VIDEOWALLS

NEW IDEAS FOR THE

AV CORNERSTONE

* INCLUDING ABSEN • CHIEF • DATAPATH • JUPITER •

LG • MAXHUB • NEOTI • PEERLESS-AV • PLANAR •

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VIDEOWALLS

OPENING STATEMENT
ince its founding in Chicago in 1934,

S McDermott Will & Emery (McDer-

mott) has grown into one of the larg-
est grossing law firms in the U.S. and
globally, with more than 1,200 lawyers based
in over 20 locations across six countries. The
firm has a wide range of major practice areas
and is consistently recognized with top rank-
ings in different survey categories, including the
number one spot in Vault Law’s 2022 Best Law
Firms to Work For.
Last year, McDermott relocated its New York
City operations to premier office space in a
newly built, 67-story skyscraper located at One
Vanderbilt in East Midtown. McDermott occu-
pies floors 44 to 47, including the 67th, where
its lobby and conference center are located. The
new space incorporates modern and sophisti-
cated designs and was thoughtfully planned to
prioritize the firm’s corporate culture, which
emphasizes employee happiness.
To meet that focus, the office is equipped
with amenities that include a game room, medi-
tation/reflection areas, a Peloton exercise center and shower facilities. lobby to estimate the closest and furthest viewpoints, and observe how
McDermott’s investment in its New York facilities is underscored by the varying resolutions appeared from those distances and everything in
buildout of the 67th floor lobby and the experience it delivers. The space between. “We did our due diligence, our cost analysis and exhausted the
features spectacular views of the New York skyline, an extensive collec- full range of options in the showroom,” said Malcarney. “The process
tion of modern art and two large Planar TVF Series LED video walls, led us to Planar TVF Series and a 1.2 mm pixel pitch.” Shea said.
located side-by-side. Malcarney’s team programmed the video walls for maximum flexibil-
Designed and installed by Prime AV Solutions, the video walls ity and simplified, user-friendly operation. They added a Zoom Rooms
include a nearly 26-foot-long, 11-foot-high installation in a 13x10 con- application and provided McDermott with the ability to access and show
figuration and a nearly 22-footlong, 11-foot-high installation in an 11x10 four different Apple TV feeds. McDermott can also easily display con-
configuration, both with a 1.2mm pixel pitch. “Coming off the elevators, tent in a variety of screen configurations.
the 67th floor really makes a statement,” said McDermott Chief Infor- “The video walls are designed to be multipurpose,” Shea said. “We
mation Officer Michael Shea. “New York is a key location and a flag- can use them in many ways, whether it’s a live event, a presentation, a
ship office for us—we have more client meetings here than just about digital conference or a special celebration around a sporting event. The
anywhere else in the world—and so it was very important that the new LED video walls are vibrant, bright and display video better than I was
office represented the trajectory of the firm and who we are. I personally expecting.” Malcarney connected McDermott with Blackdove, a Miami-
have never seen an office like this before. The lobby leaves a powerful based curator of digital art, to source custom content for the video walls.
impression, and the video walls really add to that impact.” Video artwork shown on the displays provides a natural extension from
During the project design phase, Michael Shea and McDermott Chair- the other artwork appearing throughout the lobby, according to Malcar-
man Ira Coleman met Prime AV Solutions’ Principal Tim Malcarney ney. “It’s constantly moving, and it really pops in the room,” he said.
at Planar’s South Florida showroom to evaluate different display tech- “From a visual standpoint, the video walls are phenomenal. The only
nologies. The group used floor plans and architectural drawings of the thing that rivals it is the view of the city.”

