CONTACT SALES
TECHNICAL SUPPORT

What You Need to Know When Planning Your First Video Wall

You’ve seen them in hotel lobbies, at the mall, in theme parks, and at sporting venues. Video walls are almost everywhere. Thanks to a decreasing price point, companies are recognizing more opportunities to engage customers visually and experientially with direct-view LED walls. But there are important factors to consider before you dive in.

Video Walls: What They Are and How They Work

The sky really is the limit with what you can do with a video wall. They can be used to display all-text signage or play video. They can educate, promote, or entertain. A direct-view LED wall consists of thousands of LEDs placed next to each other in an array. As the viewer steps away, the LEDs create a cohesive image.

In addition to the LEDs, a direct-view LED wall consists of several pieces of hardware. There’s typically the mounting hardware, a media server, and a processor. The media server is a computer that stores the content and can feature a user interface that allows you to control when the video plays.

The media server typically sends a video signal to the processor that’s associated with the LED wall, and the processor takes that video signal, converts it to information that the LEDs listen to, and scales it to the appropriate location. And, voila—you have a functioning video wall.

But before you get to that point, there are many factors to consider.

Other Things to Know about Direct-view LED Walls

Here are a few pointers to get you started in the right direction when planning your first video wall.

  • The content comes first. The type of content you’ll display will drive hardware decisions down the line, so it’s important to know what you want to display. Is the purpose simply to display text, such as a train schedule? Or will you show high-resolution images, like abstract art? When designing for text you can get away with a lot more in terms of the value engine, versus high resolution where image quality is paramount.
  • Generative content. This is a current trend we're seeing at Electrosonic. Traditional video involves a file that is exported from a piece of software, similar to a video file that you’d play at home. This type of content must be rendered regularly by the client or a third-party content provider. The file must then be uploaded to the media server. Generative content reduces some of this overhead. It’s created in real-time based on programming parameters. Generative content can be both beautiful and dynamic.
  • Think outside the box—literally. Designing an LED wall isn’t like buying a TV, where you’re locked into an aspect ratio. Direct-view LED walls can be any shape, and I encourage clients to consider something other than a rectangle. That shape is boring. We look at a rectangle computer screen all day at work, and then we go home and stare at a rectangle TV. When you take a different approach, like spreading out the LED panels so that there’s negative space between them or displaying them vertically, you are more likely to grab the viewer’s attention because it’s unexpected.
  • Operational concerns: content management and workflows. How often will the content be updated? Who will be responsible for doing so? The content must be managed somehow. This is typically done via a user interface on the media server. It’s important to note that media servers tend to give users more access than companies want. The ability to control and change too many aspects of the content can create issues when those changes are made without the proper approvals. This problem can be avoided altogether by having a custom interface built to your specific workflows. This way, you have access to exactly what you need to manage content efficiently without access to the backend programming that should stay consistent. 

These are just a few of the issues that companies need to begin thinking about as they go about planning their first direct-view LED video wall. At Electrosonic, we guide our clients through this process step-by-step, and help you make decisions based on your business goals. If you’d like to learn more about our digital communications services, drop us a line.

 

What's your perspective?

Tell us the topic you would like to hear more about

More Perspective
4 MINS

The Metaverse: A world of opportunity

When Gartner cites the metaverse as one of its top strategic technology trends for 2023, the technology has to be taken seriously. Indeed, according to forecasters, it looks like big business for...

|
2 MINS

Dark Rides, The Next Generation (Part 2)

In an earlier blog, Dark Rides – The Next Generation – Part 1, we explained the importance of upgrading dark rides to meet increasing visitor expectations and explored the three key trends –...

|
3 MINS

Dark Rides, The Next Generation (Part 1)

Dark rides have been an important and popular attraction in theme parks for generations, but now experiential technology is taking them in exciting new directions — and the new generation of rides...

|
2 MINS

The evolution of the video wall

Video walls as art - How far can LED technology take the video wall? Video walls have reached an exciting tipping point. The latest developments in LED video walls are helping designers create custom...

|
3 MINS

How to Use AI to Augment Your Creative Potential

Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t the stuff of science fiction anymore. In fact, it’s powering billions of processes and workflows for companies worldwide. It’s become a key component in almost...

|
3 MINS

The Future of Onsite AV Support

The world of audiovisual technology is changing, and effective design, planning, engineering and installation of a holistic AV solution is now a prerequisite to doing business in an increasingly...

|
6 MINS office-shakehands

Planning to Hire an AV Company?

Exceptional projects demand an exceptional team. When engaging an audio visual (AV) solutions provider with so many companies out there… how do you choose? From design, to procurement, commissioning...

|
3 MINS

Are You Ready for ISE?

Taking place in Amsterdam February 11-14, the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) exhibition is a premier event focused entirely on audiovisual (AV) and systems integration. If you have a project on the...

|
2 MINS

Is Your AV Deployment Secure?

