How to choose hardware

A pragmatic decision guide to pick the right OneDisplay hardware for your use case—fast.

Not sure which device to pick? Use this page to go from requirements → recommendation quickly. We focus on reliability, total cost of ownership (TCO), and ease of deployment.

TL;DR decision flow

Mission-critical uptime or you need GPIO/RS-232 or multi-screen sync
→ Use BrightSign (HD5 for most, XD5/XT5 for heavy HTML/HDR/sync).
All-in-one (no external box) and you’re fine with modern built-in browsers
→ Samsung (Tizen/SSSP) or LG (webOS Signage).
- Prefer Samsung QMC/QHC/QBC or LG UH5F-H (current pro lines).
Outdoor/high-brightness
→ Samsung OH/OH2 or LG XE (panel families designed for sunlit installs).
Tightest budget with decent pro features
→ Samsung BE/BET/BEC or LG UL3J/UR640S.

If you’re still unsure after this, send us your planned model codes and use case; we’ll confirm compatibility.

Platform comparison (at a glance)

Capability	BrightSign (HD5/XD5/XT5)	Samsung Signage (Tizen/SSSP)	LG webOS Signage
Reliability (24/7)	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
All-in-one (no box)	✖️	✅	✅
HTML/JS performance (modern models)	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (XD/XT)	⭐⭐⭐ (newer Q-series best)	⭐⭐⭐ (UH/SM lines best)
4K/HDR video	✅ (HD/XY vary, XD/XT best)	✅ (model dependent)	✅ (model dependent)
Multi-screen sync	✅ (strong)	Limited	Limited
RS-232 / GPIO	✅ (native)	RS-232 via panel (model dependent)	RS-232 via panel (model dependent)
Rollout tooling	BrightAuthor/BSN	Samsung RM/DM	LG SuperSign
TCO (device + ops)	$$–$$$	$–$$	$–$$

Rule of thumb: If you need IO/sync/“never-fails” signage → BrightSign. If you want minimal cabling → Samsung/LG, choose recent pro series for better web engines.

Brightness guide (indoor → outdoor)

Environment	Typical nit (cd/m²)	Notes
Indoor office/retail	300–500	Most pro signage is 400–700 nit.
Sunlit lobby / storefront window	700–1500	Consider anti-glare and cooling.
Direct sun / outdoor	2500–4000+	Use true outdoor panels (IP rated).

Recommendations by scenario

Best: BrightSign HD5 or Samsung QMC/QBC (or LG UH5F-H).
Notes: 4K@60 clean loops, simple scheduling, wired Ethernet preferred.

Corporate lobby / dashboards / mixed HTML

Best: BrightSign XD5/XT5 (for heavier HTML), or recent Samsung/LG pro lines.
Notes: Use recent browser engines and keep HTML lean for panel-only setups.

Synchronized multi-screen (mosaics, menus)

Best: BrightSign XD5/XT5 with sync profiles.

Outdoor / high-brightness

Best: Samsung OH/OH2 or LG XE (outdoor-rated enclosures).
Notes: Ventilation, ambient light sensors, service access.

Interactive / touch kiosk

Best: BrightSign XT5 or a modern PC stick/NUC running the OneDisplay web app (if you need complex JS frameworks).
Notes: For Samsung/LG touch overlays, verify web runtime performance first.

Example model families (non-exhaustive)

BrightSign: LS5 (basic), HD5 (mainstream), XD5/XT5 (advanced 4K/HDR/HTML), Series 4 equivalents for legacy fleets.
Samsung: QMC/QHC/QBC (pro), QMB/QHB/QBB (earlier), BE/BET/BEC (entry), OH/OH2 (outdoor).
LG: UH5F-H (pro), SM5J (mainstream), UL3J / UR640S (entry), XE (outdoor).