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VIDEOWALLS
IN REAL LIFE
here is a trend in Sportsbook betting towards ever more
T immersive environments. Now DraftKings makes a dramatic
debut at their first physical sportsbook location at Resorts
Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey thanks to
McCann Systems last November.
New Jersey argued for over 8 years to legalize sports betting, and
in 2018 the U.S. Supreme Court gave them their win in a 6-3 decision.
Since then the trend has only grown.
At the initial location, McCann filled the 5,000 square foot lounge and
retail betting atmosphere with immersive AV including 1,000 square
feet of UHD screens showing live sports action and over 8,000 watts
of high-fidelity zoned audio. Even the bathrooms are AV-enabled. Fans
like the ability to toggle between the DraftKings app, website, and live
odds in front of them—no need for betting slips.
Now as we go to press, McCann has upped the standard yet again with
DraftKings Foxwoods Resort Casino—a landmark two-story sports-
book in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The new DraftKings sportsbook is
the most immersive in the area featuring 12,000 square feet of non-stop
live sports interaction, including a racebook, two full bars, and a 250 top
restaurant. The centerpiece of the stadium-like experience is the mas-
sive Absen LED videowall. At 50 feet by 30 feet and backing the main
level bar, everyone feels the vibe. In the VIP area, 98-inch and 50-inch
displays allow users to program their experience how they see fit.  on the DraftKings platform, the potential for more thrilling, immersive
Another fifty feet of bright, custom 3mm pixel pitch LED show Draft-
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King’s signature curved ticker bending around the architecture. LED
also crowns the main wagering desk: 20 feet of 2.5mm pitch constantly
refreshed with live data. Nine 55-inch displays come together to make
another video wall on the first floor, making 16 betting kiosks come to
life inside the sportsbook. As with the debut install, DraftKings Sports-
book mobile app allows full access from anywhere.
During install, McCann also assisted in a temporary solution while
the two-story, 12,000-feet space was being commissioned. The racebook
was combined into a race and temporary retail sports betting operation
with live-action and betting windows. In the first month of operation,
the book took in over 70,000 physical bets and paid over $1m in taxes to
the state of Connecticut. 
“The new DraftKings Sportsbook at Foxwoods redefines what it
means to bet, gather and play and delivers on our commitment to offer
the best sports betting experience in the Northeast,” says Foxwoods
president and CEO Jason Guyot. 
This is a trend with legs, now that a growing number of states are
legalizing gambling and DraftKings is keen to translate their virtual
popularity to bricks and mortar. In any state that has passed legislation,
as long as a bettor is in the jurisdiction of the state (physical bound-
ary, determined by the GPS on your device), you can legally place a bet
using DraftKings Sportsbook. With almost 10 million registered users
experiences seems limitless.
VIDEOWALLS
INTERACTIVE RETAIL
ideo walls don’t have to be big to change the game. And they
V don’t have to be video displays either. IKEA’s flagship store
in Wembley, North London, is immersing potential buyers
into an interactive, projection mapped environment this
summer, thanks to an inspired project by Motion Mapping using Hip-
potizer Karst+ Media Servers by tvOne, and Optoma projectors.
The popular furniture and houseware brand’s team approached Ips-
wich-based Motion Mapping, which specializes in video mapping. The
initial brief focused on a furniture section of the IKEA store, constructed
from an L-shaped wall with large desk, hung cabinets and a series of 12
differing-sized empty photo frames, each one video mapped to synchro-
nise with the back wall projections across all of the cabinets, hung in a
portrait and landscape formation to create a wide display canvas. The
team wanted to turn this into the immersive environment, using projec-
tions and interactive elements.
Stuart Harris and his team collaborated with the IKEA creatives to
develop the project into a richer experience, harnessing the power of Hip-
potizer. Now installed, a raft of colorful content slides seamlessly across
the cabinets, walls and TVs. The closed cabinet doors are video mapped to
show virtual stocked interiors, with projected images of IKEA tableware
and storage solutions. When turned on, the TVs display scenes to give the
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impression of looking out a real window to immerse visitors even further.
Key to the concept is the IKEA ‘co-worker’ character, who skips
around the walls, cabinets and desk, inviting the visitor to interact with
the environment and explaining the specifications of what’s for sale.
The IKEA team handed Harris a 2D sketch of the co-worker, which
Motion Mapping then morphed into an (almost) 3D character to be ani-
mated, video mapped and projected onto the walls using six Optoma
projectors, which are hung from the ceiling.
“Hippotizer Karst+ enables us to perfectly sync the content across
the wall canvas really simply, and update content as the project devel-
oped, too,” Harris continues. “We started off with just one projector,
but as we showed the client what we could achieve using Hippotizer—
such as blending multiple projectors to create a bigger, more immersive
display within Hippotizer’s SHAPE tools - it mushroomed. This also
helped us seamlessly make the 3D co-worker character come to life. It’s
great that we can do so much within the media server itself—it really is
a multi-tool machine rather than simply a playback device.”
The video mapped installation is proving to be a storming success for
the store, with Harris reporting that customers are spending more time
learning what the furniture offers and interacting with the co-worker
character.
VIDEOWALLS

