Video Walls: Five Considerations for Hospitality Venues
Whether it’s to create a dynamic feature wall to welcome guests, display retail merchandise or to provide menus or artwork, video walls create a memorable impact.
A video wall is a large display consisting of multiple screens, typically LCD displays or LED tiles, which can be configured in any shape and size, and even with concave and convex curves. Video walls can start in size around 100-inch diagonal and can grow to be as large as space and budget allows. A video wall can include built-in image processing, or hardware to deliver content to the wall and software to allow the wall to work as a single display.
If you’re considering a video wall for your venue, but not sure where to start, here are the top five factors when selecting and installing an LCD or LED video wall:
- Choose the right display technology
LCD panels and LED tiles are both excellent choices for today’s video walls. Determining which technology is most appropriate depends on many factors and priorities. Considerations include viewing distance, location/environment, budget, and type of displays. LCD video walls remain the best solution for venues where guests will view the wall up close and have a lower budget compared to LED. Narrow pixel pitch LED is the choice for venues where the display will be viewed at a distance. LED also creates a true seamless look – where no bezels are visible between tiles - and the cost for these continue to trend downwards.
- Think about how to handle content to your video wall
How content is delivered to a video wall, whether through a computer or media server, requires some consideration. There are many options when it comes to the content management of a video wall. Look for LCD and LED video walls that provide flexible and high-performance image processing built into the display, which will allow you to visualize and manage content directly on the video wall. For larger, more advanced video walls or for content that’s different resolutions or formats, choosing a content management system or image processing solution that is flexible, integrated into the display, and with a broad feature set is key to ensure the content looks impeccable on the video wall.
- Mounting and installing a video wall
When looking for mounting solutions for your LED or LCD video wall, the best approach is to look for a display with built-in mounting or mounting that is custom designed to a manufacturer’s display hardware. While this is not always the cheapest option, it can result in a more seamless installation that looks better and takes less time. Also important is the flexibility of the mounting system: a display solution that has a slim profile or supports curves can be more economical than a custom structure or a cosmetic façade around the video wall.
- Networking your wall for flexibility and usability
Networking is another key aspect of the video wall to consider. The video wall and infrastructure of the video wall can become very complex quickly, especially in venues that have multiple displays or video walls that show synchronized content.
Flexibility is key here. Whether the video wall supports software for installation and servicing, or is compatible with a control system, being able to adapt to the wide variation of applications will ensure a user-friendly experience.
- It’s only as good as your weakest link
If there’s one consideration that stands out from the rest, it’s this: think of the video wall system as being only as strong as its weakest link. If you compromise on any one aspect (such as the display, processor, or source), it will significantly impact the entire system.
There are many manufacturers that sell video walls, but not all of them can deliver on promised specifications and performance. Manufacturers producing an end-to-end range of display and processing products, along with service and support, know that they can maintain the quality throughout the signal path, sending the highest quality signal to the display and delivering an immersive, effective video wall solution.