An LED (light emitting diode) is a semiconductor light source that is an efficient, effective and ultra-bright alternative to incandescent light bulbs. The useful life of LEDs in a Watchfire digital billboard is typically 12 - 15 years and requires significantly less power to operate than many competitive LEDs (in most cases less than $10.00 a day).

Broadly speaking, LED billboards have three main components - the LED modules, the internal controllers and power supplies, and the outer cabinet - all of which are manufactured and assembled at Watchfire's Danville, Ill., headquarters. We differ from many "distributors" who import components and handle some light assembly. Watchfire Digital Outdoor is a vertically integrated digital billboard manufacturer. We engineer our own products, write and support the software that runs them, and build our products from start to finish.

The LED module is also composed of three main pieces - a module tray, the circuit board (which holds the LEDs and circuitry), and a louver, which snaps over the tray and circuit board to provide protection from impact and provide contrast for the LEDs. Each Watchfire LED module is encapsulated in a thick bed of silicone gel, sealing out moisture so thoroughly they can actually operate underwater for months on end. We know of no other digital billboard product that can withstand such a rigorous test.

Some internal components are built at Watchfire's Danville, Ill., headquarters. Others are sourced from the world's premier Tier 1 vendors.

Watchfire Digital Outdoor billboards are built to last. Our cabinets feature solid welds, not "pop" rivets. We design for high-inrush current and high-voltage protection. We use stronger, heavy-walled aluminum extrusions with monocoque construction instead of cheaper sheet metal or fabricated metal cabinets. Plus, our LED and component supply chain comprises the finest Tier 1 manufacturers the world has to offer.

Our digital billboards have a clean design, both mechanically and electronically. Minimal parts count and connectors combined with simplified construction results in lower predicted failure rates and better overall operation.

Because of the advanced engineering and manufacturing of Watchfire digital billboards, we were the first to offer a 5-year warranty - the finest in the industry.

We also encourage our customers to tour our manufacturing plant to see the Watchfire difference first-hand.

Pixel pitch is the distance, in millimeters, of center-to-center spacing between adjacent pixels.  Watchfire makes a True-12mm pitch model, True-16mm pitch model, a True-19mm pitch model and the innovative E-16mm pitch model. The easiest way to put those numbers into perspective is to consider LEDs per square foot. Our True-12mm digital billboards have a whopping 1728 LEDs per square foot. True-16mm digital boards have 1020 LEDs per square foot, True-19mm boards have 768 LEDs per square foot and our E-16mm boards have 510 LEDs per square foot.

The density of LEDs is the leading determinant of image clarity - the more LEDs per square foot, the crisper the image. The closer a viewer is to a digital billboard, the more the LED density comes into play.

The cost of digital LED boards has leveled significantly. There have been moderate price reductions in recent years, but billboard operators who have premium locations (which can be permitted for digital billboards) can earn far more in revenue by moving ahead quickly than they could hope to save in several years of price reductions. In other words, the opportunity cost greatly exceeds potential savings. Most billboard operators report a 6 to 10 time increase in revenue per board after converting from traditional to digital faces.

With Watchfire's E-16mm boards, the savings can be even greater. Our technology offers an alternative approach to resolution with at an attractive price point. These digital boards don't just improve your image; they make your bottom line look better too.

Watchfire digital billboards have been tested extensively, operating in extreme conditions: 180 days completely submerged underwater, 60 days of salt spray and temperatures as low as -40° F.

What's more, Watchfire is the only digital outdoor manufacturer to fully encapsulate the LED board in a thick bed of silicone gel. This unusual protection helps seal the components from the elements to improve the durability of the board.

The tray and louver assemblies of each module are manufactured using a matte polycarbonate plastic, which is nearly unbreakable. This polycarbonate packaging protects the LEDs from most projectiles. There are occasions when a precise hit can cause damage, but those are rare. In the event that there is damage, it is typically limited to a single module. This means that the whole sign is rarely damaged and replacement is usually limited to a single module.

We offer three reliable means for you to track the operation of your digital billboard: live Web cam, automated diagnostics and proof-of-performance reports.

