General FAQ’s

What is the definition of a PID (Public Information Displays)?
Displays intended to be used in Out-of-Home, Public environments and viewed by more than one individual simultaneously to convey information, advertising or other forms of “messaging” with full color, full motion capabilities.

Additional subsets can include “single viewing” displays viewed for an extremely limited period of time a queue (e.g. supermarket checkout displays).

Feature sets of these products generally include (a) an Industrial look-and-feel (as opposed to a consumer look and feel), (b) RS-232 Controls, (c ) distribution through B2B, Industrial, ProAV, IT and other non-consumer channels and (d) generally include products which do not include TV tuners.  When in doubt, a product is determined to be a “Public Display” by a companies own internal definition and how it principally markets and sells the product.

The current definition of PID does not include Industrial / Hospitality TVs (Hotel Room TVs) although many define this as part of this market due to similar go-to-market strategies.

How do I turn on the Kortek All in One?
Ans:  There are technically two power buttons one for the LCD and one for the PC.  The LCD power button is located on the bottom side of the bezel.  The PC power button is located next to the DVD player. 

TouchScreen FAQ’s

Before contacting NextWindow's technical support, check the following frequently asked questions and answers.  If you are experiencing a problem with one of NextWindow's touchscreens, there could be a simple solution below that would quickly get your application up and running and save you time.

Will the touchscreen work in both Portrait Mode and Landscape Mode?
Ans:  NextWindow’s touch screens can be installed in portrait or landscape orientation. The calibration procedure allows the touch screen to align itself correctly with the picture on the display screen. Note that, the display itself may need software to rotate the picture into portrait orientation (Kortek models use NVIDA).

Ho do I calibrate the touchscreen?
Ans:  The default calibration key is the “Scroll Lock” key on a computer keyboard. The default way to start a calibration is to press the scroll-lock key 6 times.  The process is a four-point calibration that is zero drift and therefore should not require additional calibration.  Once activating the calibration process place your finger over the tip of the cursor and hold for 7-10 seconds, then lift and repeat over the next three touch points.  After the fourth and final release, the screen is calibrated.  

How do I turn the beeping sound off?
Ans:  In USB Config, go to the General tab and set the buzzer time to zero.

How do I disable right mouse click?
Ans:  For some applications, such as kiosks, it may be necessary to disable the right-click option so that users cannot access operating system functions.
To disable the right-click option, go to the Mouse tab in USB Config and set Right Click Delay to zero.

How do I use the touchscreen with Linux?
Ans:  For instructions, see the NextWindow Touch Screen Working on Linux page.

Can I use the touch screen with an Apple computerand Kortek LCD + Touch monitor?
Ans:  Yes.  Plug in the USB cable and wait for the computer to recognize the USB device. You may need to calibrate the touchscreen to the monitor first using a Windows based PC (see “how to calibrate”). If you want to change any other settings (like beeping sound and right click), you can run USB Config on a PC connected to the touch screen before connecting the Apple computer.

Will the touchscreen work if the glass is dirty, damaged, or scratched?
Ans:  Yes.  A benefit of optical/infrared touch is that the infrared beam hovers above the glass so any imperfections to the glass do not affect the infrared beam at all, and thus the efficiency of the touch. 
Disclaimer:  Dirty optical/infrared camera lenses can cause irregular touch performance.  Cleaning the cameras once quarterly with a non-ammonia based cleaner and Q-tips will insure overall best performance.

What PC systems will your touchscreen systems work with?
Ans:  Our touchscreen solution works with most common operating systems, including Microsoft (HID Compliant), Macintosh, and Linux (with some work).

How does the touchscreen interface with my PC?
Ans:  Our touch screen solutions generally interface to the PC via a serial port (RS-232) connection or a USB type connection. The serial port interface generally works with DOS, Windows, and Linux Systems. The USB port interface typically works with Windows and Macintosh systems.

What mouse functions does the touchscreen emulate?
Ans:  The touchscreen is an input device like a mouse or trackpad, and it emulates basic mouse functions. The touchscreen can emulate left-clicks, double-clicking, and dragging. When the screen is touched, it is the same as if you used your mouse to move the pointer to that spot, and then clicked your mouse button. Right-clicking can be holding finger on screen for a couple of seconds.

Do I have to use my finger or can I use another pointing device with a touchscreen?
Ans:  A beneficial feature of an optical/infrared touchscreen is that it can be operated with a finger, gloved-hand, stylus, pen, or any pointing device.  This benefit translates to the technology being ADA compliant for disabled persons with prosthetic hands.

