Video walls can be found in different types of settings, including corporate offices, retail stores, transportation hubs, and sports venues, as well as command and control facilities.
By Keith Yanke
Over the past decade, video walls have become an increasingly popular digital signage choice. This is because they are particularly effective at engaging people and delivering messages efficiently. They offer larger, higher resolution images than a single display, and they can be built to almost any configuration to fit a specific space or purpose.
Video walls have found homes in many different types of settings, including corporate offices, retail stores, transportation hubs, and sports venues, as well as command and control facilities. When deciding which type of video wall installation is appropriate for the customer’s needs, one basic decision is determining which of the two types of technologies—liquid crystal display (LCD) or direct view light-emitting diode (dvLED)—is best for the specific application. LCD and dvLED displays have very different features and benefits.
Part solid, part liquid
LCD panels are manufactured by inserting a layer of liquid crystal—a substance that is part solid and part liquid—between two sheets of glass. When electricity is applied to this layer, the crystals shift to create an image. However, as the crystals do not produce their own light, some type of backlighting is needed to display the image. Ironically, LEDs are the most popular source of backlighting for LCD panels.
LCD panels are bright and provide high-resolution images at a modest cost. They also have slim depths and are energy efficient. One major disadvantage of these panels, however, is that they require a bezel. LCDs have been a popular choice for video walls, but when the panels are connected to create a video wall, these bezels are visible and breakup the overall image.
Although bezel widths continue to narrow, they can still create a visual distraction for some LCD video wall installations.
