Types of video walls.
There are two kinds of video walls, one uses LCD and LED technology, understanding the technology will result in a much better solution without any unexpected extra investment.
Uses for video walls.
You may have seen a video wall at your local shopping mall, or you may have seen one at your local rugby club. These are used for providing information and entertainment in order to boost brand awareness.
With the variations in the different technologies, it is essential that the right solution is uses for the right application; otherwise the investment may be the wrong one. Now let us look at the technologies involved.
Indoor video wall.
Normally an indoor video wall is made up of LCD displays that are designed specifically for video wall formation, as the bezel around the viewing area of the screen has to be as small as possible. This is ensures that that image that is on the tiled screens appears seamless. The last thing you want is large black bezels that show the image as separate sections, this detracts from the advertising or entertaining solution.
An indoor solution is usually mounted to a wall, so the best mounting solution is one, which can be accessed without having to remove other displays. There are mounts that you push at any corner and they pop out, allowing uninterrupted access to the display and the cabling.
LED video curtain.
These are usually used for exhibition and trade shows, they consist of clusters of LED’s, that are sewn into a nylon sheet that can be hung from exhibition stands. These are quick to install, take up much less space than the LCD solution, so perfect for events, trade shows and even music concerts. No special hardware to mount, this is used deployed in temporary locations and not a permanent option.
Outdoor LED video wall.
Usually when an outdoor video wall solution is considered, the people planning the solution will have thought of access, will this be from the front or rear? Then the LED video wall can be specified.
Which size, P6, P10, P12, or P20? If you are not from the industry, and someone asked you if you wanted a P12 video wall you would probably question what it is. A simple understanding is that the LED’s are in clusters, these are centers, they can be ¼” for P6 (as in 6mm), or 3/8” for P10 (10 mm centers) or ¾” for P20 (20mm centers). The larger the centers of the LEDs the less clear the image is even from close up. If you want clarity and be able to see the image close up P6 is the best option.
An outdoor frame is needed for the LED panels, as these are supplied in set sections 900 mm square. Depending on how you intend on accessing the video wall for maintenance, will depend if you use a steel frame or housing for the LED panels.
Controlling the images.
When you have a large video wall, you need to be able to control the images that are displayed across the wall. Some may be set over 2 panels, some images may be over the entire wall that has 20 panels. This controller does all the cleaver things you need to display the content as you wish.