6/25/2020
`
`Retrofitting Print Billboards with their LED Digital Counterparts
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`Retrofitting Print Billboards with their LED Digital Counterparts
`
`As more and more outdoor advertising companies introduce or expand their digital
`billboard inventories, there is now a new challenge of where to install them along
`existing highway routes or to replace existing print billboards.
`
`By Louis M. Brill
`
`The attraction of digital billboards to the outdoor advertising marketplace is very strong and billboard operators,
`advertisers and media planners are building a national digital billboard infrastructure to accommodate national
`and regional electronic outdoor advertising campaigns.
`
`photo credit: Land Vision
`FULL STORY---.
`
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`
`As the number one rule for real estate: location, location, location, so
`CHECK IT OUT
`• LED Articles
`it is also true for a billboard (which is real estate as well) placement.
`Industry Alert
`The big issue with a billboard operator is, all the best placements are •
`already taken by their existing print billboards, so where can they put • Hot Shots Photo Gallery
`their new digital billboards? Since most good billboard highway spots • Message Boards
`are taken, one possible solution at hand would be to create a "swap
`out" of taking an already premium or favored print billboard location Visit Our Advertisers:
`and replacing with its digital counterpart.
`
`Land displays
`This issue has already come up for Land Displays of Berks County,
`PA, an outdoor advertising company with a billboard inventory of
`poster panels, permanent bulletins, tri-visions, and digital billboards.
`"The attraction of digital billboards to our advertisers in our
`marketplace is very strong," said Jim Landrigan, President of Land
`Displays, "so it behooves us to improve our digital billboard inventory by adding other key locations in
`our markets for our clients."
`
`• Clarke Systems
`• Estimate Software
`•
`International Sign Assoc.
`• Matrix Payment Systems
`• SG IA Specialty Graphics Imaging Assoc
`
`"In bringing in our new digital billboards, the placement of each display is on a case by case basis,
`depending on the region and the marketplace. Sometimes it might replace an existing print board and
`sometimes it might be a new location. In some cases a billboard conversion is not without its own
`challenges of local sign code regulations of what can be and can't be installed in that area. Another
`issue is to consider the physical integrity of the sign structure and whether it's capable of physically
`supporting the new (and much heavier) digital billboard on the existing structure."
`
`www.signindustry.com/led/articles/2010-02-15-LB-RetrofittingPrintBillboardsToLED.php3
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`Samsung Exhibit 1019
`Samsung Elecs. Co., Ltd. v. Ultravision Techns., LLC
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`6/25/2020
`
`Retrofitting Print Billboards with their LED Digital Counterparts
`"Within our print billboard inventory as each of our digital billboards are considered for placement on
`an existing print billboard structure, we had local billboard engineers look at each prospective billboard
`• and determine what it would take to accept to swap out a print billboard and replace it with an LED
`display cabinet. The findings, once reported to us would stipulate what kind of, and how many changes
`would be required of the existing billboard structure by either re-engineering the billboard structure or
`completely rebuilding it. Of the seven digital displays within Land Display's billboard inventory, three
`were new structures and four were existing print billboard locations that we converted. We plan to
`convert two additional locations in 2010."
`
`CBS Outdoors
`CBS Outdoors
`(NY, NY) offers a
`national
`advertising
`program including
`advertising
`platforms with
`malls, transit (on
`buses and on
`station platforms),
`street furniture and
`sports stadiums,
`all fully integrated
`within every major
`city and region of
`the United States.
`Within this family
`of advertising
`media they also
`offer national
`coverage of both
`print and digital
`billboards.
`
`In the San Francisco Bay area, along the East Bay side of the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge,
`Already CBS
`CBS Outdoor erected a double-faced digital billboard (20-feet tall x 60 feet long) along passing traffic
`Outdoors has 70 + (average 212,000+ vehicles daily) to and from the Bay Bride. Because of location and consideration
`d
`d. •t I b"llb
`of LED cabinet weight, the billboard's sign structure was custom designed for road placement on the
`191 a _1 . oar s
`East Bay side of the bridge.
`and ant1c1pates
`that number to
`grow as their digital billboards become more in demand to their advertisers. As to where digital
`billboards are installed within CBS urban markets, Jodi Senese, Executive Vice President of Marketing
`stated that, "In our placement of digital billboards, we tend to focus our installations on what we call
`'iconic locations' which are high-demand, high-profile positions along highways or tunnels. We like
`highway choke points which causes passing traffic to slow down creating a longer dwell time for
`viewing our billboards."
