead with commercial products, talk to your Stampede Sales representative.