Floor to Ceiling Impact – Video Wall Need-to-Knows

High impact, absolutely! Video walls can be used for everything from entertainment, retail, advertising, education and more. These applications all have different technical needs and content to display, so a well-versed integrator should be part of the planning phases as soon as the need is identified. We encourage our clients to learn all about the many types of installation and projection styles there are, and choose the best fit for each unique wall. Whatever the intended use, its definitely going to end up being one of the coolest AV installations you’ll ever see come to life!

This list of the top 10 video wall fundamentals will help you get the most from your video wall project while thinking through each application possibility.

Determine your digital signage needs and goals

It’s important to give strong consideration to the video wall’s purpose, size considerations and client goals. Will the video wall be used for branding, advertising, wayfinding, or something else? Will it be interactive? If these questions can’t be answered with specifics, then a highly functioning video wall system will be difficult to design. And executives will not be happy after they spent a lot of money on it.

Content is king – determining the number of images for display at one time

Talk about the types of content to be shown before the hardware gets installed. You don’t want to be tweaking content on-the-fly minutes before a grand opening. Also, in what resolutions and formats will the content be designed? It’s imperative to have this conversation with the content creators up-front.

Go native

Content needs to match the screens with native resolutions. All the hardware components should match so you don’t have bandwidth restrictions. Some graphics cards can’t handle full HD. Flash has limitations. You need experts involved to stretch Flash content with native resolutions, for example.

Choose professional grade products

Use displays that can be color calibrated to achieve brightness and color uniformity from screen to screen. Industrial-strength monitors can handle the most rugged of applications, while consumer-grade products sold at “Big Box” stores don’t run 24×7 and can’t handle commercial demands. Go with high-end products for their reliability, inputs and color calibration capabilities.

Choose Appropriate Mounting Systems/Access for Maintenance

This is very important since labor is the most expensive part of any video wall project. Is the existing wall structure sound? Get a structural engineer involved to make sure that it can support a video wall. For the maintenance portion, ensure that you use pull-out mounts to service the video walls correctly and safely.

Keep it cool

Video walls produce a lot of heat. Proper cooling and ventilation need to be part of the overall project and budget. Purchasing displays that offer integrated cooling fans will ensure unfailing operation.

Determine electrical requirements

Make sure you have thought through all the necessary components for the video wall system. If you’re deploying 15 screens, you can’t power them off of one outlet. You need dedicated power. If you’re a hotel, you don’t want to turn on the microwave in your kitchen and discover that your video wall has shut down. Discuss power conditioners and surge protection with your systems integrator.

Use trained professionals for your video wall installation

Do yourself a favor and connect with an experienced partner for the installation. That partner will help you locate power sources and data jacks, and help you do the job correctly the first time.

Perform color calibration as part of system maintenance

This will ensure a consistently great-looking video wall for years to come. Also make sure you budget maintenance and cleaning of your video wall to ensure functionality and a great look for the long term. If you don’t vacuum vents, for example, the ensuing heat accumulation can destroy the monitors. Maintenance contracts should be discussed upfront. Keeping this checklist in mind can help you make the most of your video wall and endear you to core audiences and bosses alike.

Trust your integrator to keep you up to date on the latest and greatest!

For the best value and highest quality integration, talk to your local CCS office about designing a video wall system that does exactly what you need it to do.

Want to see more of what we can do? Check out our latest post 7 Seriously Sweet Video Wall Installs by CCS

Popular and versatile, video walls of all types are available through CCS Presentation Systems nationwide. Contact the CCS corporate office to schedule a project walk: jsolomon@ccsprojects.com