`
`photo credit: CBS Outdoor
`
`"As CBS
`Outdoors
`moves
`forwards
`with our
`digital
`billboard
`
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`6/25/2020
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`Retrofitting Print Billboards with their LED Digital Counterparts
`
`The LED modules were sequentially stacked into the LED sign structure building towards a completed LED
`display.
`
`photo credit: CBS Outdoor
`expansion," noted G. Todd Lathan, VP of the CBS Outdoors Digital Division, whose group assists in
`the deployment and installation of the newly acquired digital billboards, "more often than not, we'll find
`ourselves replacing our pre-existing print billboards with our digital counterparts. When necessary, we'll
`upgrade that existing billboard structure as required. In our review of these structures, sometimes
`they're OK; sometimes they need to be upgraded significantly."
`
`"One of our
`considerations when
`we review a billboard
`structure is its age.
`Some of them go
`back as far as 50
`years ago, at and that
`age, more likely
`there's going to be
`some work done on
`them ." Once the
`structure has been
`refurbished, the
`digital billboard is
`ready to be
`assembled and
`installed. Our
`billboard displays are
`made up of individual
`LED modules which
`are tiled together into
`a final display. We
`With all the LED modules in place, the installation crew is putting the finishing touches onto the
`begin with a pre-built LED display.
`box frame and then,
`insert all the LED
`modules in place. Once on site, the modules are assembled with rear service access catwalks, and
`are lifted onto the primary billboard support structure."
`
`photo credit: CBS Outdoor
`
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`Retrofitting Print Billboards with their LED Digital Counterparts
`Billboard structures for the digital age
`As outdoor advertising companies deal with choices of location for their digital billboards, so do the
`engineers deal with a billboard structure's physical integrity and how it can be transformed into a
`modern version of itself. R. Scott Lewis (New Canaan, CT) who has designed spectacular sign
`structures in Times Square since 1991, and many print/electronic billboard structures throughout
`Northeastern United States, is now beginning to also deal with transforming existing print billboard
`structures into their heftier counterparts. Lewis has noted that digital billboard conversion is moving
`forward as a trend for most outdoor advertising companies who are beginning to plan the installation of
`their digital billboards and are faced with where they will place them roadside.
`
`• Wayfinding: Design and Planning • ADA Si911s
`• Custom Signs • SI~ Modular Sign Systems
`
`WWW.CLARKESYSTEMS.COM I 800.331-1891 I i:nfo@clarl<osy,tem,.com
`
`f
`
`"If the local
`
`SAFETY. F
`THE 2008 FUSION. AST.
`
`This billboard structure is from another era when steel erector sets were used to hold billboards in place, this
`being a "triple truss support" double face display. Despite its age, it was deemed worthy enough that with
`certain reinforcements having been done to its foundation, it would be able to support a modem LED sign
`cabinet in place of its former print billboard .
`
`photo credit: R. Scott Lewis
`municipality is favorably disposed to the installation of an electronic billboard replacing its print
`counterpart," Lewis stated, "we look at the preferred billboard structure to determine how the billboard
`company can proceed. Sometimes when we see them , in the best of possible worlds, they're in good
`enough shape that a billboard conversion would be very straight forward with one type of sign face
`replacing the other. Sometimes, we see that a print billboard is still in usable shape, but it will take a
`degree of refurbishment to improve its physical support capabilities. Here we recommend reinforcing
`various parts of the billboard to make it capable of supporting a much heavier digital billboard. In other
`instances if the billboard structure is not capable of such a conversion, we will suggest the company
`consider another billboard site for such a conversion."
`
`"As we review a possible billboard structure for a digital billboard conversion, we examine the structure
`from bottom to top. We begin at the billboard sign's base and look at the structure's foundation. We
`take all kinds of measurements including using an ultrasonic thickness measuring device that allows
`us to measure the wall thickness of the torque tube. We also look for corrosion spots. If corrosion has
`
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`Retrofitting Print Billboards with their LED Digital Counterparts
`reduced the original metal thickness by 15% - you have a problem. In some cases you can recondition
`a rusted spot - in other cases it is better to cut it out and replace it with new metal."
