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InfoComm11: Planar unveils multitouch video wall package, new 82-inch display

Moving power and electronics offboard helps keep large-scale Planar displays skinny.

June 14, 2011 by Christopher Hall — w, t

Today, at InfoComm 2011, specialty display solutions firm Planar Systems Inc. introduced two new products that company executives say are firsts in the marketplace: an integrated, turnkey, touch video wall solution, and an 82-inch display with externally rack-mounted electronics.

Planar introduced a touch version of its Clarity Matrix video wall solution, the Clarity Matrix Touch, that it says makes it the first display manufacturer to introduce an LCD video wall solution with integrated, multi-touch capabilities. The Clarity Matrix Touch is a turnkey solution for deploying multitouch video walls in public spaces, interactive signage applications and commercial and government collaboration rooms, Planar said.

What really sets the new solution apart is its integration, according to Steve Seminario, senior director of product marketing for Planar Systems. The Clarity Matrix Touch is a large-scale, ultra-thin multitouch LCD video wall that comes in three standard sizes: a 92-inch diagonal, 130-inch diagonal and a 138-inch diagonal. The 92-inch product is a two-by-two configuration, the 130-inch is three-by-two, and the 138-inch is three-by-three.

"What's unique about what we've done with these configurations is it's really all the components sold together to implement a multitouch LCD video wall," Seminario said in a recent telephone interview.

Another key differentiator is the solution's use of Planar's ERO, or Extended Ruggedness and Optics, product – optically-bonded glass that goes on the front of each panel, over the bezel and to the very edge of the display. When ERO covered displays are tiled together in a modular fashion, Seminario said, the result is a seamless touch surface with all the advantages of modular construction, e.g., six small pieces of glass rather than one huge sheet, heat transfer rather than heat trapping, parallax elimination, etc.

"The touch surface is built into each panel," he said.

Clarity Matrix Touch uses the DViT (Digital Vision Touch) technology from SMART Technologies to make the display touch sensitive.

"Over the past few years, we've witnessed an increasing demand for products that feature our DViT technology as a growing number of customers around the world continue to seek high-quality touch and annotation capabilities for larger displays," Linda Thomas, vice president, products, SMART Technologies, said in a press release. "The Clarity Matrix Touch solution will enable customers to deploy larger touch-enabled surfaces quickly and easily to enhance collaboration for all users."

The company also introduced a new version of its slim-profile Planar d82L LCD display designed for corporate environments, small-scale control rooms and public venues for digital signage.

Planar said its d82L with AccessChoice design is the first 82-inch display to offer rack-mountable electronics, along with a broad selection of inputs, landscape or portrait orientation and superior visual performance.

The Clarity Matrix Touch takes a similar approach, just like the Clarity Matrix, Planar's nontouch LCD video wall product. The Planar video wall solution "offboards" all the electronics and power supplies into external rack-mounted units, which reduces the depth of the and reduces onboard heating, negating any need for cooling fans. The firm's new 82-inch displays use two external units, making them slim enough to be ADA-compliant, Seminario said.

The first product in the Planar d82L line debuted earlier this year at Digital Signage Expo 2011 in February, just four months ago. The Planar d82L with AccessConsole houses the electronics above the screen, and Planar developed the new AccessChoice option to meet different demands from system integrators and their end-user clients, looking for a large-screen, slim-profile panel that offers the freedom to select the location of the rack-mounted components and the expanded capability to connect to a wide variety of inputs. The electronics rack can be located as much as 80 feet from the LCD, expanding placement options.

And InfoComm is a perfect venue to debut the new products, Seminaro said, since it brings together both end-user customers and integrators from all over the world in one venue. Planar is excited to see the market reaction to its new products, he said, and in some sneak-peek briefings the reactions have been positive.

"The real proof will be after the launch this week," he said.

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