The high-cost and visibility of video wall projects can make them seem daunting, especially for those who are new to video walls. There are a range of factors that +experienced professionals consider when installing and managing video walls. We compiled these 6 key tips together to help take some of the stress and mystery out of making your first video wall deployments a great success. 1. Pick the best location Keep in mind that video walls become a visual focal point in any space. In a retail example, displays can create a central focus for the store, or they can drive customers to a specific area. Make sure your end goal for directing audience attention is clearly defined, then you can easily decide the video wall location. Make sure to consider the size, scope, content, application, and display placement of your video wall before deciding on its final location. Ambient light is also critically important, bright sunlight spaces will mute the impact of your video wall or require more expensive ultra-high brightness displays. 2. Map out your space A plan should be made before selecting your displays or controllers. You need to find answers to these questions: What is the square footage you need to fill? How easy is it to run power and data cabling? Throughout the day, how does ambient or direct light change the video wall space? Weighing the relative merits of multiple video wall locations will affect your decision on monitor sizes, use of space and the type of video wall desired. Also, be aware of the brightness and cooling needs of the displays employed. 3. Devise a display mounting strategy Your choice of display mount will have a big impact on the ease of installation, physical alignment and calibration of the screens. You must also figure out how often you will need access to behind the displays. A full-service mounting solution can be expensive, but makes service maintenance and display leveling easy. For a 1x3 or 2x2 video wall - where you can access the backs of each display without removing the panels - you can likely get away without low-cost mounts. However, for a 5x5 video wall you would be strongly advised to invest in an easy-access mounting solution. 4. Consider your current and future content types List all of the content you may want to display both now and in the future. This can include live cameras, Twitter feeds, television, managed content, static images, interactive content, or alternating and simultaneous playback of multiple content sources. Make sure there isn't a conflict between your planned future content and the video wall solution you are choosing. The video wall controller is ultimately one of the most important parts of the equation. Be sure to choose one that both fits within your budget, but also meets your needs now and into the future. 5. Decide on your content resolution Think about the resolution needs for both now and in the future. Whether it's still images or full-motion video, ensure the controller can handle both the required source file resolutions. Today, you need at least 4k, and ideally a solution that can scale to even larger resolutions in the future. Contemplate the idea of using ultra-high definition resolutions, like 4k, now for competitive advantage. Plus, think about a solution that can keep pace with ever-increasing resolutions. The more intense the need for a lot of data and fine image quality and depth, the more high definition content comes into play. 6. Decide on interactivity Make a decision on interactivity, either at launch or for the future. If you foresee end-users interacting with the video wall - either via touch or with their own mobile devices - then different controllers are needed than if the video wall will display content alone. If you decide on touch, you need to consider if users will be physical touching the video wall, using their mobile devices, or using a smaller podium-style touch-screen mounted near the video-wall. These tips will help you create the most versatile and efficient video wall possible for your budget dollars. When the right decisions are made along the way, anyone can create stunning video wall to transform any space or make your team more productive.
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