News

Christie MicroTiles light up university student center

May 4, 2011

Clarkson University in New York is using Christie MicroTiles for a digital signage display wall that is quickly becoming the hub of campus life, according to an announcement from Christie.

With the concept developed by Christie partner Video Visions Inc., the video wall is the centerpiece of the amphitheater in the school's new student center, which opened in September 2010.

The wall combines an array of 80 Christie MicroTiles arranged in a 10-wide by eight-high configuration, media servers, Crestron touch panel and 12 inputs (with expansion potential for 15), delivering a rich, vibrant audio/video experience that gives students information about campus events, sports feeds such as hockey games, live music from the campus radio station, and four HD television feeds. The installation is also used by students for video games, and is used to create interesting backdrops during live performances such as comedy nights or concerts.

"Our school is very technology-focused, so it was important for us to have state-of-the-art multimedia," Clarkson CIO Kevin Lynch said in the announcement. "We're especially pleased that our design students can use the wall as a canvas for their own work. It gives them a learning experience on the latest in digital display technology. It's also easy enough to program, so that anyone with good laptop skills can do it."

The installation begins on the main floor of the amphitheater, and rises upward. It is easily seen throughout the center, including from some opera-style boxes at the side. Students check the Christie MicroTiles video wall regularly as they walk from one class to the next, and officials sometimes joke that the content is so compelling it's hard to get people back to their work or studies, Christie said.

"The modern, open concept structure has a lot of ambient light, which would have created glare if other digital display systems had been used," said Ted Manahan, director of sales and engineering at Video Visions Inc.