reducing the cost of the controller and cabling – and health monitoring and control of the display devices can be integrated into the control room management software, allowing for a seamless user experience.”
Barco projects right image for oil exploration company
TAQA Bratani is an exploration and production company working in the oil fields of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. One of its facilities is an Emergency Response Centre (ERC) located in Aberdeen, Scotland, which consists of an incident room, a control room and a relatives' support suite. Oil companies with offshore sites have
to be ready for any emergency, which means being able to relay, receive and analyse time-sensitive information as quickly and efficiently as possible. Electrosonic engineered a visual
display system that allows multiple sources to be processed and displayed in custom layouts on a large, central projection screen. This system assists the offshore North Sea site and organises the required external support during such emergencies.
“The key issues are compatibility and
support,” adds van Dijk. “Sourcing display and controller from a single vendor ensures you are going to get full functionality straight from the box. Our new D-Wall 5 software, for example,
CASE STUDY
hooks straight into the cube’s internal management functions so it’s possible to achieve an incredibly fine degree of monitoring and control with no fuss. In terms of support, dealing with a single vendor means one point of contact for all system issues, which is more efficient in terms of time and money.” Jonathan Cooper, business
development manager at NEC Display Solutions, sees things slightly differently. “I consider it more flexible to have access to a variety of videowall controllers rather than one option,” he says. NEC has a partnership with Hiperwall for the latter’s display wall management software. Perhaps surprisingly, given the
For maximum flexibility, Electrosonic
installed a 3.6 x 2m front-projection screen and image processor. This allows for instant layout changes via software, and ensures the screen is legible and viewable by all participants on the floor. At the heart of the display system is a
Barco RLM-W6 projector, which was selected because it offered sufficient resolution for the application, ample light output for the ambient light conditions and was quiet enough to be installed on a ceiling mount within the space itself. It is fed from a system that consists of a control computer and a Barco XDS-100 image processor.
company’s ability to deliver a complete solution, Christie’s Griffiths is in agreement. “From Christie’s point of view, it’s all about being agnostic,” he says. “If a third-party controller better fits the customer’s application, then that’s the right thing to do. That’s very different to some of our competitors, who insist on customers using their controller. I know some who have lost business because of it. On the other hand, dealing with a single supplier is very important for many customers – both end users and integrators.” “Although,” he smiles, “we have some cases where customers have bought a Christie controller – but not our screens.”
‘Every application will need to balance cost against
features’ Peter van Dijk, Mitsubishi Electric
“There are companies out there for whom displays are their real business, and the provision of display wall controllers is something of an afterthought,” says Spronk, somewhat provocatively. “A customer looking to source the best value for each of the components making up the end-to-end control room system should always purchase display processors independent of the display.” Unsurprisingly, he finds an ally in
Matrox’s Moodey. “The screen vendor enjoys two main advantages when it comes to selling a controller,” he