How To Build A Video Wall (Multiple TVs, One Image)
A video wall is a creative way to display content using multiple display screens at once. Together, the multiple screens act as individual tiles to display one large picture and create a breathtaking visual experience.
Are you looking for the best way to create a video wall for your business? We have provided easy step-by-step instructions on how to assemble your video wall from scratch!
Multiple TV Screens, One Image
A video wall looks every bit like its name implies. It is a large surface consisting of an assemblage of multiple TV screens to form one large screen.
A video wall is a brilliant creation that provides a medium for better image and video visualization over a larger surface area. Simply think of a video wall as the largest TV you have ever seen.
Technology has advanced and has birthed cutting-edge features like the video wall to find better ways to target customers, spread information, or improve communication.
In the earlier years, video walls were considered big-shot technologies only fit for business empires and corporations on a large budget. Now, video walls can be found in board rooms, airports, and even sports bars. This is mainly due to the improved ease of setting up a video wall and the lower cost.
Video walls can be formed using LCD screens, LED screens, and even projectors, depending on the resolution you wish to achieve. These screens are put together to form a rectangle or square shape, determining how the images will be displayed.
The screens used for video walls have thin bezels to ensure the disruption of each screen is not apparent. This removes the distraction of the demarcation large bezels would cause and provides a seamless video experience.
Although video ways are made from several screens put together and customized with a chain of command to display just one image, they give the feeling of being just one large screen.
Benefits of A Video Wall
Combining multiple screens to form one big screen provides a more prominent and precise picture with a higher resolution. This provides benefits like:
Eye-Catching Content
Video walls are bigger than your average screen. The large size combined with the brightness ensures that whatever information is displayed commands attention.
Video walls produce crisp and clear images rich in colors with higher picture resolutions that provide an almost magical experience. This makes it an excellent medium for passing crucial information, improving brand awareness through ads and communicating within a company.
Thanks to this feature, video walls have been implemented in out-of-home advertising and yield effective results. This has positively impacted the video wall market, with a study showing that the video wall market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11% from 2021 to 2026.
Flexible Installation
One of the best features of a video wall is that you can customize your wall however you like. You can fit your screens around curves and columns, stick to the traditional rectangular or square customization, or have fun creating a shape out of the norm. You control your video wall's size and can design it however you like.
Internal And External Communications
Video walls can display information to communicate within an organization or with the public.
The multiple video screens can communicate essential charts in board rooms, schedules, and other essential information to workers. Thanks to the large screen size, every employee knows the message being passed.
Video walls are used as an external form of communication to direct the public to act. They are often used to display effective ads or a large map of the area in malls, airports, and even universities.
Increase Customer Engagement
A video wall is a powerful tool that can be used to display interesting and valuable content that can increase customer engagement and drive sales.
Video walls provide a platform to display clear pictures rich in pictures and colors. This provides a medium to create outstanding personalized content, creates an excellent first impression among the audience, grabs their attention, and encourages them to take action.
Video walls serve preferable purposes, from scalability to customer retention. The benefits are endless and outweigh whatever costs and efforts are required to create and manage your video wall.
Video Wall Components
Before you make an effort to assemble your video wall, it is essential to understand what it takes to create a video wall.
A video wall isn't just made out of screens. While the displays are an integral part of creating a video wall, they are just one of the many components necessary to display an impressive video wall.
The components of a video wall include:
Hardware
The hardware refers to all the physical parts that make up the video wall. The basic hardware components are the display screens and media player.
1. Display Screen
The display screens or digital displays refer to the screens that make up the collage of screens on your wall. These screen tiles are what will display your future texts, images, videos, and whatever content they will be configured to show.
Your display screens can be LED or LCD. They can also be consumer or commercial-grade screens depending on the features and size you prefer.
An LCD or Liquid Crystal Display screen is a flat-panel display that uses light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. It creates bright pictures with the use of a backlight or reflector.
