Why buyer awareness is key to unlocking higher value from LED screens

 For LED screens used in DOOH, lab testing is meant to establish something fundamental – whether the hardware can deliver the performance, reliability and safety it promises. Yet, according to Pushpender Kaushik, Technical Head – India Region, Unilumin Group, the bigger challenge may lie not in the availability of testing, but in how much buyers understand about it. 

Speaking to Media4Growth as part of the exclusive series “Lab Testing: The Way Ahead for LED Displays?”, Pushpender explained that established LED manufacturers test their products against global certifications and standards, including CE, UL, FCC, RoHS and EMC. But these certifications and technical parameters only become meaningful when buyers know what to look for. 

The awareness gap 

According to Pushpender, testing and certification are discussed more often in government and public-sector projects, while they receive comparatively less attention in the private OOH and media market. 

“Testing and certification come up mostly in government and public sector deals, not so much in the regular media and advertising market,” he said. 

He estimates that roughly half of media owners are aware of the differences between LED technologies and make more informed choices, while the other half may not be fully aware of what they are missing. 

That awareness gap matters because LED screens are not just display products. They are 24×7 operating assets, exposed to heat, dust, humidity and direct sunlight, with performance directly linked to the revenue they generate. 

This is where lab testing becomes important. It can provide an objective basis for evaluating what a product is actually capable of delivering, rather than leaving the purchase decision entirely to headline specifications or price. 

From testing to informed buying 

For the DOOH industry, therefore, the conversation around lab testing may need to extend beyond manufacturers and certification agencies to the buyers themselves. 

The question is not just whether an LED screen has been tested, but whether the buyer knows what was tested, against which standards, and what those results mean for its performance in the field. 

As India’s digital OOH infrastructure continues to grow, greater buyer awareness could make lab testing more than a manufacturer’s credential. It could become an important part of how media owners evaluate the long-term value and reliability of their LED investments. 

This is part of Media4Growth’s exclusive series ‘Lab Testing: The Way Ahead for LED Displays?’ Stay tuned for more industry voices on this topic.