FEATURE: VIDEOWALLS
incorporating the screens and pre-empting space for videowalls.” “Yes, retail is still the
largest market we see, with many brands embracing videowalls in flagship stores,” adds Scorse, “and it will remain the most significant future market as retailers further embrace videowalls to provide larger scale experiential marketing.” “But,” he continues,
“corporate applications using videowalls are the big new thing, with companies replacing multi-projection and single-screen projection displays in auditoriums, VIP meeting rooms, lobbies and customer centres with videowalls. We are also seeing government and education embracing Prysm LPD videowalls due to very low operating costs and eco credentials.” Inevitably, as videowalls
proliferate, confidence and expertise with them also rises. “I would say the main difference from a year ago is the increased level of creativity facilitated by a general improvement in knowledge of display technologies and processing,”
says Paul O’Reilly, managing director of PSCo Technical Distribution. “Our channel partners, including resellers and consultants, are becoming more confident in specifying larger and more complex videowalls for end- client installations.”
3D: FOR SOME, NOT ALL But what of future developments in videowalls – 3D, for example? It depends who you talk to. Planar’s Seminario is bullish. “Our Clarity Matrix 3D Video Wall System has received rave reviews and significant interest from discriminating 3D customers, such as the Electronic Visualization Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago,” he smiles. “For academic, scientific and commercial applications, this passive-glasses, continuous stereo experience provides excellent results.” For the broader market,
however – where 3D is ‘nice to have’ rather than ‘must have’ (Bussens notes how, in markets such as oil and gas, research and design and higher education, 3D enables the discovery and study of unparalleled amounts of
data) – Crystal Display Systems’ Bartram’s view seems representative. “Demand for 3D has
dropped off over the last year,” he says. “First- generation public 3D lenticular displays [i.e. glasses-free] did not live up to market expectation, and the use of glasses in a public environment has somewhat limited the application of standard polarised 3D displays. We don’t see a great
VIDEOWALL IS FOCAL POINT OF NEW UNIVERSITY FACILITY
Claimed to be the location of what was until very recently the largest videowall installation in the UK education sector, the Grove is a new learning and research facility for art, design and media students at Middlesex University. The wall features 16 NEC MultiSync X462UNs in an installation undertaken by a partnership between PSCo and GV Multimedia. A key feature of the install, according to PSCo, is the company’s MLCD sliding bracket system which
demand for these at the moment.”
It seems, though, that the
videowall market doesn’t – yet – need innovations such as 3D or interactivity in order to continue its growth. By definition, it won’t even see much benefit from the arrival of 4K resolution displays: videowalls already have as many pixels as they need. The fact is that narrower bezels, slimmer and lighter displays, improved image
quality and, perhaps most importantly, lower prices are taking videowalls into places that could only be dreamed of 30 years ago.
www.barco.com www.crystal-display.com www.eyevis.de www.mitsubishidisplayengineering.com www.nec-display-solutions.com www.planar.com www.prysm.com www.psco.co.uk www.rgbspectrum.com
enables efficient, effective and simple maintenance with minimum disruption. The screen is used as a focal point
for the Grove’s future events, from screening catwalk shows to showcasing the students’ latest projects.
www.installation-international.com
November 2012 29
CASE STUDY
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