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NEC adds 55-inch S-IPS panels to digital signage video wall range

New digital signage displays with S-IPS panels aimed at broadcast, retail and command-and-control digital signage applications.

October 8, 2015

Commercial LCD display and projector solutions provider NEC Display Solutions of America announced today the X555UNS and X555UNV displays, additions to its extensive 24-by-7 video wall solutions portfolio.

The new 55-inch displays use S-IPS panels, designed to deliver superior off-angle viewing and excellent color reproduction at off viewing angles in both landscape and portrait orientation. The new panel technology is particularly important to industry sectors such as broadcast, retail, and command and control, NEC said. 

The X555UNS and X555UNV displays also boast localized dimming capabilities, enabling their backlights to dynamically change based on content. That means the backlighting behind the panel is controlled based on what's currently displayed on the screen where darker content has dimmer backlighting and lighter content may leverage the backlights up to their full capabilities, providing a more vivid overall image, according to the announcement.

"By utilizing S-IPS panel technology in these new 55-inch video wall displays, we are continuing to strengthen our video wall lineup," said Keith Yanke, senior director of product marketing for large-screen displays and projectors at NEC Display. "With less color shift for angled viewing and 10-bit color processing, the X Series video-wall displays improve the visual impact of content with key audiences, not limited to, but including the broadcast, retail and command and control industries."

The company said one of the displays' key features is FrameComp, designed to compensate for content lag typically seen in larger video walls with horizontal moving objects. Also, while previous generations of video wall displays were able to daisy chain only 1080p resolutions, the X555UNS and X555UNV displays can now daisy chain up to 2160p, allowing four times the resolution across the entire digital canvas, the company said.

Faster installation also is possible with these new models, which leads to reductions in costs and improved customer experiences, NEC Display said in the announcement. Auto TileMatrix allows a user to set up the size of the video wall on the first display and automatically scale the content through the remaining displays. With the press of a few buttons, the entire video wall is complete, the company said.

The displays also support Intel's Open Pluggable Specification, an industry-wide standard in option slots to simplify digital signage. The OPS option slots enable easier installation, use and maintenance.  Audio, video, power and control are all internal to the displays.  

Among the other features of each display:

• Full commercial build with steel chassis, commercial-grade cooling fans and temperature sensor;
• Direct LED-backlighting, which translates to improved brightness uniformity, reduced power consumption and mercury-free components;
• Bezel gap of just 3.5mm between neighboring displays;
• Auto ID, Auto IP Address and Auto TileMatrix, which ease the time necessary to set up control and image properties across the video walls;
• Panel brightness of 500 cd/m² for the X555UNV and 700 cd/m² for the X555UNS;
• 3500:1 contrast ratio;
• 10-bit color processing for up to 1.07-billion viewable colors;
• Expanded connectivity panel, including DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI;
• Expanded daisy chain options with DisplayPort 1.2, which enables 4K resolution across entire wall;
• Carbon footprint meter, which calculates and tracks carbon savings;
• NaViSet Administrator 2 software compatible, which allows asset management capabilities of the products as well as full control and task management; and
• Optional color calibration software, which stores information within the LUT, or look up tables, of the display, and ensures color uniformity and fidelity across multiple screens.

The X555UNS and X555UNV displays will be available this month at a minimum advertised price of $7,599 and $4,999, respectively, the company said. They'll ship with a three-year parts and labor warranty, including the backlight. The X555UNS and X555UNV are also available in 2x2 (X555UNS-TMX4P and X555UNV-TMX4P) and 3x3 (X555UNS-TMX9P and X555UNV-TMX9P) bundle options.