News

Planar adds up digital signage video wall calculator

May 16, 2014

Beaverton, Oregon-based Planar Systems Inc., a global provider in display and digital signage technology, earlier this week announced the launch of its Clarity Matrix Video Wall Calculator, a free online tool that Planar said simplifies the video wall selection process by simulating for users what their Clarity Matrix LCD Video Wall will look like even before they make the purchase.

Planar is calling it "the first-of-its-kind tool," and the Clarity Matrix Video Wall Calculator enables users to configure an LCD video wall for their project, preview it with their own content and download the results — complete with specification data, installation diagrams and custom renderings — the company said. The free calculator is designed to make the selection process more successful for anyone considering a video wall, including system integrators, designers, consultants and end users, according to Planar.

"The Clarity Matrix Video Wall Calculator simplifies the selection and configuration of a video wall system by reducing the process from hours to minutes and making it available 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any PC, tablet or smartphone," Jennifer Davis, vice president of marketing at Planar Systems, said in the announcement. "It offers a very unique online visualization experience that clients love, and distills a vast quantity of data down to exactly what they need to proceed with their video wall project."

The Clarity Matrix Calculator was built for Planar's recent launch of the Clarity Matrix LCD Video Wall System with G2 Architecture and designed to help customers design and specify video walls with greater ease, speed and accuracy. It includes advanced room customization features and detailed installation mechanics, and users can compare different display models side-by-side on the same wall. They can also upload and preview their own content, while exporting images, schematics and data straight into their sales proposal or project specification.

"The new Clarity Matrix Calculator really helps to shorten the video wall sales cycle," Matt Pullen, sales manager with CCS Presentation Systems, said in the announcement. "Our clients love seeing their own content on the proposed video wall even before they’ve made their choice. The Clarity Matrix Video Wall Calculator is a time-saving resource that is intuitive and extremely informative."

According to Planar, the Clarity Matrix Video Wall Calculator allows users to:

• Create a graphical rendering of the video wall by choosing the model and orientation of the displays and entering the desired display configuration. The rendering can be previewed online or exported as an image to include in product proposals or to share with clients.
• Configure a room by defining the size of the room, choosing one of several custom room environments and selecting a wall color to customize the conceptual design.
• Visualize custom content by uploading their own image or video or selecting from a preset list of content options.
• Compare models and configurations by selecting two models or display configurations and viewing a side-by-side comparison of specification data.
• Understand the environmental and design impact of their video wall by determining the dimensions, weight, power consumption and heat load for their selected video wall configuration, which can be exported into Excel for additional analysis.
• Generate schematics by previewing a mechanical drawing of the mounting array for the video wall that shows dimensions, drill-hole patterns and cable details that can be exported, saving hours of custom CAD design work.
• Export their results by downloading a PDF file summary, which serves as a personal datasheet of their video wall configurations complete with images, schematics and specification data.
• Quickly obtain a quote by clicking on a link directly from within the calculator.

The Clarity Matrix Calculator can be used from a range of devices including PCs, smartphones and tablets, and requires no software installation or registration. The calculator can be found at www.planar.com/matrixcalculator.