TOTEM WALL
enowned digital artist Marco Brambilla’s museum exhibi-

R tion leverages LG’s leading display technology and Black-

dove’s digital art platform to present a unique modern gallery
experience.
Art is always changing, evolving alongside society and culture to
reflect the interests, issues and technologies of the time. The digital evo-
lution has now made its way into the realm of fine arts, with Pérez Art
Museum Miami (PAMM) hosting a digital art exhibition wherein guests
can experience Marco Brambilla’s Heaven’s Gate, which he describes as
a “video monument to Hollywood’s veneration of glamour while retell-
ing the history of the world in seven distinct phases.”
Brambilla’s highly emotive and fluid representation of humanity’s
perpetual quest for the ultimate fantasy, depicted through the lens of
Hollywood imagery and iconography, is presented in the museum’s Bank
of America Gallery where the seven-minute video enthralls visitors on
a floor-to-ceiling video wall composed of seven digital displays from
LG Business Solutions USA. Working with Marc Billings of Blackdove,
developers of the category-defining digital art platform for residential
and commercial use, as well as museums and art galleries, Brambilla
leveraged LG’s display technology to ensure that every visitor experi-
ences the colors and movement of Heaven’s Gate precisely as the artist
intended.
“As digital artwork has grown from a niche pursuit to a major global
force over the last several years, artists developing algorithmic visuals
and video pieces have recognized that this is one art form where the
appearance and viewing experience can change dramatically depending
on the specific digital display used for presentation,” Billings explained.
As the creator of Blackdove, Billings was perfectly positioned to help
Brambilla choose and procure the ideal digital display solution to pres-
ent Heaven’s Gate. The video art piece is vertically oriented at a roughly
5:1 ratio, giving viewers a literal top-to-bottom view of Hollywood’s
stylistic evolution. Comprising seven of LG’s high-end 55” Full HD only be made possible with LG’s ultra-thin bezel monitors sourced and
digital displays (model SVM5H) that feature a nearly-invisible 0.44mm powered by Blackdove.”
bezel, the unique video wall canvas appears as a single cohesive screen, For Billings, Brambilla, and Blackdove, the digital exhibition is a
allowing viewers to become enrapt in the artwork with no glare, image groundbreaking event that sets the stage for artists and the industry to
separation or techno-clutter. rapidly introduce digital artwork to museum environments. Leveraging
“Blackdove is designed to enable the delivery of digital art to any the exploding popularity of digital art over the last few years, most nota-
display, but LG’s unique webOS platform allows us to create especially bly NFTs that enable ownership of unique, single-production digital cre-
elegant installations. It’s essentially a computer running inside the dis- ations, the Heaven’s Gate exhibition explores both the creative potential
play that can be loaded with any number of proprietary apps or content, of the medium and the cultural reception of digital experiences as fine
eliminating the need for separate content devices and wiring,” Billings art. For museums and artists, this natural evolution toward digital media
added. presentation may spark interest in a new, younger generation of art-
“After a year in the making, I was thrilled to see Heaven’s Gate at enthusiasts who have only experienced a world dominated by screens.
Pérez Art Museum Miami,” Brambilla said. “The totemic display could

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VIDEOWALLS
THE BIG DOME
ometimes a video wall needs to be a dome and that means the
S firepower of laser projectors.
The recently upgraded Infinity Dome at at TELUS Spark
Science Centre in Calgary stands three stories high and
21 meters (69 feet) across, making it one of the largest dome theatres
in western Canada, and one of the brightest in North America with
eight Christie Griffyn™ 4K32-RGB pure laser projectors delivering
272,000 lumens. RSA Cosmos—Konica Minolta, global leader in digi-
tal planetarium and planetarium software, in partnership with Solotech,
specified and installed the new digital system.
The wide-ranging refurbishment of the theatre included the addition
of reclined seats, an elevated stage and new carpeting, as well as a new
audiovisual system. The selection and installation of a new projection
system required close collaboration between Solotech, RSA Cosmos –
Konica Minolta, the Spark team, as well as consultants Bill Peters and
Ian McLennan to ensure the best solution for the project. Says Bahar
Gumus, Sales Manager, RSA Cosmos—Konica Minolta, “Our teams
worked together to understand the project needs, suggest high-quality
solutions, install a state-of-the-art digital system and provide the neces-
sary training to the planetarium operators and technical teams.”
“The science centre had very specific technical specifications, includ-
ing the brightness and the resolution of the system,” says Philippe Giron,
account manager, Solotech. To select the projectors best suited to the
dome, Solotech organized a shoot-out between high-brightness models,
including two blended Griffyn 4K32-RGB projectors.
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“The planetarium project team was looking for a digital projection
system capable of providing very high levels of brightness, vivid col-
ors, with quiet operation,” adds Gumus. “Christie Griffyn 4K32-RGB
was the only projector to answer fully these requirements thanks to the
high levels of brightness of 34,000 lumens per projector and very wide
color gamut achieved with the RGB laser technology.” The installation
included RSA Cosmos - Konica Minolta’s planetarium software SkyEx-
plorer to offer breathtaking journeys through the Universe in real time,
along with fun and interactive modules opening the dome to new content
beyond astronomy.
The Griffyn 4K32-RGB projector achieves greater than 96% of the
Rec.2020 color gamut to produce bright, true-to-life visuals, and oper-
ates quietly, at less than 46dBA at full brightness, to keep the focus on
the content, not the projector.
Solotech created a 3D cloud point view to visualize every detail of
the planetarium, which allowed the teams to plan for the installation
and placement of the projectors. Given the dome’s shape, installing the
projector mounts were a challenge. “The way the dome is made, there is
only a little space between the bottom of the dome and the stage under
the seats. We had to put the projector in this space and precisely angle
them.” As a result, Solotech created custom-made mounts to exactly fit
the projectors within the dome.
“When you are in the dome and you see eight 34,000 lumen projectors
at the same time perfectly calibrated, it’s mind-blowing,” says Giron.
“Everyone involved was very happy with the results.”
VIDEOWALLS
CONTENT MATTERS
From planning to automation
he relevance of digital signage has become increasingly
T important for any organization looking to broaden its com-
munication strategy. Organizations already exercising an
omnichannel communication strategy get to enjoy a new pub-
lishing target, digital screens. Digital screen content, like other forms of
communication, needs to start with the message you are trying to convey
or the challenge you are trying to solve. Ensuring your digital network
has enough engaging content can be challenging. The worst thing for
your audience to see is the same thing over and over again, especially
when that content is no longer relevant. Not to mention, producing new
pieces of content each day can be burdensome for companies with small
teams. We’ll get to how to “feed the content beast” in a moment but first,
let’s focus on starting your project off on the right foot. The best place
to start with a digital signage project is to answer a few key questions:
y What is the objective of this project?
y What communication are we trying to solve?
y Who are we trying to communicate to?
y Why are we trying to communicate to this audience?
y What messaging is important to your audience?
Answering these questions isn’t always easy, it’s always a good idea
to nominate a project champion, someone who oversees the project from
ideation all the way to execution. This individual is also responsible for
managing the various stakeholders involved and ensuring they share a
collective vision for the project’s execution. An effective method for
streamlining this process is to hold a workshopping session at the point
of project ideation. A content workshop covers a series of activities to
help answer the above questions but also gives stakeholders a better
understanding of what’s involved. The activities can include:
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y Site survey the location, where is the best place for digital displays?
y Journey mapping your audience’s day
y Card sorting to discover the breadth and depth of communications 

