By: Héctor Gómez Pérez
Video walls are seen here and there and are gaining more and more ground in terms of projection of large format images. What was once thought of as an innovative concept, is now a requirement to streamline decision-making in industries such as security, telecommunications, energy and traffic control, without ignoring the decorative use in bars and nightclubs, advertising in shopping centers or information in airports and different transport systems.
The group of people who accepted the invitation of AVI LATINOAMÉRICA to talk about this technology was composed of Eliane Rodriguez Silvestre, marketing manager of Barco Ltda; Andy Fliss, vice president of sales and marketing for Aurora Multimedia; Juan Carlos Chávez, regional sales manager of NEC Display Solutions, Inc and Edson Bañuelos, product manager of the Covix Group.
The region and developments
Most of the guests agreed that in the region the countries that most demand for these equipment are Brazil and Mexico, although in recent years Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru have shown significant growth in the matter.
Regarding the evolution of the equipment, Edson Bañuelos pointed out that in that sense there have been many and that there are countless products for the generation, manufacture and installation of video walls that combine several of the existing technologies in the market. However, he said that the main evolution refers to the spaces between the screens since "they have been reduced to create the impression that the video wall is formed by the same screen. Then we could talk about the evolution in projection or deployment technologies, starting with CRT and continuing with projection with technologies such as LCoS, LCD, DLP-1 chip, DLP-3 chips, PDP, etc.
For her part, Eliane Rodriguez Silvestre said that Barco's video walls have redundant lamps for each high durability rear-projection tube (10,000 hours), which guarantees the continuous functionality of the visulization system, that is, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In addition to the automatic and dynamic control of brightness, contrast and colors and excellent resolutions that allow a perfect visualization without deforming moving images.
As for the latest advances of Nec in the subject of video walls, Juan Carlos Chávez pointed out that they are aimed at reducing the bicel (screen frame) of each individual device to obtain a better visualization when forming a video wall. He also highlighted the ability to program remotely to each monitor or in a group either via RS-232 or RJ-45 and the X461 UN models that allow you to control the brightness of the entire video wall and have a uniform image.
Andy Fliss, of Aurora Multimedia, spoke of the DIDO Jr, a device used by several retail chains in the United States to display live video in portrait mode or to create a puzzle effect on video screens.
Operation and applicability
Basically the operation of a video wall is determined by the number of screens required by each project, in addition to the number and type of input signals that are required to be displayed in the video wall. As explained by Bañuelos "when it is necessary to manage several sources it is convenient to implement an image processor (Wall Controller) to display all kinds of information in the set of displays, which can be video and data from different sources. This way operators can have control over the information they monitor and visualize."
Regarding the applicability and success stories of these companies are very variable, which shows how versatile a video wall can be and the different uses that can be made of it. Rodriguez mentioned the visualization systems that have been implemented, through its distributor Unión Eléctrica, in the Public Companies of Medellín, one of the most important public service companies in Colombia, and the video walls of the Rio de Janeiro metro system, the first of them installed in 2007 and formed by six 80"' rear-projection modules.
Juan Carlos Chávez referred to a Nec installation in a shopping center in Cancun, Mexico, composed of 20 46-inch screens in which videos and commercial content are shown.
Finally, Edson Bañuelos, from the Covix Group, said that "we estimate that our company has installed more than 100 different video walls distributed in Mexico, Central and South America. One of the most special is the one installed in the Banco Azteca with more than 108 video cubes in 2 arrangements of 27 x 2.
Difficulties and obstacles to overcome
At this point the client and the knowledge of their specific need becomes especially important so that finally the video wall meets each and every one of the demands that are required when using the system, although Bañuelos pointed out that after knowing perfectly the need of the client play a fundamental role the integration of sources and signals that can vary in frequencies, formats, resolutions, cables, connectors or computer platforms.
When talking about costs and their influence on the purchase decision, experts consider that although it is important it is not the most relevant when a company finally leans towards the installation of a video wall. In this sense, aspects such as the long-term benefits offered by these technologies, the technical aspects, the same visualization needs, the durability of the equipment and the possibility of future updates in terms of technology are more important.
On the aspect of the price Juan Carlos Chávez said that "the price is usually a problem when the user 'wants' to put video wall but does not 'require' the video wall".
Epilogue
As things are going, the video walls market in Latin America will continue to grow, because these equipment have become necessary for different industries: transport or monitoring of security cameras, just to give a couple of examples. Hence, the opportunities for A/V integrators will also multiply.
There are many industries that need to deploy a large amount of information simultaneously and in the same place, and in that sense video walls are the best option because they allow the user to see all the details with an excellent image resolution, which will result in an increase in productivity.
As Andy Fliss pointed out, " video walls are the best option against similar technologies when you have to project images in large formats, for a long time and you need easy manipulation."
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