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There are many reasons why businesses would want to invest in the best large format displays (LFDs) their budgets can afford. These large screens can be used by businesses to display adverts and information in clear and eye-catching quality.
The addition of the best large format displays can quickly make any shop, office or business place feel modern and vibrant.
But don’t just think that Large format displays are simply giant monitors. They range in size from 32-inches to over 100-inches, and they often have super-thin bezels. Not only does this mean that single LFDs can display videos and still footage without any distracting surrounds, it also means they can be linked together to create an (almost) seamless giant display.
Buying the best large format display for your business can be a tricky process, so let us show you the top LFDs on sale in 2020.
Most of the best large format displays aren’t cheap, but they offer a premium experience that brings out the best of content thanks to dazzling panels, a wide range of connectivity options and useful integrated online services.
We picked out the best large format displays for companies that won’t want to compromise, and for those that do, we’ve also thrown in a few budget or two.
Best large format displays – at a glance
- Sony FWD-85Z9G 85-inch 8K Smart Commercial IPTV
- NEC MultiSync X981UHD-2 98-inch 4K
- Sharp 8MB70AUU 70-inch 8K Commercial Monitor
- LG 84WS70B 84-inch 4K UHD
- NEC MultiSync E905 SST E Series 90” LED
- Samsung QM85D 85” 4K Ultra HD LED
- iiyama ProLite LE8640UH-B1 86” LED 4K Ultra HD
- BenQ ST430K 43-inch 4K
1. Sony FWD-85Z9G 85-inch 8K Smart Commercial IPTV
Sony’s mammoth large format display
Reasons to buy
+85 inch screen+Rich colors+Optimal contrast+Inbuilt IPTV+Integrated Chromecast
Reasons to avoid
–Expensive
Spanning 85 inches, this mammoth large format display is pretty while also costing a pretty penny. It justifies its premium price tag as it uses the latest 8K screen tech, which flaunts four times the number of pixels as 4K and 16 times that of a regular 1080p TV.
This stunning display is optimized for professional display applications and uses Sony is X1 Altimus image processor combined with 8K X-Reality PRO to display high-contrast HDR images packed with detail, rich color and exceptional contrast. It runs Android 8.0, so you can display content from other devices using its inbuilt IPTV service or integrated Chromecast capabilities.
2. NEC MultiSync X981UHD-2 98-inch 4K
Huge large format display for business use
Reasons to buy
+Giant 98″ display+4K UHD+Made for business+NEC compatible
Boasting a giant 98-inch display, this model opt for a more sensible 4K resolution, rather than 8K, which lends it a greater degree of compatibility with content that’s out in the wild. Designed for use in control rooms or large training rooms where ultra-high definition is required, it is also compatible with a range of NEC solutions.
They include the company’s NEC MultiPresenter Stick, its wireless presentation solution for NEC Displays, and it also supports multiple simultaneous connections on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
3. Sharp 8MB70AUU 70-inch 8K Commercial Monitor
Large format display for streaming
Reasons to buy
+HDR screen+Natural colors+Good for streaming
If you are looking for a large format display that doubles down on image quality, this sizeable screen sports high color gamut coverage which makes it ideal for streaming video services.
The secret sauce here is its high dynamic range (or HDR), which expands the contrast ratio and color pallet to display a more realistic and natural image. With a maximum brightness of 400 nits, it’s not going to blow you away, but it’s more than adequate for showing content in anything but the brightest of rooms.
4. LG 84WS70B 84-inch 4K UHD
Large format display from LG
Reasons to buy
+84″ screen+4K HDR+Good sound
LG has been making top-tier displays for years, many of which have appeared on smartphones and, more recently, virtual reality headsets. This 84-inch 4K large format carries over that quality to deliver high-contrast, true-to-life images.
The display totes high-color-gamut coverage, which combined with HDR is ideal for streaming a range of video services. The 84WS70B also packs impressive sound which can be fine-tuned for the environment, allowing you to choose from Standard, Music, Cinema, Sports and Games modes.
5. NEC MultiSync E905 SST E Series 90” LED
Multitouch large format display
Reasons to buy
+90″ screen size+Multitouch+Optical positioning+Anti-reflective coating
There aren’t many large format displays that have multitouch, which makes the NEC MultiSync E905 SST an interesting option. It’s hardly a small screen at 90-inches across the diagonal, but it can be interacted with up to 6 simultaneous touch points thanks to NEC’s ShadowSense technology.