y Understanding digital signage software governance and workflow
process
y Defining how success will be measured
These workshops can be a lot of fun and catered to your specific proj-
ect needs, giving you flexibility in your approach to determining the
best direction for implementing digital signage.
Leveraging workshops to help answer your key project questions also
gives you insight into the creative strategy to take with your content.
While journey mapping your audience, this will give you a clear idea of
the information they absorb daily. Knowing that, you can tailor the type
of messaging you want to get in front of them, even scheduling pieces
to display at specific times of the day. A simple understanding of how
people move through your space will give you the ability to put the right
content in front of them at the right time.
How content should be designed depends on the brand you represent,
it’s always important to create an overarching style guide for how your
content will look. No one wants to see a hodgepodge of PowerPoint tem-
plates on screen. Also, less is more with screen communication, you
have a short period of time to grab the user’s attention. Make sure your
messaging is clear and concise to grab the audience’s attention, having
a paragraph of text on screen will only detract from your content. When
it comes to large scale deployments, it can sometimes be challenging for
people to visualize what content and space will look like. Luckily, there
are a lot of tools out there today that make it easy to get a preview before
deployment. Things like augmented reality and virtual reality allow you
to create the environment in which your signage will appear without
having to physically be there. This makes the content creation process
more collaborative and easier for your clients to get a clear picture of
the end results. Some people take it one step further with physical mod-
els! With advancements in technology, screens are small and flexible
enough to be integrated into models of your physical space. Similar to
the AR/VR methods, it gives the stakeholders the ability to see how their
project is progressing, and what the result will be.
New folks entering this space often feel they must fill up an entire
day’s worth of messaging each day like a TV channel. This is not always
the case with screen communication; simple, time-based messaging can
be effective and often re-used. The question becomes, how do you easily
keep content feeling fresh and up to date? The key is automation!

What do we mean by automation?
y Use online sources to fill pre-made content templates in your dis-
play software.
y Connect your internal data sources to your display software.
y Add screen content as a publishing target to your existing content
creation workflow.
y Subscribe to a library of ready-made content.
y In the industry, we commonly refer to these automation sources
as “dynamic data”, it’s an easy way to “feed the content beast”
Content automations create a simple and streamlined way to engage
VIDEOWALLS
with patrons. For retailers, automations
can help deploy content to multiple loca-
tions around the globe with a simple click.
Think about new products launches and
how easy they become, to pick a date and
set the time to deploy your content across
thousands of screens.
What about corporate lobbies that
receive high-profile visitors? Setting up a
VIP welcome automation with meeting details is quick and easy and can
be done well in advance of the visit. There are many bits of content that
can be automated. It’s an excellent tool to keep in your quiver, to further
enhance your brand’s messaging.
So, the key to getting things right is proper planning. Nominating a proj-
ect champion will allow you to streamline the entire project using tools like
workshops to gather important information and to develop a strategy. These
information-gathering sessions make it easy to get everyone on the same
page and determine your direction for any milestone. While some people
feel content strategy can be daunting, the power of content automation will
keep your network running fresh new content well into the future.
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VIDEOWALLS
WHY A VIDEOWALL?
Excerpted with permission from the Extron
Videowall Design Guide, 3rd Editon
videowall typically requires a significant investment and
A is often the most expensive line item in a facility’s capital
outlay for an AV project. While the videowall functions as
a single display, it is always important to remember that it
is a system. Videowall processors are a significant component of the
videowall in terms of cost. They provide features common to conven-
Figure 1-1. Videowall images of identical size, produced by a single projectopr and a 3x3
array of flat-panel displays
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tional scalers or video signal processors but have greater input, output,
and processing capability. The increased number of inputs and outputs
creates diverse requirements for processing and image enhancements,
providing greater value.
Because of the investment necessary to acquire and install a videow-
all, an inexperienced designer may be tempted to seek an alternative
means of presenting large images or multiple sources simultaneously.
This could include increasing picture size from a single projector, using
conventional signal switching and distribution in place of a videowall
processor or installing independent LCD panels on a wall instead of an
integrated videowall array. However, videowalls have several distinct
attributes and advantages. The image display capability and flexibility
of a videowall simply cannot be duplicated.
HIGH PIXEL DENSITY
Pixel density is the number of pixels per unit area and is determined
by the resolution and screen size of a display. When a single projected
image is enlarged, pixel density decreases. With a videowall, pixel
density is constant regardless of the array size because it is based on
the individual display device. Enlarging the array increases the overall
resolution of the videowall. A videowall usually delivers much higher
pixel density than a projected image of the same size. An image can
be upscaled for enlargement on a videowall so that it fills up the array
without compromising picture quality. In contrast, significantly enlarg-
ing an image from a projector reduces apparent brightness, resolution
and image quality.
Images that occupy large viewing areas need sufficient resolution or
pixel density in order to present clear and legible content. Figure 1-1
illustrates two images of equal size. One is from a single 4K projec-
tor fed by a multi window processor and the other a 3x3 videowall
with 1080p panels via a videowall processor. Both are presenting the
same content and layout for displaying multiple high-definition input
sources. The videowall presents the sources with twice as many pixels
when compared to the single projected image. This increased resolution,
resulting from a higher pixel density, enables presentation of a row of
three 1080p video sources at full resolution, compared to just 1280x720
per image for the single display.
CREATIVITY WITH DISPLAY SHAPES AND SIZES
A videowall is created by “tiling” multiple display devices together.
 VIDEOWALLS
Figure 1-2. Flat-panel
By tiling displays, videowalls of any size and aspect displays produce a videowall
ratio can be constructed in very creative ways. Its with a minimal footprint