Can the touchscreen respond to two touches / two fingers at the same time?
Ans:  Technically the touchscreen will recognize mutli-touch but most operating systems do not support or recognize multiple touch input.  So the first touch is accepted and the second is ignored.  Special software is available for multi-touch input.

Can I use a touch screen to browse my Web site?
Ans: Yes the touchscreen is an input device like a mouse or trackpad, and it emulates basic mouse functions.

Are there special concerns when designing a touch screen software application?
Ans:  When designing a touchscreen application, remember your finger is larger than a mouse pointer. Design your buttons large enough and spaced apart enough for a finger to touch easily. It is also a good idea to include a graphical or audio response to each touch. This will indicate to the user his/her touch was accepted and will not leave the user confused. For simplicity, it is best to not use dragging, double-clicks, scroll bars, drop-down menus, or multiple windows. This will make it as easy as possible for the user. Limit choices to your customer and try to offer as much on-screen assistance as possible. Bright backgrounds will hide fingerprints more than a black background would.

What can I use to clean the touchscreen?
Ans:  Any standard glass cleaner (non-ammonia based) can be used to clean the touchscreen. Always spray the glass cleaner on the cloth or towel and then clean the touchscreen.

What if the response of the touchscreen is erratic?
Ans:  There are two suggested steps to take in order to correct the response of the touchscreen.  1) Clean the sides and corners of the screen with Q-tips.  2)  If the cleaning doesn’t work, please contact Kortek for support help.

What type of touch screen does Kortek use?
Ans:  Kortek uses optical/infrared touchscreen technology. It is a durable technology that offers high image clarity and responds to any input device or stylus. Because the panel is all glass there are no layers that can be worn, giving this technology the highest durability factor and also the highest clarity. This technology is recommended for public information kiosks, computer based training, or other high traffic indoor environments.

Warranty FAQ’s

What is the Kortek Warranty?
Ans:  Limited 2-year warranty on the LCD panel and a limited 3-year warranty on the PC components.

When can I purchase additional warranty options?
Ans:  With the first (90) ninety days from purchase, you can upgrade or purchase expanded service/warranty options.

What can I do if my All-In-One or LCD + PC is out of warranty and I need replacement PC parts?
Ans:  Kortek suggests that you purchase similar PC components from your favorite store that supplies computer components.  All PC components are non-proprietary which makes upgrades and replacements a breeze.  The only important specifications are that the PCI/PCIe components must be low-profile/half-height and the Motherboard must conform to Micro-ATX form factor of 9.6” by 9.6”.

LCD FAQ’s

What is a NIT?
Ans:  A NIT is a measurement of light in candelas per meter square (Cd/m2)
For an LCD monitor it is brightness out of the front panel of the display. A NIT is a good basic reference when comparing brightness from monitor to monitor. Most desktop LCD's or Notebook LCD's have a brightness of 200 to 250 Nits. These standard LCD's are not readable in direct or even indirect sunlight as they become washed out.  The Kortek solution offers LCD’s with 500 Nits- 700 Nits.

What is Luminance?
Ans:  Luminance is the scientific term for "Photopic Brightness" which specifies the visual brightness of an object. In layman's terms, it is commonly referred to as "brightness". Luminance is specified in candelas per square meter (Cd/m2) or nits. In the US, the British unit Foot-lamberts (fL) is also frequently used. To convert from fL to nits, multiply the number in fL by 3.426 (i.e. 1 fL = 3.426 nits).

Luminance is an influential factor of perceived picture quality in an LCD. The importance of luminance is enhanced by the fact that humans will react more positively to a brightly illuminated screen. In indoor environments, a standard active-matrix LCD with a screen luminance of around 250 nits will look good. In the same scenario an LCD with a luminance of 1,000 nits or more will look utterly captivating.

What is a Viewing Angle and why does it matter?
Ans:  The viewing angle is the angle at which the image quality of an LCD degrades and becomes unacceptable for the intended application. Viewing angles are usually quoted in horizontal and vertical degrees with importance dependent on the specific application. As the observer physically moves to the sides of the LCD, the images will degrade in three ways. First, the luminance drops. Second, the contrast ratio usually drops off at large angles. Third, the colors may shift. Most modern LCD's have acceptable viewing angles even for viewing from the sides.

For LCD's used in outdoor applications, defining the viewing angle based on CR alone is not adequate. Under very bright ambient light conditions the display is hardly visible when the screen luminance drops below 200 nits. Therefore, the viewing angles are defined based on both the CR and the Luminance.

