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10 steps to video wall success
How to ensure your video wall has a long and fruitful life.
April 3, 2013 by Christopher Hall — writer, self
At last week's first stop on the annual E4AV Tour put on by Almo Professional A/V, attendees were given an expert look at installing digital signage video walls.
Aimed at pro A/V installers, the "Video Walls: A Start to Finish Guide for Success" educational session featured 10 steps to a successful video wall deployment from David Gentile, senior field sales engineer for NEC Display Solutions of America.
Gentile wasted little time, launching right into his top 10 after starting with a short preamble aimed at explaining "Why video walls?" (He answered by listing benefits ranging from simple "wow" factor to the potential for scalable and immense video wall displays to the potential for modular and portable video walls for trade shows or other deployments.)
Here are his top 10 steps to ensure video wall success:
1. Determine the needs.
Pinpoint what the video wall is going to be or potentially going to be used for, Gentile said. "This is the first essential step in ensuring that your system is designed to meet your client's communications goals."
2. Determine the number of images that will be shown at one time.
Will it be one large image on all the screens, or zoned images using the screens as one large canvas? Where will the images come from, a single PC daisy-chained through the displays, or multiple media players? Will the resolution of the image support being shown in so large a format?
3. Content is King.
Make sure to talk with the client about the content to be show and how it will look on the video wall. Make sure the images are shown in the right aspect ratio, or they'll look stretched on the display wall.
4. Go Native.
One output per screen at native resolution gives the best clarity, he said. The best overall picture quality and clarity can only be achieved if the content matches the screen's native clarity.
5. Choose professional-grade products.
Apparently there are still some stubborn holdouts still trying to use residential-grade TVs as digital signage displays. Don't do it. Use commercial-grade digital signage displays and mounts.
Can the screens be color calibrated? Use pro-grade pull-out mounts so the area behind the screens is accessible for maintenance. Also, commercial-grade displays will have much narrower bezels than consumer-grade TVs, and thus, less of a gap in the image.
6. Choose the appropriate mounting system.
Is the existing wall or support beam structurally sound? Are the displays accessible for maintenance? Is the client willing to reinforce the existing wall structure if need be? If it's a hanging mount, does the beam need to be reinforced?
7. Keep it cool.
"Displays get hot; put a bunch of them together and they get hotter," Gentile said, so create airflow around the video wall. Also, displays expand with heat, so installers should use a card trick to make sure that won't cause problems down the road: They should be able to slide a business card through the gap between screens.
8. Determine what the system needs.
Determine the proper electrical requirements for the displays and all the components that will be used for the video wall system (e.g., media players, cooling fans). Include power conditioning, etc.
9. Let the pros do the work.
Have the video wall installed by professionals who know how to properly install video walls, he said.
10. Checkups are good for health.
Perform preventive maintenance to ensure the video wall works and looks great for a long time, he said. (Make sure to budget for this.) Re-calibrate the color of the displays each year, and vacuum/clean behind the displays.
Learn more about digital signage display technology.
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Almo Pro AV
Almo Pro AV is the largest value-added North American Professional AV distributor, offering its reseller partners the most expansive range of products, managed services, technical support, and training to drive business growth and generate profits.