An advanced optical position sensing technology, it uses high-performance sensors to provide high performance, stability, and accuracy. The display also sports an anti-reflective coating to reduce reflections to a minimum, which makes content displayed on it easier to read.
6. Samsung QM85D 85” 4K Ultra HD LED
Samsung’s large format display
Reasons to buy
+85 inch screen+120Hz refresh rate+UHD upscaling+Picture-in-Picture mode
Samsung’s QM85D is a large format display that sports an impressive 120Hz refresh rate, which makes movements across the display – whether that’s dragging windows and other content or watching a video – appear much smoother while reducing stutter.
This model also packs UHD upscaling, which is useful for displaying full HD content in 4K. Another handy feature is the QM85D’s ability to divide the entire screen into four quadrants using PIP (Picture-in-Picture) mode, allowing you to share content from up to four different devices.
7. iiyama ProLite LE8640UH-B1 86” LED 4K Ultra HD
iiyama large format display for marketing
Reasons to buy
+86″ 4K UHD screen+iiyama software compatible+OPS standard
This ProLite model is a large format display with a sharp 4K resolution. It features a slim design with hardly any noticeable bezel, which allows content on its IPS LED panel to shine when combined with its exceptional colors and image performance.
Plus, it comes with iiyama’s iiSignage content creation and management software, which is a boon for businesses who want to get their messages across to clients. Its built-in expansion slot supports the Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) standard, which simplifies the installation of a plug-in PC for digital signage applications.
8. BenQ ST430K 43-inch 4K
Budget large format display from BenQ
Reasons to buy
+4K UHD+General business use+Conf
A far more affordable large format displayed than others on our list, this BenQ model is much smaller at 43 inches while still packing an ultra-sharp 4K display.
A well-rounded package suitable for small business and corporate settings, it combines a number of features including 4K resolution for enhanced engagement, an eye-catching slim design, and BenQ’s X-Sign software that makes content creation and management a cinch.
Our favorite feature, however, is this display’s integration with video conferencing software Zoom, which lets you instantly chat to teams and clients without requiring computing hardware.
What Is an Interactive Flat Panel?
We queried Claire Mc Lin, Senior Product Manager for Enterprise Collaboration Solutions & Google Jamboard at BenQ America Corp, about the ubiquitous Interactive Flat Panel and how it differs from other large format display on the market.
An interactive flat panel (IFP) is to the meeting place what the smart device is to everyday life: convenient, easy to use, and a veritable Swiss Army knife of capabilities. These displays are engineered to bring more interactivity and collaboration to meetings. Meetings joined from an IFP allow participants — whether they’re remote or in person— promote the smooth, unlimited exchange of ideas.
The appeal of these displays is that they parallel the ease at which people use smart devices such as a cell phone or a tablet, while providing a large enough picture to be visible to everyone. Leading models range from 55 inches up to 86 inches and feature up to 20 points of touch allowing more than one person to work at the screen simultaneously.
What sets apart one IFP brand from another is their capabilities. Ideally, they’re as intuitive as using a smart device. Advanced IFPs include cloud-driven collaborative tools that boost innovation and productivity while cutting down or eliminating help desk calls.
Typical features include digital whiteboarding and annotation. From there they might include customizable screen capture of apps, websites, or videos; pens with different color “ink”; and handwriting recognition that converts hard-to-read handwriting into text.
IFPs also help keep the meeting room flexible. For example, options such as two-way mirroring enables users to present to the screen using their personal laptop or smart device from anywhere without connecting to HDMI cables. Two-way touch control allows certain devices to be controlled directly from the IFP.
In addition, IFPs create dynamic, scalable collaboration onscreen with the ability to share multiple screens simultaneously; some brands permit as many as four screens to be presented at once. For work environments where more screen space is needed, some innovative panels can be mounted side-by-side and their work surfaces combined for twice the collaboration space.
Furthering the flexibility, users don’t need to bring a device to the room in order to present. Instead, they can directly access content from the network or cloud applications such as Google Drive and Dropbox by simply logging in. Some models make this step incredibly simple with user badges that can be scanned at the screen.
IFPs are also designed with IT and technology management advantages. Centralized remote control and monitoring capabilities lower the cost of ownership and energy consumption. Updates that can be done over-the-air (OTA) are an efficient way to roll out new firmware and keep them running smoothly. What are IFPs? They’re the future of meetings and collaboration.
