Hospitality TVs Buyer’s Guide
1. WHAT IS A HOSPITALITY TV?
Hospitality television is a type of commercial grade television with features that support a hotel’s TV system. There are four different categories of hotel televisions that can function in a hotel TV system:
The choice of hospitality TV you’ll want to use will depend on the type of television system the hotel may have and how the in-suite television content is presented in guest rooms.
Hospitality TVs, unlike regular TVs, may offer a variety of features, including:
- Standard network and cable television programming
- Video games
- Premium television channels
- Shopping services
- Video on-demand
- Internet applications and capabilities
- Information about weather, news and local tourism
- A welcome message from the hotel
2. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONSUMER AND HOSPITALITY TVS
There are a number of clear differences between the run of the mill TVs that someone might buy for their home and the more industrial quality of hospitality TVs that find placement in hotels, hospitals, and other places. Here are a few of those differences.
Warranty
The length of warranty is a big difference between consumer and hospitality TVs. While consumer TVs generally have a warranty that covers somewhere between 90 days and 1 year of service (and is quickly invalidated if the TV is placed in a commercial setting), hospitality TVs have a 2-5 year warranty, complete with on-site support offered most of the time.
Duty Cycles
The average consumer TV is built to run for four to eight hours a day. In comparison, hospitality sets are designed to be used for a whopping 15 or 16 hours a day. There are even some panels that can run 24/7!
Guest Proof
A consumer TV will make it easy for users to change settings, and will have accessible external controls. In a commercial hospitality TV, those controls will be physically hidden, and are able to be locked through settings. This provides peace of mind for the property owner, and ensures that guests cannot change any pre-set limits on their TV.
Guest Centered
There are extra features that come standard on a hospitality TV that aren’t seen on consumer models. For example, some TVs have a special start-up channel with relevant information about the hotel and the surrounding area. Pro:idiom, which is an internal chip that allows hotels to run video signals, is also another very popular feature available in hotel TVs that isn’t available for consumer television.
3. WHAT IS PRO:IDIOM?
Pro:Idiom is a type of encryption technology that is commonly used for hotel TV systems. It is designed to protect digital video content from being pirated by users, particularly for the use of premium channels such as ESPN and Disney. Many users require the use of this technology before they’ll agree to distribution of their content in a hotel.
4. EDGE LIT VS DIRECT LIT LED TVS
LCD TV used to be the way to go in the hospitality world, however, the industry standard for flat screen televisions has transitioned away from LCD and into LED television, which allows for better response time, more brightness, and less energy consumption.
There are two different types of LED TVs that affect both the picture and look of the screen.
Edge lit LED TVs
The lighting in an edge lit TV surrounds the perimeter (the edge) of the TV, and the light they emit is spread out across the back of the panel by a series of lighting guides. These types of TVs are thinner, cool off quickly, and are cheaper to produce.
Direct lit LED TVs
When LED lighting is located in the back of the LCD panel it is called a direct Lit LED. These types of TVs will be thicker and more expensive, but overall provide for greater brightness and better contrast.
Essentially, overall image quality is better when it comes to direct lit LEDs, but for those who value a slim profile over all else, edge lit is the way to go.
5. CHOOSING THE RIGHT WALL MOUNT OPTION
Mounting your TV is a wonderful idea for aesthetic and space-saving purposes, especially with the myriad ultra-thin models available to purchase on the market now. But there is more than one way to mount a TV. In fact, there are four ways! They can be broken down by category of functionality.
These four options are:
- Fixed wall mounts
- Flat wall mounts
- Tilting wall mounts
- Full motion wall mounts
Which one you’ll need will depend on several factors, including, but not limited to, your television’s specifications, the amount of swivel you’d like to have, whether you want a mount with an arm, and (of course) the price. Let’s take a look at the four types of wall mount.
Fixed wall mounts
With this type of mount, the TV hangs parallel to the wall in a fixed position. It is the most economical way to hang your TV, as the price is generally lower than the other types of mounts. A fixed mount doesn’t allow for much movement of the TV screen (hence the idea that it is “fixed”), and after installation there will only be a small space between the back of your TV and the wall. A mount like this doesn’t allow for tilting or swiveling the TV. However, some fixed mounts can slide to the left and right.
Flat wall mounts
The ultra flat mount option places the TV monitor very close to the wall (approximately 1/3″ away). This type of installation enhances the flat “hanging picture” dynamic of a wall-hung TV monitor and it has been built specifically with modern ultra-thin TVs in mind. This is a fantastic option for living spaces where the TV can hang flush with the wall, creating a clean and stylish look.
