Interactive Flat Panel Display Buying Tips: Things to Know Before Buying IFPD

Interactive Flat Panel Display is becoming a common accessory in schools, colleges and training rooms. In fact, many hotels and hospitals are also investing in IFPDs for their day to day proceedings. In classrooms, they have emerged as a helpful tool for carrying out lessons and imparting course-related information. If you are planning to buy an IFPD for yourself, you should go through these Interactive Flat Panel Display buying tips to get the best deal.

Just like buying a house, buying an Interactive Flat Panel Display can be tedious and daunting. If you are buying an IFPD for the first time, it can be even more daunting for you. One wrong step can lead to wrong investment and a loss of a lot of money since IFPDs are expensive. In this blog on Interactive Flat Panel Display buying tips, we have clubbed some Tips to Buy IFPD for school and office.

Tips to Buy IFPD for School, Office

1. Is it an LED Backlit or not?

This is an important feature to look out for in an Interactive Flat Panel Display. All the displays are LCD, it’s the backlight that makes the difference. Some of them have the traditional CFL backlight while the contemporaries have the LED backlight. LED, as we all know, is power-efficient and gives better luminosity as compared to the traditional CFL lamps. There are two types of display, LCD-LED and LCD-CFL. This means, that the LCD screen is backlit by LED backlight and CFL backlight respectively.

2. Choose the right size

What is the point of multi-touch support if your IFPD is too small to be seen from a distance? Buying a 20 point multi-touch Interactive Flat Panel Display would only make sense if you buy a size large enough for your classroom. There is a simple formula to calculate the ideal size of IFPD for your classroom. i.e. 3xdiagonal size of the IFPD=the farthest distance from the screen from which a student can easily read the display. For example, if the last bench of the classroom is placed at a distance of 420 inches, then the ideal size of the IFPD for you would be 70 inches or more than that.

3. Check the connecting ports carefully

Apart from the display technology and resolution, another point that is important to know before buying an Interactive Flat Panel Display. Certain connection ports are a must for your IFPD to connect your personal devices like laptop, pen drive, PC or smartphone to the display. There should be at least a USB port, VGA port, HDMI port, a stereo connection and a magnetic stylus holder each with an IFPD.

Read More: Why Interactive Flat Panel Display is better than traditional whiteboard-projector setup?

4. 10-point touch or 20-point touch?

For a teacher, how many touchpoints would be adequate? It can be as many, also depending upon the size of an IFPD. For example, a 55-inch Interactive Flat Panel Display with 20-touch points would be useless. It is because a 55-inch display wouldn’t provide enough room for 20 students to fit in. So, before finalizing the touch-points, ask yourself how many students would be working together on a display at the same point in time.

5. Software Matters

Apart from the hardware, ultimately it’s the software that is going to help you conduct your everyday activities. That’s why you have to make sure that you are getting the necessary software that you require for your needs. You would want to go for software that’s engaging, interactive and intuitive. Your software should give you more than just a driver and a whiteboard. Some Interactive Flat Panel Display brands in the market also provide interactive software with pre-loaded content at no extra cost or nominal pricing. Some of the popular brands that deal in IFPDs are Samsung, LG, BenQ, Globus Infocom and Hitachi.

6. Full HD vs 4K

Ultra HD displays are known as 4K or UHD display. They have four times the pixels than of a regular HD display. The images are vibrant, crisp and brighter than a conventional IFPD. However, the cost of 4K displays is much higher than the usual ones. Now it depends on your budget if you want to shell out some extra cash on the Ultra HD resolution or you can make do with the standard Full HD resolution.

7. Does your IFPD have an internal sound system?

This is another important question to ask before finalizing an IFPD for your classroom. Some of the IFPD brands offer an inbuilt sound system so that you don’t require any external device for sound output. They are not necessarily a theatre sound system but adequate to sound a medium to large-sized room. If your IFPD is not providing an inbuilt sound system, then the total cost of the product might go up for you as you will be buying an external sound system for your classroom.

Read More: Multimedia Projectors for School and Office: Types, Uses and Features

Purchasing an Interactive Flat Panel Display is a project that demands proper planning, research and decision-making. A product that expensive can prove to be a commercial failure if not purchased without studying the needs and requirements of your application area. The above-mentioned Tips to Buy IFPD will help you find the perfect match for your school or office.