Or, in this case, a better display unit.

One of the ongoing challenges we have here at BrightDoor is what type of cabinetry most effectively and attractively houses the screens on which our clients display BrightShow.

Back when we began doing deployments in the late summer of 2005, simply the concept alone of a “touch-enabled topo table that you could dynamically update” was enough to draw oohs and ahhs. The first one, while impressive at over 96″ wide with a granite surround, was pretty basic. Wood, screen, speakers.

It wasn’t long before we started tinkering, based on feedback, with the basic premise. Over the years we’ve addressed almost everything you could vary about the tables:

• Size (did I mention the 96″?)
• Angle of view (we quickly discovered that “flat” wasn’t where it’s “at”)
• Height (countertop isn’t always the optimal)
• Cooling (ever seen a homemade cooling unit made from sheet metal and a bathroom fan? I have.)
• Venting (when all else fails, a high-powered drill and a 4″ diameter boring bit will go through hardwoods)
• Audio location (sometimes you gotta let the audio dictate the table, not the other way around)
• Wiring (think the floor underneath your desk can get tangled?)
• Access (new rule: If, once you put the screen in the cabinet, you have no openings anywhere? It’s not a display cabinet, it’s a box.)

We’ve hit on a formula that’s pretty standard now, and even if a client opts to do their own millwork (about 30% of the time), we’ll send them images and drawings from previous ones we’ve done. You’d be amazed how far it will go to prevent arriving for an install and finding a small, flat, short, hot, hot some more, silent, messy box.