The need for security impacts everyone. And, unfortunately, unmonitored access points can quickly lead to a costly data breach. The massive Target breach from a few years ago was the result of an...

|
1 MINS

Does 5G Matter for Your AV Deployments?

If you pay even the slightest amount of attention to technology trends, you already know that the hype around 5G is rapidly gaining steam. The question is what does the eventual movement from current...

|
4 MINS

Looking Back at a Decade of Opportunity

Each time we hit a new decade, it is always fun and often rewarding to take a look in the rearview mirror to see how the company has progressed. The past 10 years represent a decade of significant...

|
2 MINS iStock-1152574617

What's on Your Wishlist?

Do you have a project on the horizon? Is your goal to captivate your audience? In the spirit of the holidays, we have created a wish list of the qualities a company should consider when selecting an...

|
2 MINS james-pond-XO9uCZZaipE-unsplash

Dark Rides Expand Branding Opportunities

Brands are more important today than ever before. Why? Today’s consumer likes to relate to a brand – it is part of the experience they desire. This is true whether they are buying a product or...

|
2 MINS iStock-165683086

Dark Rides Protect Your Park's Future

Nostalgia has its place even with the Millennial crowd. There is something comforting about a known experience. It helps the guest even temporarily relive cherished childhood memories. That is the...

|
3 MINS dtorlando-01_(1)

7 Things You Need to Do During IAAPA

There is a lot of excitement at IAAPA, and without a plan the entire experience can quickly become overwhelming. Sensory overload is always a real possibility! Having participated in these events for...

|
5 MINS blog-image-01_(1)

Are You Ready for IAAPA?

As the attraction industry’s biggest expo, IAAPA is always a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on what we have done over the past year, as well as a time to meet with existing and prospective...

|
2 MINS iStock-863497498

Do You Really Need an AV Consultant?

As the experience economy continues to mature and evolve, it is has become increasingly more important to embrace creative and meaningful ways to visually interact with team members and customers....

|
2 MINS iStock-1093674926

Are You Ready for AV-As-A-Service?

The cloud-based as-a-service market has been one of the fastest growing sectors over the past 5 years. So much so that it’s estimated that organizations will spend $94.8 billion on these cloud-based...

|
1 MINS iStock-658188828

How Interactives Can Become Viral

We have talked in detail about the significant role that interactive audiovisual deployments can have as guests engage and ultimately embrace the immersive experience. What we haven’t discussed is...

|
1 MINS iStock-911030486-1

Addressing Learning Disabilities

Today’s educators are far more in-tune with the need to adjust lessons to meet individualized student needs. Addressing learning disabilities is a prime example.

|
2 MINS iStock-1065240764

Future of the Digital Workplace

The digital economy is here and with it comes a new way of conducting business. Technology is at the core of almost every job. Smart offices have become the norm with an influx of highly interactive...

|
2 MINS shutterstock_576827212

Collaboration and Communication

When properly leveraged, audiovisual (AV) technology is at the core of most highly effective collaboration and communications efforts in today’s digital world. After all, AV technology has the...

|
2 MINS podcast imageNEW-01

Unpacking the XR Revolution (New Podcast)

We are in the beginning stages of a true revolution – the extended reality revolution. Although some components have been around for a handful of years, the current level of maturity, understanding...

|
3 MINS iStock-169938237-1

Why Businesses Favor a Huddle Room

The global market is rapidly evolving, and if organizations hope to compete – or better yet thrive – they need to rethink their physical environments. Gone are the work weeks where workers file into...

|
1 MINS iStock-1043605040

Reinventing Spaces: Retailtainment

Modern retail venues are constantly evolving – merging entertainment with shopping to create lifestyle destinations for people to shop, eat, drink, socialize and work. They are ultimately redefining...

|
2 MINS monitor-1054708_1280

Why Audiovisual Solutions Matter

In today’s digital economy, how businesses leverage technology is often a key differentiator. While various technologies play a role in fueling this evolving environment properly deploy audiovisual...

|
2 MINS elc400_N5_medium_(1)

What is a Huddle Room?

As Millennials started replacing Boomers, they brought with them the idea of open office environments. And, while these open spaces created an aesthetic the new professionals desired, it also shined...

|
2 MINS victor-garcia-qm9pHqVt7KA-unsplash-2-2

Optimizing Design with AV in Mind

When creating a distinctive structure for a client, it is easy to get caught up in the aesthetics of delivering a truly unique design capable of setting a facility apart from the pack. However, doing...

|
2 MINS jeshoots-com-722888-unsplash-1

Putting an End to Terminal Boredom

Airport terminals can be busy and heavily congested environments, especially during peak travel times. However, even though terminals are often filled with people rapidly moving from point A to point...

|
Scroll to Top