Tilting wall mounts
Tilt mounts are ideal in situations where the TV is mounted higher than eye level position. You can tilt the TV up or down to adjust the vertical viewing angle. A wide variety of tilting wall mounts are available, generally tilting vertically up to 15 degrees. With this option, you can counteract sunlight reflections or that of indoor lights to maximize your viewing experience.
Full motion wall mounts
With the full motion TV wall mount, your TV can be pulled out, rotated side to side and tilted up or down to achieve an unlimited combination of viewing angles. Multi-angle mounts are ideal for large rooms where the desired horizontal viewing angle needs to be adjusted periodically to provide the best viewing angle for any and every seat in the room. Extend, retract, tilt, swivel – whatever you need to do, the full-motion wall mount can handle it.
6. BRAND BREAKDOWN – SAMSUNG AND LG HOSPITALITY TVS
What is a Samsung hospitality TV?
A Samsung hospitality TV is a television display manufactured by Samsung specifically for use in hotel rooms and common areas. Samsung hospitality TVs have all of the special features and modifications that one would expect to need in a hotel setting, including a variety of security settings – such as lockout capabilities to prevent guests from tampering with settings, and volume control limiters that help avoid guests from disturbing one another. Another key feature with Samsung hospitality TVs is that they are compatible with technology solutions that allow content across hundreds of in-room displays, all managed in one central location.
What is the price of a Samsung hospitality TV?
The price of a Samsung hospitality TV depends entirely on the model of the television. A single Samsung television at consumer prices can range anywhere from $150 to over $1,000. Unsurprisingly, commercial/hospitality TVs sets are generally priced higher than consumer sets as they have more robust components which allow for longer wear and tear. This is why hospitality TVs have a minimum 2 year warranty which is a year longer than typical consumer sets. The price per unit also depends on the amount of hospitality televisions ordered in bulk.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that when you purchase your Samsung hospitality TVs from TWS Transworld, we will leverage our volume pricing to get you the most competitive price to suit your needs.
What is an LG hospitality TV?
An LG hospitality TV is a television display that was manufactured by LG specifically to be used in hotel rooms and common areas. LG HTVs have special features required in a hotel setting. One of the most important features of hospitality TVs is the security settings, such as lockout capabilities to avoid guests from tampering with the settings and volume control limiters to avoid guests from disturbing neighbors. Another key feature is that they are compatible with technology solutions that allow content across hundreds of in-room displays to be managed from one central location.
What is the price of an LG hospitality TV?
The price of an LG hospitality TV depends entirely on the model of the television that you choose for your property and usage. A single LG television at regular consumer prices can range anywhere from $175 to over $1,000. Commercial TVs sets are generally priced higher than consumer sets as they have more robust components that allow for longer wear and tear. For this reason, hospitality TVs have a minimum 2 year warranty – a full year longer than typical consumer sets. The price per unit will also depend on the amount of hospitality televisions ordered in bulk.
Keep in mind, however, that when you purchase your LG hospitality TVs from TWS Transworld, we leverage our volume pricing to get the most competitive price!
7. WHAT IS A 4K TV AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
A 4K TV display is one with at least 8 million active pixels. That’s a lot of pixels!
In fact, for televisions it’s four times the number of pixels on a standard 1080p display, and over 23 times the resolution of standard definition television. For viewers, this means there will be a significant jump in clarity on the screen, assuming that the source material is actually available to watch in that resolution. And that’s the other part to keep in mind when it comes to 4K viewing – because the resolution is much higher, it requires more bandwidth to transmit.
When it comes to price, the cost of a 4K hospitality TV depends on a variety of factors. A single 4K television at consumer prices can range anywhere from $300 to over $1,000. 4K hospitality TVs have a minimum 2 year warranty which is a year longer than typical consumer sets, and that longer warranty is also considered as part of the price. The price per unit of course will also be dependent on the amount of hospitality televisions ordered.
8. WHAT IS THE COST/PRICE OF A HOSPITALITY TV?
There are many factors to consider when it comes to finding the price of a hospitality TV. Whether you choose LG, Samsung, pro:Idiom, Smart or non-smart, etc, will all affect the final sticker price, as will issues like price per unit, and numbers needed as part of your bulk purchase. As a starting reference, a single television at consumer prices can range anywhere from $150 to over $1,000.
The most important thing to remember is that when you purchase your hospitality TVs from TWS Transworld, we will go above and beyond to leverage our volume pricing in order to get you the most competitive price for your property’s needs.
Any questions? Contact us today!