canvas layout never has to be limited to the standard

aspect ratios of single displays. Displays in a vid-
eowall can be oriented horizontally, vertically, or
even a combination of both, further enhancing the
creative possibilities.

SMALL FOOTPRINT
A front projector usually requires significant throw
distance to produce an image that fills up a substan-
tial portion of a wall. Practical throw distance may
limit the number of allowable participants in the room without block-
ing the projected image. This is true even when special wide-angle
lenses are used.
Videowalls comprised of flat panels, LED panels, or projection
cubes occupy a compact footprint due to each display’s fixed depth.
This depth remains constant no matter how large the videowall can-
vas may be. A display array of any size shares the same depth of a
single display device. (See Figure 1-2).

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VIDEOWALLS
CONSISTENT BRIGHTNESS AND CONTRAST
A bright, clear image is crucial for a video display. Whether being
viewed by a workforce interpreting on-screen information or by cus-
tomers casually glancing at digital signage in a retail environment,
images must be sufficiently bright so that content is clear and easy
to decipher.
Videowalls present viewers with consistently bright, inviting
images, regardless of size. While a single projector loses brightness
and contrast as image size increases, there is no reduction in either as
more displays are added to a videowall. A videowall with 40 screens
is just as bright as a videowall with four screens, with consistent
contrast delivering deep, rich blacks even in the highest ambient light
environments.
ABOUT THE GUIDE
The Extron Videowall Systems Design Guide is a comprehensive resource
for evaluating, planning, and successfully deploying videowall system designs.
It includes sections that cover a broad range of considerations, all of which are
vital to successful videowall deployment:
*Needs assessment: Any videowall design requires clear knowledge
of the application’s intended purpose. Selecting the right products
requires an understanding of exactly how the videowall will be used.
*Environmental factors and ergonomics: Videowall designs should
include considerations for human interaction. It is important to ac-
count for lighting conditions, seating positions, physical obstructions,
and other factors to ensure comfortable viewing and legibility of the
content.
*Determining videowall shape, size, and pixel density: The application,
layout of the room, and the type and arrangement of content on the
videowall all influence its general size and shape. In addition, how close
viewers will be to the screens dictates pixel density.
*Videowall display selection: With knowledge of the videowall size,
shape, and pixel density, you can select the display model and technol-
ogy, finalizing the videowall configuration.
*Key factors of videowall processing: Videowall processors are equally
as important as the displays. However, they vary greatly in features, ca-
pabilities, and price. This guide’s detailed information helps you decide
on the best solution.
*Videowall processor architecture: Videowall processing is available as
a single, centralized unit or distributed among modular units connected
to sources and displays.
*Videowall processor platforms: Processors can be based on computer
technologies, standalone video processing appliances, or a combination
of the two.
*Videowall processing features: Scaling performance, window custom-
ization options, output rotation, and edge blending for projectors are
among the many available features.
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SHOW MORE IMAGES ON FEWER DISPLAYS
Most flat panels have internal scalers that allow a single image to be
stretched across a tiled array. This may be suitable for applications
that only use videowalls for displaying a single, large image. For
applications requiring simultaneous presentation of multiple image
sources, a simple solution is to feed sources directly to individual
displays in the videowall. A switcher, distribution amplifier, or
matrix switcher can be used to provide some flexibility in distribut-
ing signals to the displays.
However, with this solution, the number of sources that can be
presented is limited by the number of displays in the videowall. For
example, a 2x2 videowall with a matrix switcher allows for simulta-
neous display of only four image sources.
 System control considerations: The system must be easy to operate
*
and respond quickly to user commands without being slowed by image
processing tasks.
*Systems support and maintenance: Videowall systems may include
matrix switching, signal extension over fiber and twisted pair, stream-
ing content over IP, and more.
The Extron Videowall Systems Design Guide is an invaluable refer-
ence for AV professionals who specify videowalls, whether frequently or
infrequently. It covers the basic videowall concepts and is an easy read
for complex topics such as room design, font scaling, and readability, and
production tips for unique videowall applications. It includes useful techni-
cal references and visual illustrations. Several real-world designs provide
examples of how the sources, videowall processor, displays and control
system all come together to create a powerful visual tool for boardrooms,
simulation environments, command and control rooms, and more.
For more information or to download your copy of the new
Extron Videowall Systems Design Guide, visit https://www.extron.com/
vwguide
 VIDEOWALLS