Display Modes: An overview of screen resolutions
The term display mode or the more commonly used screen resolution refers to the characteristics of a computer display. Screen real estate is usually measured in pixels. In particular, the maximum number of colors and the image resolution in pixels measured horizontally and vertically. There are several display modes that are used today from a small amount of data up to extremely large amounts that are jam-packed into the display area.

Can Burn-In Happen to LCD Monitors?
Ans:  LCD monitors use a very different method for producing the image on the screen and are supposed to be immune to the burn-in effect. Rather than phosphors being used to generate the light and color, an LCD has a white light behind the screen and then uses polarizers and crystals to filter the light to specific colors. While LCD's are not susceptible to the burn-in the same way CRT monitors are, they do suffer from what the manufacturers like to call image persistence.
What is Image Persistence?
Like the burn-in on CRTs, image persistence on LCD monitors is caused by the continuous display of static graphics on the screen for extended periods of time. What this does is cause the LCD crystals to have a memory for their location in order to generate the colors of that graphic. When a different color is then displayed in that location, the color will be off from what it should be and instead have a faint image of what was previously displayed.  This problem is most common for elements of the display that do not change. So items that are likely to generate a persistent image are the task bar, desktop icons and even background images. All of these tend to be static in their location and will be displayed on the screen for extended period of time. Once other graphics are loaded over these locations, it may be possible to see a faint outline or image of the previous graphic.
Is it permanent?
In most cases, no. The crystals do have a natural state and can shift depending upon the amount of current used to generate the desired color. As long as these colors do shift periodically, the crystals at that pixel should fluctuate enough such that the image will not be permanently imprinted into the crystals. Having said that, it is possible that the crystals could get a permanent memory if the screen image does not change at all and the screen is left on all the time. It is very unlikely for a consumer to have this happen as it is more likely to happen in a fixed display such as those seen as display boards for businesses that do not change.
Can it be prevented/corrected?
Yes, image persistence on LCD screens can be corrected in most cases and is easily prevented.  Try the following methods to correct the image persistence:
1. Turn off the monitor for extended periods of time. It can be as little as several hours or it could be as long as several days.
2. Use a screen saver with a rotating image and run it for extended periods of time. The rotating color palette should help remove the persistent image but it could take a long time.
3. Run the screen with a single solid color or bright white for an extended period of time. This will cause all of the crystals to be reset at a single color setting and should erase and previous image persistence.

I have a bright pixel on the screen, what is it?
Small bright dots may appear on your TFT display when you turn on your computer. Your display contains an extremely large number of thin-film transistors (TFTs) and is manufactured using high-precision technology. Any small bright dots that may appear on your display are an intrinsic characteristic of the TFT manufacturing technology.

Will the brightness on my LCD diminish over time?
Ans:  Yes.  Unfortunately over a period of time, and depending on the usage of the computer, the brightness of the LCD screen will deteriorate.  This is an intrinsic characteristic of LCD technology.

 PC Trouble shooting

 (Assuming LCD works; this is determined by the phrase “no sync” on the screen):

1. PC does not power on at all, no fans, nothing (first indication is that the BIOS screen doesn’t appear).
   1. Check power supply.
2. PC seems to be running (noise from fans and hard drive), but the phrase “no sync” appears on the screen.
   1. Check video card.  Remove card and re-seat. Reboot.
   2. Bypass video card and plug VGA cable into motherboard VGA.
      1. If screen fills with signal the video card is toast.
3. Screen lights up and shows BIOS for 30 seconds and then screen goes dark and displays “no sync.”
   1. Check CPU fan push-pins to see if loose.  Any sharp impact while the monitor is laid on its face or back side may cause the CPU fan to come loose.  This causes the CPU to overheat and a signal will be sent to the BIOS to shut down automatically.  Usually the result of rough handling. 
   2. All fans running and LED light on motherboard is on, but Windows will not boot
4. BIOS appears on screen but, PC will not load Windows.
   1. Check BIOS to see if the hard drive is listed a connected.
      1. If not, hard drive is toast
      2. If yes, Windows might be corrupt.
         1. Boot from Windows disc to repair.
5. PC boots fine allowing access to programs and files for 60 seconds or less and then freezes forcing manual reboot, which results in the same experience ( this is assuming Windows OS is not corrupt).
   1. Check integrity of hard drive by running a hard drive scan in DOS mode.
      1. If hard drive is good, with no repairs then check motherboard.
      2. If hard drive scan reports repairs, try rebooting to see if fully functional.  If not fully functional, then check motherboard.