`
`The original foundation with its truss structure for its print billboards. An examination of the entire structure
`determined that the addition of new piles and a new concrete foundation placed in conjunction , between the
`already existing foundation would be sufficient to support the additional weight of the double LED sign cabinets
`that would replace the print billboards.
`
`photo credit: R. Scott Lewis
`"Sometimes we find that the original billboard structure was designed for a lower wind pressure
`according to the building codes of decades ago. Now when you change from print to digital billboards,
`the new building codes need to be followed, because you're substantially changing the use of the
`structure and now have to design for both a higher wind pressure and also for a greater weight load of
`the LED cabinets."
`
`"In one instance of a billboard structure review, we found a usable billboard structure with an
`undersized foundation. In this case it was a 30 - 40 year old frame assembled with vertical trusses and
`was a sign structure that pre-dated the concept of a single-size billboard structure. The existing
`billboard frame had plenty of reserve support capacity for the additional weight of a digital billboard, but
`its foundation was in question, because the soil was rather soft and the original support piles were old
`enough to have been made of timber."
`
`Our
`solution
`was to
`design an
`expanded
`foundation
`for the
`base,
`which
`required
`the driving
`of
`additional
`piles as
`part of the
`new
`foundation
`set up.
`Because
`
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`Retrofitting Print Billboards with their LED Digital Counterparts
`
`of the
`physical
`restrictions
`around the
`billboard,
`we were
`not able to
`get pile
`driving
`equipment
`into place
`because
`the
`billboard
`structure
`was to
`close to a
`railroad
`right away.
`Instead we
`had to use
`a mini-pile
`driver and
`drill the
`piles in
`place
`around the
`foundation. To prepare the transition to the new foundation, all the existing foliage was removed and new concrete pile
`The only
`caps have been built in between the old pile caps. A pile cap is a footing which is supported by piles. The old
`other issue pile caps were supported by timber piles and the new pile caps are supported by newly drilled pipe piles.
`.
`photo credit: R. Scott Lewis
`th
`on e
`front of the billboard sign was to bolt on some new support brackets to allow the proper attaching of
`the LED sign cabinets to the billboard structure."
`
`"In another billboard infrastructure review, we examined a full flag, single pole sign with two sign faces
`displayed in a V-configuration. With the consideration of converting both billboards from print to LED
`displays, we realized that the horizontal member which was a 30-inch diameter torque tube was going
`to be overstressed and would not have enough capacity to support one LED display, let alone both of
`them . To give the sign structure extra strength, we designed a diagonal steel tube (known as a 'kicker')
`that supported the torque tube, keeping the LED display in place."
`
`More digital billboard
`growth coming
`As the digital billboard
`component of outdoor
`advertising percolates its
`way into the outdoor
`advertising community,
`there a few critical
`market drivers that will
`continue to stimulate its
`growth:
`
`1.) The cost of acquiring
`digital billboards
`continues to descend,
`making them more
`readily available for both
`outdoor advertising
`companies just getting
`started with digital
`billboards and for those
`who are expanding an
`already existing outdoor
`electronic media
`network.
`
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`6/25/2020
`
`Retrofitting Print Billboards with their LED Digital Counterparts
`2.) As media planners
`Here the new billboard structure foundation has been set in place and the LED sign cabinets
`develop their clients
`are being lifted into position onto the sign structure.
`.
`.
`marketing campaigns,
`photo credit: R. Scott Lewis
`so will they see digital billboards as an important part of their advertising buy into regional and national
`markets reinforcing outdoor advertising companies strategies of building and expanding their already
`existing digital billboard networks.
`
`Putting billboards in a new light
`As these digital billboard inventories continue to grow, so will many print billboard locations be destined
`for structural conversions, a trend that will only accelerate as the economy improves. With more digital
`billboards appearing roadside, it will give advertisers and media planners the chance to position their
`messages in a new light and create a greater reach in connecting with the passing public.
`
`Louis M. Brill is a journalist and consultant for high-tech entertainment and media communications. He
`can be reached at (415) 664-0694 or louisbrill@sbcglobal.net
`
`More Articles on this:
`
`Digital Billboards Ho!
`
`Hybrid EMC/ Billboards: Combining the Best of Print and Electronic Displays on a Single
`Billboard
`
`Electronic LED Billboards: The New Voice of Business
`
`LED Video Screens On The Move
`
`LED Billboards: Outdoor Advertising in the Video Age
`
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