What is a digital notice board and how much does one cost?
A digital notice board is a single commercial screen with a content management system (CMS) that replaces a cork pinboard or printed poster frame, and in the UK it costs £500 to £1,500 installed for a 43" to 55" screen plus £15 to £40 per screen per month for the software. "Digital notice board" is the term UK buyers use; the trade calls the same thing digital signage, and the hardware is identical.
The content depends on who walks past it:
- Office: staff notices, health and safety reminders, welcome messages for visitors, KPIs, social events and recognition, usually one board in reception and one by the kitchen.
- School or college: timetables and room changes, exam notices, safeguarding messages, canteen menus, achievements and parents' evening dates, typically a board in reception, the staffroom and the main corridor.
- Shared buildings and clubs: booking availability, upcoming events, membership notices and building services messages.
A digital notice board needs five things:
- A commercial display rated for 16/7 operation (Samsung QM, LG UH or Philips Q-Line, 43" to 55").
- A media player, either the System on Chip built into the panel or an external BrightSign at £150 to £400.
- A CMS such as Yodeck, ScreenCloud or Samsung MagicInfo to schedule and update the notices from a laptop or phone.
- Power and network: a mains socket behind the screen and Ethernet, or a single PoE run to a small player where there is no socket nearby.
- A wall mount, flat or tilt, with the cables concealed.
| Item | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| 43" to 55" commercial screen, player and mount, installed | £500 to £1,500 |
| Installation labour (within the figure above) | £150 to £600 per screen |
| CMS subscription | £15 to £40 per screen per month |
| Larger 65" to 75" board for a hall or atrium | £1,500 to £3,500 installed |
The labour line covers mounting, cabling, player setup and CMS commissioning; it rises for high positions, solid walls or where a data point has to be run in, which is why digital signage installation is quoted after a site survey rather than from a photo.
A consumer TV looks like a saving of £200 to £400 but is a false economy. Consumer panels are rated for around eight hours a day, their warranties typically exclude commercial use, a static notice left on screen risks image retention, they sit at 250 to 350 nits against 500 for a commercial panel, and they have no signage player or remote management, so someone has to walk over with a USB stick. The commercial display versus TV FAQ covers the differences in detail.
Quick reference: one commercial 43-55" screen + SoC or BrightSign player + CMS, replacing a pinboard; £500-£1,500 installed (labour £150-£600 of that) + £15-£40/screen/month CMS.
Related solution: Digital signage solutions and services.
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