LCD screens are energy-efficient, long-lasting with a lifespan of about 60,000 hours, do not suffer from screen burn-in, and are available in portable low-profile designs. They have considerably small bezel sizes and are an excellent fit for video walls, depending on the location and function of the walls.
A LED screen, on the other hand, is a flat-panel display that uses an array of light-emitting diodes as pixels for a video display. It produces images using light-emitting diodes activated by electricity.
LED screens provide higher image quality and a better image resolution, are energy-efficient and provide wider viewing angles than LCD screens. LED screens are, however, more expensive and might require more power to function.
LED screens have thinner bezels and create a brighter, more seamless video wall collage than their counterparts. They are an excellent option for video walls requiring longer viewing distances in a brighter environment.
2. Media Player
The media player, also known as the controller or processor, receives content from your software and displays it on your screens. It is a device that you connect to your video wall setup using HDMI cables or VGA ports.
For multiple screens designed to generate one image content, your media player controls the process, so the image it generates from your software is displayed across all the screens like it's one canvas.
The media player lets you arrange, scale, and adjust your content. Some media players not only help you capture your content from your various software sources but also save them offline.
Software
Your video wall software is content management software that allows users to manage the content being displayed on the screens. It is a form of digital signage software.
Think of your software as a brain box. Without your software, it is impossible to create and upload content to your video wall.
Content
The content is what you upload on your video wall. From texts to pictures and videos, your content is what interacts and engages your audience. Without it, your video wall will be blank and ineffective.
How To Build A Video Wall
Setting up a video wall can look deceptively simple, and this is why we recommend you work with an expert. Regardless, we will break down the process for each setup.
Before you go right into building your wall, you should consider important factors like:
- The use of the video wall
- The size of the wall that the video wall will be mounted on
- Internet access
- The presence of an electrical outlet
- The function of the video wall
These factors play a significant role in helping you determine the best equipment for your project and the best way to customize your wall.
After you have figured out the scope of your video wall, you can get right into the basics of creating it.
1. Carry Out The Measurements
You cannot create a proper video wall without carrying out the necessary measurements. This first step is a vital part that will lay the foundation for the other steps.
First, account for the dimensions of your available wall space and then determine the dimension of the screens you will need. The type of information you will display collectively on the screens, the total location size, and the number of your audience play a huge role in determining the size and number of screens you should install.
You will need to consider factors like:
- Will you upscale your video wall in the future?
- Do you need a more vertical or horizontal video wall surface area?
- The actual display size of the screens
- The frame and supporting structures to mount your screen on
- The distance between displays and their bezel width
Space for other components like the media players
The weight of your displays
To make it easier, create a diagram document to account for all these measurements to scale and work with an expert with technical knowledge on video walls.
2. Prevent Potential Hazards
A video wall is a long-term investment that can be extremely heavy. With no option to move this heavy structure around, you need to determine if your video wall and the people around will be safe.
- Placing your video wall around a sharp corner is a bad idea
- Mount your video wall with the best method possible. If they are too heavy for a free-standing structure, consider mounting them safely on a wall
- Put in place a plan to keep the floor free of cables to prevent tripping and other hazards
Video walls are electrical equipment and can get hot after running for a few hours. Provide air conditioning and ventilation to prevent overheating
Put outlets that can handle the voltage the video wall requires to function.
3. Purchase A Media Player/Controller
A media player is an integral part of a functional video wall. You cannot operate your video walls, display content, or manage your content to be displayed as a single canvas without a media controller.
Controllers come in two types:
1. Hardware-based Controllers
Hardware-based video wall controllers function without an operating system. They are designed with in-built video processing chips and one input to display your content as one picture or multiple inputs to split the content on multiple displays.
2. Software-based Controllers
Also known as PC-based controllers, software-based controllers function with an operating system like Windows, Linux, or Mac. They have unique multiple-output graphic cards that produce high-performance content.
