If you’re a surgeon in an operating suite, the last thing you want is your digital display having a black case. Blood and other biohazards are simply hard to see on a black case. On a white case display, however, blood and guts are easy to spot.
The challenge for hospitals, physician offices and dental practices is finding white monitors and digital displays.
There was a day when all PCs and displays came in any color you wanted as long as it was beige or white. Black was the exception. Today, most displays are standardized on black, with the occasional silver and beige thrown in for good measure. White, on the other hand, is scarce. It takes a bit of effort to find white PC and digital displays.
A Planar display rep tells us that manufacturers in Asia have cut back on white displays, preferring to build black panels. The cost in raw materials is no different between black and white displays; it’s just the demand for black is so much greater than white – and the difference in volume makes it less profitable to the factory.
Samsung, LG and ViewSonic portfolios are virtually devoid of light-colored displays. However, Planar is carrying white displays and says it’s seeing strong demand for white displays in health care (hospitals, physician practices and dentist offices), hospitality and restaurants, and retail.
Environments that are particular about cleanliness and avoiding contamination – such as operating rooms and kitchens – prefer white displays because they don’t hide messy stuff as easily as black displays.
With the amount of money flowing into health care through the Obama stimulus package, the demand for integrated health care systems will only increase. And with that demand is the need for better displays – white displays.