Figure 1-3. Sources of various formats and resolutions can be combined on a videowall Aircraft images from Analytical Graphics inc - www.xxx.com

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VIDEOWALLS
MAXHUB LM138A07TAA
Introduced last month, this TAA Compliant Integrated LED Wall
Display debuted. As a member of MAXHUB’s Raptor Series, the
LM138A07TAA offers a rich feature set typical of all Raptor Series
displays while being TAA compliant. TAA compliance indicates that
this display is manufactured in a TAAdesignated country—meaning
a nation with which the U.S. maintains a trade agreement and regards
as a reliable or acceptable procurement source. TAA compliance also
ensures that the product meets all necessary requirements that enable it
to be sold to the Federal government of the United States.
DATAPATH AETRIA CONTROL ROOM SOFTWARE
Aetria from Datapath brings all the elements of control room design, man-
agement, control, and monitoring into a single solution, allowing integrators
and end users to design systems to meet a wide set of requirements, includ-
ing connectivity, video walls, workstations, and source management, rang-
ing from small to very large installations. Aetria has been designed to make
content sharing easy for operators, plus easy to control, manage and secure
for administrators. It manages the underlying technology, enabling users to
focus on their primary objectives. It incorporates a free web-based design
tool that works without the need to be connected to a network. The heart
of the system is the Aetria Command Center interface. Aetria Workstation
allows users to customize their own personal videowall to manage source
display and control. Aetria has fully integrated user rights management;
connections between connected devices are secured with enterprise grade
AES encryption, and all user and API connections use TLS encryption.
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PRODUCTS
JUPITER PANA 21:9 DISPLAY
This ultra-wide, 21:9 aspect ratio display creates a more natural and
immersive experience, tapping into our natural horizontal field of view
of up to about 210 degrees of peripheral vision. Jupiter offers 81- and
105-inch ultra-wide 5K Pana displays, as well as a 34-inch desktop inter-
active Pana display. Microsoft’s Front Row fits the 21:9 format perfectly
for Teams meetings. The wider display also allows a presenter to use a
portion of the screen for a presentation or an interactive display such as
a whiteboard. The Pana displays are HDR-certified and feature optional
touch control and a collaboration gateway called SimpleShare.
PEERLESS-AV SEAMLESS
The Peerless-AV SEAM-
LESS Kitted Series of
dvLED Video Wall
Mounts are designed
exclusively for leading
direct view LED display
manufacturers, provid-
ing space-saving designs
for multiple configura-
tions. With integrated
cable management, easy-
hang hardware and a
lightweight aluminum
frame, integrators can
quickly and easily build a video wall. Peerless-AV also offers start to
finish support through the SEAMLESS dvLED Video Wall Integration
Program. The most recent mounts support Absen’s Direct View LED
Displays (Acclaim, Acclaim Plus, Acclaim Pro and Icon Series), Barco
XT Series Direct View LED Display, and LG LAS Series Direct View
LED Displays. Each Kitted Series model has its own specifications and
configurations. The modular design of each model offers unlimited
video wall display configurations, and includes height and depth adjust-
ment to help overcome installation irregularities, assure the dvLED pix-
els are aligned, and to guarantee that the entire mount creates one flat
plane, regardless of wall imperfections.
PRODUCTS VIDEOWALLS

PLANAR DIRECTLIGHT ULTRA

The fine pitch LED video wall displays offer always-on, high per-
formance, high-resolution display experiences at pixel pitches from
0.6 to 0.9 millimeters for mission-critical and refined applications,
ideal for both close viewing and high-color, high-brightness applica-
tions. The series features models with MicroLEDs, off-board power
supply, proprietary alignment technology and the Planar WallDirec-
tor Video Controller (VC) with its corresponding video wall man-
agement software. The series’ patentpending self-adjusting module
alignment technology also maintains perfect pixel alignment over
time, combating issues such as vibration and thermal expansion.
Plus, Planar DirectLight Ultra Series LED displays implement tech-
nology designed to reduce light blockage and ambient light reflec-
tion, resulting in better blacks, higher dynamic range and enhanced
dark content performance.