The Software-based controller is often used for small-scale video walls due to bandwidth limits. However, given that the graphic cards are high-quality, you will enjoy a seamless video wall.
When choosing a controller, you need one that will suit your video wall needs. It should have the necessary functions, necessary numbers of input and output ports, and the capability to handle your video wall size long-term.
Your controller should be able to display real-time video, provide the necessary content management tools, and have a compatible signal type.
4. Build Your Display
This is the part where you assemble your screens to create a seamless video wall.
After taking the measurements of your wall space and determining the video wall design, you will have to choose the right display size and mounting hardware to fit the video wall dimension in your plan.
Displays sizes in the market today are available in different sizes. It is vital to find a display that provides not only the features necessary for an efficient video wall but also a size that fits your plan.
Afterward, it would help if you determined the grid of your video wall. Your video wall can range from a simple square 2X2 (two screens in a row and two screens on a column) display or a rectangle 2X3 display to an artistic design where you will align your screens in a customized fashion. The largest high-definition video screen is in Dubai and measures 709.69 m².
There are various types of video wall technologies with varying features. You get to choose between:
- LCD video wall technology using LCD screens
- LED video wall technology using LED screens
- Blended projection walls using high-resolution projectors placed behind or in front of a screen
- Rear projection walls or cube projection systems which use a projection and mirrors in a cube.
Each technology provides different results and image quality. Since your video wall is a long-term investment, you should choose a display technology that matches your needs.
After figuring out the best technology for you, you should choose the best mounting hardware to serve your needs. There are standing mounting frames and mounting hardware to bolt your screens to the wall.
Your mounting frame dimension and strength should be included in the design of your wall. They should also be installed to provide space behind your video wall for ventilation and easy access for your technicians.
5. Connect Your Media Player
After setting up your displays, the next important step is to set up your media player or controller.
Your media player is in charge of broadcasting your content. It is relatively easy to install as it is in-built with the necessary specifications for a video wall.
You can choose to connect your media player and attach it behind your display using double-sided velcros. If that's not an option, you should consider mounting the media player in a cabinet or on your ceiling. This will the prevent clutter of wires all over the floor and prevent future hazards.
6. Install Video Wall Software
You have your display and media player intact, now, it is essential to install your software. The software you choose should be appropriate for your video wall specification and display one image.
A good software from a software solutions company should be effective, efficient, and easy to manage. It should make it easy to broadcast your content to your screens and provide other functional features while helping you save time and money.
7. Enjoy Your New Video Wall
After setting up your video wall, it is time to enjoy the results of your hard work. Assemble a team of technicians to oversee content creation, display, and management, and sit back to enjoy high-resolution displays.
With your video wall, you can explore various contents, including contents provided by Loop TV.
Loop TV is a business entertainment and digital signage TV that provides free licensed audio & video entertainment and free digital signage service.
With Loop TV, you do not have to worry about royalties or a subscription fee to display images, videos, or customized content on your video wall. All services and digital signage videos are free for you to explore and implement in your business.
In addition, Loop TV is supported by premium ads that run every 10 minutes on average. When you run these ads for eight hours every day, Loop TV will give you a reward you can redeem for pre-paid Visa cards, gift cards, or even donations to charity.
This means you not only enjoy free entertainment and digital signage software but also make money from doing so!
To get your free Loop TV media player shipped to you at no extra charge, simply visit the Loop TV page and fill in your business details in the online form. It is that easy!
Building A Video Wall Has Never Been Easier
A video wall is a long-term investment that can do wonders for your business when used effectively. While it might look like a lot of work goes into creating the perfect video wall, it is always worth it in the end.
A video wall is a financial venture and shouldn’t be handled with levity. Work with an expert to ensure that you make the best video wall financial decisions that will last you long-term.
A video wall might look like an intimidating piece of technology to create, own, and manage, but with the right strategy and team, it is an expenditure that pays off.