• Web Cam: the Web cam provides you with a real time view of the sign 24-hours a day.
• Automated Diagnostics: monitor the LED board's "health" in real time to identify malfunctions and service issues. Problems can be identified down to the individual LED level.
• Proof of Performance Reports: the billboard operator can periodically generate custom reports that summarize play counts and date ranges. Reports can be customized for individual advertisers.

LEDs themselves do not burn out. There is nothing inside them that fails. They simply dim uniformly over time. In a severe laboratory environment, the LEDs used by Watchfire are rated to maintain acceptable brightness for at least 100,000 hours.  In real world operations, they should last much longer.

Each case is unique, so you should seek the advice of a structural engineer. A Watchfire 14' x 48' board, for example, weighs about 6,200lbs. Due to our superior design and construction, Watchfire digital billboards come in at the light-weight end of this scale and can weigh as little as half as much as competitors' digital billboards.

As a rule of thumb, if the billboard structure is a contemporary, well-engineered, professionally-built and installed steel monopole, a digital billboard can be added with minimal, if any, strengthening. However, every billboard must be inspected by a licensed engineer before making plans to add a digital face.

Images are sent to the billboard via the Internet using Watchfire's Ignite® Online web-based software. This means Watchfire Digital Outdoor billboards are updated easily and remotely without sending out a posting crew. In fact, you can update and manage your digital billboard from anywhere in the world. Most of our billboard installations use broadband wireless connectivity, though we also offer DSL connectivity.

Yes. Our Ignite® Online software has been built with the billboard operator in mind. With just an hour or two of training from a Watchfire software specialist, most people feel very comfortable using our intuitive software interface.

Ignite Online is included in the purchase of the billboard.

JPG files are the most common file types. GIF and BMP files work well too.

Our financing option is exclusively for Watchfire Digital Outdoor billboards. It allows you to make a manageable monthly payment for your sign. Watchfire buyers choose this option for the flexibility and freedom it allows.

Our 5-year warranty has been standard on every LED board we've built for years. There are no "upgrade" games, and you don't have to pay extra for the 5-year protection. It covers all electronics and LEDs on your Watchfire Digital Outdoor billboard. To the best of our knowledge, no one in the industry offers a better warranty.

You'll have complete support from Watchfire during and after installation. This support includes all of the following: training on your new sign's software and hardware, delivery of parts and quick repairs, customer support to answer your questions, and our gold-standard 5-year warranty.

You also have lifetime access to our Help Desk at no charge.

Digital Outdoor: A digital LED billboard that is used to display multiple advertisers' messages, typically located off-premise (in other words, it's not located on a business's property, but is located some distance away, more visible to traffic and the public). Billboard operators sell media space on the digital billboard to advertisers.

On-premise LED Signs: An on-premise sign is an LED sign located outdoors on the premises of a business, typically mounted on the building, in a monument display or on a set of posts, used by the business owner or organization to directly promote their specific business or organization. On-premise LED signs can usually use animation, scrolling, or full-motion video, depending on local zoning regulations.

Our 4th Generation digital billboards are more energy efficient, more technologically advanced and more user-friendly than ever:

• Reduction in energy requirements. A Watchfire digital bulletin, for example, now requires less than 70 amps of service.
• With our new Preferred Plan, we'll handle pre-installation, sales and marketing, and long-term operations for you.
• Front- and rear-service cabinets simplify maintenance, improve appearance and lower the overall weight of the structure.
• Higher-efficacy LEDs effectively deliver a wider viewing angle and truer colors.
• Ignite® Online offers Web-based access and the display of RSS feeds (news, sports scores, stock quotes, weather forecasts, etc.)
• Whole-sign color calibration on every Watchfire billboard eliminates the "tiling" or "quilting" effect.
• All Watchfire billboards boast an industry-leading 1.15 quintillion colors for richer, more vibrant images.

Large quantities of data show that digital billboards are safe.  In 2007, state officials from South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia found that the rate of accidents did not increase in proximity to digital billboards.  Local officials in El Paso, Texas; Rochester, Minn.; and elsewhere have echoed this same finding.  In addition, the outdoor advertising industry began analyzing accident records in 2007.  Conducted in Cleveland, Ohio, this pioneering research showed no significant statistical relationship between digital billboards and traffic accidents.