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VIDEOWALLS
LG BLOC DVLED
At InfoComm, LG unveiled a new 54-inch DVLED video wall solu-
tion using 54-inch bezel-free LED Bloc displays that simplify installa-
tion and open up new design possibilities. In addition to a cutting-edge
appearance with no dividing lines, the new LSAC series direct-view
LED (DVLED) cabinets are designed to allow integrators to use existing
VESA mounting hardware from previous LCD installations.The new
DVLED cabinet is approximately four times larger in area than most
commonly used DVLED cabinets, and its unique size allows integra-
tors to easily utilize video wall spaces and infrastructure that previously
used 55-inch LCD panels. These 600-nit, 2.5mm pixel pitch DVLED
panels reduce the total number of cabinets and connections needed to
form the same size display. Whereas a traditional 4×4 video wall made
from 55-inch LCD displays requires 16 signal cables and 16 power
cables, a comparable video wall using the new 54-inch DVLED requires
just four signal cables and eight power cables.
NEOTI UHD89 LED
SERIES
This unique 8:9 cabinet
size provides more flex-
ibility in sizing, allowing
for both 16:9 designs as
well as creative layouts. For
faceted-curve displays, the
unique 8:9 width allows for
tighter curves with a radius
as tight as 18′-9″. With up
to 60% fewer seams than
traditional narrow pixel
pitch displays and optional
impact protection, the UHD89 produces a brilliant display for any
indoor environment. Because of the UHD89 unique size, fewer cabinets
are needed for displays, resulting in quicker installations.
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PRODUCTS
CHIEF TILED WEB TOOL
The new online con-
figurator is designed
to help visualize and
customize creative
video walls, support-
ing standard content
resolutions and unique
free-form designs.
Chief describes it as
a major upgrade from
the current configura-
tor. It simplifies the
process of laying out
the video wall design,
downloading specifications, drawing packages, and ordering parts.
The tool is compatible with a variety of dvLED display manufacturers
including Unilumin, Samsung, LG, Absen, Sony, Philips, Leyard and
more. The TiLED Web Tool outputs necessary information for planning
of video wall installations: design drawings, specification data, bill of
materials, pricing, CAD files and suggested accessories. The interactive
web tool allows users to enter room dimensions, add room backgrounds,
or upload images of specific spaces to personalize virtual environments.
Projects can be shared with others in the web environment.
ABSEN CLEARCOBALT
Clear Cobalt Series (CL Series) is the new generation of display products
from Absen. The CL series supports 2K/4K/8K for higher HD display
requirements and produces stunning visuals. CL Series incorporates a
pixel pitch range of 0.9mm – 1.2mm pixel pitch; high brightness of up
to 1200 nits; a high contrast ratio of 20000:1 for superior layered visu-
als; COB technology, that provides protection to physical collision and
environmental factors; Absen black coating and calibration technology
that creates a deep black, non-reflective surface. CL Series also incorpo-
rates flip chip technology that increases power efficiency and reduces heat
generation. Finally, CL Series brings a monumental screen with optional
edges and wall-mounted frames and provides a quality, simple installation.
 LOBBY LUXE
Back to the office had better be good
By XXXXX

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 fter years of

A
pandemic, HQ is
back and office
buildings are once
again serving
customers, employees, and the
company Brand with a capital B.
Statement lobbies and other forms
of office display design can be a
new kind of investment in drawing
people out of them home and into
public spaces again. The KPMG is
one splashy example.

Located in the central business district in

the heart of downtown Los Angeles, KPMG
Center is a boutique, 28-story LEED-Platinum
certified building that includes over 600,000
square feet of Class-A office space. Originally
built in 1991, KPMG Center owners Morgan
Stanley and LBA Realty recently partnered
with global design and architecture firm
Gensler on renovations to the building’s two-
story lobby, tenant lounge, conference center,
and outdoor terrace. The updated lobby fea-
tures several design improvements including
a new coffee kiosk, elegant seating areas and
new interior landscaping. The grand center-
piece is a massive digital art canvas covering
one of the walls.
Measuring nearly 74 feet wide and 11 feet
high, the installation is a Planar TVF Series
LED video wall with a 2.5mm pixel pitch
(TVF2.5) in a 37x10 configuration. Digital
signage agency Grandview Digital designed
the LED video wall and will be managing,
creating, and curating content for the display.
For assistance with the project, Grandview
partnered with MediaCentric for the installa-
tion, commissioning, and programming.
Grandview founder James Ravenel was ini-
tially approached by LBA Reality during the
design phase, when the project team became
interested in supplementing the lobby with
a digital experience, something that would
work well with the architecture and support
their vision for the reimagined space. “Over
a two-year period, we worked closely with
Gensler and the owners on the concept and
design and developed several versions,” Rav-
enel explained. “Ultimately, we settled on a

