Outdoor displays have evolved as the epitome of state-of-the-art media. Called digital signage or out-of-home (OOH) media, outdoor displays have been taken to new heights, transforming the world outside buildings into a gigantic media world.
Outdoor media used to mean large rooftop advertising billboards or advertising on the sides of buses. However, things have changed a great deal. Every space our eyes can perceive has turned into a breeding ground for media. Giant digital media poles installed on high streets catch the eyes of passersby with various advertisements, and media services. The inside and outside walls of buildings have been decked with digital art, serving as giant screens. As the effectiveness of outdoor media services had been well received, a slew of companies related to broadcasting have pushed into the outdoor display business.
CJ Powercast, an arm of CJ E&M group, has its OOH business division and looks further to expand it. Through CJ Powercast's LCD displays set up in public places, phone calls can be made to designated numbers, and multi-player games can be played via the keypad or voice commands. Acetel (CEO Lee Kang-hyun) has also entered the digital signage business, developing technology that can turn the entire building into a giant screen with digital media projected on the screen.
With the application of this technology, displays placed at the lobby of a building can provide headline news clipping services, and corporate advertisements and notices can be fine-tuned. Another company joining the pack is Zenex wave (CEO Pak Hyung-ki), which is working on the development of a hologram PID system that can be used in kiosk systems. The system will enable specialized screens to play 3D-like video clips, thereby delivering messages in a more realistic fashion.