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 Survey Says
Barco has conducted a survey of 1200 executives across 13 countries
to find out how the office is changing, and how workspaces are used. The
main objective was to find out how the Covid pandemic and lockdowns
(leading to forced working-from-home of the entire staff) have affected
the global office spaces. The results show a clear desire for more engaging
and inspiring workplaces, although regional differences are striking.
Some key findings at the global level:
y 62% of respondents say employees are happy to return to the
office
y 23% are transforming auditoriums and experience centers based on
new staff expectations
y 73% feel that large video walls will help people to collaborate and
interact
y 45% say that large video walls can create a wow effect and impress
whoever enters the lobby
Rajiv Bhalla, Vice President Sales, Large Video Wall Experience, Barco
APAC said,” As the workplaces continue to transform and shift between
remote, in-office and hybrid work models, companies are planning and
redesigning their office spaces to create wow experiences for customers
and empower employees in enabling them to ideate, innovate, and deliver
their desired outcomes. There is an increasing focus on creating cohesive
and collaborative workplaces with easier access to tools and resources. In
a world of hybrid working, creating an engaging and inspiring workplace
is fast becoming a top priority. Further, businesses are now intelligently
allocating resources to maximize the entire back to office experience
for employees and to impress visitors with more engaging visualization
technologies and solutions”.  It goes without questioning that the Covid
pandemic has changed the way offices work. Repeated lockdowns forced
the workplace to evolve and shift between remote, in-office, and hybrid
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work models. This forced office culture and technology to change in a rapid
pace, accommodating the evolving expectancies and needs of the staff
and instill ‘wow factor’ for customers. That is why companies are redesign-
ing their office spaces around their vision, mission, and strategy, inspire
people to do their best work, seamlessly blend digital and physical design,
nurture company culture, and deliver training.
A first noteworthy finding from the survey is that employees enjoy
being back at the office. 62% of respondents agree with this. The office is
no longer just the place for desk work, but rather a dynamic space for bet-
ter meetings, stronger collaboration, and social interaction. An important
example of the evolved way to use office technology are video walls. They
were typically used to grab the attention of external visitors but are now
transformed into tools to engage employees and improve collaboration
and productivity.
Corporate lobbies have evolved from their traditional function (greet-
ing visitors or having them wait) into places to create an impactful first
impression and to instill pride in employees. According to the survey, the
lobby is the second most chosen space for meetings (49%) and aims to
impress whoever (staff or visitors) enters the building (45%). 31% of cor-
porations in *APAC region already have a video wall installed in their lobby
or reception areas, and 21% are planning to install new or upgrade the
existing ones. The lobby or reception area is also their top ranked choice
(43%) for a large video to be located to create the most impact.  
When it comes to choosing a video wall, 36% of respondents ranked
image quality as the key consideration, followed by technology. The full
survey covers a lot more ground and provides many more insights, includ-
ing how covid has created the need for change, employee expectancies for
office work, ways to convert office spaces into more engaging environ-
ments, etc.

giant panoramic canvas.” The biggest chal-
lenge to the project involved installing such a
massive LED display across an irregular wall
surface marked by three elevator foyer open-
ings. “Most video walls are built from the
bottom up, but in this case, we had to take a
custom approach to cope with the three eleva-
tor walkways,” said MediaCentric President
and CEO David Lopez. “We had to uniquely
build up, over, and down each opening, and
then level every row across the gaps.” “For a
video wall this big, the design flexibility of
the Planar TVF Series modules was a useful
feature,” according to Eric Broyles, regional
9000
manager and technical specialist with Media-
Centric. “Adjustments on the cabinet corners
made it easy to fine-tune as we went along to
ensure that no seams were visible and that the
video wall was completely straight,” he said.
LED Technology Creates Immersive Space
Content for the large Planar TVF Series LED
video wall has been carefully selected and
will include a combination of thematic scen-
ery and custom digital artwork. “It’s a beau-
tiful, breathtaking lobby and the intention of
the LED canvas is to create an immersive,
calming atmosphere—a place that will draw
people to come and unwind,” Ravenel said.
Thematic imagery created for the LED video
wall blends static and video content that
dynamically moves through varying back-
drops, changing intermittently throughout the
day to different landscapes that can include
beach, forested, mountain, and urban scenes,
according to Ravenel. For sourcing artistic
content, local artists will be engaged to cre-
ate digital murals specifically tailored to the
LED video wall. “We will add after-effect
animation to the murals to give them move-
ment,” Ravenel said. “Integrating animation
into a digital landscape is something you can
only do with LED. It’s a very interesting way
to embrace digital art in a physical environ-
ment.” To keep content fresh, Grandview will
make bi-monthly updates, bringing in new
scenes from new curated playlists and show-
casing work from different artists. “What’s
really exciting is that the LED video wall is
not used to push a brand or sell a product,”
Ravenel said. “Rather, it’s about using tech-
nology to create something meaningful.”